1 And Sovereign Dawiḏ was old, advanced in years. And they covered him with garments, but he could not get warm.
2 So his servants said to him, “Let them seek for our master the sovereign a young woman, a maiden, and she shall stand before the sovereign and be his companion, and shall lie in your bosom, so that our master the sovereign gets warm.”
3 And they sought for a beautiful young woman in all the border of Yisra’ĕl, and found Aḇishaḡ the Shunammite, and brought her to the sovereign.
4 And the young woman was very beautiful. And she was a companion for the sovereign, and served him, but the sovereign did not know her.
5 And Aḏoniyah son of Ḥaggith exalted himself, saying, “I reign.” And he prepared for himself a chariot and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
6 Now his father had not worried him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking. And he was born after Aḇshalom.
7 And he talked with Yo’aḇ son of Tseruyah and with Eḇyathar the priest, and they supported Aḏoniyah.
8 But Tsaḏoq the priest, and Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, and Nathan the prophet, and Shim‛i, and Rĕ‛i, and the mighty men who belonged to Dawiḏ were not with Aḏoniyahu.
9 And Aḏoniyahu slaughtered sheep and cattle and fatlings by the stone of Zoḥeleth, which is by Ěn Roḡĕl. He also invited all his brothers, the sovereign’s sons, and all the men of Yehuḏah, servants of the sovereign.
10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, or Benayahu, or the mighty men, or Shelomoh his brother.
11 Nathan then spoke to Bathsheḇa the mother of Shelomoh, saying, “Have you not heard that Aḏoniyahu son of Ḥaggith has become sovereign, and Dawiḏ our master does not know it?
12 “And now, come let me give you advice, and deliver your own life and the life of your son Shelomoh.
13 “Go immediately to Sovereign Dawiḏ and say to him, ‘Did you not, my master, O sovereign, swear to your female servant, saying, “Certainly, your son Shelomoh shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Aḏoniyahu become sovereign?’
14 “Look, while you are still speaking there with the sovereign let me come in after you and confirm your words.”
15 And Bathsheḇa went into the room to the sovereign. Now the sovereign was very old, and Aḇishaḡ the Shunammite was serving the sovereign.
16 And Bathsheḇa bowed and did obeisance to the sovereign. And the sovereign said, “What do you wish?”
17 And she said to him, “My master, you swore by יהוה your Elohim to your female servant, saying, ‘Certainly, Shelomoh your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’
18 “And now, look! Aḏoniyah has become sovereign. And now, my master the sovereign, you do not know about it.
19 “And he has slaughtered great numbers of bulls and fatlings and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the sovereign, and Eḇyathar the priest, and Yo’aḇ the commander of the army, but he did not invite Shelomoh your servant.
20 “And you my master, O sovereign, the eyes of all Yisra’ĕl are on you, to declare to them who is going to sit on the throne of my master the sovereign after him.
21 “Otherwise it shall be, when my master the sovereign rests with his fathers, that I and my son Shelomoh shall be considered sinners.”
22 And see, while she was still speaking with the sovereign, Nathan the prophet also came in.
23 So they informed the sovereign, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the sovereign, he bowed down before the sovereign with his face to the ground.
24 And Nathan said, “My master, O sovereign, have you said, ‘Aḏoniyahu shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?
25 “For he has gone down today, and has slaughtered great numbers of bulls and fatlings and sheep, and has invited all the sovereign’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Eḇyathar the priest. And look! They are eating and drinking before him. And they say, ‘Let Sovereign Aḏoniyahu live!’
26 “But he has not invited me, me your servant, nor Tsaḏoq the priest, nor Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, nor your servant Shelomoh.
27 “If this matter is from my master the sovereign, then you did not let your servant know who should sit on the throne of my master the sovereign after him.”
28 And Sovereign Dawiḏ answered and said, “Call Bathsheḇa to me.” So she came into the sovereign’s presence and stood before the sovereign.
29 And the sovereign took an oath and said, “As יהוה lives, who has ransomed my life out of all distress,
30 even as I swore to you by יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘Certainly, Shelomoh your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so I do this day.”
31 And Bathsheḇa bowed with her face to the earth, and did obeisance to the sovereign, and said, “Let my master Sovereign Dawiḏ live forever!”
32 And Sovereign Dawiḏ said, “Call me Tsaḏoq the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa.” And they came before the sovereign.
33 And the sovereign said to them, “Take with you the servants of your master, and you shall have Shelomoh my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Giḥon.
34 “And there Tsaḏoq the priest and Nathan the prophet shall anoint him sovereign over Yisra’ĕl. And blow the shophar, and say, ‘Let Sovereign Shelomoh live!’
35 “And you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall reign in my place. For I have commanded him to be ruler over Yisra’ĕl and over Yehuḏah.”
36 And Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa answered the sovereign and said, “Amĕn! So says יהוה Elohim of my master the sovereign.
37 “As יהוה has been with my master the sovereign, so let Him be with Shelomoh and make his throne greater than the throne of my master Sovereign Dawiḏ.”
38 Then Tsaḏoq the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, and the Kerĕthites, and the Pelĕthites went down and had Shelomoh ride on Sovereign Dawiḏ’s mule, and took him to Giḥon.
39 And Tsaḏoq the priest took a horn of oil from the Tent and anointed Shelomoh. And they blew with the shophar, and all the people said, “Let Sovereign Shelomoh live!”
40 And all the people came up after him. And the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise!
41 And Aḏoniyahu and all the guests who were with him heard it as they had finished eating. And Yo’aḇ heard the voice of the shophar, and said, “Why is the city in such a noisy uproar?”
42 And he was still speaking, then see, Yonathan came, son of Eḇyathar the priest. And Aḏoniyahu said to him, “Come in, for you are a brave man, and you bring good news.”
43 But Yonathan answered and said to Aḏoniyahu, “No! Our master Sovereign Dawiḏ has made Shelomoh sovereign,
44 and the sovereign has sent with him Tsaḏoq the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, and the Kerĕthites, and the Pelĕthites. And they had him ride on the sovereign’s mule.
45 “And Tsaḏoq the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him sovereign at Giḥon. And they have gone up from there rejoicing, and the city is moved. This is the noise you heard.
46 “And further, Shelomoh sits on the throne of the reign.
47 “And further, the servants of the sovereign have gone to bless our master Sovereign Dawiḏ, saying, ‘Let your Elohim make the name of Shelomoh better than your name, and his throne greater than your throne.’ And the sovereign bowed himself on the bed.
48 “And the sovereign also said thus, ‘Blessed be יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!’ ”
49 And all the guests who were invited by Aḏoniyahu were afraid, and rose, and each one went his way.
50 And Aḏoniyahu was afraid of Shelomoh, and rose, and went and took hold of the horns of the slaughter-place.
51 And it was reported to Shelomoh, saying, “Look, Aḏoniyahu is afraid of Sovereign Shelomoh. And look, he has taken hold of the horns of the slaughter-place, saying, ‘Let Sovereign Shelomoh swear to me today that he does not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ”
52 And Shelomoh said, “If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him is going to fall to the earth, but if evil is found in him, then he shall die.”
53 And Sovereign Shelomoh sent, and they brought him down from the slaughter-place. And he came and fell down before Sovereign Shelomoh. And Shelomoh said to him, “Go to your house.”
1 And the days of Dawiḏ drew near to die, and he commanded Shelomoh his son, saying,
2 “I am going the way of all the earth. And you shall be strong, and be a man.
3 “And guard the Charge of יהוה your Elohim: to walk in His ways, to guard His laws, His commands, His right-rulings, and His witnesses, as it is written in the Torah of Mosheh, so that you do wisely all that you do and wherever you turn;
4 so that יהוה does establish His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons guard their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their being,’ saying, ‘there is not to cease a man of yours on the throne of Yisra’ĕl.’
5 “And also, you know what Yo’aḇ son of Tseruyah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Yisra’ĕl, to Aḇnĕr son of Nĕr and Amasa son of Yether, that he killed them, and shed the blood of battle in peace, and put the blood of battle on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet.
6 “So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his grey hair go down to She’ol in peace.
7 “But show loving-commitment to the sons of Barzillai the Gil‛aḏite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for so they came to me when I fled from Aḇshalom your brother.
8 “And see, with you is Shim‛i son of Gĕra, the Binyamite from Baḥurim, who cursed me with a grievous cursing in the day when I went to Maḥanayim. But he came down to meet me at the Yardĕn, and I swore to him by יהוה, saying, ‘I shall not put you to death with the sword.’
9 “And now, do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man and know what you should do to him, and shall bring his grey hair down to She’ol with blood.”
10 And Dawiḏ slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of Dawiḏ.
11 And the days that Dawiḏ reigned over Yisra’ĕl was forty years. He reigned seven years in Ḥeḇron, and in Yerushalayim he reigned thirty-three years.
12 And Shelomoh sat on the throne of his father Dawiḏ. And his reign was firmly established.
13 And Aḏoniyahu son of Ḥaggith came to Bathsheḇa the mother of Shelomoh, and she said, “Do you come in peace?” And he said, “Peace.”
14 And he said, “I have a word for you,” and she said, “Speak.”
15 And he said, “You know that the reign was mine, and all Yisra’ĕl had set their faces toward me, that I should reign. But the reign has been turned around, and has become my brother’s, for it was his from יהוה.
16 “And now, I am making one request of you, do not refuse me.” And she said to him, “Say it.”
17 And he said, “Please speak to Sovereign Shelomoh — for he would not refuse you — to give me Aḇishaḡ the Shunammite as wife.”
18 And Bathsheḇa said, “Good, let me speak for you to the sovereign.”
19 And Bathsheḇa came to Sovereign Shelomoh, to speak to him for Aḏoniyahu. And the sovereign rose up to meet her and bowed down to her, and sat down on his throne and had a throne set for the sovereign’s mother. So she sat at his right hand.
20 And she said, “I am making one small request of you, do not refuse me.” And the sovereign said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I do not refuse you.”
21 Then she said, “Let Aḇishaḡ the Shunammite be given to Aḏoniyahu your brother as wife.”
22 And Sovereign Shelomoh answered and said to his mother, “Now why do you ask Aḇishaḡ the Shunammite for Aḏoniyahu? Ask for him the reign also — for he is my older brother — for him, and for Eḇyathar the priest, and for Yo’aḇ son of Tseruyah.”
23 And Sovereign Shelomoh swore by יהוה, saying, “Elohim does so to me, and more also, if Aḏoniyahu has not spoken this word against his own life!
24 “And now, as יהוה lives, who established me and set me on the throne of Dawiḏ my father, and who has made me a house, as He promised, Aḏoniyahu shall be put to death today!”
25 And Sovereign Shelomoh sent by the hand of Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, and he fell upon him, and he died.
26 Then the sovereign said to Eḇyathar the priest, “Go to Anathoth, to your own fields, for you deserve death. But I do not put you to death at this time, because you did bear the ark of the Master יהוה before my father Dawiḏ, and because you were afflicted in all my father was afflicted in.”
27 So Shelomoh dismissed Eḇyathar from being priest to יהוה, to fill the word of יהוה which He spoke concerning the house of Ěli at Shiloh.
28 And news came to Yo’aḇ, for Yo’aḇ had turned aside after Aḏoniyah, though he did not turn aside after Aḇshalom. And Yo’aḇ fled to the Tent of יהוה, and took hold of the horns of the slaughter-place.
29 And the report came to Sovereign Shelomoh that Yo’aḇ had fled to the Tent of יהוה, and see, he is by the slaughter-place. Then Shelomoh sent Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, saying, “Go, fall on him.”
30 So Benayahu came to the Tent of יהוה and said to him, “Thus said the sovereign, ‘Come out!’ ” And he said, “No, for here I die.” And Benayahu brought back word to the sovereign, saying, “Thus said Yo’aḇ, and thus he answered me.”
31 And the sovereign said to him, “Do as he has said, and fall upon him. And you shall bury him, so that you take away from me and from the house of my father the blood which Yo’aḇ shed without cause.
32 “Thus יהוה shall return his blood on his head, because he had fallen on two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, while my father Dawiḏ did not know it: Aḇnĕr son of Nĕr, commander of the army of Yisra’ĕl, and Amasa son of Yether, commander of the army of Yehuḏah.
33 “So shall their blood return upon the head of Yo’aḇ and upon the head of his seed forever. But upon Dawiḏ and his seed, upon his house and his throne, there is to be peace forever from יהוה.”
34 Then Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa went up and fell upon him and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
35 And the sovereign put Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa in his place over the army, and the sovereign put Tsaḏoq the priest in the place of Eḇyathar.
36 And the sovereign sent and called for Shim‛i, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Yerushalayim and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere.
37 “And it shall be, on the day you go out and pass over the wadi Qiḏron, know for certain that you shall die — your blood is on your own head.”
38 And Shim‛i said to the sovereign, “The word is good. As my master the sovereign has said, so your servant does.” So Shim‛i dwelt in Yerushalayim many days.
39 And it came to be at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shim‛i fled to Aḵish son of Ma‛aḵah, sovereign of Gath. And they informed Shim‛i, saying, “See, your slaves are in Gath!”
40 And Shim‛i rose up, and saddled his donkey, and went to Aḵish at Gath to look for his slaves. And Shim‛i went and brought his slaves from Gath.
41 And Shelomoh was told that Shim‛i had gone from Yerushalayim to Gath and had come back.
42 So the sovereign sent and called for Shim‛i, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by יהוה, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you leave to go anywhere, you shall certainly die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’
43 “And why have you not guarded the oath of יהוה and the command that I gave you?”
44 The sovereign also said to Shim‛i, “You shall know all the evil that your heart has known, that you did to my father Dawiḏ. And יהוה shall return your evil on your own head.
45 “But Sovereign Shelomoh is blessed, and the throne of Dawiḏ is established before יהוה forever.”
46 So the sovereign commanded Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, and he went out and fell on him, and he died. And the reign was established in the hand of Shelomoh.
1 And Shelomoh joined in marriage with Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, and took the daughter of Pharaoh, and brought her to the City of Dawiḏ until he had completed building his own house, and the House of יהוה, and the wall all around Yerushalayim.
2 Only, the people slaughtered at the high places, for a house for the Name of יהוה had not been built until those days.
3 And Shelomoh loved יהוה, walking in the laws of his father Dawiḏ, except that he slaughtered and burned incense at the high places.
4 And the sovereign went to Gib‛on to slaughter there, for that was the great high place. Shelomoh offered a thousand ascending offerings on that slaughter-place.
5 At Gib‛on יהוה appeared to Shelomoh in a dream by night, and Elohim said, “Ask what I should give you.”
6 And Shelomoh said, “You have shown great loving-commitment to your servant Dawiḏ my father, as he walked before You in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You. And You have guarded for him this great loving-commitment, and did give him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 “And now, O יהוה my Elohim, You have set up Your servant to reign instead of my father Dawiḏ. But I am a little child, I do not know how to go out or to come in.
8 “And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
9 “Shall You then give to Your servant an understanding heart to rule Your people, to discern between good and evil? For who is able to rule this great people of Yours?”
10 And the word was good in the eyes of יהוה, that Shelomoh had asked this.
11 So Elohim said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand right-ruling,
12 see, I shall do according to your words. See, I shall give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there was none like you before you, and none like you shall arise after you.
13 “And I shall also give you what you have not asked: both riches and esteem, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the sovereigns all your days.
14 “And if you walk in My ways, to guard My laws and My commands, as your father Dawiḏ walked, then I shall prolong your days.”
15 And Shelomoh awoke, and see, it was a dream! And he came into Yerushalayim and stood before the ark of the covenant of יהוה, and offered up ascending offerings and made peace offerings. And he made a feast for all his servants.
16 Then two women, whores, came to the sovereign, and stood before him.
17 And one woman said, “O my master, this woman and I dwell in the same house. And I gave birth while she was in the house.
18 “And it came to be, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together. There was no one else with us in the house, only the two of us in the house.
19 “Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.
20 “And she rose up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your female servant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 “And I rose up in the morning to nurse my son and saw he was dead. But I looked at him closely in the morning, and saw he was not my son whom I had borne.”
22 And the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” And they spoke before the sovereign.
23 And the sovereign said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one,’ while the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ”
24 And the sovereign said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the sovereign.
25 And the sovereign said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
26 And the woman whose son was living spoke to the sovereign, for she was overcome with compassion for her son. And she said, “O my master, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
27 And the sovereign answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him — she is his mother.”
28 And all Yisra’ĕl heard of the right-ruling which the sovereign had rendered. And they feared the sovereign, for they saw that the wisdom of Elohim was in him to do right-ruling.
1 And it came to be that Sovereign Shelomoh was sovereign over all Yisra’ĕl.
2 And these were his chief officials: Azaryahu son of Tsaḏoq, the priest;
3 Eliḥoreph and Aḥiyah, sons of Shisha, scribes; Yehoshaphat son of Aḥiluḏ, the recorder;
4 and Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, over the army; and Tsaḏoq and Eḇyathar, the priests;
5 and Azaryahu son of Nathan, over the officers; Zaḇuḏ son of Nathan, a priest, friend of the sovereign;
6 and Aḥishar, over the household; and Aḏoniram son of Aḇda, over the compulsory labour.
7 And Shelomoh had twelve governors over all Yisra’ĕl, who provided food for the sovereign and his household — each one made provision for one new moon of the year —
8 and these were their names: Ben-Ḥur, in the mountains of Ephrayim;
9 Ben-Deqer, in Maqats and Sha‛alḇim and Bĕyth Shemesh and Ělon Bĕyth Ḥanan;
10 Ben-Ḥeseḏ in Arubboth, Soḵoh and all the land of Ḥĕpher were his;
11 Ben-Aḇinaḏaḇ, all the height of Dor, Taphath the daughter of Shelomoh became his wife;
12 Ba‛ana son of Aḥiluḏ, in Ta‛anaḵ and Meḡiddo, and all Bĕyth She’an, which is beside Tsarethan below Yizre‛ĕl, from Bĕyth She’an to Aḇĕl Meḥolah, as far as the other side of Yoqne‛am;
13 Ben-Geḇer, in Ramoth Gil‛aḏ, the towns of Ya’ir son of Menashsheh in Gil‛aḏ were his; the portion of Argoḇ in Bashan, sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars, were his;
14 Aḥinaḏaḇ son of Iddo, in Maḥanayim;
15 Aḥima‛ats in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Shelomoh as wife;
16 Ba‛anah son of Ḥushai, in Ashĕr and in Aloth;
17 Yehoshaphat son of Paruwaḥ, in Yissasḵar;
18 Shim‛i son of Ělah, in Binyamin;
19 Geḇer son of Uri, in the land of Gil‛aḏ, in the land of Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites and of Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, and one governor was in the land.
20 Yehuḏah and Yisra’ĕl were as numerous as the sand by the sea, eating and drinking and rejoicing.
21 And Shelomoh was ruling over all reigns from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Mitsrayim. They did taskwork and served Shelomoh all the days of his life.
22 And Shelomoh’s food supply for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, and sixty kors of meal,
23 ten fatted cattle and twenty cattle from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fatted fowl.
24 For he was ruling over all on this side of the River from Tiphsaḥ even to Azzah, over all the sovereigns on this side of the River. And he had peace on all sides round about him.
25 And Yehuḏah and Yisra’ĕl dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Be’ĕrsheḇa, all the days of Shelomoh.
26 And Shelomoh had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
27 And these governors, each one in his new moon, provided food for Sovereign Shelomoh and for all who came to the table of Sovereign Shelomoh. There was no lack in their supply.
28 They also brought barley and straw to the appointed place, for the horses and steeds, each one according to his right-ruling.
29 And Elohim gave Shelomoh exceeding great wisdom and understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.
30 And Shelomoh’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Mitsrayim.
31 For he was wiser than all men, than Ěythan the Ezrahite, and Hĕman, and Kalkol, and Darda, the sons of Maḥol. And his name was in all the nations round about.
32 And he spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.
33 And he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Leḇanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall. And he spoke of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping creatures, and of fish.
34 And there came from all peoples, from all the sovereigns of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, to hear the wisdom of Shelomoh.
1 And Ḥiram sovereign of Tsor sent his servants to Shelomoh, because he heard that they had anointed him sovereign in place of his father, for Ḥiram had always loved Dawiḏ.
2 And Shelomoh sent to Ḥiram, saying,
3 “You know my father Dawiḏ was unable to build a house for the Name of יהוה his Elohim because of the battles which were all around him, until יהוה put them under the soles of his feet.
4 “But now יהוה my Elohim has given me rest all around, there is neither adversary nor evil incident.
5 “And see, I intend to build a house for the Name of יהוה my Elohim, as יהוה spoke to my father Dawiḏ, saying, ‘Your son, whom I set on your throne in your place, he does build the house for My Name.’
6 “And now, command that they cut down cedars for me from Leḇanon. And let my servants be with your servants, and let me pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who knows to cut timber like the Tsiḏonians.”
7 And it came to be, when Ḥiram heard the words of Shelomoh, that he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be יהוה this day, for He has given Dawiḏ a wise son over this great people!”
8 And Ḥiram sent to Shelomoh, saying, “I have heard that which you sent me. Let me do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs.
9 “Let my servants bring them down from Leḇanon to the sea, then I put them in rafts by sea to the place you direct me. And I shall spread them out there, then you take them up, while you do my desire by giving food for my household.”
10 And Ḥiram gave Shelomoh cedar and cypress logs — all his desire.
11 And Shelomoh gave Ḥiram twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of pressed oil. Thus Shelomoh gave to Ḥiram year by year.
12 And יהוה gave Shelomoh wisdom, as He promised him. And there was peace between Ḥiram and Shelomoh, and the two of them made a covenant.
13 And Sovereign Shelomoh raised up compulsory labour out of all Yisra’ĕl. And the compulsory labour was thirty thousand men.
14 And he sent them to Leḇanon, ten thousand per new moon by courses — they were one new moon in Leḇanon, two new moons at home. And Aḏoniram was over the compulsory labour.
15 And Shelomoh had seventy thousand bearing burdens, and eighty thousand hewing stone in the mountains,
16 besides three thousand three hundred from the chiefs of Shelomoh’s deputies who were over the work, those ruling over the people who laboured in the work.
17 And the sovereign commanded, and they brought large stones, precious stones, to lay the foundation of the House with hewn stones.
18 And Shelomoh’s builders, and Ḥiram’s builders, and the men of Geḇal did hew, and prepared timber and stones to build the House.
1 And it came to be, in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Yisra’ĕl had come out of the land of Mitsrayim, in the fourth year of the reign of Shelomoh over Yisra’ĕl, in the new moon of Ziw, which is the second new moon, that he began to build the House of יהוה.
2 And the house which Sovereign Shelomoh built for יהוה was sixty cubits long, and twenty wide, and thirty cubits high.
3 And the porch at the front of the Hĕḵal of the House was twenty cubits long, according to the breadth of the House, and its width ten cubits, from the front of the House.
4 And he made for the House windows with narrowed frames.
5 And against the wall of the House he built rooms all around, against the walls of the House, all around the Hĕḵal and the Speaking Place. Thus he made side rooms all around.
6 The lowest side room was five cubits wide, and the middle one was six cubits wide, and the third one was seven cubits wide; for he made narrow ledges around the outside of the House, so as not to lay hold on the walls of the House.
7 And the House, when it was being built, was built with finished stone made ready beforehand, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the House while it was being built.
8 The doorway for the middle side room was on the right side of the House. And they went up by stairs to the middle side rooms, and from the middle to the third.
9 So he built the House and completed it, and he panelled the House with beams and boards of cedar.
10 And he built the side rooms of the structure against all the House, each five cubits high, and they were fastened to the House with cedar beams.
11 And the word of יהוה came to Shelomoh, saying,
12 “This House which you are building — if you walk in My laws, and do My right-rulings, and shall guard all My commands and walk in them, then I shall confirm My word with you, which I spoke to your father Dawiḏ,
13 and shall dwell in the midst of the children of Yisra’ĕl, and not forsake My people Yisra’ĕl.”
14 So Shelomoh built the House and completed it.
15 And he built the walls of the House inside with cedar boards, from the floor of the House to the ceiling he panelled them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the House with planks of cypress.
16 And he built twenty cubits at the rear of the House, from floor to the walls, with cedar boards. And he built it inside as the Speaking Place, as the Most Set-apart Place.
17 And the House was forty cubits, it is the Hĕḵal before it.
18 And the cedar for the House inside was carved with ornaments and open flowers; all was cedar, not a stone was seen.
19 And he prepared the Speaking Place in the midst of the House, to place the ark of the covenant of יהוה there.
20 And the front of the Speaking Place was twenty cubits long, and twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. And he overlaid it with refined gold, and overlaid the slaughter-place of cedar.
21 And Shelomoh overlaid the inside of the House with refined gold, and made gold chains pass over the front of the Speaking Place, and overlaid it with gold.
22 Thus he overlaid the entire House with gold, until the entire House was completed. And the entire slaughter-place that was by the Speaking Place he overlaid with gold.
23 And inside the Speaking Place he made two keruḇim of olive wood, ten cubits high.
24 And one wing of the keruḇ was five cubits, and the other wing of the keruḇ five cubits — ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other.
25 And the other keruḇ was ten cubits. Both keruḇim were of the same size and shape.
26 The height of one keruḇ was ten cubits, and so was the other keruḇ.
27 And he placed the keruḇim in the midst of the inner house. And they stretched out the wings of the keruḇim so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other keruḇ touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the room.
28 And he overlaid the keruḇim with gold.
29 And he carved all the walls of the House all around, both inside and outside, with carved figures of keruḇim, and palm trees, and open flowers.
30 And he overlaid the floor of the House with gold, inside and outside.
31 And for the entrance of the Speaking Place he made doors of olive wood: the lintel, doorposts, a fifth.
32 And the two doors were of olive wood. And he carved on them figures of keruḇim, and palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold. And he spread the gold on the keruḇim and on the palm trees.
33 And so he made doorposts for the door of the Hĕḵal of olive wood — a fourth part.
34 And the two doors were of cypress wood, the two leaves of the one folded, and two leaves of the other door folded.
35 And he carved keruḇim, and palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold laid smoothly on the carved work.
36 And he built the inner courtyard with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams.
37 In the fourth year the foundation of the House of יהוה was laid, in the month Ziw.
38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, the eighth new moon, the house was completed in all its matters and according to all its plans. Thus he built it for seven years.
1 And Shelomoh built his own house for thirteen years, and he completed his entire house.
2 And he built the house of the forest of Leḇanon. It was one hundred cubits long, and fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, with four rows of cedar columns, and cedar beams on the columns.
3 And it was panelled with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five columns, fifteen to a row.
4 And there were windows with narrowed frames in three rows, and window was opposite window, three times.
5 And all the doorways and doorposts had square frames. And window was opposite window, three times.
6 And he made the porch of the columns, fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. And the porch was in front of them, and the columns and the roof was in front of them.
7 And he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Right-ruling, where he ruled. And it was panelled with cedar from floor to floor.
8 And the house where he was to dwell, in the other courtyard, within the hall was of like workmanship. And Shelomoh made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken.
9 All these were of precious stone hewn to size, sawed with a saw, inside and out, from the foundation to the coping, and also on the outside to the great courtyard.
10 And the foundation was of precious stone, large stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits.
11 And above were precious stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood.
12 So the great courtyard all around had three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the House of יהוה and the porch of the House.
13 And Sovereign Shelomoh sent and brought Ḥiram from Tsor.
14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tsor, a bronze worker. And he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to Sovereign Shelomoh and did all his work.
15 And he cast two columns of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each.
16 And he made two capitals of cast bronze, to put on the tops of the columns — the height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits —
17 a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the columns, seven chains for one capital and seven for the other capital.
18 And he made the columns, and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals that were on top, and so he did for the other capital.
19 And the capitals that were on top of the columns in the hall were in the shape of lilies, four cubits.
20 And there were capitals above also on the two columns, by the bulge which was next to the network. And the pomegranates were two hundred, in rows on each of the capitals all around.
21 And he set up the columns by the porch of the Hĕḵal. And he set up the column on the right and called its name Yaḵin, and he set up the column on the left and called its name Bo‛az.
22 And on the top of the columns was lily work. Thus the work of the columns was completed.
23 And he made the Sea of cast metal, ten cubits from one rim to the other, round all about, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured around it.
24 And below its rim were ornaments all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The ornaments were cast in two rows when it was cast.
25 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, and three facing west, and three facing south, and three facing east. And the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts were inward.
26 And it was a handbreadth thick, and its rim was shaped like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.
27 And he made ten stands of bronze, each stand was four cubits long, and four cubits wide, and three cubits high.
28 And this is how the stands were made: They had side panels, and the side panels were between frames,
29 and on the side panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and keruḇim, and a pedestal above on the frame. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of beaten work.
30 And each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and its four feet had supports. Under the basin were cast supports beside each wreath.
31 And its opening inside the crown at the top was one cubit. And the opening was round, like the work of the pedestal, one and a half cubits. And also on the opening were engravings, but the side panels were square, not round.
32 And the four wheels were under the side panels, and the axles of the wheels were joined to the stand, and the height of a wheel was one and a half cubits.
33 And the wheels were made like chariot wheels. Their axle pins, and their rims, and their spokes, and their hubs were all cast.
34 And there were four supports at the four corners of each stand, its supports were of the stand itself.
35 And on the top of the stand, half a cubit in height — round all around. And on the top of the stand, its flanges and its side panels were of the same.
36 And on the plates of its flanges and on its side panels he engraved keruḇim, lions, and palm trees, according to the clear space on each, with wreaths all around.
37 He made the ten stands like this: all of them were of one mould, one measure, and one shape.
38 And he made ten basins of bronze; each basin contained forty baths, and each basin was four cubits, one basin on each of the ten stands.
39 And he put five stands on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house, and he put the Sea on the right side of the house to the east, facing the south.
40 And Ḥiram made the pots and the shovels and the bowls. And Ḥiram completed doing all the work that he was to do for Sovereign Shelomoh on the House of יהוה:
41 the two columns, and the bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the columns, and the two networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the columns;
42 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the columns;
43 and the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands;
44 and the one Sea, and twelve oxen under the Sea;
45 and the pots, and the shovels, and the bowls. And all these utensils which Ḥiram made for Sovereign Shelomoh for the House of יהוה were of polished bronze.
46 The sovereign had them cast in clay in the district of Yardĕn between Sukkoth and Tsarethan.
47 And Shelomoh left all the utensils unweighed, because they were many, nor was the weight of the bronze searched out.
48 So Shelomoh made all the utensils for the House of יהוה: the slaughter-place of gold, and the table of gold on which was the showbread;
49 and the lampstands of refined gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front of the Speaking Place, with the flowers and the lamps and the snuffers of gold;
50 and the basins, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the ladles, and the fire holders of refined gold, and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the Most Set-apart Place, and for the doors of the house of the Hĕḵal.
51 Thus all the work which Sovereign Shelomoh had done for the House of יהוה was completed. And Shelomoh brought in the set-apart items of his father Dawiḏ: the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the House of יהוה.
1 Then Shelomoh assembled the elders of Yisra’ĕl and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Yisra’ĕl, to Sovereign Shelomoh in Yerushalayim, to bring up the ark of the covenant of יהוה from the City of Dawiḏ, which is Tsiyon.
2 And all the men of Yisra’ĕl assembled to Sovereign Shelomoh at the festival in the month of Ěythanim, which is the seventh new moon.
3 And all the elders of Yisra’ĕl came, and the priests took up the ark,
4 and brought up the ark of יהוה, and the Tent of Appointment, and all the set-apart utensils that were in the Tent. And the priests and the Lĕwites brought them up,
5 and Sovereign Shelomoh, and all the congregation of Yisra’ĕl who had assembled with him, were with him before the ark, slaughtering so many sheep and cattle, that they could not be counted or numbered.
6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of יהוה to its place, into the Speaking Place of the House, to the Most Set-apart Place, under the wings of the keruḇim,
7 for the keruḇim spread two wings over the place of the ark, and the keruḇim covered over the ark and its poles.
8 And the poles extended so that the ends of the poles were seen from the set-apart place, in front of the Speaking Place, but they were not seen from outside. And they are there to this day.
9 There was naught in the ark, only the two tablets of stone which Mosheh put there at Ḥorĕḇ, where יהוה made a covenant with the children of Yisra’ĕl, when they came out of the land of Mitsrayim.
10 And it came to be, when the priests came out of the Set-apart Place, that the cloud filled the House of יהוה,
11 so that the priests were unable to stand and perform the service because of the cloud, for the esteem of יהוה filled the House of יהוה.
12 And Shelomoh said, “יהוה has said He would dwell in the dark cloud.
13 I have indeed built You an exalted house, an established place for You to dwell in forever.”
14 And the sovereign turned around and blessed all the assembly of Yisra’ĕl, while all the assembly of Yisra’ĕl was standing.
15 And he said, “Blessed be יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, who spoke with His mouth to my father Dawiḏ, and with His hand has filled it, saying,
16 Since the day I brought My people Yisra’ĕl out of Mitsrayim, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Yisra’ĕl in which to build a house for My Name to be there, but I chose Dawiḏ to be over My people Yisra’ĕl.’
17 “And it was in the heart of my father Dawiḏ to build a house for the Name of יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.
18 “But יהוה said to my father Dawiḏ, ‘Because it has been in your heart to build a house for My Name, you did well that it was in your heart.
19 Only, you do not build the house, but your son, who is coming from your loins, he does build the house for My Name.’
20 “Now יהוה has established His word which He spoke, and I have been raised up instead of my father Dawiḏ, and sit on the throne of Yisra’ĕl, as יהוה promised, and built a house for the Name of יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl,
21 and have appointed there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of יהוה which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim.”
22 And Shelomoh stood before the slaughter-place of יהוה in front of all the assembly of Yisra’ĕl, and spread out his hands toward the heavens,
23 and said, “יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, there is no Elohim in the heavens above or on earth below like You, guarding Your covenant and loving-commitment with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,
24 who has guarded that which You did promise Your servant Dawiḏ my father. Indeed, You have both spoken with Your mouth and have filled it with Your hand, as it is this day.
25 “And now, יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, guard what You promised Your servant Dawiḏ my father, saying, ‘There is not to cease a man of yours before Me, sitting on the throne of Yisra’ĕl — only, if your sons guard their way, to walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’
26 “And now, O Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, please let Your word come true which You have spoken to Your servant Dawiḏ my father.
27 “For is it true: Elohim dwells on the earth? See, the heavens and the heavens of the heavens are unable to contain You, how much less this House which I have built!
28 “Yet, shall You turn to the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O יהוה my Elohim, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today?
29 “For Your eyes to be open toward this House night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My Name is there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place.
30 “Then, shall You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Yisra’ĕl when they pray toward this place, when You hear in Your dwelling place, in the heavens? And shall You hear, and forgive?
31 “If anyone sins against his neighbour, and he has lifted up an oath on him, to cause him to swear, and comes and swears before Your slaughter-place in this House,
32 then hear in the heavens, and act and rightly rule Your servants, declaring the wrongdoer wrong, bringing his way on his head, and declaring the righteous right by giving him according to his righteousness.
33 “When Your people Yisra’ĕl are smitten before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, and they shall turn back to You and confess Your Name, and pray and make supplication to You in this House,
34 then hear in the heavens, and forgive the sin of Your people Yisra’ĕl, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.
35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they sin against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your Name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them,
36 then hear in the heavens, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Yisra’ĕl — for You teach them the good way in which they should walk — and shall give rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.
37 “When there is scarcity of food in the land; when there is pestilence, blight, mildew, locusts, grasshoppers; when their enemy distresses them in the land of their cities; any plague, any sickness,
38 whatever prayer, whatever supplication made by anyone of all Your people Yisra’ĕl, each knowing the plague of his own heart, and shall spread out his hands toward this House,
39 then hear in the heavens, Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and render unto everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know. Because You — You alone — know the hearts of all the sons of men,
40 so that they fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.
41 “Also, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Yisra’ĕl, but has come from a far land for Your Name’s sake —
42 since they hear of Your great Name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm — and he shall come and pray toward this House,
43 hear in the heavens Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, so that all peoples of the earth know Your Name and fear You, as do Your people Yisra’ĕl, and know that this House which I have built is called by Your Name.
44 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, in the way that You send them, and they shall pray to יהוה toward the city which You have chosen and toward the House which I have built for Your Name,
45 then shall You hear in the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause?
46 “When they sin against You — for there is no one who does not sin — and You become enraged with them and give them to the enemy, and they take them captive to the land of the enemy, far or near;
47 and they shall turn back unto their heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and shall turn, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and acted crookedly, we have committed wrong,’
48 and they shall turn back to You with all their heart and with all their being in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and shall pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the House which I have built for Your Name,
49 then shall You hear in the heavens Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause,
50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You? And give them compassion before those who took them captive, and they shall have compassion on them.
51 For they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Mitsrayim, out of the iron furnace.
52 “Let Your eyes be open to the supplication of Your servant and the supplication of Your people Yisra’ĕl, to listen to them whenever they call to You.
53 “For You have separated them unto Yourself for an inheritance, out of all the peoples of the earth, as You spoke by the hand of Your servant Mosheh, when You brought our fathers out of Mitsrayim, O Master יהוה.”
54 And it came to be, when Shelomoh had ended praying all this prayer and supplication to יהוה, that he rose up from before the slaughter-place of יהוה, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to the heavens.
55 And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Yisra’ĕl with a loud voice, saying,
56 “Blessed be יהוה, who has given rest to His people Yisra’ĕl, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good word, which He promised through His servant Mosheh.
57 “יהוה our Elohim is with us as He was with our fathers — He does not leave us nor forsake us —
58 to incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to guard His commands and His laws and His right-rulings, which He commanded our fathers.
59 “And let these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before יהוה, be near יהוה our Elohim day and night, to maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Yisra’ĕl, the matter of each day in its day,
60 so that all the peoples of the earth might know that יהוה is Elohim, there is no one else.
61 “Let your heart therefore be perfect to יהוה our Elohim, to walk in His laws and guard His commands, as at this day.”
62 And the sovereign and all Yisra’ĕl with him slaughtered slaughterings before יהוה.
63 And Shelomoh slaughtered slaughterings of peace offerings, which he slaughtered to יהוה, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. Thus the sovereign and all the children of Yisra’ĕl dedicated the House of יהוה.
64 On that day the sovereign set apart the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the House of יהוה, for there he made ascending offerings, and the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze slaughter-place that was before יהוה was too small to contain the ascending offerings, and the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
65 And Shelomoh at that time performed the Festival, and all Yisra’ĕl with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Ḥamath to the wadi of Mitsrayim, before יהוה our Elohim, seven days and seven days — fourteen days.
66 On the eighth day he sent the people away. And they blessed the sovereign, and went to their tents rejoicing and glad of heart for all the goodness that יהוה had done for His servant Dawiḏ, and for Yisra’ĕl His people.
1 And it came to be, when Shelomoh had finished building the House of יהוה and the house of the sovereign, and all the desire of Shelomoh which he was pleased to do,
2 that יהוה appeared to Shelomoh the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gib‛on.
3 And יהוה said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me. I have set this house apart which you have built to put My Name there forever, and My eyes and My heart shall always be there.
4 “And you, if you walk before Me as your father Dawiḏ walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, if you guard My laws and My right-rulings,
5 then I shall establish the throne of your reign over Yisra’ĕl forever, as I promised Dawiḏ your father, saying, ‘There is not to cease a man of yours on the throne of Yisra’ĕl.’
6 “If you at all turn back, you or your sons, from following Me, and do not guard My commands, My laws, which I have set before you, but shall go and serve other mighty ones and bow yourselves to them,
7 then I shall cut off Yisra’ĕl from the face of the soil which I have given them, and send away from My presence this house which I have set apart for My Name. And Yisra’ĕl shall be a proverb and a mockery among all the peoples.
8 “And this house, which has been exalted, everyone who passes by it shall be astonished, and hiss, and say, ‘Why has יהוה done thus to this land and to this house?’
9 “Then they shall say, ‘Because they have forsaken יהוה their Elohim, who brought their fathers out of the land of Mitsrayim, and they took hold of other mighty ones, and bowed themselves to them and served them. That is why יהוה has brought all this evil on them.’ ”
10 And it came to be, at the end of twenty years, that Shelomoh had built the two houses, the House of יהוה and the house of the sovereign.
11 Ḥiram the sovereign of Tsor had supplied Shelomoh with cedar and cypress and gold, as much as he desired. Then Sovereign Shelomoh gave Ḥiram twenty cities in the land of Galil.
12 And Ḥiram came from Tsor to see the cities which Shelomoh had given him, but they were not right in his eyes,
13 and he said, “What are these cities you have given me, my brother?” And he called them the land of Kaḇul, as they are to this day.
14 And Ḥiram sent the sovereign one hundred and twenty talents of gold.
15 And this is the purpose of the compulsory labour which Sovereign Shelomoh raised, to build the House of יהוה, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Yerushalayim, and Ḥatsor, and Meḡiddo, and Gezer —
16 Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim had gone up and taken Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Kena‛anites who dwelt in the city, and had given it as a payment for the bride to his daughter, Shelomoh’s wife —
17 and Shelomoh built Gezer, and Lower Bĕyth Ḥoron,
18 and Ba‛alath, and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Yehuḏah,
19 and all the storage cities that Shelomoh had, and cities for his chariots and cities for his cavalry, and whatever Shelomoh desired to build in Yerushalayim, and in Leḇanon, and in all the land of his rule.
20 All the people who were left of the Amorites, the Ḥittites, the Perizzites, the Ḥiwwites, and the Yeḇusites, who were not of the children of Yisra’ĕl —
21 their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Yisra’ĕl had not been able to destroy completely — from these Shelomoh raised compulsory labour, as it is to this day.
22 But Shelomoh did not make slaves of the children of Yisra’ĕl, because they were men of battle, and his servants, and his rulers, and his officers, and commanders of his chariots, and his cavalry.
23 These were the chiefs of the officials who were over the work of Shelomoh: five hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people who did the work.
24 But the daughter of Pharaoh came up from the City of Dawiḏ to her house that he built for her. Then he built Millo.
25 And three times a year Shelomoh brought ascending offerings and peace offerings on the slaughter-place which he had built for יהוה, and he burned incense with that which was before יהוה — thus gave completeness to the House.
26 And Sovereign Shelomoh built a fleet of ships at Etsyon Geḇer, which is near Ěyloth on the shore of the Sea of Reeds, in the land of Eḏom.
27 And Ḥiram sent his servants with the fleet, seamen who knew the sea, to work with the servants of Shelomoh.
28 And they went to Ophir, and took four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to Sovereign Shelomoh.
1 And the sovereigness of Sheḇa heard of the report of Shelomoh concerning the Name of יהוה, and came to try him with hard questions.
2 And she came to Yerushalayim with a very great company, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones. And she came to Shelomoh, and she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
3 And Shelomoh answered all her questions. There was no matter hidden for the sovereign that he did not make known to her.
4 And the sovereigness of Sheḇa saw all the wisdom of Shelomoh, and the house that he had built,
5 and the food on his table, and the seating of his servants, and the service of his waiters and their attire, and his cupbearers, and his ascending offerings which he offered in the House of יהוה, and there was no more spirit in her.
6 Then she said to the sovereign, “The word I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom was true.
7 “But I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes. And see, I have not been told the half! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the report which I heard.
8 “Blessed are your men and blessed are these your servants, who stand continually before you, who are hearing your wisdom!
9 “Blessed be יהוה your Elohim, who delighted in you, to put you on the throne of Yisra’ĕl! Because יהוה has loved Yisra’ĕl forever, therefore He made you sovereign, to do right-ruling and righteousness.”
10 And she gave the sovereign one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and very many spices, and precious stones. Never again did so many spices come as the sovereigness of Sheḇa gave to Sovereign Shelomoh.
11 And also, the ships of Ḥiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought almug wood, a great many, and precious stones from Ophir.
12 And the sovereign made steps of the almug wood for the House of יהוה and for the sovereign’s house, also lyres and harps for singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.
13 And Sovereign Shelomoh gave the sovereigness of Sheḇa all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what he gave her according to the hand of Sovereign Shelomoh. And she turned and went to her land, she and her servants.
14 And the weight of gold that came to Shelomoh yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,
15 besides that from men of travel, and the profit from traders, and from all the sovereigns of Araḇia, and from the governors of the land.
16 And Sovereign Shelomoh made two hundred large shields of beaten gold — six hundred pieces of gold went into each shield;
17 and three hundred shields of beaten gold — three minas of gold went into each shield. And the sovereign put them in the House of the Forest of Leḇanon.
18 And the sovereign made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with refined gold.
19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back, and there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.
20 And twelve lions were standing there, one on each side of the six steps. The like of it was never made in any reign.
21 And all the drinking vessels of Sovereign Shelomoh were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Leḇanon were of refined gold — not of silver, for this was reckoned of little value in the days of Shelomoh.
22 For the sovereign had ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Ḥiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and baboons.
23 And Sovereign Shelomoh was greater than any of the sovereigns of the earth in riches and wisdom.
24 And all the earth sought the presence of Shelomoh to hear his wisdom, which Elohim had put in his heart.
25 And they were each bringing his present: objects of silver and objects of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, the matter of a year by year.
26 And Shelomoh gathered chariots and horsemen, and he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the sovereign in Yerushalayim.
27 And the sovereign made silver as common in Yerushalayim as stones, and he made cedars as plenty as the sycamores which are in the low country.
28 And Shelomoh had horses brought out from Mitsrayim and Quĕh; the sovereign’s merchants bought them in Quĕh at a price.
29 And a chariot came up and went out from Mitsrayim for six hundred pieces of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty. And so, by their hand, they brought them out to all the sovereigns of the Ḥittites and the sovereigns of Aram.
1 And Sovereign Shelomoh loved many foreign women in addition to the daughter of Pharaoh: Mo’aḇite, Ammonite, Eḏomite, Tsiḏonian, and Ḥittite women;
2 from the nations of whom יהוה had said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, “You do not go into them, and they do not go into you, for they shall certainly turn away your hearts after their mighty ones.” Shelomoh clung to these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.
4 And it came to be, when Shelomoh was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other mighty ones. And his heart was not perfect with יהוה his Elohim, as was the heart of his father Dawiḏ.
5 And Shelomoh went after Ashtoreth the mighty one of the Tsiḏonians, and after Milkom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 Thus Shelomoh did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and did not follow יהוה completely, like his father Dawiḏ.
7 Then Shelomoh built a high place for Kemosh the abomination of Mo’aḇ, on the hill that is east of Yerushalayim, and for Moleḵ the abomination of the children of Ammon.
8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and slaughtered to their mighty ones.
9 Therefore יהוה was enraged with Shelomoh, because his heart had turned away from יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, who had appeared to him twice,
10 and had commanded him concerning this word, not to go after other mighty ones. But he did not guard what יהוה had commanded.
11 And יהוה said to Shelomoh, “Because you have done this, and have not guarded My covenant and My laws, which I have commanded you, I shall certainly tear the reign away from you and give it to your servant.
12 “Only, I do not do it in your days, for the sake of your father Dawiḏ. Out of the hand of your son I shall tear it.
13 “Only, I shall not tear away all the reign but give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant Dawiḏ, and for the sake of Yerushalayim which I have chosen.”
14 And יהוה raised up an adversary against Shelomoh, Haḏaḏ the Eḏomite. He was of the seed of the sovereign in Eḏom.
15 And it came to be, when Dawiḏ was in Eḏom, and Yo’aḇ the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, after he had struck every male in Eḏom —
16 Yo’aḇ remained there with all Yisra’ĕl for six new moons, until every male in Eḏom was cut off —
17 that Haḏaḏ fled to go to Mitsrayim, he and certain Eḏomites of his father’s servants with him, while Haḏaḏ was still a little child.
18 And they arose from Miḏyan and came to Paran, and took men with them from Paran and came to Mitsrayim, to Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, who gave him a house, and ordered food for him, and gave him land.
19 And Haḏaḏ found much favour in the eyes of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Sovereigness Taḥpenĕs.
20 And the sister of Taḥpenĕs bore him Genuḇath his son, whom Taḥpenĕs weaned in Pharaoh’s house. And Genuḇath was in the house of Pharaoh among the sons of Pharaoh.
21 And Haḏaḏ heard in Mitsrayim that Dawiḏ slept with his fathers, and that Yo’aḇ the commander of the army was dead, and Haḏaḏ said to Pharaoh, “Let me go to my land.”
22 And Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that you are now seeking to go to your own land?” And he answered, “No, but please let me go.”
23 And Elohim raised up another adversary against him, Rezon son of Elyaḏa who had fled from his master, Haḏaḏezer sovereign of Tsoḇah,
24 and gathered men to him and became commander over a raiding band, when Dawiḏ killed those of Tsoḇah. And they went to Dammeseq and dwelt there, and reigned in Dammeseq.
25 And he was an adversary of Yisra’ĕl all the days of Shelomoh — besides the trouble that Haḏaḏ caused — and he was hostile to Yisra’ĕl and reigned over Aram.
26 And a servant of Shelomoh, Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, an Ephrayimite from Tserĕḏah, whose mother’s name was Tseru‛ah, a widow, also lifted up a hand against the sovereign.
27 And this is what caused him to lift up a hand against the sovereign: Shelomoh had built Millo, repairing the breaks in the City of Dawiḏ his father.
28 And the man Yaroḇ‛am was a brave man. And Shelomoh, seeing that the young man was doing his work well, made him the officer over all the compulsory labour of the house of Yosĕph.
29 And it came to be at that time, when Yaroḇ‛am went out of Yerushalayim, that the prophet Aḥiyah the Shilonite met him on the way. And he was wearing a new garment, and the two were alone in the field.
30 And Aḥiyah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces,
31 and said to Yaroḇ‛am, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus said יהוה, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘See, I am tearing the reign out of the hand of Shelomoh and shall give ten tribes to you,
32 but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant Dawiḏ, and for the sake of Yerushalayim, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl.
33 Because they have forsaken Me, and bow themselves to Ashtoreth the mighty one of the Tsiḏonians, to Kemosh the mighty one of the Mo’aḇites, and to Milkom the mighty one of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways — to do what is right in My eyes, and My laws and My right-rulings, as did his father Dawiḏ.
34 But I do not take all the reign out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant Dawiḏ, whom I chose because he guarded My commands and My laws.
35 And I shall take the reign out of his son’s hand and give it to you, the ten tribes.
36 And to his son I give one tribe, so that My servant Dawiḏ shall always have a lamp before Me in Yerushalayim, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My Name there.
37 So I take you, and you shall reign over all that your being desires, and you shall be sovereign over Yisra’ĕl.
38 And it shall be, if you obey all that I command you, and shall walk in My ways, and do what is right in My eyes, to guard My laws and My commands, as My servant Dawiḏ did, then I shall be with you and build for you a steadfast house, as I built for Dawiḏ, and shall give Yisra’ĕl to you.
39 And because of this I humble the seed of Dawiḏ, but not forever.’ ”
40 And Shelomoh sought to kill Yaroḇ‛am, but Yaroḇ‛am rose up and fled to Mitsrayim, to Shishaq sovereign of Mitsrayim, and was in Mitsrayim until the death of Shelomoh.
41 And the rest of the acts of Shelomoh, all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Shelomoh?
42 And the days that Shelomoh reigned in Yerushalayim over all Yisra’ĕl was forty years.
43 So Shelomoh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of Dawiḏ his father, and Reḥaḇ‛am his son reigned in his place.
1 And Reḥaḇ‛am went to Sheḵem, for all Yisra’ĕl had gone to Sheḵem to set him up to reign.
2 And it came to be, when Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat heard this — he was still in Mitsrayim, for he had fled from the presence of Sovereign Shelomoh and had been dwelling in Mitsrayim —
3 that they sent and called him. And Yaroḇ‛am and all the assembly of Yisra’ĕl came and spoke to Reḥaḇ‛am, saying,
4 “Your father made our yoke hard, and now, lighten the hard service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, then we serve you.”
5 And he said to them, “Go away for three days, then come back to me.” And the people went.
6 Then Sovereign Reḥaḇ‛am consulted the elders who stood before his father Shelomoh while he still lived, and he said, “What do you advise me to answer these people?”
7 And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are a servant to these people today, and shall serve them, and shall answer them and speak good words to them, then they shall be your servants all the days.”
8 But he ignored the advice the elders gave him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.
9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”
10 And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Say this to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us.’ Say this to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!
11 And now, my father laid a heavy yoke on you, but I add to your yoke; my father flogged you with whips, but I, I flog you with scourges!’ ”
12 So Yaroḇ‛am and all the people came to Reḥaḇ‛am the third day, as the sovereign had spoken, saying, “Come back to me the third day.”
13 But the sovereign answered the people harshly, and ignored the advice which the elders had given him,
14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I add to your yoke; my father flogged you with whips, but I, I flog you with scourges!”
15 So the sovereign did not listen to the people, for the turn of events was from יהוה, in order to establish His word, which יהוה had spoken by Aḥiyah the Shilonite to Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat.
16 And all Yisra’ĕl saw that the sovereign did not listen to them. Then the people answered the sovereign, saying, “What portion do we have in Dawiḏ? And there is no inheritance in the son of Yishai. To your mighty ones, O Yisra’ĕl! Now, see to your own house, O Dawiḏ!” So Yisra’ĕl went to their tents.
17 But as for the children of Yisra’ĕl who dwelt in the cities of Yehuḏah, Reḥaḇ‛am reigned over them.
18 And when Sovereign Reḥaḇ‛am sent Aḏoram, who was over the compulsory labour, all Yisra’ĕl stoned him with stones, and he died. And Sovereign Reḥaḇ‛am hastily mounted his chariot to flee to Yerushalayim.
19 Thus Yisra’ĕl revolted against the house of Dawiḏ to this day.
20 And it came to be when all Yisra’ĕl heard that Yaroḇ‛am had come back, they sent for him and called him to the congregation, and set him up to reign over all Yisra’ĕl. There was none who followed the house of Dawiḏ, except the tribe of Yehuḏah only.
21 And Reḥaḇ‛am came to Yerushalayim, and he assembled all the house of Yehuḏah with the tribe of Binyamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen brave men, to fight against the house of Yisra’ĕl, to bring back the reign to Reḥaḇ‛am son of Shelomoh.
22 But the word of Elohim came to Shemayah the man of Elohim, saying,
23 “Speak to Reḥaḇ‛am son of Shelomoh, sovereign of Yehuḏah, and to all the house of Yehuḏah and Binyamin, and to the rest of the people, saying,
24 Thus said יהוה, “Do not go up or fight against your brothers the children of Yisra’ĕl. Let every man return to his house, for this matter is from Me.” ’ ” So they obeyed the word of יהוה, and turned back, according to the word of יהוה.
25 And Yaroḇ‛am built Sheḵem in the mountains of Ephrayim, and dwelt there. And he went out from there and built Penu’ĕl.
26 And Yaroḇ‛am said in his heart, “Now the reign shall return to the house of Dawiḏ.
27 “If these people go up to do slaughterings in the House of יהוה at Yerushalayim, then the heart of this people shall turn back to their master, Reḥaḇ‛am sovereign of Yehuḏah, and they shall kill me and go back to Reḥaḇ‛am sovereign of Yehuḏah.”
28 So the sovereign took counsel and made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Yerushalayim. See, your mighty ones, O Yisra’ĕl, which brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim!”
29 And he set up one in Bĕyth Ěl, and the other he put in Dan.
30 And this matter became a sin, for the people went before the one as far as Dan.
31 And he made the house of high places, and made priests from all sorts of people, who were not of the sons of Lĕwi.
32 And Yaroḇ‛am performed a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth new moon, like the festival that was in Yehuḏah, and he offered on the slaughter-place. So he did at Bĕyth Ěl, slaughtering to the calves that he had made. And at Bĕyth Ěl he appointed the priests of the high places which he had made.
33 And he made offerings on the slaughter-place which he had made at Bĕyth Ěl on the fifteenth day of the eighth new moon, in the new moon which he had devised in his own heart. And he performed a festival for the children of Yisra’ĕl, and offered on the slaughter-place and burned incense.
1 And see, a man of Elohim went from Yehuḏah to Bĕyth Ěl by the word of יהוה, while Yaroḇ‛am was standing by the slaughter-place to burn incense.
2 And he cried out against the slaughter-place by the word of יהוה, and said, “O slaughter-place, slaughter-place! Thus said יהוה, ‘See, a son is to be born to the house of Dawiḏ, Yoshiyahu is his name. And on you he shall slaughter the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones be burned on you.’ ”
3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which יהוה has spoken: See, the slaughter-place is split apart, and the ashes on it is poured out.”
4 And it came to be when Sovereign Yaroḇ‛am heard the saying of the man of Elohim, who cried out against the slaughter-place in Bĕyth Ěl, that he stretched out his hand from the slaughter-place, saying, “Seize him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, dried up, so that he was unable to bring it back to him.
5 And the slaughter-place was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the slaughter-place, according to the sign which the man of Elohim had given by the word of יהוה.
6 And the sovereign answered and said to the man of Elohim, “Please appease the face of יהוה your Elohim, and pray for me, that my hand might be restored to me.” And the man of Elohim appeased the face of יהוה, and the sovereign’s hand was restored to him, and became as it was before.
7 The sovereign then said to the man of Elohim, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I give you a gift.”
8 But the man of Elohim said to the sovereign, “If you were to give me half your house, I do not go in with you, nor do I eat bread nor drink water in this place.
9 “For so He commanded me by the word of יהוה, saying, ‘Do not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.’ ”
10 So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bĕyth Ěl.
11 And a certain old prophet was dwelling in Bĕyth Ěl, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of Elohim had done that day in Bĕyth Ěl, the words which he had spoken to the sovereign.
12 And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons had seen which way the man of Elohim went who came from Yehuḏah.
13 And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled the donkey for him, and he rode on it,
14 and went after the man of Elohim, and found him sitting under a terebinth. And he said to him, “Are you the man of Elohim who came from Yehuḏah?” And he said, “I am.”
15 And he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”
16 And he said, “I am not able to return with you or to go in with you, nor am I to eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
17 “For word came to me by the word of יהוה, ‘Do not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’ ”
18 And he said to him, “I too am a prophet like you, and a messenger spoke to me by the word of יהוה, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, and let him eat bread and drink water.’ ” But he lied to him.
19 So he turned back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.
20 And it came to be, as they sat at the table, that the word of יהוה came to the prophet who had brought him back,
21 and he cried out to the man of Elohim who came from Yehuḏah, saying, “Thus said יהוה, ‘Because you have rebelled against the mouth of יהוה, and have not guarded the command which יהוה your Elohim commanded you,
22 and turned back, and ate bread, and drank water in the place of which He said to you, “Do not eat bread nor drink water,” your body shall not enter the burial-site of your fathers.’ ”
23 And it came to be, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 And he went, and a lion met him on the way and killed him. And his body was thrown on the way. And the donkey was standing by it, and the lion was standing by the body.
25 And see, men were passing by and saw the body thrown on the way, while the lion was standing by the body. And they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
26 And the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, and said, “It is the man of Elohim who rebelled against the mouth of יהוה, and יהוה gave him to the lion, and it tore him apart and killed him, according to the word of יהוה which He spoke to him.”
27 And he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it.
28 So he went and found his body thrown on the way, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body nor mauled the donkey.
29 And the prophet lifted up the body of the man of Elohim, and placed it on the donkey, and brought it back. And the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him,
30 and he placed his body in his own burial-site. And they lamented over him, saying, “Oh, my brother!”
31 And it came to be, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, then you shall bury me in the burial-site where the man of Elohim is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones.
32 “For the word which he cried out, by the word of יהוה, against the slaughter-place in Bĕyth Ěl, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Shomeron, shall certainly come to be.”
33 After this event Yaroḇ‛am did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from all sorts of people for the high places. Whoever wished, he ordained, to become one of the priests of the high places.
34 And this matter was the sin of the house of Yaroḇ‛am, even to cut it off and destroy it from the face of the earth.
1 At that time Aḇiyah the son of Yaroḇ‛am became sick.
2 And Yaroḇ‛am said to his wife, “Please arise, and disguise yourself, so they do not know that you are the wife of Yaroḇ‛am, and go to Shiloh. See, Aḥiyah the prophet is there, who spoke to me of becoming sovereign over this people.
3 “And you shall take with you ten loaves, and cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. Let him declare to you what becomes of the child.”
4 And Yaroḇ‛am’s wife did so, and rose up and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Aḥiyah. But Aḥiyahu was unable to see, for his eyes had set because of his age.
5 And יהוה had said to Aḥiyahu, “See, the wife of Yaroḇ‛am is coming to ask you a word about her son, for he is sick. Speak to her thus and thus. For it shall be, when she comes in, that she makes herself strange.”
6 And it came to be, when Aḥiyahu heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Yaroḇ‛am. Why are you making yourself strange? And I have been sent to you with a hard word.
7 Go, say to Yaroḇ‛am, ‘Thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Yisra’ĕl,
8 and tore the reign away from the house of Dawiḏ, and gave it to you — and you have not been as My servant Dawiḏ, who guarded My commands and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes,
9 but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other mighty ones and moulded images to provoke Me, and have cast Me behind your back —
10 therefore, see, I am bringing evil to the house of Yaroḇ‛am, and shall cut off from Yaroḇ‛am every male in Yisra’ĕl, whether shut up or left at large, and sweep away the remnant of the house of Yaroḇ‛am, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone.
11 Those of Yaroḇ‛am who die in the city the dogs do eat, and those who die in the field the birds of the heavens do eat, for יהוה has spoken it!” ’
12 “And you, arise, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die.
13 “And all Yisra’ĕl shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Yaroḇ‛am who shall come to the burial-site, because in him there is found a good report toward יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, in the house of Yaroḇ‛am.
14 “And יהוה shall raise up for Himself a sovereign over Yisra’ĕl who cuts off the house of Yaroḇ‛am, this day, and even now!
15 “And יהוה shall strike Yisra’ĕl, as a reed is shaken in the water, and shall pluck Yisra’ĕl from this good soil which He gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the River, because they made their Ashĕrim, provoking יהוה,
16 and He shall give Yisra’ĕl up, because of the sins of Yaroḇ‛am, who sinned and who made Yisra’ĕl sin.”
17 And the wife of Yaroḇ‛am rose up and went, and came to Tirtsah. When she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.
18 And they buried him, and all Yisra’ĕl lamented for him, according to the word of יהוה which He spoke through His servant Aḥiyahu the prophet.
19 And the rest of the acts of Yaroḇ‛am, how he fought and how he reigned, see, they are written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl.
20 And the days that Yaroḇ‛am reigned was twenty-two years. So he slept with his fathers, and Naḏaḇ his son reigned in his place.
21 Meanwhile Reḥaḇ‛am son of Shelomoh reigned in Yehuḏah. Reḥaḇ‛am was forty-one years old when he became sovereign, and he reigned seventeen years in Yerushalayim, the city which יהוה had chosen out of all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, to put His Name there. And his mother’s name was Na‛amah the Ammonitess.
22 And Yehuḏah did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.
23 For they also built for themselves high places, and pillars, and Ashĕrim on every high hill and under every green tree.
24 And there were also cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which יהוה dispossessed before the children of Yisra’ĕl.
25 And it came to be, in the fifth year of Sovereign Reḥaḇ‛am, that Shishaq sovereign of Mitsrayim came up against Yerushalayim.
26 And he took away the treasures of the House of יהוה and the treasures of the sovereign’s house, he even took away all. And he took away all the shields of gold which Shelomoh had made.
27 And Sovereign Reḥaḇ‛am made shields of bronze to replace them, and entrusted them into the hands of the chiefs of the guard, who guarded the entrance of the sovereign’s house.
28 And it came to be, whenever the sovereign went into the House of יהוה, the guards would bring them, then take them back into the guardroom.
29 And the rest of the acts of Reḥaḇ‛am, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yehuḏah?
30 And there was fighting between Reḥaḇ‛am and Yaroḇ‛am all the days.
31 So Reḥaḇ‛am slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of Dawiḏ. And the name of his mother was Na‛amah the Ammonitess. And Aḇiyam his son reigned in his place.
1 And in the eighteenth year of Sovereign Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, Aḇiyam became sovereign over Yehuḏah.
2 He reigned three years in Yerushalayim, and his mother’s name was Ma‛aḵah the granddaughter of Aḇishalom.
3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him, and his heart was not perfect to יהוה his Elohim, as was the heart of his father Dawiḏ.
4 But for Dawiḏ’s sake יהוה his Elohim gave him a lamp in Yerushalayim, to raise up his son after him and by establishing Yerushalayim,
5 for Dawiḏ did what was right in the eyes of יהוה, and did not turn aside from all that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriyah the Ḥittite.
6 And there was fighting between Reḥaḇ‛am and Yaroḇ‛am all the days of his life.
7 And the rest of the acts of Aḇiyam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yehuḏah? And there was fighting between Aḇiyam and Yaroḇ‛am.
8 So Aḇiyam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of Dawiḏ. And Asa his son reigned in his place.
9 And in the twentieth year of Yaroḇ‛am sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, Asa became sovereign over Yehuḏah.
10 And he reigned forty-one years in Yerushalayim, and his grandmother’s name was Ma‛aḵah the granddaughter of Aḇishalom.
11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of יהוה, as his father Dawiḏ had done,
12 and put away the cult prostitutes from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
13 And he also removed Ma‛aḵah his grandmother from being sovereigness mother, because she had made an abominable image for Ashĕrah. And Asa cut down her abominable image and burned it by the wadi Qiḏron.
14 But the high places were not removed. However, Asa’s heart was perfect with יהוה all his days.
15 And he brought into the House of יהוה the set-apart items of his father, and his own set-apart items: silver and gold and utensils.
16 And there was fighting between Asa and Ba‛asha sovereign of Yisra’ĕl all their days.
17 And Ba‛asha sovereign of Yisra’ĕl came up against Yehuḏah, and built Ramah, to keep anyone from going out or coming in to Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah.
18 And Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the House of יהוה and the treasuries of the sovereign’s house, and gave them into the hand of his servants. And Sovereign Asa sent them to Ben-Haḏaḏ son of Taḇrimmon, son of Ḥezyon, sovereign of Aram, who dwelt in Dammeseq, saying,
19 “Let there be a covenant between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a present of silver and gold. Come, break your covenant with Ba‛asha sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, so that he withdraws from me.”
20 And Ben-Haḏaḏ listened to Sovereign Asa, and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Yisra’ĕl, and struck Iyon, and Dan, and Aḇĕl Bĕyth Ma‛aḵah, and all Kinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.
21 And it came to be, when Ba‛asha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah, and remained in Tirtsah.
22 Then Sovereign Asa summoned all Yehuḏah — none was exempted — and they took away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Ba‛asha had used for building. And with them Sovereign Asa built Geḇa of Binyamin, and Mitspah.
23 And the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yehuḏah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.
24 So Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of Dawiḏ his father. And Yehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
25 And Naḏaḇ son of Yaroḇ‛am became sovereign over Yisra’ĕl in the second year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, and he reigned over Yisra’ĕl two years.
26 And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Yisra’ĕl sin.
27 Then Ba‛asha son of Aḥiyah, of the house of Yissasḵar, conspired against him. And Ba‛asha struck him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Naḏaḇ and all Yisra’ĕl had laid siege to Gibbethon.
28 And Ba‛asha killed him in the third year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, and reigned in his place.
29 And it came to be, when he became sovereign, that he struck all the house of Yaroḇ‛am. He did not leave to Yaroḇ‛am anyone breathing, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of יהוה which He had spoken by His servant Aḥiyah the Shilonite,
30 because of the sins of Yaroḇ‛am, which he had sinned and by which he had made Yisra’ĕl sin, because of his provocation with which he had provoked יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.
31 And the rest of the acts of Naḏaḇ, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl?
32 And there was fighting between Asa and Ba‛asha sovereign of Yisra’ĕl all their days.
33 In the third year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, Ba‛asha son of Aḥiyah became sovereign over all Yisra’ĕl in Tirtsah, and reigned twenty-four years.
34 And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and walked in the way of Yaroḇ‛am, and in his sin by which he had made Yisra’ĕl sin.
1 Then the word of יהוה came to Yĕhu son of Ḥanani, against Ba‛asha, saying,
2 “Because I raised you up out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Yisra’ĕl, but you walked in the way of Yaroḇ‛am, and made My people Yisra’ĕl sin, to provoke Me with their sins,
3 see, I am going to sweep away Ba‛asha and his house, and shall make your house like the house of Yaroḇ‛am the son of Neḇat.
4 “Anyone belonging to Ba‛asha who dies in a city the dogs eat, and anyone belonging to him who dies in a field the birds of the heavens eat.”
5 And the rest of the acts of Ba‛asha, what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl?
6 So Ba‛asha slept with his fathers and was buried in Tirtsah. And his son Ělah reigned in his place.
7 Moreover, the word of יהוה came by the prophet Yĕhu son of Ḥanani against Ba‛asha and his house, because of all the evil that he did in the eyes of יהוה in provoking Him with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Yaroḇ‛am, and because he struck them.
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, Ělah son of Ba‛asha began to reign over Yisra’ĕl in Tirtsah, two years.
9 And his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirtsah drinking himself drunk in the house of Artsa, who was over his house in Tirtsah.
10 Then Zimri came in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, and reigned in his place.
11 And it came to be, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, that he struck all the household of Ba‛asha. He did not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.
12 So Zimri destroyed the entire house of Ba‛asha, according to the word of יהוה, which He spoke against Ba‛asha by Yĕhu the prophet,
13 for all the sins of Ba‛asha and the sins of Ělah his son, by which they had sinned and by which they had made Yisra’ĕl sin, in provoking יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl with their worthlessnesses.
14 And the rest of the acts of Ělah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl?
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirtsah. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.
16 And the people who were encamped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired and also struck the sovereign.” So all Yisra’ĕl set up Omri, the commander of the army, to reign over Yisra’ĕl that day in the camp.
17 And Omri went up, and all Yisra’ĕl with him, from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirtsah.
18 And it came to be, when Zimri saw that the city was captured, that he went into a high place of the sovereign’s house and burned the sovereign’s house down upon himself with fire, and died,
19 because of the sins which he had sinned in doing evil in the eyes of יהוה, in walking in the way of Yaroḇ‛am, and in his sin which he had committed to make Yisra’ĕl sin.
20 And the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the conspiracy he made, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl?
21 Then the people of Yisra’ĕl were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tiḇni son of Ginath, to make him reign, and half followed Omri.
22 But the people who followed Omri were stronger than the people who followed Tiḇni son of Ginath. And Tiḇni died and Omri reigned.
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, Omri became sovereign over Yisra’ĕl, and reigned twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirtsah.
24 And he bought the hill of Shomeron from Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, Shomeron, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill.
25 And Omri did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and did evil more than all those before him,
26 and walked in all the ways of Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, and in his sin by which he had made Yisra’ĕl sin, provoking יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl with their worthlessnesses.
27 And the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and the might that he attained, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl?
28 So Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Shomeron. And Aḥaḇ his son reigned in his place.
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, Aḥaḇ son of Omri became sovereign over Yisra’ĕl. And Aḥaḇ son of Omri reigned over Yisra’ĕl in Shomeron twenty-two years.
30 And Aḥaḇ son of Omri did evil in the eyes of יהוה, more than all those before him.
31 And it came to be, as though it had been a light matter for him to walk in the sins of Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, that he took as wife Izeḇel the daughter of Ethba‛al, sovereign of the Tsiḏonians. And he went and served Ba‛al and bowed himself to it,
32 and raised up a slaughter-place for Ba‛al in the house of Ba‛al, which he had built in Shomeron.
33 And Aḥaḇ made an Ashĕrah. And Aḥaḇ did more to provoke יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl than all the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl before him.
34 In his days Ḥi’ĕl of Bĕyth Ěl built Yeriḥo. He laid its foundation at the cost of Aḇiram his first-born, and at the cost of his youngest son Seḡuḇ he set up its gates, according to the word of יהוה, which He had spoken through Yehoshua son of Nun.
1 And Ěliyahu the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gil‛aḏ, said to Aḥaḇ, “As יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl lives, before whom I stand, there shall be no dew or rain these years, except at my word.”
2 And the word of יהוה came to him, saying,
3 “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the wadi Kerith, which flows into the Yardĕn.
4 “And it shall be that you drink from the stream, and I shall command the ravens to feed you there.”
5 And he went and did according to the word of יהוה, for he went and dwelt by the wadi Kerith, which flows into the Yardĕn.
6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the stream.
7 And it came to be after a while that the stream dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8 Then the word of יהוה came to him, saying,
9 “Rise up, go to Tsarephath, which belongs to Tsiḏon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.”
10 And he rose up and went to Tsarephath, and came to the gate of the city and saw a widow there gathering sticks. And he called and said to her, “Please bring me a little water in a vessel to drink.”
11 And as she was going to get it, he called and said to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”
12 And she said, “As יהוה your Elohim lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar. And see, I am gathering a couple of sticks and shall go in and prepare it for myself and my son, and we shall eat it, and die.”
13 And Ěliyah said to her, “Do not fear, go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me. And afterward make some for yourself and your son.
14 “For thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor the jar of oil run dry, until the day יהוה sends rain on the earth.’ ”
15 So she went and did according to the word of Ěliyahu, and she and he and her household ate for many days.
16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of יהוה which He spoke by Ěliyahu.
17 And after these events it came to be that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was very severe until there was no breath left in him.
18 And she said to Ěliyahu, “What have I to do with you, O man of Elohim? Have you come to me to bring my crookedness to be remembered, and to kill my son?”
19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms and took him to the upper room where he was dwelling, and laid him on his own bed,
20 and cried out to יהוה and said, “O יהוה my Elohim, have You also brought evil on the widow with whom I am sojourning, to kill her son?”
21 And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to יהוה and said, “O יהוה my Elohim, I pray, let the life of this child come back to him.”
22 And יהוה heard the voice of Ěliyahu, and the life of the child came back to him, and he lived.
23 And Ěliyahu took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Ěliyahu said, “See, your son lives!”
24 And the woman said to Ěliyahu, “Now by this I know that you are a man of Elohim, and that the word of יהוה in your mouth is truth.”
1 And after many days it came to be that the word of יהוה came to Ěliyahu, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Aḥaḇ, and I give rain on the earth.”
2 Thereupon Ěliyahu went to present himself to Aḥaḇ. And the scarcity of food in Shomeron was severe.
3 And Aḥaḇ had called Oḇaḏyahu, who was over his house. Now Oḇaḏyahu feared יהוה exceedingly.
4 And it came to be, while Izeḇel cut down the prophets of יהוה, that Oḇaḏyahu had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.
5 And Aḥaḇ had said to Oḇaḏyahu, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis, it could be that we find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, and not have any livestock cut off.
6 And they divided the land between them to pass over it, Aḥaḇ went one way by himself, and Oḇaḏyahu went another way by himself.
7 And as Oḇaḏyahu was on his way, then see, Ěliyahu met him. And he recognised him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is that you, my master Ěliyahu?”
8 And he answered him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Ěliyahu is here.’ ”
9 And he said, “What have I sinned, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Aḥaḇ, to kill me?
10 “As יהוה your Elohim lives, there is no nation or reign where my master has not sent to look for you. And when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the reign or nation swear that they could not find you.
11 “And now you say, ‘Go, say to your master, “Ěliyahu is here” ’!
12 “And it shall be, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of יהוה takes you away to a place I do not know. And I shall come to report to Aḥaḇ, and when he does not find you, he shall kill me. But I your servant have feared יהוה from my youth.
13 “Was it not reported to my master what I did when Izeḇel killed the prophets of יהוה, how I hid one hundred men of the prophets of יהוה, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
14 “And now you say, ‘Go, say to your master, “Ěliyahu is here!” ’ Then he shall kill me.”
15 And Ěliyahu said, “As יהוה of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I shall indeed show myself to him today.”
16 Oḇaḏyahu then went to meet Aḥaḇ and informed him, and Aḥaḇ went to meet Ěliyahu.
17 And it came to be, when Aḥaḇ saw Ěliyahu, that Aḥaḇ said to him, “Is that you, O disturber of Yisra’ĕl?”
18 And he answered, “I have not disturbed Yisra’ĕl, but you and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the commands of יהוה, and you have followed the Ba‛als.
19 “And now, send and gather all Yisra’ĕl to me on Mount Karmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Ba‛al, and the four hundred prophets of Ashĕrah, who eat at Izeḇel’s table.”
20 Aḥaḇ then sent for all the children of Yisra’ĕl, and gathered the prophets on Mount Karmel.
21 And Ěliyahu came to all the people, and said, “How long would you keep hopping between two opinions? If יהוה is Elohim, follow Him; and if Ba‛al, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
22 And Ěliyahu said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of יהוה, but the prophets of Ba‛al are four hundred and fifty men.
23 “Now let them give us two bulls. And let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but set no fire. And I, I prepare the other bull, and shall lay it on the wood, but set no fire.
24 “And you shall call on the name of your mighty one, and I, I call on the Name of יהוה. And the Elohim who answers by fire, He is Elohim.” So all the people answered and said, “The word is good.”
25 And Ěliyahu said to the prophets of Ba‛al, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many. And call on the name of your mighty one, but set no fire.”
26 So they took the bull which was given them, and prepared it, and called on the name of Ba‛al from morning even until noon, saying, “O Ba‛al, answer us!” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the slaughter-place which they had made.
27 And it came to be at noon, that Ěliyahu taunted them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a mighty one; he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or it could be that he is asleep and has to be awakened!”
28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves, according to their ruling, with knives and spears, until the blood gushed out on them.
29 And it came to be when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of bringing the evening offering. But there was no voice and no one answered, and no one paying attention.
30 Then Ěliyahu said to all the people, “Come closer to me.” And all the people came closer to him. And he repaired the slaughter-place of יהוה that was broken down.
31 And Ěliyahu took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Ya‛aqoḇ, to whom the word of יהוה had come, saying, “Yisra’ĕl is your name.”
32 And with the stones he built a slaughter-place in the Name of יהוה. And he made a trench around the slaughter-place large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
33 And he arranged the wood, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the ascending offering and on the wood.”
34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.
35 And the water flowed around the slaughter-place, and he filled the trench with water too.
36 And it came to be, at the time of bringing the evening offering, that Ěliyahu the prophet came near and said, “יהוה Elohim of Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yisra’ĕl, let it be known today: You are Elohim in Yisra’ĕl, and I Your servant, have done all these matters by Your word.
37 “Answer me, O יהוה, answer me, and let this people know that You are יהוה Elohim, and You shall turn their hearts back to You again.”
38 Then the fire of יהוה fell and consumed the ascending offering, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And all the people saw, and fell on their faces, and said, “יהוה, He is the Elohim! יהוה, He is the Elohim!”
40 And Ěliyahu said to them, “Seize the prophets of Ba‛al! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them, and Ěliyahu brought them down to the wadi Qishon and slew them there.
41 And Ěliyahu said to Aḥaḇ, “Go up, eat and drink, because of the sound of the noise of rain.”
42 And Aḥaḇ went up to eat and to drink. And Ěliyahu went up to the top of Karmel, and he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,
43 and said to his servant, “Go up, please, look closely toward the sea.” So he went up and looked closely, and said, “Not a speck.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
44 And it came to be the seventh time, that he said, “See, a little cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming out of the sea!” And he said, “Go up, say to Aḥaḇ, ‘Hitch up, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
45 And in the meantime, it came to be that the heavens became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain, while Aḥaḇ rode and went to Yizre‛ĕl.
46 And the hand of יהוה was on Ěliyahu. And he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Aḥaḇ to the entrance of Yizre‛ĕl.
1 And when Aḥaḇ reported to Izeḇel all that Ěliyahu had done, also how he slew all the prophets with the sword,
2 Izeḇel sent a messenger to Ěliyahu, saying, “So let the mighty ones do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
3 And he feared, and rose up and ran for his life, and went to Be’ĕrsheḇa, which belongs to Yehuḏah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree, and prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, יהוה, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
5 And he lay and slept under a broom tree, and see, a messenger touched him, and said to him, “Rise, eat.”
6 And he looked and saw by his head a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and turned and lay down.
7 And the messenger of יהוה came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Rise, eat, for the journey is too much for you.”
8 And he rose up and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Ḥorĕḇ, the mountain of Elohim.
9 And there he went into a cave and spent the night there. And see, the word of יהוה came to him, and said to him, “What are you doing here, Ěliyahu?”
10 And he said, “I have been very jealous for יהוה Elohim of hosts, for the children of Yisra’ĕl have forsaken Your covenant. They have thrown down Your slaughter-places, and they have killed Your prophets with the sword, and I am left, I alone, and they seek my life, to take it.”
11 And He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before יהוה.” And see, יהוה passed by, and a great and strong wind tearing the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before יהוה — יהוה was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake — יהוה was not in the earthquake,
12 and after the earthquake a fire — יהוה was not in the fire, and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it came to be, when Ěliyahu heard it, that he wrapped his face in his robe and went out and stood at the cave opening. And see, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Ěliyahu?”
14 And he said, “I have been very jealous for יהוה Elohim of hosts, for the children of Yisra’ĕl have forsaken Your covenant. They have thrown down Your slaughter-places, and they have killed Your prophets with the sword, and I am left, I alone, and they seek my life, to take it.”
15 And יהוה said to him, “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Dammeseq. And you shall go in and anoint Ḥaza’ĕl as sovereign over Aram.
16 “And anoint Yĕhu son of Nimshi as sovereign over Yisra’ĕl. And anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Aḇĕl Meḥolah as prophet in your place.
17 “And it shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Ḥaza’ĕl, Yĕhu does kill. And whoever escapes from the sword of Yĕhu, Elisha does kill.
18 “And I shall leave seven thousand in Yisra’ĕl, all whose knees have not bowed to Ba‛al, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
19 And he went from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. And Ěliyahu passed by him and threw his robe on him.
20 And he left the oxen and ran after Ěliyahu, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I follow you.” And he said to him, “Go, turn back, for what have I done to you?”
21 And he turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and cooked their flesh, using the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he rose up and followed Ěliyahu, and became his servant.
1 And Ben-Haḏaḏ the sovereign of Aram gathered all his army, and there were thirty-two sovereigns with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Shomeron, and fought against it.
2 And he sent messengers into the city to Aḥaḇ sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, and said to him, “Thus said Ben-Haḏaḏ,
3 Your silver and your gold are mine, and your wives and children, the best, are mine.’ ”
4 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl answered and said, “As you say, my master, O sovereign, I am yours, and all that I have.”
5 And the messengers came back and said, “Thus speaks Ben-Haḏaḏ, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, “Give me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children,”
6 but about this time tomorrow I shall send my servants to you, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is pleasing in your eyes they shall lay hold of and take it.’ ”
7 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl called all the elders of the land, and said, “Please know and see the evil this one is seeking, for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I did not refuse him.”
8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen nor agree.”
9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-Haḏaḏ, “Say to my master the sovereign, ‘All that you sent for to your servant the first time I shall do, but this I am unable to do.’ ” And the messengers went and brought back word to him.
10 And Ben-Haḏaḏ sent to him and said, “The mighty ones do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Shomeron for a handful for each of the people who follow me.”
11 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl answered and said, “Speak, ‘Him who girds on his armour should not boast like him who lays it down.’ ”
12 And it came to be when this word was heard, as he and the sovereigns were drinking in the booths, that he said to his servants, “Set yourselves.” So they set themselves against the city.
13 And see, a prophet came near to Aḥaḇ sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, saying, “Thus said יהוה, ‘Have you seen all this great company? See, I am giving it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am יהוה.’ ”
14 And Aḥaḇ said, “By whom?” And he said, “Thus said יהוה, ‘By the young rulers of the provinces.’ ” And he said, “Who opens the attack?” Then he answered, “You.”
15 And he mustered the young rulers of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two. And after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Yisra’ĕl, seven thousand.
16 And they went out at noon, while Ben-Haḏaḏ and the thirty-two sovereigns helping him were getting drunk in the booths.
17 And the young rulers of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Haḏaḏ sent out, and they reported to him, saying, “Men have come out of Shomeron!”
18 Then he said, “If they have come out for peace, seize them alive. And if they have come out for battle, seize them alive.”
19 So these young rulers of the provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them.
20 And each struck his man, so the Arameans fled, and Yisra’ĕl pursued them. And Ben-Haḏaḏ the sovereign of Aram escaped on a horse with the horsemen.
21 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl went out and struck the horses and chariots, and struck the Arameans, a great smiting.
22 And the prophet came to the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself. And know and see what you should do, for at the turn of the year the sovereign of Aram is coming up against you.”
23 And the servants of the sovereign of Aram said to him, “Their mighty ones are mighty ones of the hills. That is why they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain — are we not stronger than they?
24 “Now do this: Take away the sovereigns, each from his position, and put officers in their places,
25 and number an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot, and let us fight against them in the plain — are we not stronger than they?” And he listened to their voice and did so.
26 And it came to be, at the turn of the year, that Ben-Haḏaḏ mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphĕq to fight against Yisra’ĕl.
27 And the children of Yisra’ĕl were mustered and were fed, and they went against them. And the children of Yisra’ĕl encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the land.
28 And there came near a man of Elohim and spoke to the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, and said, “Thus said יהוה, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “יהוה is Elohim of the hills, but He is not Elohim of the valleys,” therefore I shall give all this great company into your hand, and you shall know that I am יהוה.’ ”
29 And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. And it came to be that on the seventh day the battle was joined. And the children of Yisra’ĕl struck one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Arameans in one day.
30 And those that were left fled to Aphĕq, into the city, and a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left. And Ben-Haḏaḏ fled and went into the city, into an inner room.
31 And his servants said to him, “See now, we have heard that the sovereigns of the house of Yisra’ĕl are lovingly-commited sovereigns. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl. It could be that he spares your life.”
32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes around their heads, and came to the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl and said, “Your servant Ben-Haḏaḏ said, ‘Please let me live.’ ” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33 And the men divined and they quickly grasped it and said, “Your brother Ben-Haḏaḏ.” And he said, “Go, bring him.” So Ben-Haḏaḏ came out to him, and he let him come up on the chariot.
34 And Ben-Haḏaḏ said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I return. And set up market-places for yourself in Dammeseq, as my father did in Shomeron.” And Aḥaḇ said, “I send you away with this covenant.” And he made a covenant with him and sent him away.
35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbour by the word of יהוה, “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him.
36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of יהוה, see, as soon as you leave me a lion shall strike you.” And when he left him, a lion found him and struck him.
37 And he found another man, and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him, striking and wounding.
38 Then the prophet went and waited for the sovereign by the way, and disguised himself with a bandage on his eyes.
39 And as the sovereign passed by, he cried out to the sovereign and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle. And see, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man. If he should in any way be missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’
40 “And it came to be, while your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said to him, “Your judgment is right, you yourself have decided it.”
41 Then he quickly removed the bandage from his eyes. And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl recognised him as one of the prophets.
42 And he said to him, “Thus said יהוה, ‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I put under the ban, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’ ”
43 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl went to his house embittered and displeased, and came to Shomeron.
1 And it came to be, after these events, that Naḇoth the Yizre‛ĕlite had a vineyard which was in Yizre‛ĕl, near the palace of Aḥaḇ the sovereign of Shomeron.
2 And Aḥaḇ spoke to Naḇoth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, and it shall be a vegetable garden for me, since it adjoins my house. And let me give you a better vineyard for it. If it is good in your eyes, let me give you its worth in silver.”
3 And Naḇoth said to Aḥaḇ, “Far be it from me, by יהוה, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”
4 And Aḥaḇ went into his house embittered and displeased because of the word which Naḇoth the Yizre‛ĕlite had spoken to him when he said, “I do not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and did not eat food.
5 And Izeḇel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so embittered that you are not eating food?”
6 And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naḇoth the Yizre‛ĕlite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I give you another vineyard for it.’ But he answered, ‘I do not give you my vineyard.’ ”
7 So Izeḇel his wife said to him, “Do you now rule over Yisra’ĕl? Rise up, eat food, and let your heart be glad. Let me give you the vineyard of Naḇoth the Yizre‛ĕlite!”
8 Then she wrote letters in Aḥaḇ’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naḇoth.
9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and seat Naḇoth at the head of the people,
10 and seat two men, sons of Beliya‛al before him to bear witness against him, saying, ‘You have blasphemed Elohim and the sovereign.’ Then you shall take him out, and stone him to death.”
11 And the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Izeḇel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.
12 They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naḇoth at the head of the people.
13 And the men, sons of Beliya‛al, came in and sat before him. And the men of Beliya‛al witnessed against him, against Naḇoth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naḇoth has blasphemed Elohim and the sovereign!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, and he died.
14 And they sent to Izeḇel, saying, “Naḇoth has been stoned and is dead.”
15 And it came to be, when Izeḇel heard that Naḇoth had been stoned and was dead, that Izeḇel said to Aḥaḇ, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naḇoth the Yizre‛ĕlite, which he refused to give you for silver, for Naḇoth is not alive but dead.”
16 And it came to be, when Aḥaḇ heard that Naḇoth was dead, that Aḥaḇ rose to go down to take possession of the vineyard of Naḇoth the Yizre‛ĕlite.
17 And the word of יהוה came to Ěliyahu the Tishbite, saying,
18 “Rise up, go down to meet Aḥaḇ sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, who lives in Shomeron. See, he is in the vineyard of Naḇoth, where he has gone down to take possession of it.
19 “And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה, “Have you murdered and also taken possession?” ’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naḇoth, the dogs are going to lick your blood, even yours.” ’ ”
20 And Aḥaḇ said to Ěliyahu, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of יהוה:
21 See, I am bringing evil on you, and shall consume your descendants, and cut off from Aḥaḇ every male in Yisra’ĕl, both those shut up and those left at large,
22 and make your house like the house of Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, and like the house of Ba‛asha son of Aḥiyah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me, and made Yisra’ĕl sin.’
23 “And also of Izeḇel יהוה has spoken, saying, ‘The dogs are going to eat Izeḇel by the wall of Yizre‛ĕl.’
24 “The dogs are going to eat whoever belongs to Aḥaḇ and dies in the city, and the birds of the heavens are going to eat whoever dies in the field.”
25 Indeed, there never was anyone like Aḥaḇ who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of יהוה, because Izeḇel his wife stirred him up.
26 And he acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom יהוה dispossessed from before the children of Yisra’ĕl.
27 And it came to be, when Aḥaḇ heard those words, that he tore his garments and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
28 And the word of יהוה came to Ěliyahu the Tishbite, saying,
29 “See how Aḥaḇ has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I do not bring the evil in his days, but in the days of his son I bring the evil on his house.”
1 And they continued three years without fighting between Aram and Yisra’ĕl.
2 And it came to be, in the third year, that Yehoshaphat sovereign of Yehuḏah came down to the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl.
3 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth in Gil‛aḏ is ours, and we are keeping silent from taking it out of the hand of the sovereign of Aram!”
4 And he said to Yehoshaphat, “Do you go with me to battle at Ramoth Gil‛aḏ?” And Yehoshaphat said to the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
5 And Yehoshaphat said to the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, “Please, first inquire for the word of יהוה.”
6 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl gathered the prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Do I go against Ramoth Gil‛aḏ to battle, or do I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for יהוה does give it into the hand of the sovereign.”
7 And Yehoshaphat said, “Is there not here a prophet of יהוה besides, that we might inquire of him?”
8 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said to Yehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Miḵayehu son of Yimlah, to inquire of יהוה by him. But I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” And Yehoshaphat said, “Let not the sovereign say so!”
9 So the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl called an officer and said, “Bring Miḵayehu son of Yimlah at once!”
10 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl and Yehoshaphat sovereign of Yehuḏah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, at a threshing-floor at the entrance of the gate of Shomeron. And all the prophets were prophesying before them.
11 And Tsiḏqiyah son of Kena‛anah had made horns of iron for himself, and said, “Thus said יהוה, ‘With these you push the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ ”
12 And all the prophets were prophesying so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gil‛aḏ and prosper, for יהוה shall give it into the hand of the sovereign.”
13 And the messenger who had gone to call Miḵayehu spoke to him, saying, “See now, the words of the prophets with one mouth are good towards the sovereign. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and you shall speak good.”
14 And Miḵayehu said, “As יהוה lives, whatever יהוה says to me, that I speak.”
15 And he came to the sovereign, and the sovereign said to him, “Miḵayehu, do we go against Ramoth Gil‛aḏ to battle, or do we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for יהוה shall give it into the hand of the sovereign!”
16 And the sovereign said to him, “How many times have I made you swear that you do not speak to me, except the truth, in the Name of יהוה?”
17 So he said, “I saw all Yisra’ĕl scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And יהוה said, ‘These have no master. Let everyone return to his house in peace.’ ”
18 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said to Yehoshaphat, “Have I not said to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
19 Then he said, “Therefore hear the word of יהוה: I saw יהוה sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing by Him, on His right and on His left.
20 “And יהוה said, ‘Who shall entice Aḥaḇ to go up and fall at Ramoth Gil‛aḏ?’ And this one said this, and another said that.
21 “And a spirit came forward and stood before יהוה, and said, ‘Let me entice him.’
22 “And יהוה said to him, ‘In what way?’ And he said, ‘I shall go out and be a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And He said, ‘Entice him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’
23 “And now, see, יהוה has put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and יהוה has spoken evil concerning you.”
24 And Tsiḏqiyahu son of Kena‛anah came near and struck Miḵayehu on the cheek, and said, “Where did the spirit of יהוה pass over from me to speak to you?”
25 And Miḵayehu said, “Look, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner room to hide!”
26 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said, “Take Miḵayehu, and return him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Yo’ash son of the sovereign,
27 and say, ‘Thus said the sovereign, “Put this one in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction until I come in peace.” ’ ”
28 And Miḵayehu said, “If you ever return in peace, יהוה has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you people!”
29 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl and Yehoshaphat the sovereign of Yehuḏah went up to Ramoth Gil‛aḏ.
30 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said to Yehoshaphat, “Let me disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl disguised himself and went into battle.
31 And the sovereign of Aram had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, “Fight with no one small or great, but only with the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl.”
32 And it came to be, when the commanders of the chariots saw Yehoshaphat, that they said, “Indeed, it is the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl!” So they turned aside to fight against him, and Yehoshaphat cried out.
33 And it came to be, when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, that they turned back from pursuing him.
34 And a man drew a bow in his simplicity, and struck the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl between the joints of his armour. And he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”
35 And the battle increased that day. And the sovereign was propped up in his chariot, facing the Arameans, and died at evening, and the blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot.
36 And as the sun was going down, a shout passed through the camp, saying, “Each to his city, and each to his land!”
37 So the sovereign died and was brought to Shomeron, and they buried the sovereign in Shomeron.
38 And when the chariot was washed at a pool in Shomeron, the dogs licked up his blood, where the whores bathed, according to the word of יהוה which He had spoken.
39 And the rest of the acts of Aḥaḇ and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl?
40 So Aḥaḇ slept with his fathers, and Aḥazyahu his son reigned in his place.
41 And Yehoshaphat son of Asa began to reign over Yehuḏah in the fourth year of Aḥaḇ sovereign of Yisra’ĕl.
42 Yehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became sovereign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was Azuḇah the daughter of Shilḥi.
43 And he walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was right in the eyes of יהוה. Only, the high places were not taken away, for the people slaughtered and burned incense on the high places.
44 And Yehoshaphat made peace with the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl.
45 And the rest of the acts of Yehoshaphat, and the might that he showed, and how he fought, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yehuḏah?
46 And the rest of the cult prostitutes, who remained in the days of his father Asa, he cleared out from the land.
47 And there was then no sovereign in Eḏom, a deputy was sovereign.
48 Yehoshaphat made Tarshish ships to go to Ophir for gold. However, they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Etsyon Geḇer.
49 Then Aḥazyahu son of Aḥaḇ said to Yehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Yehoshaphat would not.
50 So Yehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of Dawiḏ his father. And Yehoram his son reigned in his place.
51 Aḥazyahu son of Aḥaḇ began to reign over Yisra’ĕl in Shomeron in the seventeenth year of Yehoshaphat sovereign of Yehuḏah, and reigned two years over Yisra’ĕl,
52 and did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin,
53 and served Ba‛al and bowed himself to it, and provoked יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, according to all that his father had done.