1 Chronicles 22 - 2 Chronicles 9

New American Standard Bible

David Prepares for Temple Building

22 Then David said, “^(A)This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

² So David ^[a]gave orders to gather ^(B)the strangers who were in the land of Israel, and ^(C)he set stonecutters to cut out stones to build the house of God. ³ And David ^(D)prepared large quantities of iron ^[b]to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and more ^(E)bronze than could be weighed; ⁴ and timbers of cedar beyond number, for ^(F)the Sidonians and Tyrians brought large quantities of cedar timber to David. ⁵ David said, “My son ^(G)Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous, and glorious throughout the lands. Therefore I now will make preparations for it.” So David made ample preparations before his death.

Solomon Commanded to Build the Temple

⁶ Then ^(H)he called for his son Solomon, and commanded him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. ⁷ David said to Solomon, “^(I)My son, ^[c]I had intended to build a house for the name of the Lord my God. ⁸ But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘^(J)You have shed much blood and have ^[d]waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me. ⁹ Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest, and ^(K)I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for ^(L)his name will be ^[e]Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. ^10 (M)He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ ¹¹ Now, my son, ^(N)the Lord be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of the Lord your God just as He has spoken concerning you. ^12 (O)Only the Lord give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel, so that you may ^(P)keep the Law of the Lord your God. ^13 (Q)Then you will prosper, if you are careful to ^[f]follow the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. ^(R)Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed. ¹⁴ Now behold, ^[g]with great pains I have prepared for the house of the Lord ^(S)a hundred thousand ^[h]talents of gold and a million talents of silver, and ^(T)bronze and iron beyond measure, for ^[i]they are in great quantity; I have also prepared timber and stone, and you may add to that. ¹⁵ Moreover there are many workmen with you, stonecutters, masons of stone, and carpenters; and all of them are skillful in every kind of work. ¹⁶ Of the gold, silver, bronze, and iron there is no limit. Arise and work, and may ^(U)the Lord be with you.”

^17 (V)David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon, saying, ¹⁸ “Is the Lord your God not with you? And ^(W)has He not given you rest on every side? For He has handed over to me the inhabitants of the land, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people. ¹⁹ Now ^(X)set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; then arise, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, ^(Y)so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built ^(Z)for the name of the Lord.”

Solomon Reigns

23 ^(AA)Now when David ^[j]reached old age, ^(AB)he made his son Solomon king over Israel. ² And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites.

Offices of the Levites

^3 (AC)Now the Levites were counted from thirty years old and upward, and ^(AD)their number by ^[k]head count of men was thirty-eight thousand. ⁴ Of these, twenty-four thousand were ^(AE)to oversee the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were ^(AF)officers and judges, ⁵ and four thousand were gatekeepers, and ^(AG)four thousand were praising the Lord with the instruments which ^[l]David made for giving praise. ⁶ David divided them into divisions ^(AH)according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Gershonites

⁷ Of the Gershonites there were ^[m]Ladan and Shimei. ⁸ The sons of Ladan were Jehiel the first, and Zetham and Joel, three. ⁹ The sons of Shimei were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ households of Ladan. ¹⁰ The sons of Shimei were Jahath, ^[n]Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. ¹¹ Jahath was the first and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became a father’s household, one group for duty.

Kohathites

¹² The sons of Kohath were four in number: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ^13 (AI)The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And ^(AJ)Aaron was set apart to sanctify him as most holy, he and his sons forever, ^(AK)to burn incense before the Lord, to serve Him and bless in His name forever. ¹⁴ But as for ^(AL)Moses, the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵ The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer. ¹⁶ The ^[o]son of Gershom was ^[p]Shebuel the chief. ¹⁷ The ^[q]son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. ¹⁸ The ^[r]son of Izhar was ^[s]Shelomith the chief. ¹⁹ The sons of Hebron were Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰ The sons of Uzziel were Micah the first and Isshiah the second.

Merarites

²¹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish. ²² Eleazar died and had no sons, but only daughters; so their relatives, the sons of Kish, took them as wives. ²³ The sons of Mushi were three: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.

Duties Revised

^24 (AM)These were the sons of Levi according to their fathers’ households, the heads of the fathers’ households of those among them who were ^[t]counted, in the number of names by their ^[u]head count, doing the work for the service of the house of the Lord, ^(AN)from twenty years old and upward. ²⁵ For David said, “The Lord God of Israel ^(AO)has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ Also, ^(AP)the Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its utensils for its service.” ²⁷ For by the last words of David, the sons of Levi were counted from twenty years old and upward. ²⁸ For their office is ^[v]to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of the Lord, in the courtyards and in the chambers, and in the purification of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God, ^29 (AQ)and with the showbread, and ^(AR)the fine flour for a grain offering, and unleavened wafers, or ^(AS)what is baked in the pan or ^(AT)what is well-mixed, and ^(AU)all measures of volume and size. ³⁰ They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the Lord, and likewise at evening, ³¹ and to offer all burnt offerings to the Lord, ^(AV)on the Sabbaths, the new moons and ^(AW)the appointed festivals, in the number determined by the ordinance concerning them, continually before the Lord. ³² So ^(AX)they are to perform the ^[w]duties of the tent of meeting, the holy place, and ^(AY)of assisting the sons of Aaron their relatives, for the service of the house of the Lord.

Divisions of the Levites

24 Now the divisions of the ^[x]descendants of Aaron were these: ^(AZ)the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ^2 (BA)But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no ^[y]sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. ³ David, with ^(BB)Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices ^[z]for their ministry. ⁴ Since more chief men were found from the ^[aa]descendants of Eleazar than the ^[ab]descendants of Ithamar, they divided them this way: there were sixteen heads of fathers’ households of the ^[ac]descendants of Eleazar, and eight of the ^[ad]descendants of Ithamar according to their fathers’ households. ^5 (BC)So they were divided by lot, the one as the other; for they were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God, both from the ^[ae]descendants of Eleazar and the ^[af]descendants of Ithamar. ⁶ Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them in the presence of the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, ^(BD)Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and the Levites; one father’s household taken for Eleazar and one taken for Ithamar.

⁷ Now the first lot came out for Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah, ⁸ the third for Harim, the fourth for Seorim, ⁹ the fifth for Malchijah, the sixth for Mijamin, ¹⁰ the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for ^(BE)Abijah, ¹¹ the ninth for Jeshua, the tenth for Shecaniah, ¹² the eleventh for Eliashib, the twelfth for Jakim, ¹³ the thirteenth for Huppah, the fourteenth for Jeshebeab, ¹⁴ the fifteenth for Bilgah, the sixteenth for Immer, ¹⁵ the seventeenth for Hezir, the eighteenth for Happizzez, ¹⁶ the nineteenth for Pethahiah, the twentieth for Jehezkel, ¹⁷ the twenty-first for Jachin, the twenty-second for Gamul, ¹⁸ the twenty-third for Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth for Maaziah. ^19 (BF)These were their offices for their ministry when they entered the house of the Lord according to the ordinance given to them through their father Aaron, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

²⁰ Now for the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, ^[ag]Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. ²¹ Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah, the first. ²² Of the Izharites, ^[ah]Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath. ²³ The sons ^(BG)of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. ²⁴ Of the sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir. ²⁵ The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. ²⁶ The sons of Merari, Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah, Beno. ²⁷ The sons of Merari: by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. ²⁸ By Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. ²⁹ By Kish: the sons of Kish, Jerahmeel. ³⁰ The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ households. ^31 (BH)These also cast lots just as their relatives, the sons of Aaron did in the presence of David the king, ^(BI)Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites—the head of fathers’ households as well as those of his younger brother.

Number and Services of Musicians

25 Moreover, David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of ^(BJ)Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who were to ^(BK)prophesy with lyres, ^(BL)harps, and cymbals; and the number of ^[ai]those who performed this service was: ² Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and ^[aj]Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were ^[ak]under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied ^[al]under the direction of the king. ^3 (BM)Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, ^[am]Zeri, Jeshaiah, ^[an]Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six in all, ^[ao]under the direction of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising the Lord. ⁴ Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, ^[ap]Uzziel, ^[aq]Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. ⁵ All these were the sons of Heman ^(BN)the king’s seer to ^[ar]exalt him according to the words of God, for God gave fourteen sons and three daughters to Heman. ⁶ All of these were under the ^[as]direction of their father to sing in the house of the Lord, ^(BO)with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God. ^(BP)Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were ^[at]under the direction of the king. ⁷ Their number who were trained in singing to the Lord, with their relatives, all who were skillful, was ^(BQ)288.

Divisions of the Musicians

^8 (BR)They cast lots for their duties, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the pupil.

⁹ Now the first lot came out for Asaph to Joseph, the second for Gedaliah, he with his relatives and sons were twelve; ¹⁰ the third to Zaccur, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ¹¹ the fourth to ^[au]Izri, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ¹² the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ¹³ the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ¹⁴ the seventh to ^[av]Jesharelah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ¹⁵ the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ¹⁶ the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ¹⁷ the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ¹⁸ the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ¹⁹ the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ²⁰ for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ²¹ for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ²² for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ²³ for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ²⁴ for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ²⁵ for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ²⁶ for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ²⁷ for the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ²⁸ for the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ²⁹ for the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ³⁰ for the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons and his relatives, twelve; ³¹ for the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his relatives, twelve.

Divisions of the Gatekeepers

26 For the divisions of the gatekeepers there were of the Korahites, ^[aw]Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of ^[ax]Asaph. ² Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, ³ Elam the fifth, Johanan the sixth, and Eliehoenai the seventh. ^4 (BS)Obed-edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, ⁵ Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth; God had indeed blessed him. ⁶ Also to his son Shemaiah sons were born who ruled over the house of their father, for they were valiant mighty men. ⁷ The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad, whose brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were valiant men. ⁸ All these were of the sons of Obed-edom; they and their sons and relatives were able men with strength for the service, sixty-two from Obed-edom. ⁹ Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, eighteen valiant men. ¹⁰ Also ^(BT)Hosah, one of the sons of Merari had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father made him first), ¹¹ Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth; the sons and relatives of Hosah were thirteen in all.

¹² To these divisions of the gatekeepers, to the chief men, were given duties like their relatives, to serve in the house of the Lord. ^13 (BU)They cast lots, the small and the great alike, according to their fathers’ households, for every gate. ¹⁴ The lot to the east fell to ^[ay]Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a counselor with insight, and his lot came out to the north. ¹⁵ For Obed-edom it fell to the south, and to his sons went the storehouse. ¹⁶ For Shuppim and Hosah it was to the west, by the gate of Shallecheth, on the ascending highway. Guard corresponded to guard. ¹⁷ On the east there were six Levites, on the north four daily, on the south four daily, and at the storehouse two by two. ¹⁸ At the ^[az](BV)annex on the west there were four at the highway and two at the annex. ¹⁹ These were the divisions of the gatekeepers of the sons of Korah and of the sons of Merari.

Keepers of the Treasure

^20 [ba]The Levites, their relatives, were in ^(BW)charge of the treasures of the house of God and of the treasures of the dedicated gifts. ²¹ The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonites belonging to Ladan, namely, the Jehielites, were the heads of the fathers’ households, belonging to Ladan the Gershonite.

²² The sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and his brother Joel, were in charge of the treasures of the house of the Lord. ²³ As for the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites, ²⁴ Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was officer over the treasures. ²⁵ His relatives by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomoth his son. ²⁶ This Shelomoth and his relatives were in charge of all the treasures of the dedicated gifts ^(BX)which King David and the heads of the fathers’ households, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the army, had dedicated. ²⁷ They dedicated ^[bb]part of the spoils won in battles to repair the house of the Lord. ²⁸ And all that Samuel the seer had dedicated, and Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah, everyone who had dedicated anything, all of this was ^[bc]under the care of ^[bd]Shelomoth and his relatives.

Outside Duties

²⁹ As for the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons ^(BY)were assigned to outside duties for Israel, as ^(BZ)officers and judges. ³⁰ As for the Hebronites, ^(CA)Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, ^[be]were responsible for the affairs of Israel ^[bf]west of the Jordan, for all the work of the Lord and the service of the king. ³¹ As for the Hebronites, ^(CB)Jerijah the chief ^[bg](these Hebronites were sought out according to their genealogies and fathers’ households, in the fortieth year of David’s reign, and men of outstanding capability were found among them at ^(CC)Jazer of Gilead) ³² and his relatives, capable men, numbered 2,700, heads of fathers’ households. And King David appointed them as overseers of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites ^(CD)concerning ^[bh]all the affairs of God and of the king.

Commanders of the Army

27 Now this is the number of the sons of Israel, the heads of fathers’ households, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all the affairs of the divisions which came in and went out month by month throughout the months of the year, each division numbering twenty-four thousand:

² Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel ^[bi](CE)was in charge of the first division for the first month; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ³ He was from the sons of Perez, and was chief of all the commanders of the army for the first month. ⁴ Dodai the Ahohite and his division was in charge of the division for the second month, Mikloth being the chief officer; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁵ The third commander of the army for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, as chief; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁶ This Benaiah was the mighty man of the thirty, and was in charge of thirty; and over his division was his son Ammizabad. ⁷ The fourth, for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁸ The fifth, for the fifth month was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁹ The sixth, for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁰ The seventh, for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite of the sons of Ephraim; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹¹ The eighth, for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite of the Zerahites; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹² The ninth, for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite of the Benjaminites; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹³ The tenth, for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite of the Zerahites; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁴ The eleventh, for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite of the sons of Ephraim; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁵ The twelfth, for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite of Othniel; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.

Chief Officers of the Tribes

¹⁶ Now in charge of the tribes of Israel: chief officer for the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah; ¹⁷ for Levi, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; for Aaron, Zadok; ¹⁸ for Judah, Elihu, one of David’s brothers; for Issachar, Omri the son of Michael; ¹⁹ for Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; for Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel; ²⁰ for the sons of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; for the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah; ²¹ for the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; for Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner; ²² for Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. ^(CF)These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. ²³ But David did not ^[bj]count those twenty years of age and under, ^(CG)because the Lord had said He would multiply Israel ^(CH)as the stars of heaven. ²⁴ Joab the son of Zeruiah had begun to count them, but did not finish; and because of ^(CI)this, wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not included in the account of the chronicles of King David.

Various Overseers

²⁵ Now Azmaveth the son of Adiel was responsible for the king’s storehouses. And Jonathan the son of Uzziah was responsible for the storehouses in the country, the cities, the villages, and the towers. ²⁶ Ezri the son of Chelub was responsible for the ^[bk]agricultural workers who tilled the soil. ²⁷ Shimei the Ramathite was responsible for the vineyards; and Zabdi the Shiphmite was responsible for the ^[bl]produce of the vineyards stored in the wine cellars. ²⁸ Baal-hanan the Gederite was responsible for the olive and ^(CJ)sycamore trees in the ^[bm]Shephelah; and Joash was responsible for the stores of oil. ²⁹ Shitrai the Sharonite was responsible for the cattle which were grazing in ^(CK)Sharon; and Shaphat the son of Adlai was responsible for the cattle in the valleys. ³⁰ Obil the Ishmaelite was responsible for the camels; and Jehdeiah the Meronothite was responsible for the donkeys. ³¹ Jaziz the ^(CL)Hagrite was responsible for the flocks. All these were ^[bn]overseers of the property which belonged to King David.

Counselors

³² Also Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of understanding, and a scribe; and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni ^[bo]tutored the king’s sons. ^33 (CM)Ahithophel was counselor to the king; and ^(CN)Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend. ³⁴ Jehoiada the son of ^(CO)Benaiah, and ^(CP)Abiathar ^[bp]succeeded Ahithophel; and Joab was the ^(CQ)commander of the king’s army.

David’s Address about the Temple

28 Now ^(CR)David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the leaders of the tribes, and the commanders of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds, and the overseers of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, with the officials and ^(CS)the mighty men, all the valiant warriors. ² Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people; ^[bq]I ^(CT)had intended to build a ^[br]permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for ^(CU)the footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it. ³ But God said to me, ‘^(CV)You shall not build a house for My name, because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ ⁴ Yet, the Lord, the God of Israel, ^(CW)chose me from all the household of my father to be king over Israel ^(CX)forever. For ^(CY)He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and ^(CZ)in the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. ^5 (DA)Of all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons), ^(DB)He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. ⁶ He said to me, ‘Your son ^(DC)Solomon is the one who shall build My house and My courtyards; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a Father to him. ⁷ I will establish his kingdom forever ^(DD)if he resolutely performs My commandments and My ordinances, as ^[bs]is done now.’ ⁸ So now, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the ^[bt]presence of our God, keep and seek after all the commandments of the Lord your God so that you may possess the good land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons after you forever.

⁹ “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and ^(DE)serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing ^[bu]mind; ^(DF)for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. ^(DG)If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. ¹⁰ Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; ^(DH)be courageous and act.”

¹¹ Then David gave to his son Solomon ^(DI)the plan of ^(DJ)the porch of the temple, its buildings, its storehouses, its upper rooms, its inner rooms, and ^(DK)the room for the ^[bv]atoning cover; ¹² and the plan of all that he had in ^[bw]mind, for the courtyards of the house of the Lord, and for all the surrounding rooms, for ^(DL)the storehouses of the house of God and for the storehouses of the dedicated things; ¹³ also for ^(DM)the divisions of the priests and ^(DN)the Levites and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord and for all the utensils of service in the house of the Lord; ¹⁴ for the golden utensils, by weight of gold for all utensils for every service; for all the silver utensils, by weight of silver for all utensils for every service; ¹⁵ and the weight of gold for the ^(DO)golden lampstands and their golden lamps, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for the silver lampstands, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps according to the use of each lampstand; ¹⁶ and the gold by weight for the tables of the showbread, for each table; and silver for the silver tables; ¹⁷ and the forks, the basins, and the pitchers of pure gold; and for the golden bowls with the weight for each bowl; and for the silver bowls with the weight for each bowl; ¹⁸ and for ^(DP)the altar of incense, refined gold by weight; and gold for the model of the chariot, and ^(DQ)the cherubim that spread out their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

¹⁹ “All this,” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, ^(DR)all the ^[bx]details of this pattern.”

²⁰ Then David said to his son Solomon, “^(DS)Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. ^(DT)He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished. ²¹ Now behold, ^(DU)there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God, and ^(DV)every willing man of any skill will be with you in all the work for all kinds of service. The officials also and all the people will be entirely at your command.”

Offerings for the Temple

29 Then King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, ^(DW)is still young and inexperienced, and the work is great; for ^(DX)the ^[by]temple is not for mankind, but for the Lord God. ² Now ^(DY)with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance. ³ In addition, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy ^[bz]temple, ⁴ namely, ^(DZ)three thousand ^[ca]talents of gold, from ^(EA)the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the ^[cb]buildings; ⁵ gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver, that is, for all the work ^[cc]done by the craftsmen. Who then is willing ^[cd]to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”

⁶ Then ^(EB)the rulers of the fathers’ households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and hundreds, with ^(EC)the supervisors of the king’s work, offered willingly; ⁷ and for the service of the house of God they gave five thousand talents and ten thousand ^[ce](ED)darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of brass, and a hundred thousand talents of iron. ^8 [cf]Whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, ^[cg]in care of ^(EE)Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹ Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord ^(EF)wholeheartedly, and King David also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

¹⁰ So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, “Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. ^11 (EG)Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and on the earth; Yours is the dominion, Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. ^12 (EH)Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and ^(EI)in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. ¹³ Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.

¹⁴ “But who am I and who are my people that we should ^[ch]be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given to You. ¹⁵ For ^(EJ)we are strangers before You, and temporary residents, as all our fathers were; ^(EK)our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. ¹⁶ Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and everything is Yours. ¹⁷ Since I know, my God, that ^(EL)You put the heart to the test and ^(EM)delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You. ¹⁸ Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the ^[ci]intentions of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts to You; ¹⁹ and ^(EN)give my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies, and Your statutes, and to do them all, and ^(EO)to build the ^[cj]temple for which I have made provision.”

²⁰ Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” And ^(EP)all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and ^(EQ)bowed down and paid ^[ck]homage to the Lord and the king.

Sacrifices

²¹ On the next day ^(ER)they ^[cl]made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord, a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. ²² So they ate and drank that day before the Lord with great gladness.

Solomon Again Made King

And they made Solomon the son of David king ^(ES)a second time, and they ^(ET)anointed him as ruler for the Lord and Zadok as priest. ²³ Then ^(EU)Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of his father David; and he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴ And all the officials, the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David ^[cm]pledged allegiance to King Solomon. ^25 (EV)The Lord highly honored Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and ^(EW)bestowed on him royal majesty which had not been bestowed on any king before him in Israel.

²⁶ Now ^(EX)David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. ^27 (EY)The period which he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years and ^[cn]in Jerusalem thirty-three years.

Death of David

²⁸ Then he died at ^(EZ)a good old age, ^(FA)full of days, riches, and honor; and his son Solomon reigned in his place. ²⁹ Now the acts of King David, from the first to the last, are written in the chronicles of ^(FB)Samuel the seer, in the chronicles of ^(FC)Nathan the prophet, and in the chronicles of ^(FD)Gad the seer, ³⁰ with all of his reign, his power, and the circumstances which came upon him, Israel, and all the kingdoms of the lands.

Solomon Worships at Gibeon

1 Now ^(FE)Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and ^(FF)exalted him greatly.

² And Solomon spoke to all Israel, ^(FG)to the commanders of thousands, of hundreds, and to the judges and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ households. ³ Then Solomon and all the assembly with him went to ^(FH)the high place which was at Gibeon, ^(FI)because God’s tent of meeting was there which Moses, the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. ⁴ However, David had brought up ^(FJ)the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim ^[co]to ^(FK)the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. ⁵ Now ^(FL)the bronze altar which Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was there before the tabernacle of the Lord, and Solomon and the assembly sought it out. ⁶ And Solomon went up there before the Lord to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and ^(FM)offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

^7 (FN)In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

⁸ And Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great faithfulness, and ^(FO)have made me king in his place. ⁹ Now, Lord God, ^(FP)Your ^[cp]promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over ^(FQ)a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. ^10 (FR)Now give me wisdom and knowledge, ^(FS)so that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” ^11 (FT)Then God said to Solomon, “Because this was ^[cq]in your heart, and you did not ask for riches, wealth, or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor did you even ask for long life, but you asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge so that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, ¹² wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. ^(FU)I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor, ^[cr]such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed, nor will those who will ^[cs]come after you.” ^13 (FV)So Solomon went ^[ct]from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Wealth

^14 (FW)Solomon amassed chariots and horsemen. ^(FX)He had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in ^(FY)the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ^15 (FZ)The king made ^(GA)silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the ^[cu]lowland. ¹⁶ Solomon’s ^(GB)horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s traders acquired them from Kue for a price. ¹⁷ They ^[cv]imported chariots from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver apiece, horses for 150 apiece, and ^[cw]by the same means they ^[cx]exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

Solomon Will Build a Temple and a Palace

2 ^[cy](GC)Now Solomon ^[cz]decided to build a house for the name of the Lord, and a ^[da]royal palace for himself. ^2 [db]So ^(GD)Solomon ^[dc]assigned seventy thousand men to carry loads, eighty thousand men to quarry stone in the mountains, and 3,600 to supervise them.

^3 (GE)Then Solomon sent word to ^[dd]Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “^(GF)As you dealt with my father David and sent him cedars to build him a house to live in, do it for me. ⁴ Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, dedicating it to Him, ^(GG)to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out ^(GH)the showbread continually, and to offer ^(GI)burnt offerings morning and evening, ^(GJ)on Sabbaths, on new moons, and on the appointed feasts of the Lord our God. This is to be done in Israel forever. ⁵ The house which I am about to build will be great, for our God is ^(GK)greater than all the gods. ⁶ But ^(GL)who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? And who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to ^[de]burn incense before Him? ⁷ Now ^(GM)send me a skilled man to work in gold, silver, brass, iron, and in purple, crimson, and violet fabrics, one who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled workers ^[df](GN)whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided. ^8 (GO)Send me also cedar, juniper, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber of Lebanon; and indeed ^(GP)my servants will work with your servants, ⁹ to prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful. ¹⁰ Now behold, ^(GQ)I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, ^[dg]twenty thousand kors of crushed wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, ^[dh]twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”

Huram to Assist

¹¹ Then Huram, king of Tyre, ^[di]answered in a letter sent to Solomon: “^(GR)Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.” ¹² Then Huram ^[dj]continued, “Blessed be ^(GS)the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, ^[dk]endowed with discretion and understanding, ^(GT)who will build a house for the Lord and a ^[dl]royal palace for himself.

¹³ “Now then, I am sending Huram-abi, a skilled man, ^[dm]endowed with understanding, ^14 (GU)the son of a ^[dn]Danite woman and ^[do]a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, violet, linen, and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to ^[dp]execute any design which is assigned to him, to work with your skilled workers and with ^[dq]those of my lord, your father David. ¹⁵ Now then, let my lord send his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of ^(GV)which he has spoken. ^16 (GW)We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem.”

¹⁷ Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, ^(GX)following the ^[dr]census which his father David had ^[ds]taken; and 153,600 were found. ^18 (GY)He appointed seventy thousand of them to carry loads and eighty thousand to quarry stones in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.

The Temple Construction in Jerusalem

3 ^(GZ)Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared ^(HA)on the threshing floor of ^[dt]Ornan the Jebusite. ² He began to build on the second day in the second month ^[du]of the fourth year of his reign.

Dimensions and Materials of the Temple

³ Now these are the ^[dv]foundations which ^(HB)Solomon laid for building the house of God. The length in cubits, according to the old standard, was ^[dw]sixty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits. ⁴ The porch which was in front of the house ^(HC)was as long as the width of the house, ^[dx]twenty cubits, and the height ^[dy]twenty; and inside he overlaid it with pure gold. ⁵ He overlaid ^(HD)the ^[dz]main room with juniper wood and overlaid it with fine gold; and he ^[ea]ornamented it with palm trees and chains. ⁶ Further, he overlaid the house ^[eb]with precious stones; and the gold was gold from Parvaim. ^7 (HE)He also overlaid the house with gold—the beams, the thresholds, and its walls and doors; and he ^(HF)carved cherubim on the walls.

⁸ Then he made ^(HG)the ^[ec]room of the Most Holy Place: its length across the width of the house was ^[ed]twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to ^[ee]six hundred talents. ⁹ The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He also overlaid ^(HH)the upper rooms with gold.

^10 (HI)Then he made two ^[ef]sculptured cherubim in the room of the Most Holy Place and overlaid them with gold. ¹¹ The wingspan of the ^[eg]cherubim was twenty ^[eh]cubits; the wing of one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub. ¹² The wing of the other cherub, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house; and its other wing, of five cubits, was attached to the wing of the ^[ei]first cherub. ¹³ The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet ^[ej]facing the main room. ^14 (HJ)He made the veil of violet, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and he worked cherubim into it.

^15 (HK)He also made two pillars for the front of the house, thirty-five cubits ^[ek]high, and the capital on the top of each was five cubits. ¹⁶ He made chains in the inner sanctuary and placed them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates and placed them on the chains. ^17 (HL)He erected the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right and the other on the left, and named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.

Furnishings of the Temple

4 Then ^(HM)he made a bronze altar, ^[el]twenty cubits in length, ^[em]twenty cubits in width, and ^[en]ten cubits in height. ^2 (HN)He also made the ^[eo]Sea of cast metal, ^[ep]ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was ^[eq]five cubits and ^[er]its circumference ^[es]thirty cubits. ³ Now figures like oxen were under it and all around it, ^[et]ten cubits, entirely encircling the Sea. The oxen were in two rows, cast ^[eu]in one piece. ⁴ It was standing on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the Sea was set on top of them and all their hindquarters turned inward. ⁵ It was a ^[ev]hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it ^(HO)could hold three thousand ^[ew]baths. ^6 (HP)He also made ten basins in which to wash, and he set five on the right side and five on the left ^[ex]to rinse things for the burnt offering; but the Sea was for the priests to wash in.

⁷ Then ^(HQ)he made the ten golden lampstands in the way prescribed for them, and he set them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. ⁸ He also made ^(HR)ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made a hundred golden bowls. ⁹ Then he made ^(HS)the courtyard of the priests and ^(HT)the great courtyard, and doors for the courtyard, and overlaid their doors with bronze. ^10 (HU)He put the Sea on the right side of the house toward the southeast.

^11 (HV)Huram also made the pails, the shovels, and the bowls. So Huram finished the work that he did for King Solomon in the house of God: ¹² the two pillars, the bowls and the two capitals on top of the pillars, and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the pillars, ¹³ and ^(HW)the four hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the pillars. ^14 (HX)He also made the stands and he made the basins on the stands, ¹⁵ and the one Sea with the twelve oxen under it. ¹⁶ The pails, the shovels, the forks, and all its utensils, ^(HY)Huram-abi made of polished bronze for King Solomon, for the house of the Lord. ¹⁷ On the plain of the Jordan the king cast them in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. ^18 (HZ)So Solomon made all these utensils in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

¹⁹ Solomon also made all the things that were in the house of God: the golden altar, ^(IA)the tables with the bread of the Presence on them, ²⁰ the lampstands with their lamps of pure gold, ^(IB)to burn in front of the inner sanctuary in the way prescribed; ²¹ the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold, that is, of purest gold; ²² and the snuffers, the bowls, the spoons, and the firepans of pure gold; and the entrance of the house, its inner doors for the Most Holy Place and the doors of the house, that is, of the main room, of gold.

The Ark Is Brought into the Temple

5 ^(IC)So all the work that Solomon performed for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the ^[ey](ID)things that his father David had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and all the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

^2 (IE)Then Solomon assembled at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, ^(IF)to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the city of David, which is Zion. ^3 (IG)All the men of Israel assembled themselves before the king at ^(IH)the feast, that is in the seventh month. ⁴ Then all the elders of Israel came, and ^(II)the Levites picked up the ark. ⁵ They brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils that were in the tent. The Levitical priests brought them up. ⁶ And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who had assembled with him before the ark were sacrificing ^[ez]so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. ⁷ Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its ^[fa]poles. ⁹ The poles were so long that ^(IJ)the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; and ^[fb]they are there to this day. ^10 (IK)There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

The Glory of God Fills the Temple

¹¹ When the priests came out from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard ^(IL)to divisions), ¹² and all the Levitical singers, ^(IM)Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, ^(IN)with cymbals, harps, and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them 120 priests ^(IO)blowing trumpets ¹³ in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they raised their voices ^(IP)accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments, and when they praised the Lord saying, “^(IQ)He indeed is good for His ^[fc]kindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴ so that the priests could not rise to minister because of the cloud, for ^(IR)the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Solomon’s Dedication of the Temple

6 ^(IS)Then Solomon said,

³ Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. ⁴ He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and fulfilled it with His hands, saying, ⁵ ‘Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, so that My name might be there, nor did I choose a man to be the leader over My people Israel; ⁶ but ^(IT)I have chosen Jerusalem so that My name might be there, and I ^(IU)have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ ^7 (IV)Now it was ^[fd]in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁸ But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was ^[fe]in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was ^[ff]in your heart. ⁹ Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who ^[fg]will be born to you, he shall build the house for My name.’ ¹⁰ Now the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for I have risen in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord ^[fh]promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹¹ There I have placed the ark ^(IW)in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with the sons of Israel.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

¹² Then he stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. ^13 (IX)For Solomon had made a bronze platform, ^[fi]five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the courtyard; and he stood on it, ^(IY)knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. ¹⁴ He said, “Lord, God of Israel, ^(IZ)there is no god like You in heaven or on earth, ^(JA)keeping ^[fj]Your covenant and ^[fk]Your faithfulness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart; ^15 (JB)You who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You ^[fl]promised him; You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. ¹⁶ Now then, Lord, God of Israel, keep to Your servant David, my father, that which You ^[fm]promised him, saying, ‘^[fn](JC)You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay attention to their way, to walk in My Law as you have walked before Me.’ ¹⁷ Now then, Lord, God of Israel, let Your word be confirmed which You have spoken to Your servant David.

¹⁸ “But ^(JD)will God really dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, ^(JE)heaven and the ^[fo]highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built! ¹⁹ Nevertheless, turn Your attention to the prayer of Your servant and to his plea, Lord, my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You; ²⁰ that Your ^(JF)eye will be open toward this house day and night, toward ^(JG)the place of which You have said that You would put Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. ²¹ Listen to the pleadings of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear from Your dwelling place, from heaven; ^(JH)hear and forgive.

²² “If someone sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, ²³ then hear from heaven and take action and judge Your servants, ^[fp](JI)punishing the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by ^[fq]repaying him according to his righteousness.

²⁴ “If Your people Israel are ^[fr]defeated before an enemy because ^(JJ)they have sinned against You, and they return to You and praise Your name, and pray and plead before You in this house, ²⁵ then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You have given to them and to their fathers.

²⁶ “When the ^(JK)heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and praise Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them, ²⁷ then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel; indeed, ^(JL)teach them the good way in which they are to walk. And provide rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

²⁸ “If there is a ^(JM)famine in the land, if there is a plague, if there is blight or mildew, if there is locust or grasshopper, if their enemies besiege them in the land of their ^[fs]cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is, ²⁹ whatever prayer or plea is made by anyone or by all Your people Israel, ^[ft]each knowing his own affliction and his own pain, and spreading his hands toward this house, ³⁰ then hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know—^(JN)for You alone know the hearts of the sons of mankind— ³¹ so that they may ^[fu]fear You, to walk in Your ways ^[fv]as long as they live in the land which You have given to our fathers.

³² “Also concerning ^(JO)the foreigner who is not from Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country on account of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray toward this house, ³³ then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, and ^[fw]fear You as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that ^[fx]this house which I have built is ^(JP)called by Your name.

³⁴ “When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way You send them, and they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, ³⁵ then hear from heaven their prayer and their pleading, and maintain their cause.

³⁶ “When they sin against You (^(JQ)for there is no one who does not sin), and You are angry with them and turn them over to an enemy, so that ^[fy]they take them away captive to a land far off or near, ³⁷ if they ^[fz]take it to heart in the land where they are taken captive, and repent and plead to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and have acted wickedly’; ^38 (JR)if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been taken captive, and pray toward their land which You have given to their fathers and the city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Your name, ³⁹ then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, their prayer and pleadings, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.

⁴⁰ “Now, my God, please, ^(JS)let Your eyes be open and ^(JT)Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

⁴¹ “^(JU)Now then arise, Lord God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might; let Your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let Your godly ones rejoice in what is good.

⁴² “Lord God, do not turn away the face of Your anointed; ^(JV)remember Your faithfulness to Your servant David.”

The Shekinah Glory

7 ^(JW)Now when Solomon had finished praying, ^(JX)fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. ^2 (JY)And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. ³ All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “^(JZ)Certainly He is good, certainly His faithfulness is everlasting.”

Sacrifices Offered

^4 (KA)Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. ⁵ King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. ⁶ The priests stood at their posts, and ^(KB)the Levites also, with the musical instruments for the Lord, which King David had made for giving praise to the Lord—“for His faithfulness is everlasting”—whenever David gave praise through their ^[ga]ministry; ^(KC)the priests on the other side blew trumpets and all Israel was standing.

^7 (KD)Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was before the house of the Lord, for he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings there, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to contain the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat.

The Feast of Dedication

⁸ So ^(KE)Solomon held the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly that came from the entrance of Hamath to the ^(KF)brook of Egypt. ⁹ And on the eighth day they held ^(KG)a solemn assembly, because they held the dedication of the altar for seven days, and the feast for seven days. ¹⁰ Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their tents, rejoicing and happy in heart because of the goodness that the Lord had shown to David, to Solomon, and to His people Israel.

God’s Promise and Warning

^11 (KH)So Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s palace, and successfully completed everything that ^[gb]he had planned on doing in the house of the Lord and in his palace.

¹² Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and ^(KI)have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. ^13 (KJ)If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people, ^14 (KK)and My people ^[gc]who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ^15 (KL)Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the ^[gd]prayer offered in this place. ¹⁶ For ^(KM)now I have chosen and consecrated this house so that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there ^[ge]always. ¹⁷ As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, to do according to everything that I have commanded you, and keep My statutes and My ordinances, ¹⁸ then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, ‘^[gf](KN)You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel.’

¹⁹ “^(KO)But if you turn away and abandon My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, ^20 (KP)then I will uproot ^[gg]you from My land which I have given ^[gh]you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight; and I will make it ^(KQ)a proverb and an object of scorn among all peoples. ²¹ As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘^(KR)Why has the Lord done these things to this land and to this house?’ ²² And they will say, ‘Because ^(KS)they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods, and worshiped and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.’”

Solomon’s Activities and Accomplishments

8 ^(KT)Now it came about at the end of the twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, ² that he built the cities which Huram had given ^[gi]him, and settled the sons of Israel there.

³ Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. ⁴ He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities which he had built in Hamath. ⁵ He also built upper ^(KU)Beth-horon and lower Beth-horon, which were ^(KV)fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars; ⁶ and Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for ^[gj]his chariots and cities for ^[gk]his horsemen, and everything that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and all the land ^[gl]under his rule.

^7 (KW)All of the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, ⁸ that is, from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel had not destroyed, ^(KX)Solomon raised them as forced laborers to this day. ⁹ But Solomon did not make slaves from the sons of Israel for his work; for they were men of war, his chief captains and commanders of his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁰ These were the chief ^[gm]officers of King Solomon, 250 who ruled over the people.

^11 (KY)Then Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house which he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, because ^[gn]the places where the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”

¹² Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on ^(KZ)the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the porch; ¹³ and ^(LA)he did so according to the daily rule, offering them up ^(LB)according to the commandment of Moses, for ^(LC)the Sabbaths, ^(LD)the new moons, and the ^(LE)three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.

¹⁴ Now according to the ordinance of his father David, he appointed ^(LF)the divisions of the priests for their service, and ^(LG)the Levites for their duties of praise and ministering before the priests according to the daily rule, and ^(LH)the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; for this is what ^(LI)David, the man of God, had commanded. ¹⁵ And they did not deviate from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites in any matter or regarding the storehouses.

¹⁶ So all the work of Solomon was carried out ^[go]from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord, until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.

¹⁷ Then Solomon went to ^(LJ)Ezion-geber and to ^(LK)Eloth on the seashore in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ And by his servants Huram sent him ships and servants who knew the sea; and they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and ^(LL)took from there ^[gp]450 talents of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.

Visit of the Queen of Sheba

9 ^(LM)Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with riddles. She had a very large entourage, with camels carrying balsam oil and a large amount of gold and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about everything that was on her heart. ² Solomon ^[gq]answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from Solomon which he did not ^[gr]explain to her. ³ When the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he had built, ⁴ the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his ministers and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and ^[gs]his stairway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, she was breathless. ⁵ Then she said to the king, “It was a true ^[gt]story that I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁶ But I did not believe their ^[gu]stories until I came and my own eyes saw it all. And behold, not even half of the greatness of your wisdom was reported to me. You have surpassed the report that I heard. ⁷ How ^[gv]blessed are your men, how ^[gw]blessed are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom! ⁸ Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you, ^(LN)setting you on His throne as king for the Lord your God; ^(LO)because your God loved Israel, establishing them forever, He made you king over them, to carry out justice and righteousness.” ⁹ Then she gave the king ^[gx]120 talents of gold and a very great amount of balsam oil and precious stones; there had never been balsam oil like that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

¹⁰ The servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon ^(LP)who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones. ¹¹ From the algum trees the king made steps to the house of the Lord and for the king’s palace, and lyres and harps for the singers; and nothing like them was seen before in the land of Judah.

¹² King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba her every desire, whatever she requested, besides gifts equal to what she had brought to the king. Then she turned and went to her own land with her servants.

Solomon’s Wealth and Power

^13 (LQ)Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was ^[gy]666 talents of gold, ¹⁴ besides what the traders and merchants brought; and all ^(LR)the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵ King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, ^[gz]using six hundred shekels of beaten gold on each large shield. ¹⁶ He made three hundred shields of beaten gold, ^[ha]using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷ Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and ^[hb]arms ^[hc]on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the ^[hd]arms. ¹⁹ Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. ²⁰ 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; silver was not considered ^[he]valuable in the days of Solomon. ^21 (LS)For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

^22 (LT)So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. ²³ And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. ^24 (LU)They were bringing, each of them his gift: articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, balsam oil, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

²⁵ Now Solomon had ^(LV)four thousand stalls for horses and chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ^26 (LW)He was ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. ^27 (LX)And the king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the ^[hf]lowland. ^28 (LY)And they were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.

^29 (LZ)Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from the first to the last, ^(MA)are they not written in the ^[hg]records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of ^[hh]Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? ^30 (MB)Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

Death of Solomon

³¹ And Solomon ^[hi]lay down with his fathers and was buried in ^(MC)the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.