The Lord’s Response

9 When Solomon finished building the temple of the Lord,^(A) the royal palace, and all that Solomon desired to do,^{(B) 2} the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.^{(C) 3} The Lord said to him:

I have heard your prayer and petition you have made before me. I have consecrated this temple you have built, to put^[a] my name there forever;^(D) my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.^(E)

⁴ As for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and in what is right, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and ordinances,^{(F) 5} I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.^(G)

⁶ If you or your sons turn away from following me and do not keep my commands—my statutes that I have set before you—and if you go and serve other gods and bow in worship to them,^{(H) 7} I will cut off Israel from the land I gave them,^(I) and I will reject^[b] the temple I have sanctified for my name.^(J) Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.^{(K) 8} Though this temple is now exalted,^[c] everyone who passes by will be appalled and will scoff.^[d] They will say, “Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?”^{(L) 9} Then they will say, “Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt. They held on to other gods and bowed in worship to them and served them. Because of this, the Lord brought all this ruin on them.”^(M)

King Hiram’s Twenty Towns

¹⁰ At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon had built the two houses, the Lord’s temple and the royal palace^(N)— ¹¹ King Hiram of Tyre^(O) having supplied him with cedar and cypress logs and gold^(P) for his every wish^(Q)—King Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the land of Galilee. ¹² So Hiram went out from Tyre to look over the towns that Solomon had given him, but he was not pleased with them. ¹³ So he said, “What are these towns you’ve given me, my brother?” So he called them the Land of Cabul,^[e] as they are still called today.^{(R) 14} Now Hiram had sent the king nine thousand pounds^[f] of gold.^(S)

Solomon’s Forced Labor

¹⁵ This is the account of the forced labor^(T) that King Solomon had imposed to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces,^(U) the wall of Jerusalem,^(V) and Hazor,^(W) Megiddo,^(X) and Gezer.^{(Y) 16} Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He then burned it, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and gave it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.^{(Z) 17} Then Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon,^{(AA) 18} Baalath,^(AB) Tamar^[g][h] in the Wilderness of Judah, ¹⁹ all the storage cities that belonged to Solomon, the chariot cities,^(AC) the cavalry cities,^(AD) and whatever Solomon desired to build^(AE) in Jerusalem, Lebanon, or anywhere else in the land of his dominion.

²⁰ As for all the peoples who remained of the Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not Israelites— ²¹ their descendants who remained in the land after them, those whom the Israelites were unable to destroy completely^(AF)—Solomon imposed forced labor on them; it is still this way today.^{(AG) 22} But Solomon did not consign the Israelites to slavery;^(AH) they were soldiers, his servants, his commanders, his captains, and commanders of his chariots and his cavalry. ²³ These were the deputies^(AI) who were over Solomon’s work: 550 who supervised the people doing the work.^(AJ)

Solomon’s Other Activities

²⁴ Pharaoh’s daughter moved from the city of David^(AK) to the house that Solomon had built for her;^(AL) he then built the terraces.^(AM)

²⁵ Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, and he burned incense with them in the Lord’s presence.^(AN) So he completed the temple.^(AO)

²⁶ King Solomon put together a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber,^(AP) which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom. ²⁷ With the fleet, Hiram sent his servants, experienced seamen, along with Solomon’s servants. ²⁸ They went to Ophir^(AQ) and acquired gold there—sixteen tons^[i]—and delivered it to Solomon.^(AR)

Solomon’s Later Building Projects

8 At the end of twenty years^(A) during which Solomon had built the Lord’s temple and his own palace— ² Solomon had rebuilt the cities Hiram^[a] gave him and settled Israelites there— ³ Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and seized it. ⁴ He built Tadmor in the wilderness along with all the storage cities that he built in Hamath. ⁵ He built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon^(B)—fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars^(C)— ⁶ Baalath, all the storage cities that belonged to Solomon, all the chariot cities, the cavalry cities, and everything Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, or anywhere else in the land of his dominion.

⁷ As for all the peoples who remained of the Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not from Israel^(D)— ⁸ their descendants who remained in the land after them, those the Israelites had not completely destroyed—Solomon imposed forced labor on them; it is this way today.^{(E) 9} But Solomon did not consign the Israelites to be slaves for his work; they were soldiers, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and his cavalry. ¹⁰ These were King Solomon’s deputies: 250 who supervised the people.

¹¹ Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh from the city of David to the house he had built for her,^(F) for he said, “My wife must not live in the house^[b] of King David of Israel because the places the ark of the Lord has come into are holy.”

Public Worship Established at the Temple

¹² At that time^(G) Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the Lord’s altar he had made in front of the portico.^{(H) 13} He followed the daily requirement^(I) for offerings according to the commandment of Moses^(J) for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Shelters.^{(K) 14} According to the ordinances of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests over their service,^(L) of the Levites over their responsibilities to offer praise and to minister before the priests following the daily requirement,^(M) and of the gatekeepers by their divisions with respect to each temple gate,^(N) for this had been the command of David, the man of God.^{(O) 15} They did not turn aside from the king’s command regarding the priests and the Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasuries.^{(P) 16} All of Solomon’s work was carried out from the day the foundation was laid for the Lord’s temple until it was finished. So the Lord’s temple was completed.

Solomon’s Fleet

¹⁷ At that time^(Q) Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth^(R) on the seashore in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ So Hiram^[c] sent ships to him by his servants along with crews of experienced seamen. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, took from there seventeen tons^[d] of gold, and delivered it to King Solomon.^(S)

5 Don’t rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters with all purity.

The Support of Widows

³ Support^[a] widows^(A) who are genuinely in need. ⁴ But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them learn to practice godliness toward their own family first and to repay their parents, for this pleases God. ⁵ The widow who is truly in need and left all alone has put her hope in God^(B) and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers; ⁶ however, she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.^{(C) 7} Command this also, so that they will be above reproach. ⁸ But if anyone does not provide^(D) for his own family, especially for his own household, he has denied the faith^(E) and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹ No widow is to be enrolled on the list for support unless she is at least sixty years old, has been the wife of one husband, ¹⁰ and is well known for good works^(F)—that is, if she has brought up children, shown hospitality,^(G) washed the saints’ feet,^(H) helped the afflicted,^(I) and devoted herself to every good work.^{(J) 11} But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when they are drawn away from Christ by desire, they want to marry^{(K) 12} and will therefore receive condemnation^(L) because they have renounced their original pledge. ¹³ At the same time, they also learn to be idle, going from house to house; they are not only idle, but are also gossips^(M) and busybodies, saying things they shouldn’t say. ¹⁴ Therefore, I want younger women to marry,^(N) have children, manage their households, and give the adversary no opportunity to accuse us.^{(O) 15} For some have already turned away^(P) to follow Satan. ¹⁶ If any^[b] believing woman has widows in her family, let her help them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it can help widows in genuine need.

Honoring the Elders

¹⁷ The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor,^[c] especially those who work hard^(Q) at preaching and teaching. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,^[d](R) and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”^(S)

¹⁹ Don’t accept an accusation against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses.^{(T) 20} Publicly rebuke those who sin, so that the rest will be afraid. ²¹ I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to observe^(U) these things without prejudice, doing nothing out of favoritism. ²² Don’t be too quick to appoint^[e](V) anyone as an elder, and don’t share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.^{(W) 23} Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. ²⁴ Some people’s sins are obvious, preceding them to judgment,^(X) but the sins of others surface^[f] later. ²⁵ Likewise, good works are obvious, and those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden.