1

1 Now King David was old and advanced in years. They put covers over him but he could not get warm.

2 His servants said to him: »Your Majesty let us find a young woman to stay with you and take care of you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm.«

3 They searched all over Israel for a beautiful young woman, and in Shunem they found such a woman named Abishag, and brought her to the king.

4 She was very beautiful. She waited on the king and took care of him. However, he did not have intercourse with her.

5 Adonijah, son of Haggith, was very handsome. His mother gave birth to him after Maacah had Absalom. Adonijah boasted about himself, saying, »I will be king.« He got a chariot and horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.

6 His father never confronted him by asking: »Why have you done this?«

7 But Adonijah had discussed his actions with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the priest Abiathar, so they supported him.

8 But the priest Zadok, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David's thirty special guards did not join Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves at Zoheleth Rock near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king's other sons, all the men of Judah, and the king's officials.

10 But he did not invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the special guard or his brother Solomon.

11 Then Nathan asked Solomon's mother Bathsheba: »Have you heard that Adonijah, Haggith's son, has become king, and our master David does not even know about it?

12 »Bathsheba, let me give you some advice about how to save your life and your son's life.

13 »‘Go now to King David and ask him: ‘Your Majesty, did you solemnly promise me that my son Solomon would succeed you as king? How is it that Adonijah has become king?’

14 Nathan added: »While you are still talking with King David, I will come in and confirm your story.«

15 So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. He was very old, and Abishag, the young woman from Shunem, was taking care of him.

16 Bathsheba bowed low before the king. He asked: »What do you want?«

17 She answered: »Your Majesty, you made me a solemn promise in the name of Jehovah your God that my son Solomon would be king after you.

18 »Adonijah has already become king. You do not know anything about it.

19 »He has offered a sacrifice of many bulls, sheep, and fattened calves. He invited your sons, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of your army to the feast. However he did not invite your son Solomon.

20 »Your Majesty. The people of Israel want you to tell them who is to succeed you as king.

21 »If you do not my son Solomon and I will be treated as traitors when you die.«

22 Nathan arrived at the palace while she spoke.

23 The king was told that the prophet was there. Nathan went in and bowed low before the king.

24 Nathan said: »Your Majesty. Did you announce that Adonijah would succeed you as king?

25 »This very day he has gone and offered a sacrifice of many bulls, sheep, and fattened calves. He invited all your sons, Joab the commander of your army, and Abiathar the priest, and right now they are feasting with him and shouting: ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

26 »But he did not invite Zadok the priest or Benaiah or Solomon or me.

27 »Did Your Majesty approve all this and not even tell your officials who is to succeed you as king?«

28 King David said: »Ask Bathsheba to come back in.« She came and stood before him.

29 Then he said to her: »I promise you by the living God Jehovah, who has rescued me from all my troubles,

30 that today I will keep the promise I made to you in the name of Jehovah the God of Israel, that your son Solomon would succeed me as king.«

31 Bathsheba bowed low and said: »May my lord the king live a very long time!«

32 Then King David sent for Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah. When they came in,

33 he said to them: »Take my court officials with you; have my son Solomon ride my own mule, and escort him to Gihon Spring,

34 Zadok and Nathan are to anoint him as king of Israel. Then blow the trumpet and shout: Long live King Solomon!

35 »Follow him back here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will succeed me as king. He is the one I have chosen to be the ruler over Israel and Judah.«

36 »It will be done,« answered Benaiah, »and may Jehovah your God confirm it!

37 »Jehovah has been with Your Majesty. May he also be with Solomon and make his reign even more prosperous than yours.«

38 So Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, and the royal bodyguards put Solomon on King David's mule and escorted him to Gihon Spring.

39 Zadok took the container of olive oil that he had brought from the Tent of Jehovah’s presence, and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet, and all the people shouted: »Long live King Solomon!«

40 All the people followed him. They blew flutes and celebrated so loudly that their voices shook the ground.

41 Adonijah and all his guests heard this while they were eating. When Joab heard the sound of the horn, he asked: »Why all this noise in the city?«

42 He was still speaking when Jonathan, son of the priest Abiathar, arrived. »Come in,« Adonijah said: »You are an honorable man. You must be bringing good news.«

43 »Not at all,« Jonathan answered Adonijah. »His Majesty King David has made Solomon king!«

44 »The king sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites with him. They placed him on the king's mule.

45 »The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anointed him king at Gihon. They came from there celebrating. The city is excited. That is the sound you heard.

46 »Solomon is seated on the royal throne.

47 »Even the royal officials have come to congratulate His Majesty King David, saying: May your God make Solomon's name more famous than yours and his reign greater than your reign. The king himself bowed down on his bed

48 and prayed: ‘Let us praise Jehovah the God of Israel. Today he made one of my descendants succeed me as king.’ He let me live to see it!«

49 Adonijah's guests were afraid. So they all left.

50 Adonijah, in great fear of Solomon, went to the Tent of Jehovah’s presence and grabbed hold of the corners of the altar.

51 King Solomon was told that Adonijah was afraid of him and that he was holding on to the corners of the altar. He heard that he said: »First, I want King Solomon to swear to me that he will not have me put to death.«

52 Solomon replied: »If he is loyal, not even a hair on his head will be touched. If he is not, he will die.«

53 King Solomon then sent for Adonijah and had him brought down from the altar. Adonijah went to the king and bowed low before him. The king said to him: »You may go home.«

2

1 David was about to die. He called his son Solomon and gave him his last instructions:

2 »It is my time to die. I go the way of all people of the earth. Be strong and be a man.

3 »Do what Jehovah your God orders you to do. Obey all his laws and commands, as written in the Law of Moses. That way wherever you go you may prosper in everything you do.

4 »‘If you obey Jehovah he will keep the promise he made when he told me, ‘Your descendants will rule Israel as long as they are careful to obey my commands faithfully with all their heart and being.’

5 »Remember what Joab did to me by killing the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. You remember how he murdered them in time of peace. This was revenge for deaths they had caused in time of war. He killed innocent men. I bear the responsibility for what he did. I suffer the consequences.

6 »You know what to do. You must not let him die a natural death.

7 »But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead and take care of them. They were kind to me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.

8 "There is also Shimei son of Gera, from the town of Bahurim in Benjamin. He cursed me with a bitter curse the day I went to Mahanaim. When he met me at the Jordan River, I gave him my solemn promise in the name of Jehovah, saying, ‘I will not have you killed by the sword.’«

9 »However you must not let him go unpunished. You know what to do. You must make sure he is put to death.«

10 David died and was buried in David's City.

11 He was king of Israel for forty years. He ruled seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

12 Solomon succeeded his father David as king. His royal power was firmly established.

13 Adonijah, son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. »Is this a friendly visit?« She asked. »Yes,« he answered.

14 I have something to discuss with you. He said. What is it? She asked.

15 He said: »You know the kingship was mine. All Israel expected me to be their king. But the kingship has been turned over to my brother because Jehovah gave it to him.

16 »I have one request to make to you. Do not say no to me.« She responded: »Tell me.«

17 He said: »Will you go to Solomon the king for he will not say ‘No’ to you. And make my request that he give me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife?«

18 Bathsheba said: »Indeed, I will make your request to the king.«

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to meet her and bowed down to her. He took his place on the king's throne and she sat at his right hand on the seat made ready for the king's mother.

20 Then she said: »I have one small request to make of you. Do not say ‘No’ to me.« The king replied: »Speak mother for I will not say no to you.«

21 She said: »Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother for a wife.«

22 Then King Solomon answered: »Why are you requesting me to give Abishag the Shunammite to Adonijah? Take the kingdom for him in addition, for he is my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab, the son of Zeruiah, are on his side.«

23 King Solomon took an oath by Jehovah, saying: »May God's punishment be on me if Adonijah does not give payment for these words with his life.

24 »Now by the living God Jehovah who has given me my throne from David my father. He made me one of a line of kings. He gave me his word. Adonijah will be put to death this day.«

25 King Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada to attack and kill him.

26 The king spoke to Abiathar the priest: »Go to your fields at Anathoth. You deserve death. But I will not put you to death now, because you carried the Ark of Jehovah God before David my father. You were with him in all his troubles.«

27 Solomon did not allow Abiathar to be priest any longer. So the word of Jehovah came true concerning the sons of Eli in Shiloh.

28 Joab received news of this for Joab had been one of Adonijah's supporters. He was not on Absalom's side. Then Joab went in flight to the Tent of Jehovah and put his hands on the corners of the altar.

29 When King Solomon heard about this he sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada to kill him.

30 Benaiah went to the Tent of Jehovah and told Joab: Come out. Joab said: »No! Let me die here.« So Benaiah returned to the king and gave him the answer Joab gave him.

31 The king said: »Do as he said. Kill him there and bury him in the earth. This will remove the guilt of his senseless murders from my father’s family and me.

32 »Jehovah will punish Joab for those murders he committed without my father David's knowledge. Joab killed two innocent men who were better men than he: Abner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa, commander of the army of Judah.

33 »Jehovah will repay him for the blood Joab shed. The blood will fall on Joab and on his descendants as long as they live. Jehovah will always give success to David's descendants who sit on his throne.«

34 So Benaiah went to the Tent of Jehovah’s presence and killed Joab. He was buried at his home in the wilderness.

35 The king made Benaiah commander of the army in Joab's place and put Zadok the priest in Abiathar's place.

36 The king sent for Shimei and said to him: »Build a house for yourself here in Jerusalem. Live in it and do not leave the city.

37 »If you ever leave and go beyond Kidron Brook, you will die and it will be your fault.«

38 »As you say, Your Majesty,« Shimei answered. »I will do what you say.« So he lived in Jerusalem a long time.

39 Three years later, however, two of Shimei's slaves ran away to the king of Gath, Achish son of Maacah. When Shimei heard that they were in Gath,

40 he saddled his donkey and went to King Achish in Gath, to find his slaves. He found them and brought them back home.

41 When Solomon heard what Shimei did,

42 he sent for him and said: »I made you promise in Jehovah’s name not to leave Jerusalem. I warned you that if you ever did, you would die. Did you not agree to it and say that you would obey me?

43 »Why did you break your promise and disobey my command?

44 »You know very well all the wrong that you did to my father David. Jehovah will punish you for it.

45 »But he will bless me, and he will make David's kingdom secure forever.«

46 The king gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada. He killed Shimei. Solomon was now in complete control.

3

1 Solomon made an alliance with the king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. He brought her to live in David's City until he finished building his palace, the Temple, and the wall around Jerusalem.

2 A Temple had not yet been built for Jehovah. The people were still offering sacrifices at many different altars.

3 Solomon loved Jehovah. He followed the instructions of his father David. He also slaughtered animals and offered them as sacrifices on different altars.

4 One time he went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices because that was where the most used altar was. He offered hundreds of burnt offerings there in the past.

5 That night Jehovah appeared to him in a dream and asked him: »What do you want me to give you?«

6 Solomon answered: »You always showed great love for my father David, your servant. He was good, loyal, and honest in his relation with you. You have continued to show him your great and constant love by giving him a son who today rules in his place.

7 »O Jehovah God, you allowed me to succeed my father as king, even though I am very young and do not know how to rule.

8 »I am among the people you have chosen to be your own. They are a people who are so many that they cannot be counted.

9 ‘Give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice. Help me know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of yours?«

10 Jehovah was pleased that Solomon asked for this.

11 He said to him: »Because you have asked for the wisdom to rule justly, instead of long life for yourself or riches or the death of your enemies,

12 »I will do what you have asked. I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had. There has never been nor will ever be anyone like you.

13 »I will also give you what you did not ask for. All your life you will have wealth and honor, more than that of any other king.

14 »If you obey me and keep my laws and commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life.«

15 Solomon woke up and was aware that God had spoken to him in the dream. Then he went to Jerusalem and stood in front of Jehovah’s Ark of the Covenant. He offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to Jehovah. Then he gave a feast for all his officials.

16 One day two women who were prostitutes came to the king.

17 One of them said: »Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby boy at home while she was there.

18 »Two days after my child was born she also gave birth to a baby boy. Only the two of us were there in the house. No one else was there.

19 »One night she accidentally rolled over on her baby and smothered it.

20 »She got up during the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She took him to her bed and put the dead child in my bed.

21 »The next morning I woke up and was going to nurse my baby. It was dead. I looked at it more closely and saw that it was not my child.«

22 The other woman said: »The living child is mine, and the dead one is yours!« The first woman answered back: »The dead child is yours, and the living one is mine!« They argued before the king.

23 King Solomon said: »Each of you claims that the living child is hers and that the dead child belongs to the other one.«

24 He sent for a sword. When it arrived,

25 he said: »Cut the living child in two and give each woman half of it.«

26 With a heart full of love for her son the real mother said: »Please, Your Majesty, do not kill the child! Give it to her!« But the other woman said: »Do not give it to either of us cut it in two.«

27 Then Solomon said: »Do not kill the child! Give it to the first woman. She is the real mother.«

28 The people of Israel heard of Solomon's decision and were all filled with deep respect for him. They knew then that God had given him the wisdom to settle disputes fairly.

4

1 Solomon was king over all Israel.

2 His high officials were as follows: The priest: Azariah son of Zadok,

3 the court secretaries: Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha In charge of the records: Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud.

4 Commander of the army: Benaiah son of Jehoiada. Priests: Zadok and Abiathar.

5 Chief of the district governors: Azariah son of Nathan Royal Adviser: the priest Zabud son of Nathan.

6 In charge of the palace servants: Ahishar In charge of the forced labor: Adoniram son of Abda.

7 Solomon appointed twelve men as district governors in Israel. They provided food from their districts for the king and his household, each man being responsible for one month out of the year.

8 The following are the names of these twelve officers and the districts they were in charge of: Benhur: the mountains of Ephraim,

9 Bendeker: the cities of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, Elon, and Beth Hanan,

10 Benhesed: the cities of Arubboth and Socoh and all the territory of Hepher,

11 Benabinadab, who was married to Solomon's daughter Taphath: the whole region of Dor.

12 Baana son of Ahilud: the cities of Taanach, Megiddo, and all the region near Beth Shan, near the town of Zarethan, south of the town of Jezreel, as far as the city of Abel Meholah and the city of Jokmeam.

13 Bengeber: the city of Ramoth in Gilead, and the villages in Gilead belonging to the clan of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, and the region of Argob in Bashan, sixty large towns in all, fortified with walls and with bronze bars on the gates.

14 Ahinadab son of Iddo: the district of Mahanaim.

15 Ahimaaz, who was married to Basemath, another of Solomon's daughters: the territory of Naphtali.

16 Baana son of Hushai: the region of Asher and the town of Bealoth.

17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah: the territory of Issachar.

18 Shimei son of Ela: the territory of Benjamin.

19 Geber son of Uri: the region of Gilead, which had been ruled by King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan. Besides these twelve, there was one governor over all the land.

20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. They ate and drank and were very happy.

21 Solomon's kingdom included all the nations from the Euphrates River to Philistia and the Egyptian border. They paid him taxes and were subject to him all his life.

22 The supplies Solomon needed each day were one hundred and fifty bushels of fine flour and three hundred bushels of meal.

23 Also needed were ten stall-fed cattle, twenty pasture-fed cattle, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fowl cuckoo .

24 Solomon ruled over all the land west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah on the Euphrates as far west as the city of Gaza. All the kings west of the Euphrates were subject to him. He was at peace with all the neighboring countries.

25 As long as he lived, the people throughout Judah and Israel lived in safety. Each family had its own grapevines and fig trees.

26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand cavalry horses.

27 His twelve governors supplied the food King Solomon needed for all who ate in the palace. They always supplied everything needed, each one in the month assigned.

28 Each governor also supplied his share of barley and straw as needed for the chariot horses and the work animals.

29 God gave Solomon great wisdom and insight, and knowledge too great to be measured.

30 Solomon was wiser than the wise men of the East or the wise men of Egypt.

31 He was the wisest of all men. He was wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, and the sons of Mahol. His fame spread throughout all the neighboring countries.

32 He wrote three thousand proverbs and more than a thousand songs.

33 He spoke of trees and plants, from the Lebanon cedars to the hyssop that grows on walls. He talked about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

34 Kings all over the world heard of his wisdom and sent people to listen to the Wisdom of Solomon.

5

1 When King Hiram of Tyre heard that Solomon succeeded his father as king he sent ambassadors to Solomon. He had always been a friend of David's.

2 Solomon sent this message to Hiram:

3 »You know my father David could not build a Temple for the worship of Jehovah due to the constant wars he had to fight. There were enemies in countries all around him. First Jehovah had to give him victory over all his enemies.

4 »Jehovah my God has given me peace on all my borders. I have no enemies, and there is no danger of attack.

5 »Jehovah promised my father David: ‘Your son, whom I will make king after you, will build a Temple for me. I have decided to build that Temple for the worship of Jehovah my God.’

6 »Send your men to Lebanon to cut down cedars for me. My men will work with them. I will pay your men whatever you decide. You may already know, my men do not know how to cut down trees as well as yours do.«

7 Hiram was extremely pleased when he received Solomon's message. He said: »Praise Jehovah today for giving David such a wise son to succeed him as king of the great nation of Israel!«

8 Then Hiram sent Solomon the following message: »I received your message. I am ready to do what you ask. I will provide the cedars and the pine trees.

9 »My men will bring the logs from Lebanon to the sea and will tie them together in rafts to float them down the coast to the place you choose. My men will untie them. There your men will take charge of them. On your part, I would like you to supply the food for my men.«

10 So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the cedar and pine logs he wanted.

11 Solomon provided Hiram with one hundred thousand bushels of wheat and one hundred and ten thousand gallons of pure olive oil every year to feed his men.

12 Jehovah kept his promise and gave Solomon wisdom. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon for they made a treaty with each other.

13 King Solomon drafted thirty thousand men as forced labor from all over Israel.

14 He appointed Adoniram to be in charge of them. He divided them into three groups of ten thousand men. Each group spent one month in Lebanon and two months back home.

15 Solomon also had eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountains. There were seventy thousand men to carry the stones.

16 He placed three thousand three hundred foremen there to supervise their work.

17 King Solomon command that they cut fine large stones for the foundation of the Temple.

18 Solomon's and Hiram's workers and men from the city of Gebal prepared the stones and the timber to build the Temple.

6

1 Solomon began work on the Temple. It was four hundred and eighty years after the people of Israel left Egypt, during the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the second month, the month of Ziv.

2 The Temple Solomon built was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high inside.

3 The entrance room was fifteen feet deep and thirty feet wide. It was as wide as the sanctuary.

4 He made windows for the Temple. Their openings were narrower on the outside than on the inside.

5 A third-story annex, seven and one half feet high, was built against the outside walls. It was on the sides and the back of the Temple.

6 Each room in the lowest story was seven and one half feet wide. The middle story was nine feet wide. The top story was ten and one half feet wide. The Temple wall on each floor was thinner than on the floor below, so that the rooms could rest on the wall without having their beams built into it.

7 The stones with which the Temple was built were prepared at the quarry. That way there was no noise made by hammers, axes, or any other iron tools as the Temple was built.

8 The entrance to the lowest story of the annex was on the south side of the Temple. It had stairs leading up to the second and third stories.

9 King Solomon finished building the Temple. He put in a ceiling made of beams and boards of cedar.

10 The three-story annex, each story seven and one half feet high, was built against the outside walls of the Temple. Cedar beams were used to join it to them.

11 Jehovah spoke to Solomon:

12 »If you obey all my laws and commands, I will do for you what I promised your father David.

13 »I will live among my people Israel in this Temple that you are building. I will never abandon them.«

14 Solomon finished building the Temple.

15 The inside walls were covered with cedar panels from the floor to the ceiling. The floor was made of pine.

16 An inner room, called the Most Holy Place, was built in the rear of the Temple. It was thirty feet long and was partitioned off by cedar boards reaching from the floor to the ceiling.

17 The room in front of the Most Holy Place was sixty feet long.

18 The cedar panels were decorated with carvings of gourds and flowers. The entire interior was covered with cedar. The stones of the walls could not be seen.

19 An inner room was built in the rear of the Temple. The Ark of the Covenant was to be placed there.

20 This inner room was thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and thirty feet high, all covered with pure gold. The altar was covered with cedar panels.

21 The inside of the Temple was covered with gold. Gold chains were placed across the entrance of the inner room.

22 The whole interior of the Temple was covered with gold, as well as the altar in the Most Holy Place.

23 Two cherubim made of olive wood were placed in the Most Holy Place. Each one was fifteen feet tall.

24 Each had two wings, each wing was seven and one half feet long. The distance from one wing tip to the other was fifteen feet.

25 The other cherub was fifteen feet tall.

26 Both were the same size and shape.

27 They were placed side by side in the Most Holy Place. Their outstretched wings touched each other in the middle of the room, and the other two wings touched the walls.

28 The two cherubim were covered with gold.

29 The walls of the main room and of the inner room were all decorated with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and flowers.

30 Even the floor was covered with gold.

31 A double door made of olive wood was hung at the entrance of the Most Holy Place. There was a pointed arch on top of the doorway.

32 The doors were decorated with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and flowers. The doors, the cherubim, and the palm trees were covered with gold.

33 A rectangular doorframe of olive wood was made for the entrance to the main room.

34 There were two folding doors made of pine

35 and decorated with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and flowers, which were evenly covered with gold.

36 An inner court was built in front of the Temple. They enclosed it with walls that had one layer of cedar beams for every three layers of stone.

37 The foundation of the Temple was laid in the second month, the month of Ziv, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign.

38 In the eighth month, the month of Bul, in the eleventh year of Solomon's reign, the Temple was completely finished exactly as it had been planned. It took Solomon seven years to build it.

7

1 Solomon took thirteen years to build a palace for himself.

2 The Hall of the Forest of Lebanon was one hundred and fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high.

3 It had three rows of cedar pillars, fifteen in each row, with cedar beams resting on them. The ceiling was of cedar, extending over storerooms, which were supported by the pillars.

4 On each of the two sidewalls there were three rows of windows.

5 All the doors and doorframes were rectangular. There were three doors facing each other on opposite sides of the palace.

6 Solomon made the Hall of Pillars seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide. In front of the hall was an entrance hall with pillars.

7 He made the hall for the throne. It was a place where he could sit on his throne and judge. The hall was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.

8 His own private quarters were in a different location than the hall containing the throne. They were similar in design. Solomon also built private quarters like this for his wife, Pharaoh's daughter.

9 From the foundation to the roof, all these buildings, including the large courtyard, were built with high-grade stone blocks. The stone blocks were cut to size and trimmed with saws on their inner and outer faces.

10 The foundation was made with large, high-grade expensive stones. Some were twelve feet and others fifteen feet long.

11 Above the foundation were cedar beams and high-grade expensive stone blocks, which were cut to size.

12 The large courtyard had three layers of cut stone blocks and a layer of cedar beams, like the inner courtyard of Jehovah’s Temple and the entrance hall.

13 King Solomon sent for a man named Huram, a craftsman living in the city of Tyre.

14 Huram was knowledgeable and skilled in making things out of copper. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father had been from Tyre. He went to do all of King Solomon’s work.

15 Huram cast two copper columns. Each one was twenty-seven feet tall and eighteen feet in circumference. They were placed at the entrance of the Temple.

16 He also made two copper crowns. Each one was seven and one half feet tall. They were to be placed on top of the columns.

17 The top of each column was decorated with a design of interwoven chains.

18 They had two rows of copper pomegranates.

19 The crowns on the top of the columns were shaped like lilies, six feet tall,

20 and were placed on a rounded section which was above the chain design. There were two hundred pomegranates in two rows around each crown.

21 Huram placed these two copper columns in front of the entrance of the Temple. The column on the south side was named Jachin and the one on the north was named Boaz.

22 The lily-shaped copper crowns were on top of the columns. The work on the columns was completed.

23 Hiram made a round tank of copper, seven and one half feet deep, fifteen feet in diameter, and forty-five feet in circumference.

24 All around the outer edge of the rim of the tank were two rows of copper gourds. They were all cast in one piece with the rest of the tank.

25 The tank rested on the backs of twelve copper bulls that faced outward. Three faced in each direction.

26 The sides of the tank were three inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup. It curved outward like the petals of a lily. The tank held about ten thousand gallons.

27 Huram also made ten copper carts. Each cart was six feet long, six feet wide, and four and one half feet high.

28 They were made of square panels set in frames.

29 There were figures of lions, bulls, and cherubim on the panels. And there were spiral relief figures on the frames above and underneath the lions and bulls.

30 Each cart had four copper wheels with copper axles. At the four corners were copper supports for a basin. The supports were decorated with spiral relief figures.

31 There was a circular frame on top for the basin. It projected eighteen inches upward from the top of the cart and seven inches down into it. It had carvings around it.

32 The wheels were under the panels. They were twenty-five inches high. The axles were of one piece with the carts.

33 The wheels were like chariot wheels. Their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of copper.

34 There were four supports at the bottom corners of each cart. They were of one piece with the cart.

35 There was a nine-inch band around the top of each cart. Its supports and the panels were of one piece with the cart.

36 The supports and panels were decorated with figures of cherubim, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was space for them, with spiral figures all around.

37 This is how the carts were made. They were all alike, having the same size and shape.

38 Huram made ten basins, one for each cart. Each basin was six feet in diameter and held two hundred gallons.

39 He placed five of the carts on the south side of the Temple. The other five were placed on the north side. The tank was placed at the southeast corner.

40 Huram made the pots and spades and the basins. Huram finished all the work he did for King Solomon in the house of Jehovah.

41 The two pillars and the two cups of the crowns which were on the tops of the two pillars; and the network covering the two cups of the crowns on the tops of the pillars,

42 The four hundred apples for the network, two lines of apples for every network, covering the two cups of the crowns on the pillars;

43 The ten bases, with the ten washing-vessels on them;

44 The great water-vessel molten sea copper sea , with the twelve oxen under it;

45 And the pots and the spades and the basins; all the vessels which Huram made for King Solomon, for the house of Jehovah, were of polished brass.

46 He made them of liquid metal in the lowland district of the Jordan River. This was at the river crossing at Adama, between Succoth and Zarethan.

47 Solomon did not weigh all the utensils because so much copper was used. No one tried to determine how much the copper weighed.

48 Solomon made all the furnishings for Jehovah’s Temple: the gold altar, the gold table on which the bread of the presence was placed,

49 lamps stands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north in front of the inner room, flowers, lamps, gold tongs,

50 dishes, snuffers, bowls, saucers, incense burners of pure gold, the gold sockets for the doors of the inner room the Most Holy Place , and the doors of the temple.

51 All the work King Solomon did on Jehovah’s Temple was finished. He brought the holy things that belonged to his father David: the silver, gold, and utensils and put them in the storerooms of Jehovah’s Temple.

8

1 King Solomon summoned all the leaders of the tribes and clans of Israel to come to him in Jerusalem. They were to take Jehovah’s Ark of the Covenant from Zion, David's City, to the Temple.

2 They all assembled during the festival. It was the seventh month, the month of Ethanim.

3 As soon as all the elders gathered, the priests lifted the Ark

4 and carried it to the Temple. The Levites and the priests also moved the Tent of Jehovah’s presence and all its equipment to the Temple.

5 King Solomon and all the people of Israel assembled in front of the Ark and sacrificed a large number of sheep and cattle, too many to count.

6 Then the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple and put it in the Most Holy Place, beneath the cherubim angel .

7 Their outstretched wings covered the box and the poles it was carried by.

8 The ends of the poles could be seen by anyone standing directly in front of the Most Holy Place, but from nowhere else.

9 There was nothing inside the Ark of the Covenant except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed there at Mount Sinai, when Jehovah made a covenant with the people of Israel as they were coming from Egypt.

10 As the priests were leaving the Temple, it was suddenly filled with a cloud.

11 It shined with the dazzling light of Jehovah’s presence. They could not go back in to perform their duties.

12 Solomon prayed: »Jehovah, you have placed the sun in the sky, yet you have chosen to live in clouds and darkness.

13 »Now I have built a majestic temple for you, a place for you to live in for a very long time.«

14 King Solomon turned to face the people standing there. He asked God's blessing on them.

15 He said: »Praise Jehovah the God of Israel! He kept the promise he made to my father David, when he told him:

16 »‘Since the time I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen any city in all the land of Israel in which a temple should be built where I would be worshiped. But I chose you, David, to rule my people.’«

17 Solomon continued: »My father David planned to build a temple for the worship of Jehovah the God of Israel,

18 »‘Jehovah said to him: ‘You were right in wanting to build a temple for me.

19 »‘However you will never build it. It is your son who will build my temple.’«

20 »Now Jehovah has kept his promise. I have succeeded my father as king of Israel. And I have built the Temple for the worship of Jehovah the God of Israel.

21 »I also provided a place in the Temple for the Ark of the Covenant containing the stone tablets of the covenant Jehovah made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.«

22 In the presence of the people Solomon stood in front of the altar. He raised his arms

23 and prayed: »Jehovah God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You keep your covenant with your people and show them your love when they live in wholehearted obedience to you.

24 »You kept the promise you made to my father David. Every word has been fulfilled.

25 »Jehovah, God of Israel, I pray that you will also keep the other promise you made to my father when you told him there would always be one of his descendants ruling as king of Israel, provided they obeyed you as carefully as he did.

26 »So now, O God of Israel, let your word come true that you promised to my father David, your servant.

27 »Can you, O God, really live on earth? Not even heaven or the heaven of heavens is large enough to hold you. How can this Temple I have built be large enough?

28 »Jehovah my God, I am your servant. Listen to my prayer. Grant the requests I make to you today.

29 »Watch over this Temple day and night. For this is the place where you have chosen to be worshiped. Hear me when I face this Temple and pray.

30 »Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people. In your home in heaven hear us and forgive us.

31 »When a person is accused of wronging another and is brought to your altar in this Temple to take an oath that he is innocent,

32 »O Jehovah, listen in heaven and judge your servants. Punish the guilty one, as he deserves. Justify the one who is innocent.

33 »When your people Israel have sinned against you their enemies defeat them. They can turn to you and come to this Temple, humbly praying to you for forgiveness.

34 Listen to them in heaven. Forgive the sins of your people and bring them back to the land that you gave to their ancestors.

35 »When you hold back the rain because your people have sinned against you. And when they repent in this Temple, humbly praying to you,

36 listen to them in heaven. Forgive the sins of the king and of the people of Israel, and teach them to do what is right. Then, O Jehovah, send rain on this land of yours, which you gave to your people as a permanent possession.

37 »When there is famine in the land or an epidemic or scorching winds or swarms of locusts, or when their enemies attack your people, or when disease or sickness among them destroys the crops,

38 listen to their prayers. If any of your people Israel, out of heartfelt sorrow, stretch out their hands in prayer toward this Temple,

39 hear their prayer. Listen to them in your home in heaven, help them and forgive them. You alone know the thoughts of the human heart. Deal with each person, as he deserves,

40 so that your people may obey you all the time they live in the land you gave to our ancestors.

41 »When a foreigner who lives in a distant land hears of your fame and of the great things you have done for your people and comes to worship you and to pray at this Temple,

42 »For they will have news of your great name and your strong hand and your out-stretched arm. When he comes to pray in this house:

43 »Listen to him and give him his desire. Let all the peoples of the earth know about your name. Let them worship you as your people Israel, and that they may see that this house which I have built is truly named by your name.

44 »When your people go to war against their enemies, they pray to you, O Jehovah, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I built for your name.

45 »Hear their prayer for mercy in heaven, and do what is right for them.

46 »They may sin against you, for everyone sins. You may become angry with them and hand them over to an enemy far or near who takes them to another country as captives.

47 »If they come to their senses and are sorry for what they have done, and plead with you in the land where they are captives, saying: We have sinned. We have done wrong. We have been wicked.

48 »If they change their attitude toward you in the land of their enemies where they are captives, if they pray to you toward the land that you gave their ancestors, and the city you have chosen, and the temple I have built for your name,

49 then in heaven, the place where you live, hear their prayer for mercy. Do what is right for them.

50 »Forgive your people, who have sinned against you. Forgive all their wrongs when they rebelled against you. Cause those who captured them to have mercy on them.

51 »They are your own people. You brought them out of Egypt from the middle of an iron smelter.

52 »May your eyes always see my plea and your people Israel's plea so that you will listen to them whenever they call on you.

53 »You Jehovah set them apart from all the people of the world. They are your own as you promised through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.«

54 When Solomon finished praying this prayer for mercy to Jehovah, he stood in front of Jehovah’s altar, where he had been kneeling with his hands stretched out toward heaven.

55 Then he stood and in a loud voice blessed the entire assembly of Israel:

56 "THANKS TO JEHOVAH! He has given his people Israel rest, as he has promised. None of the good promises he made through his servant Moses has failed to come true.

57 »May Jehovah our God be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he not leave us or abandon us.

58 »May he bend our hearts toward him. Then we will follow him and obey his commands, laws, and rules, which he commanded our ancestors to obey.

59 »May these words I have prayed to Jehovah be near Jehovah our God day and night. Then he will give his people Israel and me justice every day as it is needed.

60 »In this way all the people of the earth may know that Jehovah is God and there is no other god.

61 »Let your hearts be committed to Jehovah our God. Then you will live by his laws and keep his commands as you have today.«

62 Then the king and all Israel offered sacrifices to Jehovah.

63 Solomon sacrificed twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep as fellowship offerings to Jehovah. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated Jehovah’s Temple.

64 On that day the king designated the courtyard in front of Jehovah’s Temple as a holy place. He sacrificed the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the fellowship offerings because the copper altar in front of Jehovah was too small to hold all of them.

65 At that time Solomon and all Israel celebrated the festival. A large crowd had come from the territory between the border of Hamath and the River of Egypt to be near Jehovah our God for seven days.

66 On the eighth day he dismissed the people. They blessed the king and went to their tents. They rejoiced with cheerful hearts for all the blessings Jehovah had given his servant David and his people Israel.

9

1 Solomon finished building Jehovah’s Temple, the royal palace, and everything else he wanted to build.

2 Jehovah came to him again in a vision just as he had done at Gibeon.

3 Jehovah said: »I have heard your prayers and your supplication you made. I have made this house holy. I put my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there at all times.

4 »As for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father did, uprightly and with a true heart, doing what I have given you orders to do, keeping my laws and my decisions;

5 »I will make the seat of your rule over Israel certain forever. I gave my word to David your father. I said: You will never be without a man to be king in Israel.

6 »But if you turn from my ways, you or your children, and do not keep my orders and my laws which I have put before you, but go and make yourselves servants to other gods and give them worship:

7 »I will have Israel cut off from the land I gave them. I will abandon this house even though I have made it holy for myself. I will put you out of my sight. Israel will be a public example, and a word of shame among all peoples.

8 This house will become a mass of broken walls. Everyone who goes by will be overcome with wonder at it and make whistling sounds. They will say: Why has Jehovah done this to this land and to this house?

9 »‘The answer will be: ‘Because they turned away from Jehovah their God. The one who took their fathers out of the land of Egypt. They took for themselves other gods and gave them worship and became their servants: that is why Jehovah has sent this evil on them.’«

10 It took twenty years for Solomon to build two houses, the Temple of Jehovah and the king's house.

11 Hiram, king of Tyre, had given Solomon cedar-trees and cypress-trees and gold, as much as he needed. King Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the land of Galilee.

12 But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them.

13 He said: »What sort of towns are these you have given me, my brother?« So they were named the land of Cabul, to this day.

14 Hiram sent the king a hundred and twenty talent of gold.

15 King Solomon used forced labor to build the Temple and the palace, to fill in land on the east side of the city, and to build the city wall. He also used it to rebuild the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

16 The king of Egypt attacked Gezer and captured it. They killed its inhabitants and set fire to the city. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter when she married Solomon.

17 Solomon rebuilt it. Using his forced labor, Solomon also rebuilt Lower Beth Horon,

18 Baalath, Tamar in the wilderness of Judah,

19 the cities where his supplies were kept, the cities for his horses and chariots, and everything else he wanted to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and elsewhere in his kingdom.

20 Solomon used the descendants of the people of Canaan whom the Israelites had not killed when they took possession of their land as his forced labor. These included Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

21 Their descendants continue to be slaves down to the present time.

22 Solomon did not make slaves of Israelites. They served as his soldiers, officers, commanders, chariot captains, and cavalry.

23 There were five hundred and fifty officials in charge of the forced labor working on Solomon's various building projects.

24 Solomon filled in the land on the east side of the city, after his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt, had moved from David's City to the palace Solomon built for her.

25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built to Jehovah. He also burned incense to Jehovah. He finished building the Temple.

26 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Eziongeber. This is near Elath on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, in the land of Edom.

27 King Hiram sent experienced sailors from his fleet to serve with Solomon's men.

28 They sailed to the land of Ophir and brought back to Solomon about sixteen tons of gold.

10

1 The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame. She traveled to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions.

2 So she came to Jerusalem with a very large caravan. The camels carried spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she approached Solomon, she talked about everything she had on her mind heart .

3 Solomon answered all her questions. Nothing was hidden from the king that he did not explain to her.

4 When the queen of Sheba perceived all the Wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,

5 the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of Jehovah, she was overwhelmed.

6 She said to the king: »The report I heard in my country about your acts and your wisdom was true.

7 »But I had no faith in what was said about you, till I came and saw for myself. Now I see that what I was told was not the half of it! Your wisdom and your wealth are much greater than they said.

8 »Happy are your wives, happy are your servants whose place is ever before you, hearing your words of wisdom.

9 »Praise Jehovah your God! He delighted in you and made you king of Israel. Jehovah’s love for Israel is long lasting, he has made you king, to be their judge in righteousness.«

10 She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a great store of spices and jewels. Never again was such a wealth of spices seen as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

11 Hiram's fleet that brought gold from Ophir also brought a large quantity of sandalwood and precious stones from Ophir.

12 With the sandalwood possibly the algum tree the king made supports for Jehovah’s Temple and the royal palace, and lyres and harps for the singers. Never again was sandalwood like this imported into Israel, nor has any been seen there to this day.

13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire. Whatever she requested in addition to what he gave her freely from the impulse of his heart. She and her servants went back to her country.

14 Each year King Solomon received about twenty-five tons of gold.

15 This was in addition to what came to him from the business of the traders, and from all the kings of the Arabians, and from the rulers of the country.

16 Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold. About fifteen pounds of gold went into each shield.

17 He made three hundred smaller body-covers of hammered gold. Three pounds of gold was in every cover. The king put them in the house of the Woods of Lebanon.

18 The king made a great ivory throne plated with the best gold.

19 There were six steps going up to it. The top of it was round at the back. There were arms on the two sides of the throne and two lions by the side of the arms.

20 Twelve lions were placed on one side and on the other side on the six steps: there was nothing like it in any kingdom.

21 All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold. All the vessels of the house of the Woods of Lebanon were of the best gold. Not one was of silver, for no one gave a thought to silver in the days of King Solomon.

22 For the king had Tarshish-ships at sea with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years the Tarshish-ships came with gold and silver and ivory and apes monkeys and peacocks.

23 King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and in wisdom.

24 They came from all over the earth to see Solomon and to listen to his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

25 Everyone took presents such as vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and robes, and coats of metal, and spices, and horses, and beasts of transport, regularly year by year.

26 Solomon gathered war-carriages and horsemen. He had one thousand, four hundred carriages and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he kept, some in the carriage-towns and some with the king at Jerusalem.

27 The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem and cedars like the sycamore-trees of the lowlands in number.

28 Solomon's string of horses came from Egypt and from Kue. The king's traders got them at a price from Kue.

29 A war-carriage might be obtained from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They got them at the same rate for all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

11

1 Solomon loved many women. They were of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites.

2 Jehovah warned the children of Israel about these nations. He said: »You are not to take wives from them and they are not to take wives from you. They will certainly turn your hearts to go after their gods.« Solomon loved his wives anyway.

3 He had seven hundred wives, daughters of kings, and three hundred other wives. His wives influenced his heart to turn away.

4 When Solomon was old he allowed his heart to be turned away to other gods by his wives. His heart was no longer true to Jehovah his God as the heart of his father David had been.

5 Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and Milcom, the disgusting god of the Ammonites.

6 Solomon did evil in the eyes of Jehovah. He did not walk in Jehovah’s ways with all his heart as David his father did.

7 Then Solomon put up a high place for Chemosh, the disgusting god of Moab, in the mountain near Jerusalem. And for Molech, the disgusting god worshipped by the children of Ammon.

8 He did likewise for all his strange wives, who made offerings with burning of perfumes to their gods.

9 Jehovah was angry with Solomon. This is because his heart turned away from Jehovah, the God of Israel, who had twice come to him in a vision.

10 Jehovah had given him orders about this very thing that he was not to go after other gods. But he did not obey the orders of Jehovah.

11 So Jehovah said to Solomon: »Because you have done this, and have not kept the agreement and laws I gave you, I will take the kingdom away from you by force and will give it to your servant.

12 »I will not do it in your lifetime, because of your father David, but I will take it from your son.

13 »Still I will not take the entire kingdom from him. I will give one tribe to your son, because of my servant David, and because of Jerusalem, the town of my selection.«

14 Jehovah sent Hadad the Edomite to make trouble for Solomon. He was of the king's seed in Edom.

15 When David had sent destruction on Edom, and Joab, the commander of the army went to bury the dead. They put to death every male in Edom.

16 Joab and all Israel stayed there six months until they had destroyed every male in Edom.

17 Hadad was a young boy at the time. He and some of his father's Edomite servants fled to Egypt.

18 They left Midian and went to Paran. Taking some men from Paran with them, they went to Pharaoh the king of Egypt. Pharaoh gave Hadad a home, a food allowance, and land.

19 Pharaoh approved of Hadad. So he gave Hadad his sister-in-law, the sister of Queen Tahpenes, to be Hadad's wife.

20 Tahpenes' sister had a son named Genubath. Tahpenes presented the boy to Pharaoh in the palace, and Genubath lived in the palace among Pharaoh's children.

21 When the news reached Hadad in Egypt that David had died and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to the king: »Let me go back to my own country.«

22 »Why?« The king asked. »Have I failed to give you something? Is that why you want to go back home?« Hadad answered: »Just let me go.« He went back to his country. As king of Edom, Hadad was an evil, bitter enemy of Israel.

23 God also caused Rezon son of Eliada to turn against Solomon. Rezon had fled from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah,

24 and had become the leader of a gang of outlaws. This happened after David defeated Hadadezer and slaughtered his Syrian allies. Rezon and his gang lived in Damascus, where his followers made him king of Syria.

25 He was trouble to Israel all through the days of Solomon. This is the damage Hadad did: he was cruel to Israel while he was ruler over Edom.

26 Jeroboam rebelled against the king. He was the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother was Zeruah, a widow.

27 This is how he rebelled: Solomon was building the Millo supporting terraces and making good the damaged parts of the town of his father David.

28 Jeroboam was a capable and responsible man. Solomon saw that he was a good worker and made him overseer of all the work given to the sons of Joseph.

29 When Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite came across him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new robe. They were by themselves in the open country.

30 Ahijah took his new robe in his hands and tore it into twelve pieces.

31 He said to Jeroboam: »Take ten of the parts, for this is what Jehovah said: ‘I will take the kingdom away from Solomon by force. I will give ten tribes to you.

32 »‘But one tribe will be his because of my servant David, and because of Jerusalem. Out of the tribes of Israel he will have the town I have made mine.

33 »‘I am going to do this because Solomon has rejected me and has worshiped foreign gods. Astarte, the goddess of Sidon; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of Ammon. Solomon disobeyed me. He has done wrong! He has not obeyed my laws and commands as his father David did.

34 »‘I will not take the entire kingdom away from Solomon. I will keep him in power as long as he lives. This I will do for the sake of my servant David, whom I chose and who obeyed my laws and commands.

35 »‘I will take the kingdom away from Solomon's son and will give you ten tribes.

36 »‘I will let Solomon's son keep one tribe. That way I will always have a descendant of my servant David ruling in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as the place where I am worshiped.

37 »‘Jeroboam, I will make you king of Israel. You will rule over all the territory that you want.

38 »‘If you obey me completely I will always be with you. You must live by my laws, and win my approval by doing what I command, as my servant David did. I will make you king of Israel and will make sure that your descendants rule after you, just as I have done for David.

39 »‘Because of Solomon's sin I will punish the descendants of David, but not forever.’«

40 For this reason Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. Jeroboam escaped to King Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until Solomon's death.

41 Everything else that Solomon did, his career, and his wisdom, are all recorded in The History of Solomon.

42 He was king in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

43 He died and was buried in David's City. His son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.

12

1 Rehoboam went to Shechem. All the people of northern Israel gathered to make him king.

2 Jeroboam son of Nebat went to Egypt to escape from King Solomon. When he heard this news he returned from Egypt.

3 The people of the northern tribes sent for him. Then they all went together to Rehoboam and said to him:

4 »Your father Solomon treated us harshly and placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects.«

5 »Come back in three days and I will give you my answer,« he replied. So they left.

6 Then King Rehoboam consulted elders who had been with Solomon his father when he was living. He said: »In your opinion, what answer am I to give to these people?«

7 They said to him: »If you will be a servant to this people today, caring for them and giving them a favorable answer, then they will be your servants for ever.«

8 But he paid no attention to the opinion of the elders. He went to the young men who were his advisors:

9 »What is your opinion?« He asked: »What answer are we to give to this people? They want me to lighten the burdens placed on them by my father.«

10 His young advisors said: »This is the answer to give to the people who came to you saying: ‘Your father put a hard yoke on us; will you make it less?’ Say to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's body.’

11 »‘If my father put a hard yoke on you, I will make it harder! My father gave you punishment with whips, but I will give you blows with snakes.’«

12 So all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day just as the king ordered.

13 The king gave them a harsh answer. He paid no attention to the suggestion of the elders.

14 He gave them the answer suggested by the young advisors. He said: »My father made your yoke hard, but I will make it harder! My father gave you punishment with whips, but I will give it with snakes.«

15 The king did not listen to the people. This came about by Jehovah’s purpose, so that what he had said by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam, son of Nebat, might be fulfilled.

16 When all Israel realized that the king would not respond to their request, the people in answer said to the king: »What share do we have in David? What is our heritage in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel; now see to your people, David.« So Israel went away to their tents.

17 Rehoboam was still king over those of the children of Israel who were living in the towns of Judah.

18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, the overseer of the forced work. He was stoned to death by all Israel. King Rehoboam went quickly and got into his carriage to escape to Jerusalem.

19 Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they requested a meeting of the people. At that meeting they made him king over Israel. There was none who followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah.

21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he called together one hundred and eighty thousand of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He wanted to go to war and restore his control over the northern tribes of Israel.

22 But God told the prophet Shemaiah:

23 »Give this message to Rehoboam and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin:

24 »‘Do not attack the people of Israel, your own relatives. All of you go home. What has happened is my will.’« They all obeyed Jehovah’s command and went home.

25 King Jeroboam of Israel fortified the town of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there for a while. Then he left and fortified the town of Penuel.

26 He thought to himself: »The way things are my people will go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to Jehovah at the Temple there.

27 »They will transfer their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah and will kill me.«

28 After asking for advice, the king made two golden calves. He said: You have been worshiping in Jerusalem long enough. Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.

29 He placed one in Bethel and the other in Dan.

30 This became Israel’s sin, worshiping the golden calves. The people went as far as Dan to worship the one calf.

31 Jeroboam built worship sites on hilltops. He appointed men who were not descended from Levi to be priests.

32 Jeroboam appointed a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival in Judah. He went to the altar in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had made. He appointed priests from the illegal worship sites to serve in Bethel.

33 He went to his altar in Bethel to burn an offering on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the festival he invented for the Israelites.

13

1 A man of God from Judah went to Bethel. He arrived there while Jeroboam was at the altar ready to offer a sacrifice.

2 He actually spoke against the altar: »O altar, altar, this is what Jehovah says: ‘A child, whose name will be Josiah, will be born to the family of David. He will slaughter the priests serving at the pagan altars who offer sacrifices on you. He will burn human bones on you.’«

3 The prophet went on to say: »This altar will fall apart. The ashes on it will be scattered. Then you will know that Jehovah has spoken through me.«

4 King Jeroboam heard this. He pointed his outstretched hand at him and ordered: »Seize that man!« At once the king's arm became paralyzed so that he could not pull it back.

5 The altar suddenly fell apart and the ashes spilled to the ground. This is what the prophet predicted in the name of Jehovah.

6 King Jeroboam said to the prophet: »Please pray to Jehovah your God for me, and ask him to heal my arm!« The prophet prayed to Jehovah and the king's arm was healed.

7 Then the king said to the prophet: »Come home with me and have something to eat. I will reward you for what you have done.«

8 The prophet answered: Even if you gave me half of your wealth, I would not go with you or eat or drink anything with you.

9 I was ordered by the word of Jehovah, he said: »You are not to take food or a drink of water, and you are not to go back the way you came.«

10 So he went another way, and not by the way he came to Bethel.

11 There was an old prophet living in Bethel. His sons told him what the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They reported what he said to the king.

12 Their father asked: »Which way did he go?« His sons saw which way the man of God went.

13 So the prophet said to his sons: »Saddle the donkey for me.« So they saddled the donkey and he mounted it.

14 He rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree. »Are you the man of God who came from Judah?» He asked. « I am.« Came his reply.

15 He said: »Come back to the house with me and have a meal.«

16 But the man of God from Judah replied: »I may not go back with you or go into your house. I will not take food or a drink of water with you in this place.

17 »Jehovah said to me: ‘You are not to take food or water there, or go back again by the way you came.’«

18 Then he said: »I am a prophet like you. An angel said to me by the word of Jehovah, Take him back with you and give him food and water.« But he lied to him.

19 So he went back with him, and had a meal in his house and a drink of water.

20 But while they were seated at the table, the word of Jehovah came to the old prophet who had brought him back.

21 Crying out to the man of God who came from Judah, he said: »Jehovah says, ‘because you have gone against the voice of Jehovah, and have not done as Jehovah ordered you,

22 but have come back, and have taken food and water in this place where he said you were to take no food or water; your dead body will not be put to rest with your fathers.’«

23 After the meal he made the donkey ready for the prophet whom he had taken back.

24 He went on his way. A lion met him on the road and jumped him and killed him. His dead body was stretched in the road with the donkey by its side. The lion was by the body.

25 Some people who passed by saw the body stretched out in the road with the lion by its side. They brought the news to the town where the old prophet lived.

26 The old prophet heard about it and said: »That is the prophet who disobeyed Jehovah’s command! Jehovah sent the lion to attack and kill him, just as Jehovah said he would.«

27 He said to his sons: »Saddle my donkey for me.« They did so.

28 He rode away to find the prophet's body lying on the road. The donkey and the lion were still standing by it. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey.

29 The old prophet picked up the body and brought it back to Bethel on the donkey. There he mourned over it and buried it.

30 He buried it in his own family grave. He and his sons mourned over it, saying: »Oh my brother, my brother!«

31 After the burial the prophet said to his sons: »When I die, bury me in this grave and lay my body next to his.

32 »The words that he spoke at Jehovah’s command against the altar in Bethel and against all the places of worship in the towns of Samaria will surely come true.«

33 King Jeroboam of Israel still did not turn from his evil ways. He continued to choose priests from ordinary families to serve at the altars he had built. He ordained as priest anyone who wanted to be one.

34 This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam. It brought about its ruin and total destruction from the face of the earth.

14

1 King Jeroboam's son Abijah became sick.

2 Jeroboam said to his wife: »Disguise yourself so that no one will recognize you, and go to Shiloh. That is where the prophet Ahijah lives. He is the one who said I would be king of Israel.

3 »Take him ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey. Ask him what is going to happen to our son. He will tell you.«

4 She went to Ahijah's home in Shiloh. Old age had made Ahijah blind.

5 Jehovah told him: »Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is sick.« Jehovah told Ahijah what to say. Jeroboam's wife pretended to be someone else when she arrived there.

6 Ahijah heard her coming in the door and said: »Come in. I know you are Jeroboam's wife. Why do you pretend to be someone else? I have bad news for you.

7 »Go and tell Jeroboam that this is what Jehovah, the God of Israel, says to him: I chose you from among the people and made you the ruler of my people Israel.

8 »I took the kingdom away from David's descendants and gave it to you. You have not been like my servant David. He was completely loyal to me. He obeyed my commands, and did only what I approve of.

9 »You have committed far greater sins than those who ruled before you. You have rejected me and have aroused my anger by making idols and metal images to worship.

10 »I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will kill all your male descendants, young and old alike. I will get rid of your family. They will be swept away like dung.

11 »Dogs will eat members of your family who die in the city. Vultures will eat any who die in the open country. I, Jehovah, have spoken!«

12 Ahijah went on to say to Jeroboam's wife: »Go back home. As soon as you enter the town, your son will die.

13 »All the people of Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He will be the only member of Jeroboam's family who will be properly buried for he is the only one with whom Jehovah, the God of Israel, is pleased.

14 »Jehovah will place a king over Israel who will put an end to Jeroboam's house.

15 »Jehovah will punish Israel, and she will shake like a reed shaking in a stream. He will uproot the people of Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors. He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have aroused his anger by making idols of the goddess Asherah.

16 »Jehovah will abandon Israel because Jeroboam sinned and led the people of Israel into sin.«

17 Jeroboam's wife went back to Tirzah. Just as she entered her home, the child died.

18 The people of Israel mourned for him and buried him. This is as Jehovah said through his servant, the prophet Ahijah.

19 Everything else that King Jeroboam did, the wars he fought and how he ruled, are all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.

20 Jeroboam ruled as king for twenty-two years. He died and was buried. His son Nadab succeeded him as king.

21 Solomon's son Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king of Judah. He ruled seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city Jehovah chose from all the territory of Israel as the place where he was to be worshiped. Rehoboam's mother was Naamah from Ammon.

22 The people of Judah sinned against Jehovah. They did more to arouse his anger against them than all their ancestors had done.

23 They built places of worship for false gods. They put up stone pillars and symbols of Asherah to worship on the hills and under shady trees.

24 There were also male cult prostitutes in the temples of idols throughout the land. The people of Judah practiced all the disgusting practices done by the nations that Jehovah forced out of the Israelites' way.

25 King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign.

26 He took the treasures from Jehovah’s Temple and the royal palace. He took them all. He took all the gold shields Solomon had made.

27 King Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields and entrusted them to the officers responsible for guarding the palace gates.

28 The guards carried the shields every time the king went to the Temple and then returned them to the guardroom.

29 The rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and everything he did are recorded in the book of the History of the Kings of Judah.

30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

31 Rehoboam went to rest with his fathers, and was buried with them in the city of David. His mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonite woman. And Abijam his son became king in his place.

15

1 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah.

2 He ruled three years as king in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.

3 He was not completely loyal to Jehovah his God as his great-grandfather David had been. He committed the same sins as his father did.

4 For David's sake Jehovah his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising Abijam a son to rule after him to keep Jerusalem secure.

5 Jehovah did this because David had done what was right in Jehovah’s eyes. He obeyed his commandments, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

6 Abijam continued the war that Rehoboam and Jeroboam started. There was war throughout Abijam's lifetime.

7 Everything else that Abijah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.

8 Then Abijam went to rest with his fathers, and they buried him in the earth in the town of David. Asa his son became king in his place.

9 Jeroboam had been king of Israel twenty years. Asa became king of Judah.

10 He was king for forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.

11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, as David his father did.

12 He banished perverted persons from the land. He removed those used for sex purposes in the worship of the gods. He removed all the idols his fathers had made.

13 He would not let Maacah his mother be queen, because she had made a disgusting image for Asherah. Asa had the obscene image cut down and burned by the Kidron Stream.

14 The high places were not taken away. Nevertheless Asa’s heart was true to Jehovah all his life.

15 He brought into the Temple of Jehovah all the things he and his father made holy, silver and gold and vessels.

16 There was war between Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, through out their reigns.

17 And Baasha, king of Israel, went up against Judah. He fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or in to Asa the king of Judah.

18 Then Asa took all the silver and gold still stored in Jehovah’s Temple, and in the king's house, and delivered them, in the care of his servants, to Ben-hadad, son of Tabrimmon, son of Rezon, king of Aram, at Damascus. He said:

19 Let there be an agreement between us just as there was between my father and your father. I have sent you an offering of silver and gold. End your agreement with Baasha, king of Israel that he may give up attacking me.

20 Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa’s request and sent his armies to attack Israel. He conquered Ijon and Dan and Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth as far as the land of Naphtali.

21 When Baasha heard this he stopped fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah.

22 Then King Asa issued an order to all Judah. Every man came to carry away the stone and the timber Baasha used to fortify Ramah. King Asa used them for building Geba in the land of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

23 The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, the extent of his power and the names of the cities he built are all recorded in the Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. His feet became diseased, as he grew old.

24 So Asa went to rest with his fathers and was buried in the town of David his father. Jehoshaphat his son became king in his place.

25 Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, became king over Israel in the second year that Asa was king of Judah; and he was king of Israel for two years.

26 He did evil in the eyes of Jehovah. He copied the evil ways of his father. He made Israel sin so much that they provoked Jehovah to anger with their idols.

27 And Baasha, the son of Ahijah, of the family of Issachar, made a secret design against him, attacking him at Gibbethon, a town of the Philistines. Nadab and the armies of Israel were making war on Gibbethon.

28 In the third year of the rule of Asa, king of Judah, Baasha put him to death, and became king in his place.

29 When he became king, he sent destruction on all the offspring of Jeroboam. He killed every person of the family of Jeroboam according to the word of Jehovah as stated by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.

30 This happened because Jeroboam aroused the anger of Jehovah, the God of Israel, by the sins he committed and that he caused Israel to commit.

31 Everything else that Nadab did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.

32 King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel were constantly at war as long as they reigned.

33 In the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel. He ruled in Tirzah for twenty-four years.

34 Like King Jeroboam before him, he sinned against Jehovah and led Israel into sin.

16

1 Jehovah spoke to the prophet Jehu son of Hanani and gave him this message to give to Baasha:

2 »I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel. You have gone the way of Jeroboam. You made my people Israel do evil, moving me to wrath by their sins.

3 »Truly, I will take away the family of Baasha. I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.

4 »Dogs will eat anyone of the family of Baasha who dies in town. The birds of the air will eat anyone who dies in the open country.«

5 The rest of the acts of Baasha, what he did, and his power, are recorded in the book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

6 Baasha rested with his fathers. He was buried at Tirzah; and Elah his son became king in his place.

7 The word of Jehovah came to the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani. This was a warning against Baasha and his family because of all the evil he did in the eyes of Jehovah. He made Jehovah angry by the work of his hands, because he was like the family of Jeroboam, and because he killed him.

8 In the twenty-sixth year that Asa was king of Judah, Elah, the son of Baasha, became king of Israel in Tirzah. He was king for two years.

9 His servant Zimri, commander of half his war-carriages made plans to kill him. He was in Tirzah, drinking hard at the house of Arza, controller of the king's house in Tirzah.

10 Zimri attacked and killed him. It was the twenty-seventh year that Asa was king of Judah.

11 Immediately after he became king and took his place on the throne of the kingdom, he put to death all the family of Baasha. Not one male child survived.

12 So Zimri destroyed the entire family of Baasha as Jehovah promised through the prophet Jehu.

13 This happened because of the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, and because of all the sins they led Israel to commit. It aroused the anger of Jehovah the God of Israel.

14 The rest of the acts of Elah are recorded in the book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa, king of Judah, Zimri was king for seven days in Tirzah. The people were attacking Gibbethon in the land of the Philistines.

16 The Israelites in the camp heard it said: »Zimri plotted against the king and killed him.« So all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, king that day there in the camp.

17 Then Omri went up from Gibbethon, with all the army of Israel, and they attacked Tirzah, Israel’s capital.

18 Zimri saw that the city had fallen. So he went into the palace's inner fortress and set the palace on fire. He died in the flames.

19 This happened because of his sins against Jehovah. Like his predecessor Jeroboam, he displeased Jehovah by his own sins and by leading Israel into sin.

20 Everything else that Zimri did, including the account of his conspiracy, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.

21 Then the army of Israel was divided into two factions. Half of the army followed Tibni, son of Ginath, and wanted to make him king. The other half followed Omri.

22 But the half that followed Omri was stronger than the half that followed Tibni, Ginath's son. Tibni died and Omri became king.

23 Omri began to rule Israel in Asa's thirty-first year as king of Judah. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.

24 Omri bought a hill from Shemer for one hundred and fifty pounds of silver. He fortified the hill and built the city of Samaria on it. He named the city after its former owner, Shemer.

25 Omri did what Jehovah considered evil. He did more evil things than all the kings before him.

26 He lived exactly like Jeroboam, Nebat's son. He sinned and led Israel to sin with worthless idols. The Israelites made Jehovah the God of Israel furious.

27 Everything else about Omri is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.

28 Omri rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria. Ahab his son became king in his place.

29 In the thirty-eighth year that Asa was king of Judah, Ahab, the son of Omri, became king over Israel. Ahab was king in Samaria for twenty-two years.

30 Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, even worse than all who went before him!

31 It was as if he copied the evil ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. He took as his wife Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of Zidon, and became a servant and worshipper of Baal.

32 He built an altar for Baal in the house of Baal that he built in Samaria.

33 Ahab made an image of Asherah. He did more than all the kings of Israel before him to make Jehovah, the God of Israel, angry.

34 In his days Hiel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundation at the price of Abiram, his oldest son, and he put its doors in place at the price of his youngest son Segub. This was according to the word of Jehovah spoken through Joshua, the son of Nun.

17

1 Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab: »By the living Jehovah, the God of Israel, whose servant I am, there will be no dew or rain in these years, but only at my word.«

2 Then the word of Jehovah came to him, saying:

3 »Go east from here and hide by the Cherith Brook, east of Jordan.

4 »You will drink from the brook. I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.«

5 So he did as Jehovah said, living by the Cherith Brook, east of Jordan.

6 The ravens took him bread in the morning and meat in the evening. And he drank water from the brook.

7 Now after a time the brook became dry, because there was no rain in the land.

8 Then the word of Jehovah came to him, saying:

9 »Go now to Zarephath, in Zidon, and live there. I have given orders to a widow woman there to see that you have food.«

10 He went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, he saw a widow woman gathering sticks. He said to her: »Will you give me a little water in a vessel for my drink?«

11 As she was going to get it, he said: »And get me some bread.«

12 Then she said: »By the life of Jehovah your God, I have nothing but a little meal, and a drop of oil in the bottle; and now I am getting two sticks together so that I may go in and make it ready for me and my son, so that we may have a meal before our death.«

13 Elijah said to her: »Have no fear. Go and do as you said, but first make me a little cake of it and come and give it to me. Then make something for yourself and your son.

14 »For this is the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel: ‘Your supply of meal will not come to an end. The bottle will never be without oil, till the day when Jehovah sends rain on the earth.’«

15 She did as Elijah told her and they all had food for a long time.

16 The store of meal did not come to an end. The bottle was never without oil. This was just as Jehovah said through the mouth of Elijah.

17 After this the son of the woman of the house became ill. He was so ill that there was no breath in him.

18 She said to Elijah: »What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to put God in mind of my sin, and to put my son to death?«

19 He said: »Give your son to me.« And lifting him out of her arms, he took him up to his room and put him down on his bed.

20 Crying to Jehovah he said: »O Jehovah my God, have you sent evil even on the widow I now visit, by causing her son's death?«

21 Stretching himself out on the child three times, he made his prayer to Jehovah. He said: »O Jehovah my God, be pleased to let this child's life come back to him again.«

22 Jehovah listened to the voice of Elijah. The child began to breath and came back to life.

23 Elijah took the child down from his room into the house and gave him to his mother. »See, your son is alive.« He said.

24 Then the woman said to Elijah: »Now I am certain that you are a man of God, and that the word of Jehovah in your mouth is truth.«

18

1 After a long time, the word of Jehovah came to Elijah. In the third year he said: »Go and let Ahab see you. I will send rain on the earth.«

2 So Elijah went to let Ahab see him. There was no food to be had in Samaria.

3 Ahab sent for Obadiah, the controller of the king's house. Obadiah had great respect for Jehovah.

4 When Jezebel massacred the prophets of Jehovah, Obadiah took a hundred of them, and hid them secretly in a hole in the rock, fifty at a time, and gave them bread and water.

5 Ahab said to Obadiah: »Come! Let us go through all the country, to all the fountains of water and all the rivers. Let us see if there is any grass for the horses and the transport beasts. We must save some of the livestock.«

6 They went through all the country by dividing it between them. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another by himself.

7 While Obadiah was on his way, he came face to face with Elijah. Seeing who it was, he went down on his face and said: »Is it you, my lord Elijah?«

8 Elijah answered: »It is I. Go tell your lord Elijah is here.«

9 He said: »What sin have I done that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab to kill him?

10 »By the life of Jehovah your God, there is not a nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent in search of you. When they said: He is not here; he made them take an oath that they had not seen you.

11 »Now you say: ‘Go, say to your lord Elijah is here.’«

12 »What if the Spirit of Jehovah carries you off to some unknown place as soon as I leave? Then, when I tell Ahab that you are here and he cannot find you, he will put me to death. Remember that I have been a devout worshiper of Jehovah ever since I was a boy.

13 »Have you not heard that when Jezebel was killing Jehovah’s prophets I hid a hundred of them in caves, in two groups of fifty, and supplied them with food and water?

14 »So how can you order me to go and tell the king that you are here? He will kill me!«

15 Elijah said: »By the life of Jehovah of armies, whose servant I am, I will certainly let him see me today.«

16 So Obadiah went to Ahab and gave him the news. Ahab went to see Elijah.

17 Ahab saw Elijah. He said: »Is it you, Israel’s troublemaker?«

18 Then he said in answer: »I have not made trouble for Israel. You and your family have. You have disobeyed Jehovah’s commands and have gone after the Baals.

19 »Now gather all Israel together before me at Mount Carmel. Also gather the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal who get their food at Jezebel's table.«

20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and assembled the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

21 Elijah came near to all the people and said: »How long will you balance bounce back and forth between two opinions? If Jehovah is God, then give worship to him. If Baal is, give worship to him.« The people did not answer him.

22 Then Elijah said to the people: »I, even I, am the only living prophet of Jehovah but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.«

23 »Let them give us two bulls. Let them take one for themselves and have it cut up, and put it on the wood, but put no fire under it. I will get the other bull ready, and put it on the wood, and put no fire under it.

24 »You pray to your god and I will pray to Jehovah. The God who answers with fire is God!« All the people answered: »It is well said.«

25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal: »Take one bull for yourselves and get it ready first, for there are so many of you; and make your prayers to your god, but do not light the fire.

26 So they took the bull that was given them, and made it ready. They cried out to Baal from morning till the middle of the day. They said: »O Baal, give ear to us.« But there was no voice and no answer. They jumped up and down before the altar they had made.

27 In the middle of the day, Elijah made sport of them, saying: »Give louder cries, for he is a god; he may be deep in thought. He may have gone away for some purpose. Perhaps he is on a journey. By chance he is sleeping and must be woke up.«

28 So they gave loud cries and they cut themselves with knives and swords till the blood came streaming out all over them.

29 They went on with their prayers from midday till the time of the offering; but there was no voice, or any answer, or any who gave attention to them.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people: »Come near to me.« Then all the people came near. He repaired the altar of Jehovah that was broken down.

31 Elijah took twelve stones, the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom Jehovah said: »Israel will be your name.«

32 He used the stones to make an altar to the name of Jehovah. He dug a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two seahs of seed.

33 He put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on there. Then he said: Get four vessels full of water and put it on the burned offering and on the wood. Do it a second time, and they did it a second time.

34 Then he said: »Get four vessels full of water and put it on the burned offering and on the wood. Do it a second time« They did it a second time. Then he said: »Do it a third time« and they did it a third time.

35 The water went all round the altar until the drain was full.

36 Then at the time of the offering, Elijah the prophet came near and said, »Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be seen this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things by your order.

37 »Give me an answer, O Jehovah. Give me an answer so that this people may see that you are God. That you have made their hearts come back again.«

38 Then the fire of Jehovah came down. It burned up the offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and drinking up the water in the drain.

39 When the people saw it, they all went down on their faces. They said: »Jehovah is God! Jehovah is God!«

40 Elijah said to them: »Take the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them get away.« So they took them, and Elijah made them go down to the stream Kishon, and executed them there.

41 Then Elijah said to Ahab: »Get up and take food and drink, for there is a sound of much rain.«

42 So Ahab went up to have food and drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel. He bowed down to the earth and put his face between his knees.

43 He told his servant to look in the direction of the sea. After he looked the servant said: »There is nothing.« Elijah said: »Go again seven times.« So he went seven times.

44 The seventh time he said: »I see a cloud coming up out of the sea, as small as a man's hand.« Then Elijah said: »Go up and say to Ahab, Get your carriage ready and go down or the rain will keep you back.«

45 After a very little time, the heaven became black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Ahab went in his carriage to Jezreel.

46 The hand of Jehovah was on Elijah. Jehovah gave special strength to Elijah and he ran ahead of Ahab until they came to Jezreel.

19

1 King Ahab told his wife Jezebel everything Elijah had done. He told how he put all the prophets of Baal to death.

2 She sent a message to Elijah: »May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I do not do the same thing to you that you did to the prophets.«

3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He took his servant and went to Beersheba in Judah. He left the servant there.

4 Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down under a broom plant and wished he would die. »It is just too much, Jehovah,« he prayed. »Take away my life. I could just as well be dead.«

5 Stretching himself on the earth, he went to sleep under the broom-plant. An angel touched him and said: »Get up and eat some food.«

6 Looking up, he saw near his head a cake cooked on coals and a bottle of water. So he ate food and drink water and went to sleep again.

7 The angel of Jehovah came again a second time, and touched him and said: »Get up and have some food, or you will not have strength for the journey.«

8 So he got up and took food and drink. He was strengthened to go for forty days and forty nights, to Horeb, the mountain of God.

9 He went into a cave and spent the night. The word of Jehovah came to him, saying: »What are you doing here, Elijah?«

10 He said: »I have been zealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts. The children of Israel have not kept your agreement covenant . They have destroyed your altars. They killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I, am the only one living. Now they seek to take my life too.«

11 Then he said: »Go out and take your place on the mountain before Jehovah.« Jehovah passed by and the force of a great wind parted the mountains. Rocks were broken before Jehovah but Jehovah was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but Jehovah was not in the earthquake.

12 After the earthquake a fire, but Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sounds of a soft breathe.

13 Elijah heard it and went out covering his face with his robe. He stood by the entrance of the cave. He heard a voice saying: »What are you doing here, Elijah?«

14 He replied: »I have been very zealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts. The children of Israel have not kept your agreement. They have torn down your altars. They killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I, am the only one living. Now they seek to take my life.«

15 Jehovah said to him: »Go back on your way through the wasteland to Damascus.« When you get there, put holy oil on Hazael to make him king over Aram,

16 »And also anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, making him king over Israel; and Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, to be prophet in your place.

17 »Whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will put to death. Whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will put to death.

18 »I will leave seven thousand people alive in Israel; all those who are loyal to me and have not bowed to Baal or kissed his idol.«

19 Elijah left there and found Elisha plowing with a team of bulls. There were eleven teams ahead of him. He was plowing with the last one. Elijah took off his cloak and put it on Elisha.

20 Elisha then left his bulls and ran after Elijah. He said: »Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye and then I will go with you.« Elijah answered, »All right, go back. I am not stopping you!«

21 Then Elisha went to his team of bulls, killed them, and cooked the meat. He used the yoke as fuel for the fire. He gave the meat to the people, and they ate it. Then he followed Elijah as his helper.

20

1 King Benhadad of Syria mustered his entire army, accompanied by thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots, he laid siege on Samaria, and launched attacks against it.

2 He sent messengers into the city to King Ahab of Israel to say: »King Benhadad demands that

3 you surrender to him your silver and gold, your women and the strongest of your children.«

4 Tell my lord, King Benhadad, that I agree; he can have everything I own, Ahab answered.

5 Later the messengers came back to Ahab with another demand from Benhadad: »I sent you word that you were to hand over to me your silver and gold, your women and your children.«

6 Now I will send my officers to search your palace and the homes of your officials. They will take everything they consider valuable. They will be there about this time tomorrow.

7 Then the king of Israel sent for all the responsible men of the land, and said: »Now will you take note and see the evil purpose of this man. He sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, and I did not keep them back.«

8 All the responsible men and the people said to him: »Do not pay attention to him or do what he says.«

9 So he said to the representatives of Benhadad: »Say to my lord the king: ‘All the orders you sent the first time I will do. But I will not do this thing.« The representatives went back with this answer.

10 Benhadad sent Ahab the following message: »May the gods strike me dead if there will be enough dust left from Samaria to give a handful to each soldier who follows me.«

11 The king of Israel responded: »It is said, let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.«

12 Benhadad heard this when he and his allies were drinking in their tents. He told his officers to get ready. So they got prepared to attack the city.

13 A prophet approached King Ahab of Israel and said: »This is what Jehovah says: ‘Have you seen this large army? I will hand it over to you today. Then you will know that I am Jehovah.’«

14 Ahab asked: »How will this be done?« The prophet answered: »This is what Jehovah says: ‘By using the young officers of the district governors.« »Who will start the battle?« Ahab asked. »You will,« the prophet answered.

15 Ahab mustered the young officers of the district governors. There were two hundred and thirty-two. After counting them, he counted all the Israelite soldiers. There were seven thousand.

16 In the middle of the day they went out. But Benhadad was drinking in the tents with the thirty-two kings who were helping him.

17 The servants of the chiefs who were over the divisions of the land went forward first. Benhadad sent out a patrol and they told him: »Men have come out from Samaria.«

18 He said: »If they have come out for peace, take them alive and if they have come out for war, take them alive.«

19 So the servants of the chiefs of the divisions of the land went out of the town, with the army following them.

20 Each one killed his opponent. The Syrians Aramaeans went in flight with Israel after them. Benhadad the king of Aram got away safely on a horse with his horsemen.

21 The king of Israel took the horses and the war-carriages and caused great destruction among the Syrians.

22 Then the prophet came up to the king of Israel, and said: »Now make yourself strong. Be careful what you do. Otherwise a year from now the king of Aram will come up against you again.«

23 Then the king of Aram's servants said to him: »Their god is a god of the hills. That is why they were stronger than us. If we attack them in the lowlands, we will certainly be stronger than they.

24 »This is what you must do: take the kings from their positions, and put captains in their places.

25 »Assemble another army like the one that was destroyed. Horse for horse, and carriage for carriage let us make war on them in the lowlands, and certainly we will be stronger than they.« He listened and did what was suggested.

26 So, a year later, Benhadad got the Syrians Aramaeans together and went to Aphek to make war on Israel.

27 And the children of Israel assembled, and food was made ready and they went against them. The children of Israel camped like two little flocks of goats before them. All the country was full of the Syrians.

28 A man of God came to the king of Israel. He said: »Jehovah says, ‘Because the Aramaeans have said, »Jehovah is a god of the hills and not of the valleys; I will give all this great army into your hands, and you will see that I am Jehovah.« ’«

29 The two armies kept their positions facing one another for seven days. The seventh day the fight was started. The children of Israel put to the sword a hundred thousand Aramaean footmen in one day.

30 The rest went in flight to Aphek, into the town, where a wall came down on the twenty-seven thousand who were still living. Benhadad went in flight into the town, into an inner room.

31 His servants said to him: »It is said that the kings of Israel are full of mercy: let us then put on haircloth, and cords on our heads, and go to the king of Israel. Maybe he will give you your life.«

32 So they put on haircloth, and cords on their heads, and went to the king of Israel and said: »Your servant Benhadad says: ‘Let me now keep my life.’« And he said: »Is he still living? He is my brother.«

33 Now the men took it as a sign, and were quick to pick up on his word. They said: »Benhadad is your brother.« Then he said: »Go and get him.« So Ben-hadad came out to him and he made him get up into his carriage.

34 Benhadad said: »The towns my father took from your father I will give back. You may name streets for yourself in Damascus as my father did in Samaria.« As for me, at the price of this agreement you will let me go. So he made an agreement with him and let him go.

35 A man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbors by the word of Jehovah: »Give me a wound.« But the man would not.

36 Then he said: »Because you have not listened to the voice of Jehovah, immediately after you leave me a lion will kill you.« When he went away a lion came rushing at him and killed him.

37 Then he came across another man, and said: »Give me a wound.« And the man gave him a blow wounding him.

38 So the prophet went away, and pulling his headband over his eyes to keep his face covered. He took his place by the road waiting for the king.

39 When the king went by he cried out to him: »Your servant went out into the fight. A man came to me. He brought a man to me and said: ‘guard this man. Do not let him get away. Your life is the price of his life or you will have to give a talent of silver in payment.’

40 »But while your servant was turning this way and that, he was gone. Then the king of Israel said to him: ‘You are responsible; you have given the decision against yourself.’«

41 He quickly took the headband from his eyes. The king of Israel saw that he was one of the prophets.

42 He said to him: »These are the words of Jehovah: ‘Because you have let go from your hands the man whom I had put to the curse, your life will be taken for his life, and your people for his people.’«

43 Then the king of Israel went back to his house, bitter and angry, he went to Samaria.

21

1 Naboth the Jezreelite had a garden in Jezreel, near the house of Ahab, king of Samaria.

2 Ahab said to Naboth: »Give me your garden so that I may have it for a garden of sweet plants. Since it is near my house let me give you a better vine-garden in exchange. If it seems good to you, let me give you its value in money.«

3 But Naboth said to Ahab, »God forbid that I give you the heritage of my fathers.«

4 Ahab returned to his house bitter and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite said to him: »I will not give you the heritage of my fathers.« Stretching himself on the bed with his face turned away, he would not eat.

5 Jezebel his wife came to him and asked: »Why is your spirit so bitter that you have no desire for food?«

6 He replied: »I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite. I said to him: ‘Let me have your garden for money, or, if it pleases you, I will give you another garden for it.’ ‘But he said: »I will not give you my garden.« ’«

7 Then his wife Jezebel said: »Are you now the ruler of Israel? Get up, eat and be happy. I will give you the garden of Naboth the Jezreelite.«

8 So she sent a letter in Ahab's name, stamped with his stamp, to the elders and nobles who were in authority with Naboth.

9 The letter she wrote is as follows: »Let a time of public sorrow be fixed, and put Naboth at the head of the people.

10 »Get two good-for-nothing persons to come before him and give witness that he has been cursing God and the king. Then take him out and have him stoned to death.«

11 So the elders and nobles in authority in his town did as Jezebel said in the letter she sent them.

12 They gave orders for a day of public sorrow and put Naboth at the head of the people.

13 The two good-for-nothing persons came in and took their seats before him and gave witness against Naboth, in front of the people. They said: »Naboth has been cursing God and the king.« Then they took him outside the town and had him stoned to death.

14 Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying: »Naboth has been stoned and is dead.«

15 Jezebel, hearing that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, said to Ahab: »Get up and take as your heritage the garden of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he would not give you for money. Naboth is dead.«

16 When he heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab went down to the garden of Naboth the Jezreelite to take it as his heritage.

17 And the word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying:

18 »Go to Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria. He is in the garden of Naboth the Jezreelite. He went there to take it as his heritage.«

19 »Say to him: ‘Jehovah says: »Have you put a man to death and taken his heritage?« ’« »Then say: ‘Jehovah says: »Your blood will become the drink of dogs! You will go to the same place where the dogs drink the blood of Naboth.« ’«

20 Ahab said to Elijah: »Have you come face to face with me, O my enemy?« Elijah said: »I have come to you because you have given yourself up to do evil in the eyes of Jehovah.«

21 Jehovah says to you: »I will bring disaster on you. I will do away with you and get rid of every male in your family, young and old alike.

22 »Your family will become like the family of King Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the family of King Baasha son of Ahijah. This is because you have stirred up my anger by leading Israel into sin.

23 »Concerning Jezebel, Jehovah says: Dogs will eat her body in the city of Jezreel.

24 »Dogs will eat your relatives dying in the city. Vultures will eat your dead relatives in the country.«

25 No one else devoted himself so completely to doing wrong in Jehovah’s sight as Ahab all at the urging of his wife Jezebel.

26 He committed the most shameful sins by worshiping idols the way the Amorites had done. Jehovah drove the Amorites from the land as the people of Israel advanced.

27 Elijah finished speaking. Ahab tore his clothes and took them off. He dressed in sackcloth. He refused food fasted and slept in the sackcloth. He was gloomy and depressed.

28 Jehovah said to the prophet Elijah:

29 »Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has done this, I will not bring disaster on him during his lifetime. It will be during his son's lifetime that I will bring disaster on Ahab's family.«

22

1 There was peace between Israel and Syria for the next two years.

2 In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to see King Ahab of Israel.

3 Ahab asked his officials: »Why have we not done anything to get back Ramoth in Gilead from the king of Syria? It is ours!«

4 Ahab asked Jehoshaphat: »Will you go with me to attack Ramoth?« »I am ready when you are,« Jehoshaphat answered. »And so are my soldiers and my cavalry.«

5 »First let us inquire of Jehovah.«

6 So Ahab called in the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them: »Should I attack Ramoth, or not?« They answered: »Attack, Jehovah will give you victory.«

7 Jehoshaphat asked: »Is there another prophet through whom we can consult Jehovah?«

8 Ahab answered: »There is one more, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, always something bad.« »The king should not say such things!« Jehoshaphat replied.

9 Then Ahab called a court official and told him to get Micaiah at once.

10 They dressed in their royal robes and sat on their thrones at the threshing place near the gate of Samaria. The two kings listened to all the prophets prophesy in front of them.

11 One of them, Zedekiah son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said to Ahab: »Jehovah says: ‘With these you will fight the Syrians and totally defeat them.’«

12 All the other prophets said the same thing: »March against Ramoth and you will win,« they said. »Jehovah will give you victory.«

13 The messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him: »All the other prophets have prophesied success for the king. You had better do the same.«

14 Micaiah answered: »By the living God Jehovah I promise that I will say what he tells me to say!«

15 He appeared before King Ahab. The king asked him: »Micaiah, should King Jehoshaphat and I go and attack Ramoth, or not?« »Attack!« Micaiah answered. »You will win. Jehovah will give you victory.«

16 But Ahab replied: »Tell the truth when you speak to me in the name of Jehovah! How many times do I have to tell you that?«

17 Micaiah answered: »I can see the army of Israel scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd.« Jehovah said: »These men have no leader. Let them go home in peace.«

18 Israel’s king said to Jehoshaphat: »Did I not say to you, He will prophesy about me? It is always something bad!«

19 Micaiah continued: »Now listen to what Jehovah says! I saw Jehovah sitting on his throne in heaven, with all his angels standing beside him.«

20 Jehovah asked: »Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and be killed at Ramoth? Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else,

21 until a spirit stepped forward, approached Jehovah,« and said: »I will deceive him.«

22 »How will you deceive him?« Jehovah asked. The spirit replied: »I will make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies.« Jehovah said: »Go and deceive him. You will succeed.«

23 Micaiah concluded: This is what has happened. Jehovah made these prophets of yours lie to you. He has decreed that you will meet with disaster!

24 The prophet Zedekiah went to Micaiah and slapped his face. He asked: »Since when did Jehovah’s spirit leave me and speak to you?«

25 »You will see when you go into an inner chamber to hide.« Micaiah replied.

26 The king of Israel said: »Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon, the ruler of the town, and to Joash, the king's son.

27 »‘Tell them: ‘It is the king's order that this man is to be put in prison and given prison food till I come again in peace.’«

28 Micaiah said: If you come back at all in peace, Jehovah has not sent his word by me.

29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went to Ramoth-gilead.

30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: »I will change my clothing, so that I do not seem to be the king. Then I will go into the fight. You put on your royal robes. So the king of Israel changed his dress and went into the battle.«

31 Now the king of Aram had given orders to the thirty-two captains of his war-carriages, saying: »Make no attack on small or great, but only on the king of Israel.«

32 So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said: »Truly, this is the king of Israel.« They turned against him and surrounded him. Jehoshaphat gave a cry.

33 When the captains of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel they withdrew from him.

34 A stray arrow wounded the king of Israel a wound where his breastplate was joined to his clothing. He said to the chariot driver: »Go to the side. Take me away from the fight for I am badly wounded.«

35 The fight grew more violent as the day went on. The king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians Aramaeans . The floor of the chariot was covered with the blood from his wound. By evening he died.

36 About sundown a cry went up from all parts of the army, saying: »Let every man go back to his town and his country, for the king is dead.«

37 They traveled to Samaria and buried the king there.

38 The chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria the bathing-place of the loose women. Dogs were drinking his blood there, as Jehovah said.

39 Everything else that King Ahab did, including an account of his palace decorated with ivory and of all the cities he built, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.

40 Ahab’s son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.

41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in the fourth year of the reign of King Ahab of Israel.

42 He was thirty-five years old. He ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.

43 Like his father Asa before him, he did what was right in the sight of Jehovah. However the places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

44 Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

45 Everything else that Jehoshaphat did, all his bravery and his battles, are recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.

46 He banished all the male and female prostitutes serving at the pagan altars who were still left from the days of his father Asa.

47 The land of Edom had no king. A deputy appointed by the king of Judah ruled it.

48 King Jehoshaphat had ocean-going ships built to sail to the land of Ophir for gold. They were wrecked at Eziongeber and never sailed.

49 King Ahaziah of Israel offered to let his men sail with Jehoshaphat's men. Jehoshaphat refused the offer.

50 Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City. His son Jehoram succeeded him as king.

51 Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel. It was the seventeenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Ahaziah ruled in Samaria for two years.

52 He sinned against Jehovah, following the wicked example of his father Ahab, his mother Jezebel, and King Jeroboam, who had led Israel into sin.

53 He worshiped and served Baal. Like his father before him, he aroused the anger of Jehovah, the God of Israel.