Old/New Testament
Solomon Asks for Wisdom(A)
3 Solomon made an ·agreement [alliance] with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, by marrying his daughter and bringing her to the City of David [C Jerusalem]. At this time Solomon was still building his ·palace [L house] and the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, as well as a wall around Jerusalem. 2 The ·Temple [L house] for the ·worship [L name] of the Lord had not yet been finished, so people were still sacrificing at ·altars in many places of worship [L the high places; C worship sites that became associated with pagan worship or inappropriate worship of God]. 3 Solomon showed he loved the Lord by following the commands his father David had given him, except ·many other places of worship were still used to offer sacrifices and to burn incense [L he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places; 3:2].
4 King Solomon went to Gibeon to offer a sacrifice, because it was the most important ·place of worship [high place; 3:2]. He offered a thousand burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] on that altar. 5 While he was at Gibeon, the Lord appeared to him in a dream during the night. God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
6 Solomon answered, “You ·were very kind [showed faithful love/great lovingkindness] to your servant, my father David. He ·obeyed you, and he was honest and lived right [walked before you in truth/faithfulness and righteousness and integrity of heart]. You showed ·great kindness [faithful love; lovingkindness] to him when you allowed his son to ·be king [L sit on his throne] after him. 7 Lord my God, now you have made me, your servant, king in place of my father David. But I am like a little child; I don’t know how to ·do what must be done [L go out or come in]. 8 I, your servant, am here among your chosen people, and there are too many of them to count. 9 I ask that you give me a heart that ·understands [discerns; L listens], so I can ·rule [govern] the people in the right way and will ·know the difference between right and wrong [discern between good and evil]. ·Otherwise, it is impossible to rule this great people of yours [L For who is capable of governing this great people?].”
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked this. 11 So God said to him, “You did not ask for a long life, or riches for yourself, or the ·death [L life] of your enemies. Since you asked for ·wisdom to make the right decisions [understanding to discern what is right/just], 12 I will do what you asked. I will give you ·wisdom and understanding [a wise and discerning/L listening heart] that ·is greater than anyone has had in the past or will have in [will make you unlike anyone in the past or in] the future. 13 I will also give you what you did not ask for: riches and ·honor [fame]. During your life no other king will be as great as you. 14 If you ·follow me [L walk in my ways] and obey my ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and commands, as your father David did, I will also give you a long life.”
15 After Solomon woke up ·from the [and realized it had been a] dream, he went to Jerusalem. He stood before the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10] with the Lord, where he made burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1]. After that, he gave a ·feast [banquet] for all his ·leaders and officers [L servants].
Solomon Makes a Wise Decision
16 One day two women who were ·prostitutes [T harlots] came to Solomon. As they stood before him, 17 one of the women said, “My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was there with me. 18 Three days later this woman also gave birth to a baby. No one else was in the house with us; it was just the two of us. 19 One night this woman ·rolled over [lay] on her baby, and he died. 20 So she took my son from my bed during the night while ·I [L your servant] was asleep, and she ·carried him to her bed [L laid him at her breast]. Then she ·put the dead baby in my bed [L laid her dead son at my breast]. 21 The next morning when I got up to ·feed my baby [nurse my son], I saw that he was dead! When I looked at him more ·closely [carefully in the morning light], I realized he was not my son.”
22 “No!” the other woman cried. “The living baby is my son, and the dead baby is yours!”
But the first woman said, “No! The dead baby is yours, and the living ·one [son] is mine!” So the two women argued before the king.
23 Then King Solomon said, “One of you says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead.’ Then the other one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and my son is alive.’”
24 The king sent his servants to get a sword. When they brought it to him, 25 he said, “·Cut [Divide] the living baby into two pieces, and give each woman half.”
26 The real mother of the living child was ·full of love [filled with compassion; deeply moved] for her son. So she said to the king, “Please, my ·master [lord], don’t kill him! Give the baby to her!”
But the other woman said, “Neither of us will have him. ·Cut him into two pieces [Divide him]!”
27 Then King Solomon said, “Don’t kill him. Give the baby to the first woman, because she is the real mother.”
28 When the people of Israel heard about King Solomon’s ·decision [judgment; verdict], they ·respected him very much [L were in awe of/feared the king]. They saw he had wisdom from God to ·make the right decisions [render/administer justice].
Solomon’s Officers
4 King Solomon ·ruled [was king] over all Israel. 2 These are the names of his ·leading officers [chief officials]:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, ·recorded what happened in the courts [were court secretaries];
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud ·recorded the history of the people [was recorder/royal historian];
4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army;
Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
5 Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors;
Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and ·adviser [L friend] to the king;
6 Ahishar was ·responsible for everything in the palace [manager of the household];
Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of ·the labor force [or forced labor].
7 Solomon placed twelve ·governors [deputies; administrators] over the districts of Israel, who gathered ·food from their districts [provisions] for the king and his ·family [household]. Each ·governor [deputy; administrator] was responsible for bringing food to the king one month of each year. 8 These are the names of the twelve ·governors [deputies; administrators]:
Ben-Hur was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of the ·mountain [hill] country of Ephraim.
9 Ben-Deker was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Bethhanan.
10 Ben-Hesed was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Arubboth, Socoh, and all the land of Hepher.
11 Ben-Abinadab was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Naphoth Dor. (He was married to Taphath, Solomon’s daughter.)
12 Baana son of Ahilud was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Beth Shan next to ·Zarethan. This was below Jezreel [Zarethan below Jezreel, and] from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah ·across from [and over to] Jokmeam.
13 Ben-Geber was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Ramoth in Gilead. (He was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of all the towns of Jair in Gilead. Jair was the son of Manasseh. Ben-Geber was also over the district of Argob in Bashan, which had sixty large, walled cities with bronze bars on their gates.)
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Mahanaim.
15 Ahimaaz was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath, Solomon’s daughter.)
16 Baana son of Hushai was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Asher and Aloth.
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Issachar.
18 Shimei son of Ela was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Benjamin.
19 Geber son of Uri was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Gilead. Gilead had been the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan. ·But Geber was the only governor over this district [In addition, there was one governor/deputy/adminstrator over the land of Judah].
Solomon’s Kingdom(B)
20 There were as many people in Judah and Israel as grains of sand on the seashore [Gen. 22:17; 32:12]. The people ate, drank, and were ·happy [content; rejoicing]. 21 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought Solomon ·the payments he demanded [tribute], and they ·were under his control [served him] all his life.
22 ·Solomon needed much food each day to feed himself and all the people who ate at his table: Solomon’s daily provisions were one hundred ninety-five bushels [L thirty cors] of fine flour, three hundred ninety bushels [L sixty cors] of ·grain [meal], 23 ten ·cows that were fed on good grain [fat oxen], twenty ·cows [oxen] that were raised in the fields, one hundred sheep, deer, gazelles, and roe deer, and ·fattened birds [choice poultry].
24 Solomon ·controlled [ruled; had dominion over] all the countries west of the ·Euphrates River [L River]—the land from Tiphsah to Gaza. And he had peace on all ·sides of his kingdom [his borders/frontiers]. 25 During Solomon’s life Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba [C the extreme north to the extreme south], also lived in ·peace [safety]; all of his people were able to sit under their own fig trees and grapevines.
26 Solomon had four[a] thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand ·horses [or horsemen; cavalry]. 27 Each month one of the ·district governors [deputies; administrators] ·gave King Solomon all the food he needed [provided for King Solomon]—enough for every person who ate at the king’s table. The ·governors [deputies; administrators] made sure ·he had everything he needed [that nothing was lacking]. 28 They also brought enough barley and straw for Solomon’s ·chariot [L swift steeds] and work horses; each person ·brought this grain to the right place [according to his duty/charge].
Solomon’s Wisdom
29 God gave Solomon great wisdom ·so he could understand many things [L and great discernment/understanding]. His [L breadth/width of] ·wisdom [mind; heart] was ·as hard to measure as [or as vast as; L like] the grains of sand on the seashore. 30 His wisdom was greater than any wisdom of the East, or any wisdom in Egypt. 31 He was wiser than ·anyone on earth [L all mankind]. He was even wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite [C see Ps. 89 title], as well as Heman [C see Ps. 88 title], Calcol, and Darda—the three sons of Mahol. King Solomon became famous in all the surrounding ·countries [nations]. 32 During his life he spoke three thousand ·wise sayings [proverbs] and also wrote one thousand five songs. 33 He taught about many kinds of plants—everything from the great cedar trees of Lebanon to the ·weeds [hyssop] that grow out of the walls. He also taught about animals, birds, ·crawling things [reptiles], and fish. 34 People from all nations came to listen to King Solomon’s wisdom. The kings of all nations sent them to him, ·because they had heard of [or to listen to] Solomon’s wisdom.
Preparing to Build the Temple(C)
5 Hiram, the king of Tyre, had always been David’s friend. When Hiram heard that Solomon had been ·made [L anointed] king in ·David’s [L his father’s] place, he sent his ·messengers [ambassadors; servants] to Solomon. 2 Solomon sent this message back to King Hiram: 3 “You ·remember [L know] my father David had to fight many wars with ·the countries around [enemies surrounding] him, so he was never able to build a ·temple for worshiping [L house for the name of] the Lord his God. David was waiting until the Lord ·allowed him to defeat all his enemies [L put them under the soles of his feet]. 4 But now the Lord my God has given me ·peace [rest] on all sides of my country. I have no enemies now, and no ·danger threatens my people [adversity; calamity; misfortune].
5 “The Lord ·promised [L told] my father David, ‘I will ·make your son king after you [L put your son on the throne in your place], and he will build ·a temple for worshiping me [L the house/temple for my name].’ Now, I plan to build ·that temple for worshiping [L a house for the name of] the Lord my God. 6 So ·send your men [command them] to cut down cedar trees for me from Lebanon. My servants will work with yours, and I will pay them whatever wages you decide. We don’t have anyone who can cut down ·trees [timber] as well as the people of Sidon.”
7 When Hiram heard what Solomon asked, he ·was very happy [rejoiced greatly]. He said, “·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord today! He has given David a wise son to rule over this great ·nation [people]!” 8 Then Hiram sent back this message to Solomon: “I ·received [heard] the message you sent, and I will ·give you [supply] all the cedar and ·pine trees [cypress; juniper] you ·want [need]. 9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. There I will ·tie them together [L make them into rafts] and ·float them along the shore [go by sea] to the place you choose. Then I will separate the logs there, and you can take them away. ·In return it is my wish that you give [And you shall meet my needs/desire by providing] food to ·all those who live with me [L my household].” 10 So Hiram gave Solomon as much cedar and ·pine [cypress; juniper] as he wanted. 11 And Solomon gave Hiram about ·one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels [L twenty thousand cors] of wheat each year ·to feed the people who lived with him [L for his household]. Solomon also gave him ·about one hundred fifteen thousand gallons [L twenty cors] of pure olive oil every year.
12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he had promised. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; these two kings made a ·treaty between themselves [covenant; alliance].
13 King Solomon ·forced [conscripted] thirty thousand men of Israel to help in this work. 14 He sent ·a group [shifts; relays] of ten thousand men each month to Lebanon. Each group worked in Lebanon one month, then went home for two months. A man named Adoniram was in ·charge [charge of the forced labor/or this labor force]. 15 Solomon ·forced [had] eighty thousand men to work in the hill country, cutting stone, and he had seventy thousand ·men to carry the stones [common laborers]. 16 There were also thirty-three hundred ·men who directed the workers [foremen; overseers]. 17 King Solomon commanded them to cut large blocks of ·fine [costly; high-quality] stone to ·be used for the foundation of the Temple [lay the foundation of the house with dressed/cut stone]. 18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders and the ·men from Byblos [L Gebalites; C Gebal was a Phoenician city the Greeks called Byblos] carved the stones and prepared the stones and the ·logs [timber] for building the ·Temple [L house].
Jewish Leaders Question Jesus(A)
20 One day Jesus was in the Temple, teaching the people and ·telling them the Good News [preaching the Gospel]. The ·leading [T chief] priests, ·teachers of the law [scribes], and elders came up to talk with him, 2 saying, “Tell us what authority you have to do these things? [L Or] Who gave you this authority?”
3 Jesus answered, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 When John baptized people, was that authority from ·God [L heaven; C a reverent Jewish way of referring to God] or just from ·other people [human beings]?”
5 They ·argued about this [L discussed this among themselves], saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from ·God [L heaven],’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘It was from ·other people [human beings],’ all the people will stone us to death, because they ·believe [are convinced that] John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they didn’t know where it came from.
8 Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.”
The Story of the Evil Farmers(B)
9 Then Jesus ·told [L began/proceeded to tell] the people this ·story [parable]: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to some [C tenant] farmers [C Jesus builds on Is. 5:1–7; the owner represents God; the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders]. Then he ·went away [took a journey] for a long time. 10 ·When it was time for the grapes to be picked [L At the (harvest) time], he sent a ·servant [slave] to the farmers to get some of the grapes [C the portion of the harvest to pay the rent]. But they beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Then he sent another ·servant [slave]. They beat him also, and ·showed no respect for [humiliated; dishonored] him, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 So the man sent a third. The farmers wounded him and threw him out [C the servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel]. 13 The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What will I do now? I will send my son whom I love [C representing Jesus; see 3:22]. ·Maybe [or Probably; or Surely] they will respect him.’ 14 But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This ·son will inherit the vineyard [L is the heir]. Let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So the farmers threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What will the ·owner [lord] of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and ·kill [destroy] those farmers and will give the vineyard to ·other farmers [L others; C referring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved].”
When the people heard this ·story [parable], they said, “·Let this never happen [T God forbid; L May it not happen]!”
17 But Jesus looked [directly; intently] at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture passage mean:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
became the ·cornerstone [or capstone; or keystone; L head of the corner]’? [C This is the most important stone in the building; Jesus is the rejected stone; Ps. 118:22.]
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken [Is. 8:14], and the person on whom it falls, that person will be crushed [cf. Dan. 2:34]!”
19 The ·teachers of the law [scribes] and the ·leading [T chief] priests ·wanted [tried/sought] to ·arrest [seize; L lay hands on] Jesus at once, because they knew the ·story [parable] was ·about [told against] them. But they were afraid of what the people would do.
Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?(C)
20 So they watched Jesus and sent some spies who acted as if they were ·sincere [honest; righteous]. They wanted to trap Jesus in saying something wrong so they could hand him over to the ·authority [jurisdiction; rule] and ·power [authority] of the governor. 21 So the spies asked Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is ·true [right; correct]. You ·pay no attention to who people are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances], and you always teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. 22 Tell us, is it ·right [permissible; lawful] for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” [C Saying yes would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying no could result in being charged with insurrection.]
23 But Jesus, knowing ·they were trying to trick him [L their craftiness/duplicity], said, 24 “Show me a ·coin [L denarius]. Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription; title] are on it?”
They said, “Caesar’s.” [C Ironically, the religious leaders carry coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]
25 Jesus said to them, “Then ·give [give back; T render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and ·give [give back; T render] to God the things that are God’s.”
26 So they were not able to ·trap [catch] Jesus in anything he said in the presence of the people. And being amazed at his answer, they ·became silent [kept quiet].
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