Amplified Bible (AMP)

Alliance with King Hiram

1 Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend of David.

2 Then Solomon sentwordto Hiram, saying,

3 “You know that David my father could not build a house (temple) for the Name (Presence) of the Lordhis God because of the wars which surrounded him, until the Lordput his enemies under his feet.

4 But now that the Lordmy God has given me rest [from war] on every side, there is neither adversary nor misfortune [confronting me].

5 Behold, I intend to build a house (temple) to the Name of the Lordmy God, just as the Lordsaid to my father David: ‘Your son whom I will put on your throne in your place shall build the house for My NameandPresence.’

6 So now, command that they cut cedar trees from Lebanon for me, and my servants will join your servants, and I will give you whatever wages you set for your servants. For you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the men of Sidon.”

7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lordthis day, who has given David a wise son [to be king] over this great people.”

8 So Hiram sentwordto Solomon, saying, “I have heardthe messagewhich you sent to me; I will do everything you wish concerning the cedar and cypress timber.

9 My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the [Mediterranean] sea, and I will have them made into raftsto goby sea to the place (port) that you direct me; then I will have them broken up there, and you shall carrythemaway. Then you shallreturn the favor by providing food for my household.”

10 So Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar and cypress timber he desired,

11 and Solomon gave Hiram 20,000kors of wheat as food for his household, and 20 kors of pure [olive] oil. Solomon gave all these to Hiram each year.

12 The Lordgave Solomon wisdom, just as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.

Conscription of Laborers

13 King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men.

14 He sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in shifts; one month they were in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced laborers.

15 Solomon had 70,000 burden bearers (transporters) and 80,000 stonemasons in the hill country [of Judah],

16 besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were in charge of the project and who were in charge of the people doing the work.

17 The king gave orders, and they quarried greatstones, valuable stones, to lay the foundation of the house (temple) with cut stones.

18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the men ofGebal cutandchiseledthe stones,and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house (temple).

The Building of the Temple

1 Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv (April-May) which is the second month, that he began to build the Lord’s house (temple).

2 The length of the house which King Solomon built for the Lordwassixty cubits (90 ft.), its width twenty (30 ft.), and its height thirty cubits (45 ft.).

3 The porch in front of the main room of the house (temple) was twenty cubits long, corresponding to the width of the house, and its depth in front of the house was ten cubits.

4 He also made framed (artistic) window openings for the house.

5 Against the wall of the house he builtextensions around the walls of the house, around both the main room (Holy Place) and theHoly of Holies; and he made side chambers all around.

6 The lowest story was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for he made offsets (niches)in the wallsall around on the outside of the house so thatthe supporting beamswould not be inserted into the walls of the house.

7 While it was being built, the house was built of stone preparedandfinished (precut) at the quarry, and no hammer, axe, or iron tool of any kind was heard in the house while it was under construction.

8 The entrance to the lowest side chamber was on the right [or south] side of the house; and they would go up winding stairs to the middle [level], and from the middle to the third.

9 So Solomon built the house (temple) and finished it, and roofed the house with beams and boards of cedar.

10 Then he built the extensions [of rooms] against the entire house, each [story] five cubits high; and they were attached to the house with timbers of cedar.

11 Now the word of the Lordcame to Solomon, saying,

12 “Concerningthis house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My precepts and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word (promises) with you which I made to David your father.

13 I will dwell among the sons (descendants) of Israel, and will not abandon My people Israel.”

14 So Solomon built the house (temple) and finished it.

15 He built the walls of the interior of the house [that is, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies] with boards of cedar, from the floor of the house to the rafters of the ceiling. He overlaid the interior with wood, and he overlaid the floor of the house with boards of cypress.

16 He built twenty cubits on the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling; he built its interior as the [inner] sanctuary, the Holy of Holies.

17 The [rest of the] house, that is, the temple in front ofthe Holy of Holies,was forty cubits long.

18 The cedar on the house within had wood carvingsin the shapeof gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was visible.

19 Then he prepared the Holy of Holies within the house in order to put the ark of the covenant of the Lordthere.

20 The Holy of Holies was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height (a cube), and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the cedar altar [with gold].

21 Solomon overlaid the interior of the house with pure gold, and he drewchains of gold across the front of the Holy of Holies (inner sanctuary), and he overlaid it with gold.

22 Then he overlaid the entire house with gold, until the whole house was finished. He also overlaid the entire [incense] altar which was by the Holy of Holies with gold.

23 Within the Holy of Holies he made twocherubim (sculptured figures) of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

24 One wing of the cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing wasalsofive cubits long; it was ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other.

25 The [wingspan of the] other cherub was also ten cubits. The measurements and cut (shape) of the two cherubim were the same;

26 the height of the one cherub was ten cubits, as was the other.

27 He put the cherubim [above the ark] inside the innermost room of the house, and their wings were spread out so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall; and their inner wings were touchingeach other in the middle of the house.

28 Solomon also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 He carved all the walls of the house all around with carved engravings of cherubim, palm-shaped decorations, and open flowers, [both] the inner and the outersanctuaries.

30 He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, [both] the inner and outersanctuaries.

31 For the entrance of the Holy of Holies he made two [folding] doors of olive wood, the lintel (header above the door) and five-sided doorposts (frames).

32 Sohe madetwo doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm-shaped decorations, and open flowers; and overlaid them with gold; and he hammered out overlays of gold on the cherubim and palm decorations.

33 Also he made for the entrance of the [outer] sanctuary (the Holy Place) four-sided doorposts (frames) of olive wood

34 and two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivotsandwere folding, and the two leaves of the other door also turned on pivots.

35 He carved cherubim, palm-shaped decorations, and open flowerson the doors, and overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work.

36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

37 In the fourth year [of King Solomon’s reign] the foundation of the Lord’shouse was laid, in the [second] month, Ziv (April-May).

38 In the eleventh year [of King Solomon’s reign] in the month of Bul (October-November), that is, the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and in accordance with all its specifications. So he built it in seven years.

Solomon’s Palace

1 Now Solomon built his own house (palace)in thirteen years, and he finished all of his house [in that time].

2 He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was a hundredcubits (150 ft.), its width fifty cubits (75 ft.), and its height thirty cubits (45 ft.), upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.

3 And it was covered with cedar [as a roof] on the supporting beams that were upon the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row.

4 There were artistic windowframes in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers.

5 All the doorways and doorposts [and windows] had squared [artistic] frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers.

6 He also made the Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits (75 ft.) and its width thirty cubits (45 ft.). There was a porch in front, and pillars and a threshold in front of them.

7 He made the hall for the throne where he was to judge, the Hall of Judgment; it was paneled with cedar from [one] floor to [another] floor.

8 His house where he was to live, the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.

9 All these were of expensive stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great courtyard.

10 The foundation was of expensive stones, large stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits.

11 And above [the foundation] were expensive stones, stones cut according to measure, and cedar.

12 So the great courtyard all around had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams like the inner courtyard of the house of the Lord, and the porch of the house.

Hiram’s Work in the Temple

13 Now King Solomon sentwordand broughtHiram [a skilled craftsman] from Tyre.

14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Hiram was filled with wisdom, understanding, and skill for doing any [kind of] work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and did all his [bronze] work.

15 He cast the two pillars of bronze; the one pillar was eighteen cubits high, and a [measuring] line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of both.

16 He also made two capitals (crowns) of cast bronze to put on the tops of the pillars; the height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits.

17 There werenets of network (lattice-work) and twisted threads (wreaths) of chainwork for the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars, seven for one capital and seven for the other.

18 So Hiram made the pillars [in this manner], and two rows around on the one network to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and he did the same for the other capital.

19 The capitals which were upon the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily work (design), four cubits.

20 The capitals were on the two pillars and also above and close to the rounded projection which was beside the network. There were two hundred pomegranates in rows around both capitals.

21 Hiram set up the pillars at the porch of the temple; he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin (may he establish), and he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz (in it is strength).

22 On the tops of the pillars was lily work (design). So the work of the pillars was finished.

23 Now he made the Sea (basin) of castmetal,ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, five cubits high and thirty cubits in circumference.

24 Under its brim were gourds encircling it ten to a cubit, completely surrounding the Sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast in one piece with it.

25 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three west, three south, and three east; the Seawas seton top of them, and all their rear partspointedinward.

26 It was a hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousandbaths.

27 Then Hiram made ten bronze stands [for smaller basins]; the length of each stand was four cubits, its width was four cubits and its height was three cubits.

28 This was the design of the stands: they had borders between the frames.

29 On the borders between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the frames there was a pedestal above. Beneath the lions and oxen were borders of hanging work.

30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports [for a basin]. Beneath the basin were cast supports with borders at each side.

31 Its opening inside the crown at the topmeasureda cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half. Also on its opening were carvings, and their borders were square, not round.

32 Underneath the borders were four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half.

33 The wheels were made like a chariot wheel: their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast.

34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; the supports were part of the stand itself.

35 On the top of the stand there was a circular piece half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its supports and borders were part of it.

36 And on the surface of its supports and its borders Hiram engraved cherubim, lions, and palm-shaped decorations, according to the [available] space for each, with borders all around.

37 He made the ten stands like this: they all had one casting, one measure, and one form.

38 Then he made ten basins of bronze; each basin held forty baths and was four cubits, and there was one basin on each of the ten stands.

39 Then he placed the bases, five on the right [or south] side of the house and five on the left [or north] side; and he set the Sea [of cast metal] on the right side of the house toward the southeast.

40 Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished all the work which he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord:

41 the two pillars and the [two] bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the pillars;

42 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars;

43 the ten stands and the ten basins on the stands;

44 one Sea (basin), and the twelve oxen under the Sea;

45 the pails, the shovels, and the bowls; all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of the Lordwere of polished bronze.

46 In the plain of the Jordan [River] the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.

47 Solomon left all the utensilsunweighed, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

48 Solomon made all the [other] furniture which was in the house of the Lord: the [incense] altar of gold; the table of gold on which was the bread of the Presence;

49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the Holy of Holies (inner sanctuary); with the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold;

50 the cups, snuffers, bowls, spoons, firepans–of pure gold; and the hinges of gold [both] for the doors of the inner house, the Holy of Holies, and for the doors of the house, the main room [the Holy Place].

51 So all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lordwas completed. Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated–the silver, the gold, and the utensils–and he put them in the treasuries of the Lord’shouse.

The Ark Brought into the Temple

1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’householdsof the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion.

2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim (September-October), that is, the seventh month.

3 All the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark.

4 They brought up the ark of the Lordand the Tent of Meeting and all the holy utensils that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up.

5 King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, so many that they could not be counted or numbered.

6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lordto its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, into the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim.

7 For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its [carrying] poles from above.

8 The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were visible from the Holy Place that was in front of theHoly of Holies, but they were not visible from the outside; they are there to this day (the date of this writing).

9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb (Sinai), where the Lordmade a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt.

10 Now it happened that when the priests had come out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the Lord’shouse,

11 so the priests could not stand [in their positions] to minister because of the cloud, for the gloryandbrilliance of the Lordhad filled the Lord’shouse (temple).

Solomon Addresses the People

12 Then Solomon said,

“The Lordhas said that He would dwell in the thick darkness [of the cloud].

13 “I have certainly built You a lofty house,

A place for You to dwell in forever.”

14 Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.

15 He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hand, saying,

16 ‘Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I did not choose a [particular] city out of all the tribes of Israelin whichto build a house so that My Name (Presence) would be in it, but I chose David to be over My people Israel.’

17 Now it was [determined] in the heart of my father David to build a house (temple) for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

18 But the Lordsaid to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you did well, in that it was in your heart.

19 ~‘Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son, who shall be born to you, it is he who shall build it for My Name [and My Presence].’

20 Now the Lordhas fulfilled His word which He spoke; I have risen in the place of my father David and have taken my seat on the throne of Israel, just as the Lordpromised, and have built the house (temple) for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

21 There I have made a place [in the Holy of Holies] for the ark, in which is the covenant (solemn agreement) of the Lord, which He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

The Prayer of Dedication

22 Then Solomon stood [in the courtyard] before the altar of the Lordin the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

23 He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, who keeps the covenant and shows lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart;

24 You who have kept what Youpromised to Your servant my father David. You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled Your word with Your hand, as it is this day.

25 Now therefore, O Lord, the God of Israel, keep for Your servant my father David that which You promised him when You said, ‘You shall not be without a man (descendant) to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way [of life] to walk before Me [according to my laws] as you have done.’

26 Now, O God of Israel, please let Your word which You have spoken to Your servant David my father be confirmed.

27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built!

28 Yet graciously consider the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lordmy God, to listen to the [loud] cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today;

29 that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My Name (Presence) shall be there,’ that You may listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place.

30 Listen to the prayer of Your servant and of Your people Israel which they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven, Your dwelling place; hear and forgive.

31 “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath [of innocence] and he comes to take the oath before Your altar in this house (temple),

32 then hear from heaven and act and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his guilt on his own head, and justifying the righteous by rewarding him in accordance with his righteousness.

33 “When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, andthenthey turn to You again and praise Your Name and pray and ask for Your favorandcompassion in this house (temple),

34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave their fathers.

35 “When the 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,

36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel; indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk (live). And send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

37 “If there is famine in the land, or if there is pestilence (plague), blight, mildew, migratory locusts, or grasshoppers, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever afflictionorplague, whatever sickness [there is],

38 whatever prayer or pleading is made by any individual, or by Your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his hands out toward this house;

39 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and give to each according to his ways, whose heart (mind) You know, for You and You alone know the hearts of all the children of men,

40 so that they may fear You [with reverence and awe] all the days that they live in the land which You have given to our fathers.

41 “Moreover, concerning aforeigner who is not of Your people Israel, but comes from a far (distant) country for the sake of Your name [to plead with You]

42 (for they will hear of Your great name, Your strong hand [of power], and outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house (temple),

43 hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls upon (prays to) You, so that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You [with reverence and awe], asdoYour people Israel, and that they may know [without any doubt] that this house which I have built is called by Your name.

44 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way You send them, and they pray to the Lordtoward the city which You have chosen and the house that I have built for Your NameandPresence,

45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their pleading, and maintain their rightanddefend their cause.

46 “When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the enemy’s land, [whether] far away or near;

47 if theytake it to heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and they repent and pray to You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong and we have acted wickedly;’

48 if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and they pray to You toward their land [of Israel] which You gave to their fathers, the city [of Jerusalem] which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your NameandPresence;

49 then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their rightanddefend their cause,

50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all the transgressions which they have committed against You, and make themobjects ofcompassion before their captors, that they will be merciful to them

51 (for they are Your people and Your heritage, whom You brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace [of slavery and oppression]),

52 that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to themandbe attentive to them whenever they call to You.

53 For You singled them out from all the peoples of the earth as Your heritage, just as You declared through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.”

Solomon’s Benediction

54 When Solomon finished offering this entire prayer and supplication to the Lord, he arose from before the Lord’saltar, where he had knelt down with his hands stretched toward heaven.

55 And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying,

56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, in accordance with everything that He promised. Not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He spoke through Moses His servant.

57 May the Lordour God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us nor abandon us [to our enemies],

58 that He may guide our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways [following Him] and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His precepts which He commanded our fathers.

59 Let these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lordour God day and night, so that He will maintain the causeandright of His servant and of His people Israel as each day requires,

60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lordis God; there is no one else.

61 Therefore, your hearts are to be wholly devoted to the Lordour God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as [you are doing] today.”

Dedicatory Sacrifices

62 Then the king and all [the people of] Israel with him [repeatedly] offered sacrifice before the Lord.

63 Solomon offered as peace offerings to the Lord: 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the house (temple) of the Lord.

64 On that same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the house (temple) of the Lord; for he offered there the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the Lordwas too small to hold [all] the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the peace offerings.

65 So at that time Solomon held thefeast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath [on the northern border of Israel] to theBrook of Egypt [at Israel’s southern border], before the Lordour God, for seven days and sevenmoredays [beyond the prescribed period for the Feast of Booths], fourteen days in all.

66 On the eighth (fifteenth) day he sent the people away and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and in good spirits because of all the goodness which the Lordhad shown to David His servant and Israel His people.

God’s Promise and Warning

1 Now it happened when Solomon had finished building the house (temple) of the Lordand the king’s house (palace), and all else which he was pleased to do,

2 that the Lordappeared to Solomon a second time, just as He had appeared to himat Gibeon.

3 The Lordtold him, “I have heard your prayer and supplication which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My NameandMy Presence there forever. My eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually.

4 As for you, if you walk (live your life) before Me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, acting in accordance with everything that I have commanded you, and will keep My statutes and My precepts,

5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised your father David, saying, ‘You shall not be without a man (descendant) on the throne of Israel.’

6 “But if you or your sons turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them,

7 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and I will cast out of My sight the house which I have consecrated for My NameandPresence. Then Israel will become a proverb (a saying) and a byword (object of ridicule) among all the peoples.

8 This house (temple) will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by will be appalled andsneer and say, ‘Why has the Lorddone such a thing to this land and to this house?’

9 And they [who know] will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lordtheir God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and they have chosen other gods and have worshiped and served them; that is the reason the Lordhas brought on them all this adversity.’”

Cities Given to Hiram

10 Now at the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the two houses, the temple of the Lordand the palace of the king

11 (Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with as much cedar and cypress timber [from Lebanon] and gold as he desired), at that time King Solomon gave Hiramtwenty cities in the land of Galilee (northern Israel).

12 So Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, and theydid not please him.

13 He said, “What are these cities [good for] which you have given me, my brother?” So they have been called the land of Cabul (like nothing, unproductive) to this day.

14 And Hiram sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

15 Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon conscripted to build the house of the Lord, his own house, theMillo (fortification), the wall of Jerusalem, [and the fortress cities of] Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

16 ForPharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer, burned it with fire and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and he had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.

17 So Solomon rebuilt [and fortified] Gezer and Lower Beth-horon,

18 Baalath andTamar in the wilderness, in the landof Judah,

19 and all the storage cities [for surplus provisions] which Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots and cities for his horsemen, and whatever it pleased Solomon to buildin Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land under his rule.

20 As forall the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of the sons (descendants) of Israel,

21 their children who were left after them in the land, whom the Israelites were unable to completely destroy, from them Solomon levied (conscripted) forced laborers, even to this day (the date of this writing).

22 But Solomon did not make slaves of the sons of Israel; for they were men of war (soldiers), his servants, his officers, his captains, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen.

23 These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people doing the work.

24 As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the City of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, then he built the Millo (fortification).

25 Three times a year [during themajor annual festivals] Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built to the Lord, and he burned incense with them before the Lord. So he finished the house [of the Lord].

26 King Solomon built a fleet of ships in Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds), in the land of Edom.

27 And Hiram [king of Tyre] sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon.

28 They came toOphir and took four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba

1 Now when the queen ofSheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with riddles.

2 So she came to Jerusalem with a very large caravan (entourage), with camels carrying spices, a great quantity of gold, and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about everything that was on her mind [to discover the extent of his wisdom].

3 Solomonanswered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king which he did not explain to her.

4 When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house (palace) which he had built,

5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants (court officials), the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, hisstairway by which he went up to the house (temple) of the Lord, she was breathlessandawed [by the wonder of it all].

6 Then she told the king, “The report which I heard in my own land about your words and wisdom is true!

7 I did not believe the report until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Behold, the half of it was not told to me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard.

8 How blessed (fortunate, happy) are your men! How blessed are these your servants who stand continually before you, hearing your wisdom!

9 Blessed be the Lordyour God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lordloved Israel forever, He made you king to execute justice and righteousness.”

10 She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold and a very greatquantityof spices and precious stones. Never again did such an abundance of spices come in [to Israel] as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

11 Also the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a greatquantityof almug wood (sandalwood) and precious stones.

12 From the almug wood (sandalwood) the king made pillars for the house of the Lordand for the king’s palace, and also lyres and harps for the singers. Such almug wood did not come in [to Israel]again,nor has it been seen to this day.

13 King Solomon [in turn] gave to the queen of Sheba everything that she wanted, whatever she asked, besides what he gave to herfrom his royal bounty. So she returned to her own country, she and her servants.

Wealth, Splendor and Wisdom

14 Now the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one [particular] year was six hundred and sixty-sixtalents of gold,

15 besidesthe taxesfrom the traders and from the wares of the merchants, and [the tribute money] from all the kings of the Arabs (Bedouins) and the governors of the country.

16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten (hammered) gold;six hundredshekels ofgold went into each shield.

17 He madethree hundredsmallershields of beaten gold;three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon [the king’s armory].

18 Also the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold.

19 The throne had six steps, and a roundtopwas attachedto the throne from the back. On either side of the seat were armrests, and two lions stood beside the armrests.

20 Twelve lions stood there, one on either end of each of the six steps; there was nothing like it made for any other kingdom.

21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon.

22 For the king had at sea the [large cargo] ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, monkeys, and peacocks.

23 So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in wealth and in wisdom.

24 All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his mind.

25 Every man brought a gift [of tribute]: articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

26 Now Solomon collected chariots and horsemen; he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

27 The king made silveras commonin Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as plentiful as thesycamore trees that are in the lowland.

28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and fromKue, and the king’s merchants acquired them from Kue, for a price.

29 A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundredshekelsof silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty; and in the same way they exported them, by the king’s merchants, to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram (Syria).

Solomon Turns from God

1 Now king Solomon [defiantly] lovedmany foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,

2 from the very nations of whom the Lordsaid to the Israelites, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for the result will be that they will turn away your hearts to follow their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these in love.

3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundredconcubines, and his wives turned his heart away [from God].

4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not completely devoted to the Lordhis God, as was the heart of his father David.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the [fertility] goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the horror (detestable idol) of the Ammonites.

6 Solomon did evil [things] in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lordfully, as his father Davidhad done.

7 Then Solomon built ahigh place for [worshiping] Chemosh the horror (detestable idol) of Moab, on the hill which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the horror (detestable idol) of the sons of Ammon.

8 And he did the same for all of his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

9 So the Lordbecame angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,

10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not follow other gods; but he did not observe (remember, obey) what the Lordhad commanded.

11 Therefore the Lordsaid to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

12 However, I will not do it in yourlifetime, for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son (Rehoboam).

13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom; I will give one tribe (Judah) to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

God Raises Adversaries

14 Then the Lordstirred up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of royal descent in Edom.

15 For it came about, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury those killed [in battle] and had struck down every male in Edom

16 (for Joab and all [the army of] Israel stayed there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom),

17 that Hadad escaped to Egypt, he and some Edomites from his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was [still] a little boy.

18 They set out from Midian [south of Edom] and came to Paran, and took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave [young] Hadad a house and ordered foodandprovisions for him and gave him land.

19 Hadad found great favor with Pharaoh, so that he gave Hadad in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.

20 The sister of Tahpenes gave birth to Genubath, Hadad’s son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh.

21 But when Hadad heard in Egypt that Davidhad died and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me leave, so that I may go to my own country.”

22 Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me that now you ask to go to your own country?” He replied, “Nothing; nevertheless you must let me go.”

23 God also stirred upanotheradversary for Solomon, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah.

24 Rezon gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, after David killed thosein Zobah. They went to Damascus and stayed there and they reigned in Damascus.

25 So Rezon was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadadinflicted. Rezon hated Israel and reigned over Aram (Syria).

26 Jeroboam, Solomon’s servant, the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zeredah whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king.

27 Now this is the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo (fortification) and he repairedandclosed the breach of the city of his father David.

28 The man Jeroboam was a brave warrior and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.

29 It came about at that time, when Jeroboam left Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road. Now Ahijah had covered himself with a new cloak; and the two of them were alone in the field.

30 Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.

31 He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes–

32 but he [and his descendants] shall haveone tribe (Benjamin was annexed to Judah), for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel–

33 becausethey have abandoned Me and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My waysandfollowed My commandments, doing what is right in My sight andkeepingMy statutes and My ordinances as did his father David.

34 ~‘However, I will not take the entire kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes.

35 ~‘But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and give it to you: ten tribes.

36 ~‘Yet to his son I will giveone tribe, so that My servant David may have alamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put My NameandPresence.

37 ~‘I will take you [Jeroboam], and you shall reign over whatever your soul desires; and you shall be king over Israel (the ten northern tribes).

38 ~‘Then it shall be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, keepingandobserving My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

39 ~‘And in this way I will afflict the descendants of David for this (their sin), but not forever.’”

40 So Solomon attempted to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam set out and escaped to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.

The Death of Solomon

41 The rest of the acts of Solomon–and all that he did, and his wisdom–are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?

42 The time Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

43 And Solomon slept [in death] with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

King Rehoboam Acts Foolishly

1 Rehoboam went toShechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

2 Now when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard about it, he was living in Egypt (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon).

3 So they sentwordand called for him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

4 “Your father made our yoke (burden) heavy; so now lighten the hard labor and the heavy yoke your father imposed on us, and we will serve you.”

5 Rehoboam replied to them, “Leave for three days, then come back to me [for my decision].” So the people left.

6 King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had servedandadvised his father Solomon while he was still alive and said, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”

7 They spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant their request, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

8 But heignored the advice which the elders gave him and consulted the young men who grew up with him and served him.

9 He said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke (burden) which your father put on us’?”

10 The young men who had grown up with him answered, “This is what you should say to this people who told you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but as for you, make our yoke lighter’–say this to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins [and my reign will be even more severe].

11 ~‘And now, whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you withscorpions.’”

12 Jeroboam and all the people came back to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had instructed, saying, “Return to me on the third day.”

13 The king answered the people harshly andignored the advice which the elders had given him,

14 and spoke to them in accordance with the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but as for me, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”

15 So the king did not listen to the people; for the situation was from the Lord, so that He might fulfill His word which He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

The Kingdom Divided; Jeroboam Rules Israel

16 So when all [the ten northern tribes of] Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people replied to the king, saying,

“What portion do we have in David?

We haveno inheritance in the son of Jesse;

To your tents, O Israel!

Look now afteryour own house, David!”

Then Israel went back to their tents.

17 But as for the sons (descendants) of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah [including Benjamin], Rehoboam reigned over them.

18 Then King Rehoboam sentAdoram, who was in charge of the forced labor [to represent him], and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot to escape to Jerusalem.

19 So Israel (the ten northern tribes) has rebelled against the house (royal line) of David to this day (the date of this writing).

20 It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sentwordand called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah [including Benjamin].

21 Now when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he assembled all the [fighting men from the] house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

23 “Tell Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and all the house (fighting men) of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the people,

24 ‘Thus says the Lord, “You shall not go up and fight against your brothers, the sons of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing has come about from Me.”’” So they listened to the word of the Lordand returned to go home, in accordance with the word of the Lord.

Jeroboam’s Idolatry

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem [as his royal city] in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. He went out from there and rebuilt Penuel [as a stronghold].

26 Jeroboam [doubted God’s promise to him and] said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.

27 If these people go up to the house of the Lordin Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, then their heart will turn to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

28 So the king took counsel [and followed bad advice] and made twocalves of gold. And he said to the people, “It is too much for you to go [all the way] up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

29 He set the one [golden calf] in Bethel, and the other he put inDan.

30 Now this thing became a sin [for Israel]; because the people wentto worshipbefore the one [or the other of them] as far as Dan.

31 And Jeroboam also made houses on high places, and he made priests fromall people who were not of the sons (descendants) of Levi.

32 Jeroboam held a feast on the fifteenth day of theeighth month, like the feast which iskeptin Judah, and he went up to the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

33 So he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart [in defiance of God’s commandments]; and he held a feast for the Israelites and he went up to the altar to burnincense [in defiance of God’s law.]

Jeroboam Warned, Stricken

1 Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word (command) of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar [which he had built] to burn incense.

2 The man cried out against the [idolatrous] altar by the word of the Lord, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David,Josiah by name; and on you shall he sacrifice [the bodies of] the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’”

3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lordhas spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.’”

4 When the king heard the words which the man of God cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” And his hand which he had put out against him withered, so that he was unable to pull it back to himself.

5 The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar in accordance with the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.

6 The king answered and said to the man of God, “Please entreat [the favor of] the Lordyour God and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him and became as it was before.

7 And the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”

8 But the man of God said to the king, “Evenif you were to give me half your house (wealth), I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.

9 For I was commanded by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall not eat bread or drink water, nor shall you return by the way you came.’”

10 So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.

The Disobedient Prophet

11 Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him everything that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.

12 Their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” For his sons had seen which way the man of God who came from Judah had gone.

13 He said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it,

14 and he went after the man of God. And he found him sitting under an oak (terebinth) tree, and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.”

15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”

16 He said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

17 For I was told by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor shall you return by going the way that you came.’”

18 He answered him, “I too am a prophet, as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’”Buthe lied to him.

19 So the man of God went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.

20 Now it happened as they were sitting at the table, that the word of the Lordcame to the prophet who had brought him back.

21 And he cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lordand have not kept the commandment which the Lordyour God commanded you,

22 but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which the Lordsaid to you, “You shall not eat bread nor drink water”; your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers (ancestors).’”

23 After the prophet of the house had eaten bread and after he had drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back.

24 Now when he had gone, a lion met him by the road and killed him, and his body was thrown in the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion was also standing beside the body.

25 And there were men passing by, and they saw the body thrown in the road, and the lion standing beside the body. So they came and told about it in the city [of Bethel] where the old prophet lived.

26 When the prophet who had brought him back from the road heard about it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the Lord; therefore the Lordhas given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, in accordance with the word of the Lordwhich He spoke to him.”

27 And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it.

28 And he went and found the body thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion [miraculously] had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey.

29 Then the prophet picked up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came into the city (Bethel) of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him.

30 And he laid the body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”

31 Then after he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I am dead, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.

32 For the words which he cried out by the word of the Lordagainst the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria shall certainly come to pass.”

33 After this event, Jeroboam [still] did not turn from his evil way, but again made priests for the high places from among all the people. He ordained anyone who was willing, so that there would be priests for the high places.

34 And this thing (idol worship) became the sin of the house of Jeroboam to blot it out and eliminate it from the face of the earth.

Ahijah Prophesies against the King

1 At that time Abijah the son [and crown prince, heir] of Jeroboam became sick.

2 Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please get up and disguise yourself, so that people will not know that you are Jeroboam’s wife, and go to Shiloh. Ahijah the prophet is there, the one who told me thatI would beking over this people.

3 Take with you ten loaves of bread,somecakes, and a bottle of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

4 Jeroboam’s wife did so. She got up and went [twenty miles] to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, because his eyes were dim from old age.

5 And the Lordsaid to Ahijah, “Behold, thewife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you about her son, because he is sick. You shall say such and such to her, for when she arrives, she will pretend to be another woman.”

6 So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another woman? For I have been sent to you [by God] with a harshmessage.

7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel,

8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you–but you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes,

9 but have done more evil than all [thekings] who were before you; for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back–

10 therefore behold, I am bringing evil on the house (royal line) of Jeroboam, and I will cut off (destroy) from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free, in Israel, and willutterlysweep away the house of Jeroboam as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone.

11 The dogs will eat [the carcass of] anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat [the carcass of] anyone who dies in the field, for the Lordhas spoken it.”’

12 Now as for you (Jeroboam’s wife), arise, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child [Abijah] will die.

13 All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam’sfamilywill come to [be placed in] the grave, because in him there was found something goodandpleasing toward the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.

14 Moreover, the Lordwill raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house (royal line) of Jeroboam this day and from now on.

15 “The Lordwill strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the [Euphrates] River, because they have made theirAsherim, provoking the Lordto anger.

16 He will give up Israel because of the sins of Jeroboam which he has committed, and with which he has made Israel sin [by leading them into idolatry].”

17 So Jeroboam’s wife arose and left and came to Tirzah [the king’s residence]. As she was entering the threshold of the house, the child [Abijah] died.

18 And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, in accordance with the word of the Lordwhich He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

19 Now as for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

20 The time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years, and he slept with his fathers [in death]; and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

Rehoboam Misleads Judah

21 Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lordhad chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name (Presence). His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.

22 And [the people of] Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord. They provoked Him tojealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with their sins which they had committed.

23 For they also built for themselves high places [to worship idols] andsacredpillars and Asherim [for the goddess Asherah].These wereon every high hill and under every luxuriant tree.

24 There were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They committed all the repulsive acts of the nations which the Lorddispossessed before the Israelites.

25 Now in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt [Jeroboam’s brother-in-law] came up against Jerusalem.

26 He took away the treasures of the house (temple) of the Lordand the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything, he even took all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

27 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and handed them over to the captains of the palace guard who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.

28 And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guards would carry them and bring them back into the guardroom.

29 Now as for the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

30 There was also war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. Abijam (Abijah) his son became king in his place.