Historical
3 1 Solomon taketh Pharaoh’s daughter to wife. 5 The Lord appeareth to him, and giveth him wisdom. 17 The pleading of the two harlots, and Solomon’s sentence therein.
1 Solomon (A)then made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the [a]city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
2 Only the people sacrificed in the [b]high places, because there was no house built unto the Name of the Lord, until those days.
3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the ordinances of David his [c]father: only he sacrificed and offered incense in the high places.
4 And the King went to [d]Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the chief high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, [e]when he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee: and thou hast [f]kept for him this great mercy, and hast given him a son, to sit on his throne, as appeareth this day.
7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a young child, and know not how to [g]go out and in.
8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people, which thou hast chosen, even a great people, which cannot be told nor numbered for multitude.
9 (B)Give therefore unto thy servant an [h]understanding heart, to judge thy people: that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy [i]mighty people?
10 And this pleased the Lord well, that Solomon had desired this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine [j]enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to hear judgment,
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart, so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall arise the like unto thee.
13 And I have also (C)given thee that, which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor, so that among the Kings there [k]shall be none like unto thee all thy days.
14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep mine ordinances and my commandments, (D)as thy father David did walk, I will prolong thy days.
15 And when Solomon awoke, behold it was [l]a dream, and he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the Ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings, and made peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
16 ¶ Then came two [m]harlots unto the king, and [n]stood before him.
17 And the one woman said, Oh my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18 And the third day after that I was delivered, this woman was delivered also, and we were in the house together: no stranger was with us in the house save we twain.
19 And this woman’s son died in the night: for she overlay him.
20 And she rose at midnight, and [o]took my son from my side, while thine handmaid slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.
21 And when I arose in the morning to give my son suck, behold, he was dead: and when I had well considered him in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I had borne.
22 Then the other woman said, Nay, but my son liveth, and thy son is dead. Again she said, No, but thy son is dead, and mine alive: thus they spake before the king.
23 Then said the king, She saith, This that liveth is my son, and the dead is thy son: and the other saith, Nay, but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son.
24 Then the King said, [p]Bring me a sword: and they brought out a sword before the king.
25 And the king said, Divide ye the living child in twain, and give the one half to the one, and the other half to the other.
26 Then spake the woman, whose the living child was, unto the king, for her compassion was kindled toward her son, and she said, Oh my lord, give her the living child and [q]slay him not: but the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
27 Then the king answered, and said, Give her the living child, and slay him not: this is his mother.
28 And all Israel heard the judgment which the king had judged, and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
4 2 The princes and rulers under Solomon. 22 The purveyance for his victuals. 26 The number of his horses. 32 His books and writings.
1 And king Solomon was king over all Israel.
2 And these were [r]his princes, [s]Azariah the son of Zadok the Priest,
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, Scribes, Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the Recorder,
4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host, and Zadok and [t]Abiathar, Priests,
5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers, and Zabud the son of Nathan, Priest, was the king’s friend,
6 And Ahishar was over the household, and (E)Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute.
7 ¶ And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man had a month in the year to provide victuals.
8 And these are their names: the son of Hur in mount Ephraim:
9 The son of Deker in Makaz, and in Shaalbim and Beth Shemesh, and [u]Elon and Beth Hanan:
10 The son of Hesed in Arubboth, to whom pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher:
11 The son of Abinadab in all the region of Dor, which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife.
12 Baana the son of Ahilud in Taanach, and Megiddo, and in all Beth Shean, which is by Zaretan beneath Jezreel, from Beth Shean [v]to Abel Meholah, even till beyond over against Jokneam:
13 The son of Geber in Ramoth Gilead, and his were the towns of [w]Jair, the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and under him was the region of Argob, which is in Bashan: threescore great cities with walls and bars of brass.
14 ¶ Ahinadab the son of Iddo had to Mahanaim:
15 Ahimaaz in Naphtali, and he took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife:
16 Baanah the son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth:
17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah in [x]Issachar:
18 Shimei the son of Elah in Benjamin:
19 Geber the son of Uri in the country of Gilead, the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan, and was officer alone in the land.
20 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand of the sea in number, [y]eating, drinking, and making merry.
21 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms, from the [z]River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt, and they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 And Solomon’s victuals for one day were thirty [aa]measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal:
23 Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, besides harts, and bucks, and bugles, and fat fowl.
24 For he ruled in all the region on the other side of the River, from Tiphsah even unto [ab]Gaza, over all the [ac]kings on the other side the River: and he had peace round about him on every side.
25 And Judah and Israel dwelt without fear every man under his vine, and under his fig tree, from [ad]Dan, even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26 ¶ And Solomon had (F)forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
27 And these officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came to king Solomon’s table, every man his month, and they suffered to lack nothing.
28 Barley also and straw for the horses and mules, brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.
29 ¶ And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and [ae]a large heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore,
30 And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the [af]East, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than any man: yea, than were Ethan the Ezrahite, than Heman, than Chalcol, than Darda the sons of Mahol: and he was famous throughout all nations round about.
32 And Solomon spake three thousand [ag]proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.
33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the [ah]hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.
5 1 Hiram sendeth to Solomon, and Solomon to him, purposing to build the house of God. 6 He prepareth the stuff for the building. 13 The number of the workmen.
1 And Hiram king of [ai]Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon, (for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father) because Hiram had ever loved David.
2 (G)And Solomon sent him to Hiram, saying,
3 Thou knowest that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the Lord his God, for the wars which were about him on every side, until the Lord had put [aj]them under the soles of his feet.
4 But now the Lord my God hath given me [ak]rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary, nor evil to resist.
5 And behold, I purpose to build an house unto the Name of the Lord my God, (H)as the Lord spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne for thee, he shall build an house unto my Name.
6 Now therefore command, that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon, and my servants shall be with thy servants, and unto thee will I give the [al]hire for thy servants, according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there are none among us, that can hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
7 ¶ And when [am]Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this mighty people.
8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things, for the which thou sentest unto me, and will accomplish all thy desire, concerning the cedar trees and fir trees.
9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea: and I will convey them by sea [an]in rafts unto the place that thou shalt show me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: now thou shalt do me a pleasure to minister food for [ao]my family.
10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees, even his full desire.
11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand [ap]measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of [aq]beaten oil. Thus much gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
12 ¶ And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he (I)promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they [ar]two made a covenant.
13 ¶ And King Solomon raised a sum out of all Israel, and the sum was thirty thousand men:
14 Whom he sent to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by course: they were a month in Lebanon, and two months at home. And (J)Adoniram was over the sum.
15 And Solomon had seventy thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand masons in the mountain,
16 Besides the [as]princes, whom Solomon appointed over the work, even three thousand and three hundred, which ruled the people that wrought in the work.
17 And the King commanded them, and they brought great stones and costly stones to make the foundations of the house, even hewed stones.
18 And Solomon’s workmen, and the workmen of Hiram, and the [at]masons hewed and prepared timber and stones for the building of the house.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.