1 And it came to pass, when Solomon
had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the
king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased
to do,
2 That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had
appeared unto him at Gibeon.
3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy
supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed
this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for
ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked,
in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to
all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and
my judgments:
5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel
for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall
not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your
children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes
which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and
worship them:
7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given
them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will
I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a
byword among all people:
8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by
it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say,
Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?
9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their
God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt,
and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them,
and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all
this evil.
10 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon
had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king's
house,
11 (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar
trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,)
that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land
of Galilee.
12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon
had given him; and they pleased him not.
13 And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given
me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this
day.
14 And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.
15 And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised;
for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo,
and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and
burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the
city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's
wife.
17 And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether,
18 and Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,
19 And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities
for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which
Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in
all the land of his dominion.
20 And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children
of Israel,
21 Their children that were left after them in the land, whom
the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy,
upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this
day.
22 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen:
but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes,
and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.
23 These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon's
work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people
that wrought in the work.
24 But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto
her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build
Millo.
25 And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings
and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD,
and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD.
So he finished the house.
26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which
is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of
Edom.
27 And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had
knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
28 And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four
hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
Chapter 10
1 And when the
queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name
of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.
2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels
that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and
when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that
was in her heart.
3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any
thing hid from the king, which he told her not.
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom,
and the house that he had built,
5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants,
and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and
his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the
house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard
in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes
had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom
and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand
continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
9 Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set
thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel
for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.
10 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold,
and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came
no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of
Sheba gave to king Solomon.
11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir,
brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious
stones.
12 And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house
of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries
for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto
this day.
13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire,
whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of
his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country,
she and her servants.
14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was
six hundred threescore and six talents of gold.
15 Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick
of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and
of the governors of the country.
16 And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold:
six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
17 And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound
of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house
of the forest of Lebanon.
18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid
it with the best gold.
19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round
behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of
the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.
20 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other
upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
21 And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and
all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of
pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of
in the days of Solomon.
22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy
of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing
gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches
and for wisdom.
24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom,
which God had put in his heart.
25 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver,
and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses,
and mules, a rate year by year.
26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and
he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand
horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with
the king at Jerusalem.
27 And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and
cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale,
for abundance.
28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn:
the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
29 And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred
shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and
so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria,
did they bring them out by their means.
Chapter 11
1 But king Solomon
loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh,
women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children
of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come
in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after
their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred
concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives
turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not
perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his
father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians,
and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not
fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination
of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech,
the abomination of the children of Ammon.
8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt
incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was
turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto
him twice,
10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should
not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD
commanded.
11 Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is
done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes,
which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom
from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy
father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give
one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's
sake which I have chosen.
14 And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad
the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom.
15 For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the
captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he
had smitten every male in Edom;
16 (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until
he had cut off every male in Edom:)
17 That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's
servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little
child.
18 And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran: and they
took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, unto
Pharaoh king of Egypt; which gave him an house, and appointed
him victuals, and gave him land.
19 And Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so
that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister
of Tahpenes the queen.
20 And the sister of Tahpenes bare him Genubath his son, whom
Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house: and Genubath was in Pharaoh's
household among the sons of Pharaoh.
21 And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers,
and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to
Pharaoh, Let me depart, that I may go to mine own country.
22 Then Pharaoh said unto him, But what hast thou lacked with
me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thine own country? And
he answered, Nothing: howbeit let me go in any wise.
23 And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of
Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah:
24 And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band,
when David slew them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and
dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.
25 And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon,
beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel,
and reigned over Syria.
26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's
servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even
he lifted up his hand against the king.
27 And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against
the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of
the city of David his father.
28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon
seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler
over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
29 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of
Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in
the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they
two were alone in the field:
30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent
it in twelve pieces:
31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith
the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom
out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:
32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake,
and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of
all the tribes of Israel:)
33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth
the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites,
and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked
in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep
my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
34 Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand:
but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David
my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments
and my statutes:
35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will
give it unto thee, even ten tribes.
36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant
may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which
I have chosen me to put my name there.
37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all
that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.
38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command
thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight,
to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant
did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house,
as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.
39 And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for
ever.
40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose,
and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in
Egypt until the death of Solomon.
41 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did,
and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts
of Solomon?
42 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel
was forty years.
43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the
city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his
stead. |