Category: 1 Kings

Introduction

The First Book of Kings

continues the history of the Israelite monarchy begun in the books of

Samuel

It may be divided into three parts: (1) The succession of Solomon as king of Israel and Judah, and the death of his father David. (2) The reign and achievements of Solomon. Especially noteworthy is the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. (3) The division of the nation into the northern and southern kingdoms, and the stories of the kings who ruled them down to the middle of the ninth century

b.c.

In the two books of

Kings

each ruler is judged according to his loyalty to God, and national success is seen as depending on this loyalty, while idolatry and disobedience lead to disaster. The kings of the northern kingdom all fail the test, while the record of Judah’s kings is mixed.

Prominent in

First Kings

are the prophets of the Lord, those courageous spokesmen for God who warned the people not to worship idols and not to disobey God. Especially notable is Elijah and the story of his contest with the priests of Baal (chapter 18).

Outline of Contents

The end of David’s reign (1.1—2.12)

Solomon becomes king (2.13-46)

Solomon’s reign (3.1—11.43)

a. The early years (3.1—4.34)

b. The Temple is built (5.1—8.66)

c. The later years (9.1—11.43)

The divided kingdom (12.1—22.53)

a. The revolt of the northern tribes (12.1—14.20)

b. The kings of Judah and of Israel (14.21—16.34)

c. The prophet Elijah (17.1—19.21)

d. King Ahab of Israel (20.1—22.40)

e. Jehoshaphat of Judah and Ahaziah of Israel (22.41-53)

King David in His Old Age

1 King David was now a very old man, and although his servants covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.

2 So his officials said to him, “Your Majesty, let us find a young woman to stay with you and take care of you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm.”

3 A search was made all over Israel for a beautiful young woman, and in Shunem they found such a woman named Abishag, and brought her to the king.

4 She was very beautiful, and waited on the king and took care of him, but he did not have intercourse with her.

Adonijah Claims the Throne

5-6 Now that Absalom was dead, Adonijah, the son of David and Haggith, was the oldest surviving son. He was a very handsome man. David had never reprimanded him about anything, and he was ambitious to be king. He provided for himself chariots, horses, and an escort of fifty men.

7 He talked with Joab (whose mother was Zeruiah) and with Abiathar the priest, and they agreed to support his cause.

8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s bodyguards were not on Adonijah’s side.

9 One day Adonijah offered a sacrifice of sheep, bulls, and fattened calves at Snake Rock, near the spring of Enrogel. He invited the other sons of King David and the king’s officials who were from Judah to come to this sacrificial feast,

10 but he did not invite his half brother Solomon or Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the king’s bodyguards.

Solomon Is Made King

11 Then Nathan went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, and asked her, “Haven’t you heard that Haggith’s son Adonijah has made himself king? And King David doesn’t know anything about it!

12 If you want to save your life and the life of your son Solomon, I would advise you to

13 go at once to King David and ask him, ‘Your Majesty, didn’t you solemnly promise me that my son Solomon would succeed you as king? How is it, then, that Adonijah has become king?’”

14 And Nathan added, “Then, while you are still talking with King David, I will come in and confirm your story.”

15 So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. He was very old, and Abishag, the young woman from Shunem, was taking care of him.

16 Bathsheba bowed low before the king, and he asked, “What do you want?”

17 She answered, “Your Majesty, you made me a solemn promise in the name of theLordyour God that my son Solomon would be king after you.

18 But Adonijah has already become king, and you don’t know anything about it.

19 He has offered a sacrifice of many bulls, sheep, and fattened calves, and he invited your sons, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of your army to the feast, but he did not invite your son Solomon.

20 Your Majesty, all the people of Israel are looking to you to tell them who is to succeed you as king.

21 If you don’t, as soon as you are dead, my son Solomon and I will be treated as traitors.”

22 She was still speaking, when Nathan arrived at the palace.

23 The king was told that the prophet was there, and Nathan went in and bowed low before the king.

24 Then he said, “Your Majesty, have you announced that Adonijah would succeed you as king?

25 This very day he has gone and offered a sacrifice of many bulls, sheep, and fattened calves. He invited all your sons, Joab the commander of your army,and Abiathar the priest, and right now they are feasting with him and shouting, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

26 But he did not invite me, sir, or Zadok the priest or Benaiah or Solomon.

27 Did Your Majesty approve all this and not even tell your officials who is to succeed you as king?”

28 King David said, “Ask Bathsheba to come back in”—and she came and stood before him.

29 Then he said to her, “I promise you by the livingLord, who has rescued me from all my troubles,

30 that today I will keep the promise I made to you in the name of theLord, the God of Israel, that your son Solomon would succeed me as king.”

31 Bathsheba bowed low and said, “May my lord the king live forever!”

32 Then King David sent for Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah. When they came in,

33 he said to them, “Take my court officials with you; have my son Solomon ride my own mule, and escort him down to Gihon Spring,

34 where Zadok and Nathan are to anoint him as king of Israel. Then blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’

35 Follow him back here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will succeed me as king, because he is the one I have chosen to be the ruler of Israel and Judah.”

36 “It shall be done,” answered Benaiah, “and may theLordyour God confirm it!

37 As theLordhas been with Your Majesty, may he also be with Solomon and make his reign even more prosperous than yours.”

38 So Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, and the royal bodyguards put Solomon on King David’s mule and escorted him to Gihon Spring.

39 Zadok took the container of olive oil which he had brought from the Tent of theLord’s presence, and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet, and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!”

40 Then they all followed him back, shouting for joy and playing flutes, making enough noise to shake the ground.

41 As Adonijah and all his guests were finishing the feast, they heard the noise. And when Joab heard the trumpet, he asked, “What’s the meaning of all that noise in the city?”

42 Before he finished speaking, Jonathan, the son of the priest Abiathar, arrived. “Come on in,” Adonijah said. “You’re a good man—you must be bringing good news.”

43 “I’m afraid not,” Jonathan answered. “His Majesty King David has made Solomon king.

44 He sent Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, and the royal bodyguards to escort him. They had him ride on the king’s mule,

45 and Zadok and Nathan anointed him as king at Gihon Spring. Then they went into the city, shouting for joy, and the people are now in an uproar. That’s the noise you just heard.

46 Solomon is now the king.

47 What is more, the court officials went in to pay their respects to His Majesty King David and said, ‘May your God make Solomon even more famous than you, and may Solomon’s reign be even more prosperous than yours.’ Then King David bowed in worship on his bed

48 and prayed, ‘Let us praise theLord, the God of Israel, who has today made one of my descendants succeed me as king, and has let me live to see it!’”

49 Then Adonijah’s guests were afraid, and they all got up and left, each going his own way.

50 Adonijah, in great fear of Solomon, went to the Tent of theLord’s presence and took hold of the corners of the altar.

51 King Solomon was told that Adonijah was afraid of him and that he was holding on to the corners of the altar and had said, “First, I want King Solomon to swear to me that he will not have me put to death.”

52 Solomon replied, “If he is loyal, not even a hair on his head will be touched; but if he is not, he will die.”

53 King Solomon then sent for Adonijah and had him brought down from the altar. Adonijah went to the king and bowed low before him, and the king said to him, “You may go home.”

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David’s Last Instructions to Solomon

1 When David was about to die, he called his son Solomon and gave him his last instructions:

2 “My time to die has come. Be confident and determined,

3 and do what theLordyour God orders you to do. Obey all his laws and commands, as written in the Law of Moses, so that wherever you go you may prosper in everything you do.

4 If you obey him, theLordwill keep the promise he made when he told me that my descendants would rule Israel as long as they were careful to obey his commands faithfully with all their heart and soul.

5 “There is something else. You remember what Joab did to me by killing the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. You remember how he murdered them in time of peace as revenge for deaths they had caused in time of war. He killed innocent men,and now I bear the responsibility for what he did, and I sufferthe consequences.

6 You know what to do; you must not let him die a natural death.

7 “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead and take care of them, because they were kind to me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.

8 “There is also Shimei son of Gera, from the town of Bahurim in Benjamin. He cursed me bitterly the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he met me at the Jordan River, I gave him my solemn promise in the name of theLordthat I would not have him killed.

9 But you must not let him go unpunished. You know what to do, and you must see to it that he is put to death.”

The Death of David

10 David died and was buried in David’s City.

11 He had been king of Israel for forty years, ruling seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

12 Solomon succeeded his father David as king, and his royal power was firmly established.

The Death of Adonijah

13 Then Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, went to Bathsheba, who was Solomon’s mother. “Is this a friendly visit?” she asked.

“It is,” he answered,

14 and then he added, “I have something to ask of you.”

“What is it?” she asked.

15 He answered, “You know that I should have become king and that everyone in Israel expected it. But it happened differently, and my brother became king because it was theLord’s will.

16 And now I have one request to make; please do not refuse me.”

“What is it?” Bathsheba asked.

17 He answered, “Please ask King Solomon—I know he won’t refuse you—to let me have Abishag, the young woman from Shunem, as my wife.”

18 “Very well,” she answered. “I will speak to the king for you.”

19 So Bathsheba went to the king to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king stood up to greet his mother and bowed to her. Then he sat on his throne and had another one brought in on which she sat at his right.

20 She said, “I have a small favor to ask of you; please do not refuse me.”

“What is it, mother?” he asked. “I will not refuse you.”

21 She answered, “Let your brother Adonijah have Abishag as his wife.”

22 “Why do you ask me to give Abishag to him?” the king asked. “You might as well ask me to give him the throne too. After all, he is my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab are on his side!”

23 Then Solomon made a solemn promise in theLord’s name, “May God strike me dead if I don’t make Adonijah pay with his life for asking this!

24 TheLordhas firmly established me on the throne of my father David; he has kept his promise and given the kingdom to me and my descendants. I swear by the livingLordthat Adonijah will die this very day!”

25 So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah, who went out and killed Adonijah.

Abiathar’s Banishment and Joab’s Death

26 Then King Solomon said to Abiathar the priest, “Go to your country home in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not have you put to death now, for you were in charge of theLord’s Covenant Box while you were with my father David, and you shared in all his troubles.”

27 Then Solomon dismissed Abiathar from serving as a priest of theLord, and so made come true what theLordhad said in Shiloh about the priest Eli and his descendants.

28 Joab heard what had happened. (He had supported Adonijah, but not Absalom.) So he fled to the Tent of theLord’s presence and took hold of the corners of the altar.

29 When the news reached King Solomon that Joab had fled to the Tent and was by the altar, Solomon sent a messenger to Joab to ask him why he had fled to the altar. Joab answered that he had fled to theLordbecause he was afraid of Solomon. So King Solomon sent Benaiahto kill Joab.

30 He went to the Tent of theLord’s presence and said to Joab, “The king orders you to come out.”

“No,” Joab answered. “I will die here.”

Benaiah went back to the king and told him what Joab had said.

31 “Do what Joab says,” Solomon answered. “Kill him and bury him. Then neither I nor any other of David’s descendants will any longer be held responsible for what Joab did when he killed innocent men.

32 TheLordwill punish Joab for those murders, which he committedwithout my father David’s knowledge. Joab killed two innocent men who were better men than he: Abner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa, commander of the army of Judah.

33 The punishment for their murders will fall on Joab and on his descendants forever. But theLordwill always give success to David’s descendants who sit on his throne.”

34 So Benaiah went to the Tent of theLord’s presence and killed Joab, and he was buried at his home in the open country.

35 The king made Benaiah commander of the army in Joab’s place and put Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.

The Death of Shimei

36 Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself here in Jerusalem. Live in it and don’t leave the city.

37 If you ever leave and go beyond Kidron Brook, you will certainly die—and you yourself will be to blame.”

38 “Very well, Your Majesty,” Shimei answered. “I will do what you say.” So he lived in Jerusalem a long time.

39 Three years later, however, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to the king of Gath, Achish son of Maacah. When Shimei heard that they were in Gath,

40 he saddled his donkey and went to King Achish in Gath, to find his slaves. He found them and brought them back home.

41 When Solomon heard what Shimei had done,

42 he sent for him and said, “I made you promise in theLord’s name not to leave Jerusalem. And I warned you that if you ever did, you would certainly die. Did you not agree to it and say that you would obey me?

43 Why, then, have you broken your promise and disobeyed my command?

44 You know very well all the wrong that you did to my father David. TheLordwill punish you for it.

45 But he will bless me, and he will make David’s kingdom secure forever.”

46 Then the king gave orders to Benaiah, who went out and killed Shimei. Solomon was now in complete control.

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Solomon Prays for Wisdom

1 Solomon made an alliance with the king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. He brought her to live in David’s City until he had finished building his palace, the Temple, and the wall around Jerusalem.

2 A temple had not yet been built for theLord, and so the people were still offering sacrifices at many different altars.

3 Solomon loved theLordand followed the instructions of his father David, but he also slaughtered animals and offered them as sacrifices on various altars.

4 On one occasion he went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices because that was where the most famous altar was. He had offered hundreds of burnt offerings there in the past.

5 That night theLordappeared to him in a dream and asked him, “What would you like me to give you?”

6 Solomon answered, “You always showed great love for my father David, your servant, and he was good, loyal, and honest in his relation with you. And you have continued to show him your great and constant love by giving him a son who today rules in his place.

7 OLordGod, you have let me succeed my father as king, even though I am very young and don’t know how to rule.

8 Here I am among the people you have chosen to be your own, a people who are so many that they cannot be counted.

9 So give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this,

11 and so he said to him, “Because you have asked for the wisdom to rule justly, instead of long life for yourself or riches or the death of your enemies,

12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had before or will ever have again.

13 I will also give you what you have not asked for: all your life you will have wealth and honor, more than that of any other king.

14 And if you obey me and keep my laws and commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”

15 Solomon woke up and realized that God had spoken to him in the dream. Then he went to Jerusalem and stood in front of theLord’s Covenant Box and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to theLord. After that he gave a feast for all his officials.

Solomon Judges a Difficult Case

16 One day two prostitutes came and presented themselves before King Solomon.

17 One of them said, “Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a baby boy at home while she was there.

18 Two days after my child was born, she also gave birth to a baby boy. Only the two of us were there in the house—no one else was present.

19 Then one night she accidentally rolled over on her baby and smothered it.

20 She got up during the night, took my son from my side while I was asleep, and carried him to her bed; then she put the dead child in my bed.

21 The next morning, when I woke up and was going to nurse my baby, I saw that it was dead. I looked at it more closely and saw that it was not my child.”

22 But the other woman said, “No! The living child is mine, and the dead one is yours!”

The first woman answered back, “No! The dead child is yours, and the living one is mine!”

And so they argued before the king.

23 Then King Solomon said, “Each of you claims that the living child is hers and that the dead child belongs to the other one.”

24 He sent for a sword, and when it was brought,

25 he said, “Cut the living child in two and give each woman half of it.”

26 The real mother, her heart full of love for her son, said to the king, “Please, Your Majesty, don’t kill the child! Give it to her!”

But the other woman said, “Don’t give it to either of us; go on and cut it in two.”

27 Then Solomon said, “Don’t kill the child! Give it to the first woman—she is its real mother.”

28 When the people of Israel heard of Solomon’s decision, they were all filled with deep respect for him, because they knew then that God had given him the wisdom to settle disputes fairly.

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Solomon’s Officials

1 Solomon was king of all Israel,

2 and these were his high officials:

The priest: Azariah son of Zadok

3 The court secretaries: Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha

In charge of the records: Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud

4 Commander of the army: Benaiah son of Jehoiada

Priests: Zadok and Abiathar

5 Chief of the district governors: Azariah son of Nathan

Royal Adviser: the priest Zabud son of Nathan

6 In charge of the palace servants: Ahishar

In charge of the forced labor: Adoniram son of Abda

7 Solomon appointed twelve men as district governors in Israel. They were to provide food from their districts for the king and his household, each man being responsible for one month out of the year.

8 The following are the names of these twelve officers and the districts they were in charge of:

Benhur: the hill country of Ephraim

9 Bendeker: the cities of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, Elon, and Beth Hanan

10 Benhesed: the cities of Arubboth and Socoh and all the territory of Hepher

11 Benabinadab, who was married to Solomon’s daughter Taphath: the whole region of Dor

12 Baana son of Ahilud: the cities of Taanach, Megiddo, and all the region near Beth Shan, near the town of Zarethan, south of the town of Jezreel, as far as the city of Abel Meholah and the city of Jokmeam

13 Bengeber: the city of Ramoth in Gilead, and the villages in Gilead belonging to the clan of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, and the region of Argob in Bashan, sixty large towns in all, fortified with walls and with bronze bars on the gates

14 Ahinadab son of Iddo: the district of Mahanaim

15 Ahimaaz, who was married to Basemath, another of Solomon’s daughters: the territory of Naphtali

16 Baana son of Hushai: the region of Asher and the town of Bealoth

17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah: the territory of Issachar

18 Shimei son of Ela: the territory of Benjamin

19 Geber son of Uri: the region of Gilead, which had been ruled by King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan

Besides these twelve, there was one governor over the whole land.

Solomon’s Prosperous Reign

20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore; they ate and drank, and were happy.

21 Solomon’s kingdom included all the nations from the Euphrates River to Philistia and the Egyptian border. They paid him taxes and were subject to him all his life.

22 The supplies Solomon needed each day were 150 bushels of fine flour and 300 bushels of meal;

23 10 stall-fed cattle, 20 pasture-fed cattle, and 100 sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and poultry.

24 Solomon ruled over all the land west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah on the Euphrates as far west as the city of Gaza. All the kings west of the Euphrates were subject to him, and he was at peace with all the neighboring countries.

25 As long as he lived, the people throughout Judah and Israel lived in safety, each family with its own grapevines and fig trees.

26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand cavalry horses.

27 His twelve governors, each one in the month assigned to him, supplied the food King Solomon needed for himself and for all who ate in the palace; they always supplied everything needed.

28 Each governor also supplied his share of barley and straw, where it was needed,for the chariot horses and the work animals.

29 God gave Solomon unusual wisdom and insight, and knowledge too great to be measured.

30 Solomon was wiser than the wise men of the East or the wise men of Egypt.

31 He was the wisest of all men: wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame spread throughout all the neighboring countries.

32 He composed three thousand proverbs and more than a thousand songs.

33 He spoke of trees and plants, from the Lebanon cedars to the hyssop that grows on walls; he talked about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

34 Kings all over the world heard of his wisdom and sent people to listen to him.

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Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple

1 King Hiram of Tyre had always been a friend of David’s, and when he heard that Solomon had succeeded his father David as king, he sent ambassadors to him.

2 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:

3 “You know that because of the constant wars my father David had to fight against the enemy countries all around him, he could not build a temple for the worship of theLordhis God until theLordhad given him victory over all his enemies.

4 But now theLordmy God has given me peace on all my borders. I have no enemies, and there is no danger of attack.

5 TheLordpromised my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will make king after you, will build a temple for me.’ And I have now decided to build that temple for the worship of theLordmy God.

6 So send your men to Lebanon to cut down cedars for me. My men will work with them, and I will pay your men whatever you decide. As you well know, my men don’t know how to cut down trees as well as yours do.”

7 Hiram was extremely pleased when he received Solomon’s message, and he said, “Praise theLordtoday for giving David such a wise son to succeed him as king of that great nation!”

8 Then Hiram sent Solomon the following message: “I have received your message, and I am ready to do what you ask. I will provide the cedars and the pine trees.

9 My men will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea and will tie them together in rafts to float them down the coast to the place you choose. There my men will untie them, and your men will take charge of them. On your part, I would like you to supply the food for my men.”

10 So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the cedar and pine logs that he wanted,

11 and Solomon provided Hiram with 100,000 bushels of wheat and 110,000 gallonsof pure olive oil every year to feed his men.

12 TheLordkept his promise and gave Solomon wisdom. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made a treaty with each other.

13 King Solomon drafted 30,000 men as forced labor from all over Israel,

14 and put Adoniram in charge of them. He divided them into three groups of 10,000 men, and each group spent one month in Lebanon and two months back home.

15 Solomon also had 80,000 stone cutters in the hill country, with 70,000 men to carry the stones,

16 and he placed 3,300 foremen in charge of them to supervise their work.

17 At King Solomon’s command they cut fine large stones for the foundation of the Temple.

18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s workers and men from the city of Byblos prepared the stones and the timber to build the Temple.

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Solomon Builds the Temple

1 Four hundred and eighty years after the people of Israel left Egypt, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the second month, the month of Ziv, Solomon began work on the Temple.

2 Inside it was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

3 The entrance room was 15 feet deep and 30 feet wide, as wide as the sanctuary itself.

4 The walls of the Temple had openings in them, narrower on the outside than on the inside.

5 Against the outside walls, on the sides and the back of the Temple, a three-storied annex was built, each story 7½ feet high.

6 Each room in the lowest story was 7½ feet wide, in the middle story 9 feet wide, and in the top story 10½ feet wide. The Temple wall on each floor was thinner than on the floor below, so that the rooms could rest on the wall without having their beams built into it.

7 The stones with which the Temple was built had been prepared at the quarry, so that there was no noise made by hammers, axes, or any other iron tools as the Temple was being built.

8 The entrance to the loweststory of the annex was on the south side of the Temple, with stairs leading up to the second and third stories.

9 So King Solomon finished building the Temple. He put in a ceiling made of beams and boards of cedar.

10 The three-storied annex, each story7½ feet high, was built against the outside walls of the Temple, and was joined to them by cedar beams.

11 TheLordsaid to Solomon,

12 “If you obey all my laws and commands, I will do for you what I promised your father David.

13 I will live among my people Israel in this Temple that you are building, and I will never abandon them.”

14 So Solomon finished building the Temple.

The Interior Furnishings of the Temple

15 The inside walls were covered with cedar panels from the floor to the ceiling, and the floor was made of pine.

16 An inner room, called the Most Holy Place, was built in the rear of the Temple. It was 30 feet long and was partitioned off by cedar boards reaching from the floor to the ceiling.

17 The room in front of the Most Holy Place was 60 feet long.

18 The cedar panels were decorated with carvings of gourds and flowers; the whole interior was covered with cedar, so that the stones of the walls could not be seen.

19 In the rear of the Temple an inner room was built, where theLord’s Covenant Box was to be placed.

20 This inner room was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high, all covered with pure gold. The altar was covered with cedar panels.

21 The inside of the Temple was covered with gold, and gold chains were placed across the entrance of the inner room, which was also covered with gold.

22 The whole interior of the Temple was covered with gold, as well as the altar in the Most Holy Place.

23 Two winged creatures were made of olive wood and placed in the Most Holy Place, each one 15 feet tall.

24-26 Both were of the same size and shape. Each had two wings, each wing 7½ feet long, so that the distance from one wing tip to the other was 15 feet.

27 They were placed side by side in the Most Holy Place, so that two of their outstretched wings touched each other in the middle of the room, and the other two wings touched the walls.

28 The two winged creatures were covered with gold.

29 The walls of the main room and of the inner room were all decorated with carved figures of winged creatures, palm trees, and flowers.

30 Even the floor was covered with gold.

31 A double door made of olive wood was set in place at the entrance of the Most Holy Place; the top of the doorway was a pointed arch.

32 The doors were decorated with carved figures of winged creatures, palm trees, and flowers. The doors, the winged creatures, and the palm trees were covered with gold.

33 For the entrance to the main room a rectangular doorframe of olive wood was made.

34 There were two folding doors made of pine

35 and decorated with carved figures of winged creatures, palm trees, and flowers, which were evenly covered with gold.

36 An inner court was built in front of the Temple, enclosed with walls which had one layer of cedar beams for every three layers of stone.

37 The foundation of the Temple was laid in the second month, the month of Ziv, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign.

38 In the eighth month, the month of Bul, in the eleventh year of Solomon’s reign, the Temple was completely finished exactly as it had been planned. It had taken Solomon seven years to build it.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/1KI/6-b4ae4d40def699ed1431334197ae8b1a.mp3?version_id=68—

Solomon’s Palace

1 Solomon also built a palace for himself, and it took him thirteen years.

2-3 The Hall of the Forest of Lebanonwas 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. It had threerows of cedar pillars, 15 in each row, with cedar beams resting on them. The ceiling was of cedar, extending over storerooms, which were supported by the pillars.

4 On each of the two side walls there were three rows of windows.

5 The doorways and the windowshad rectangular frames, and the three rows of windows in each wall faced the opposite rows.

6 The Hall of Columns was 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. It had a covered porch, supported by columns.

7 The Throne Room, also called the Hall of Judgment, where Solomon decided cases, had cedar panels from the floor to the rafters.

8 Solomon’s own quarters, in another court behind the Hall of Judgment, were made like the other buildings. He also built the same kind of house for his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt.

9 All these buildings and the great court were made of fine stones from the foundations to the eaves. The stones were prepared at the quarry and cut to measure, with their inner and outer sides trimmed with saws.

10 The foundations were made of large stones prepared at the quarry, some of them twelve feet long and others fifteen feet long.

11 On top of them were other stones, cut to measure, and cedar beams.

12 The palace court, the inner court of the Temple, and the entrance room of the Temple had walls with one layer of cedar beams for every three layers of cut stones.

Huram’s Task

13 King Solomon sent for a man named Huram, a craftsman living in the city of Tyre, who was skilled in bronze work.

14 His father, who was no longer living, was from Tyre, and had also been a skilled bronze craftsman; his mother was from the tribe of Naphtali. Huram was an intelligent and experienced craftsman. He accepted King Solomon’s invitation to be in charge of all the bronze work.

The Two Bronze Columns

15 Huram cast two bronze columns, each one 27 feet tall and 18 feet in circumference,and placed them at the entrance of the Temple.

16 He also made two bronze capitals, each one 7½ feet tall, to be placed on top of the columns.

17 The top of each column was decorated with a design of interwoven chains

18 and two rows of bronze pomegranates.

19 The capitals were shaped like lilies, 6 feet tall,

20 and were placed on a rounded section which was above the chain design. There were 200 pomegranates in two rows around eachcapital.

21 Huram placed these two bronze columns in front of the entrance of the Temple: the one on the south side was named Jachinand the one on the north was named Boaz.

22 The lily-shaped bronze capitals were on top of the columns.

And so the work on the columns was completed.

The Bronze Tank

23 Huram made a round tank of bronze, 7½ feet deep, 15 feet in diameter, and 45 feet in circumference.

24 All around the outer edge of the rim of the tankwere two rows of bronze gourds, which had been cast all in one piece with the rest of the tank.

25 The tank rested on the backs of twelve bronze bulls that faced outward, three facing in each direction.

26 The sides of the tank were 3 inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup, curving outward like the petals of a lily. The tank held about 10,000 gallons.

The Bronze Carts

27 Huram also made ten bronze carts; each was 6 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 4½ feet high.

28 They were made of square panels which were set in frames,

29 with the figures of lions, bulls, and winged creatures on the panels; and on the frames, above and underneath the lions and bulls, there were spiral figures in relief.

30 Each cart had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. At the four corners were bronze supports for a basin; the supports were decorated with spiral figures in relief.

31 There was a circular frame on top for the basin. It projected upward 18 inches from the top of the cart and 7 inches down into it. It had carvings around it.

32 The wheels were 25 inches high; they were under the panels, and the axles were of one piece with the carts.

33 The wheels were like chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of bronze.

34 There were four supports at the bottom corners of each cart, which were of one piece with the cart.

35 There was a 9-inch band around the top of each cart; its supports and the panels were of one piece with the cart.

36 The supports and panels were decorated with figures of winged creatures, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was space for them, with spiral figures all around.

37 This, then, is how the carts were made; they were all alike, having the same size and shape.

38 Huram also made ten basins, one for each cart. Each basin was 6 feet in diameter and held 200 gallons.

39 He placed five of the carts on the south side of the Temple, and the other five on the north side; the tank he placed at the southeast corner.

Summary List of Temple Furnishings

40-45 Huram also made pots, shovels, and bowls. He completed all his work for King Solomon for theLord’s Temple. This is what he made:

The two columns

The two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the columns

The design of interwoven chains on each capital

The 400 bronze pomegranates, in two rows of 100 each around the design on each capital

The ten carts

The ten basins

The tank

The twelve bulls supporting the tank

The pots, shovels, and bowls

All this equipment for the Temple, which Huram made for King Solomon, was of polished bronze.

46 The king had it all made in the foundry between Sukkoth and Zarethan, in the Jordan Valley.

47 Solomon did not have these bronze objects weighed, because there were too many of them, and so their weight was never determined.

48 Solomon also had gold furnishings made for the Temple: the altar, the table for the bread offered to God,

49 the ten lampstands that stood in front of the Most Holy Place, five on the south side and five on the north; the flowers, lamps, and tongs;

50 the cups, lamp snuffers, bowls, dishes for incense, and the pans used for carrying live coals; and the hinges for the doors of the Most Holy Place and of the outer doors of the Temple. All these furnishings were made of gold.

51 When King Solomon finished all the work on the Temple, he placed in the Temple storerooms all the things that his father David had dedicated to theLord—the silver, gold, and other articles.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/1KI/7-8afcadb80abf1308dadfa04003571130.mp3?version_id=68—

The Covenant Box Is Brought to the Temple

1 Then King Solomon summoned all the leaders of the tribes and clans of Israel to come to him in Jerusalem in order to take theLord’s Covenant Box from Zion, David’s City, to the Temple.

2 They all assembled during the Festival of Shelters in the seventh month, in the month of Ethanim.

3 When all the leaders had gathered, the priests lifted the Covenant Box

4 and carried it to the Temple. The Levites and the priests also moved the Tent of theLord’s presence and all its equipment to the Temple.

5 King Solomon and all the people of Israel assembled in front of the Covenant Box and sacrificed a large number of sheep and cattle—too many to count.

6 Then the priests carried the Covenant Box into the Temple and put it in the Most Holy Place, beneath the winged creatures.

7 Their outstretched wings covered the box and the poles it was carried by.

8 The ends of the poles could be seen by anyone standing directly in front of the Most Holy Place, but from nowhere else. (The poles are still there today.)

9 There was nothing inside the Covenant Box except the two stone tablets which Moses had placed there at Mount Sinai, when theLordmade a covenant with the people of Israel as they were coming from Egypt.

10 As the priests were leaving the Temple, it was suddenly filled with a cloud

11 shining with the dazzling light of theLord’s presence, and they could not go back in to perform their duties.

12 Then Solomon prayed:

“You,Lord, have placed the sun in the sky,

yet you have chosen to live in clouds and darkness.

13 Now I have built a majestic temple for you,

a place for you to live in forever.”

Solomon’s Address to the People

14 As the people stood there, King Solomon turned to face them, and he asked God’s blessing on them.

15 He said, “Praise theLordGod of Israel! He has kept the promise he made to my father David, when he told him,

16 ‘From the time I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen any city in all the land of Israel in which a temple should be built where I would be worshiped. But I chose you, David, to rule my people.’”

17 And Solomon continued, “My father David planned to build a temple for the worship of theLordGod of Israel,

18 but theLordsaid to him, ‘You were right in wanting to build a temple for me,

19 but you will never build it. It is your son, your own son, who will build my temple.’

20 “And now theLordhas kept his promise. I have succeeded my father as king of Israel, and I have built the Temple for the worship of theLordGod of Israel.

21 I have also provided a place in the Temple for the Covenant Box containing the stone tablets of the covenant which theLordmade with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”

Solomon’s Prayer

22 Then in the presence of the people Solomon went and stood in front of the altar, where he raised his arms

23 and prayed, “LordGod of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You keep your covenant with your people and show them your love when they live in wholehearted obedience to you.

24 You have kept the promise you made to my father David; today every word has been fulfilled.

25 And now,LordGod of Israel, I pray that you will also keep the other promise you made to my father when you told him that there would always be one of his descendants ruling as king of Israel, provided they obeyed you as carefully as he did.

26 So now, O God of Israel, let everything come true that you promised to my father David, your servant.

27 “But can you, O God, really live on earth? Not even all of heaven is large enough to hold you, so how can this Temple that I have built be large enough?

28 Lordmy God, I am your servant. Listen to my prayer, and grant the requests I make to you today.

29 Watch over this Temple day and night, this place where you have chosen to be worshiped. Hear me when I face this Temple and pray.

30 Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people when they face this place and pray. In your home in heaven hear us and forgive us.

31 “When a person is accused of wronging another and is brought to your altar in this Temple to take an oath that he is innocent,

32 OLord, listen in heaven and judge your servants. Punish the guilty one as he deserves, and acquit the one who is innocent.

33 “When your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and then when they turn to you and come to this Temple, humbly praying to you for forgiveness,

34 listen to them in heaven. Forgive the sins of your people and bring them back to the land which you gave to their ancestors.

35 “When you hold back the rain because your people have sinned against you, and then when they repent and face this Temple, humbly praying to you,

36 listen to them in heaven. Forgive the sins of the king and of the people of Israel, and teach them to do what is right. Then, OLord, send rain on this land of yours, which you gave to your people as a permanent possession.

37 “When there is famine in the land or an epidemic or the crops are destroyed by scorching winds or swarms of locusts, or when your people are attacked by their enemies, or when there is disease or sickness among them,

38 listen to their prayers. If any of your people Israel, out of heartfelt sorrow, stretch out their hands in prayer toward this Temple,

39 hear their prayer. Listen to them in your home in heaven, forgive them, and help them. You alone know the thoughts of the human heart. Deal with each person as he deserves,

40 so that your people may obey you all the time they live in the land which you gave to our ancestors.

41-42 “When a foreigner who lives in a distant land hears of your fame and of the great things you have done for your people and comes to worship you and to pray at this Temple,

43 listen to his prayer. In heaven, where you live, hear him and do what he asks you to do, so that all the peoples of the world may know you and obey you, as your people Israel do. Then they will know that this Temple I have built is the place where you are to be worshiped.

44 “When you command your people to go into battle against their enemies and they pray to you, wherever they are, facing this city which you have chosen and this Temple which I have built for you,

45 listen to their prayers. Hear them in heaven and give them victory.

46 “When your people sin against you—and there is no one who does not sin—and in your anger you let their enemies defeat them and take them as prisoners to some other land, even if that land is far away,

47 listen to your people’s prayers. If there in that land they repent and pray to you, confessing how sinful and wicked they have been, hear their prayers, OLord.

48 If in that land they truly and sincerely repent and pray to you as they face toward this land which you gave to our ancestors, this city which you have chosen, and this Temple which I have built for you,

49 then listen to their prayers. In your home in heaven hear them and be merciful to them.

50 Forgive all their sins and their rebellion against you, and make their enemies treat them with kindness.

51 They are your own people, whom you brought out of Egypt, that blazing furnace.

52 “SovereignLord, may you always look with favor on your people Israel and their king, and hear their prayer whenever they call to you for help.

53 You chose them from all the peoples to be your own people, as you told them through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”

The Final Prayer

54 After Solomon had finished praying to theLord, he stood up in front of the altar, where he had been kneeling with uplifted hands.

55 In a loud voice he asked God’s blessings on all the people assembled there. He said,

56 “Praise theLordwho has given his people peace, as he promised he would. He has kept all the generous promises he made through his servant Moses.

57 May theLordour God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us or abandon us;

58 may he make us obedient to him, so that we will always live as he wants us to live, keeping all the laws and commands he gave our ancestors.

59 May theLordour God remember at all times this prayer and these petitions I have made to him. May he always be merciful to the people of Israel and to their king, according to their daily needs.

60 And so all the nations of the world will know that theLordalone is God—there is no other.

61 May you, his people, always be faithful to theLordour God, obeying all his laws and commands as you do today.”

The Dedication of the Temple

62 Then King Solomon and all the people there offered sacrifices to theLord.

63 He sacrificed 22,000 head of cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple.

64 That same day he also consecrated the central part of the courtyard, the area in front of the Temple, and then he offered there the sacrifices burned whole, the grain offerings, and the fat of the animals for the fellowship offerings. He did this because the bronze altar was too small for all these offerings.

65 There at the Temple, Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters for sevendays. There was a huge crowd of people from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the Egyptian border in the south.

66 On the eighth day Solomon sent the people home. They all praised him and went home happy because of all the blessings that theLordhad given his servant David and his people Israel.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/1KI/8-3f36ebf41aaca23423b9c5ea5c8c5c19.mp3?version_id=68—

God Appears to Solomon Again

1 After King Solomon had finished building the Temple and the palace and everything else he wanted to build,

2 theLordappeared to him again, as he had in Gibeon.

3 TheLordsaid to him, “I have heard your prayer. I consecrate this Temple which you have built as the place where I shall be worshiped forever. I will watch over it and protect it for all time.

4 If you will serve me in honesty and integrity, as your father David did, and if you obey my laws and do everything I have commanded you,

5 I will keep the promise I made to your father David when I told him that Israel would always be ruled by his descendants.

6 But if you or your descendants stop following me, disobey the laws and commands I have given you, and worship other gods,

7 then I will remove my people Israel from the land that I have given them. I will also abandon this Temple which I have consecrated as the place where I am to be worshiped. People everywhere will ridicule Israel and treat her with contempt.

8 This Temple will become a pile of ruins,and everyone who passes by will be shocked and amazed. ‘Why did theLorddo this to this land and this Temple?’ they will ask.

9 People will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned theLordtheir God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt. They gave their allegiance to other gods and worshiped them. That is why theLordhas brought this disaster on them.’”

Solomon’s Agreement with Hiram

10 It took Solomon twenty years to build the Temple and his palace.

11 King Hiram of Tyre had provided him with all the cedar and pine and with all the gold he wanted for this work. After it was finished, King Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the region of Galilee.

12 Hiram went to see them, and he did not like them.

13 So he said to Solomon, “So these, my brother, are the towns you have given me!” For this reason the area is still called Cabul.

14 Hiram had sent Solomon almost five tons of gold.

Further Achievements of Solomon

15 King Solomon used forced labor to build the Temple and the palace, to fill in land on the east side of the city, and to build the city wall. He also used it to rebuild the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. (

16 The king of Egypt had attacked Gezer and captured it, killing its inhabitants and setting fire to the city. Then he gave it as a wedding present to his daughter when she married Solomon,

17 and Solomon rebuilt it.) Using his forced labor, Solomon also rebuilt Lower Beth Horon,

18 Baalath, Tamar in the wilderness of Judah,

19 the cities where his supplies were kept, the cities for his horses and chariots, and everything else he wanted to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and elsewhere in his kingdom.

20-21 For his forced labor Solomon used the descendants of the people of Canaan whom the Israelites had not killed when they took possession of their land. These included Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, whose descendants continue to be slaves down to the present time.

22 Solomon did not make slaves of Israelites; they served as his soldiers, officers, commanders, chariot captains, and cavalry.

23 There were 550 officials in charge of the forced labor working on Solomon’s various building projects.

24 Solomon filled in the land on the east side of the city, after his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt, had moved from David’s City to the palace Solomon built for her.

25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built to theLord. He also burned incenseto theLord. And so he finished building the Temple.

26 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Eziongeber, which is near Elath on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, in the land of Edom.

27 King Hiram sent some experienced sailors from his fleet to serve with Solomon’s men.

28 They sailed to the land of Ophir and brought back to Solomon about sixteen tons of gold.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/1KI/9-fba138023f177fc1cc60cb7e6979aa6d.mp3?version_id=68—