Category: 2 Chronicles

Solomon’s Request for Wisdom

1 Solomon son of David strengthened his hold on his kingdom.TheLordhis God was with him and highly exalted him.

2 Then Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel — the heads of the families.

3 Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place that was in Gibeonbecause God’s tent of meeting, which theLord’s servant Moses had madein the wilderness, was there.

4 Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the placehe had set up for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem,

5 but he putthe bronze altar, which Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, had made,in front of theLord’s tabernacle. Solomon and the assembly inquired of Himthere.

6 Solomon offered sacrifices there in theLord’s presence on the bronze altar at the tent of meeting; he offered 1,000 burnt offerings on it.

7 That nightGod appeared to Solomon and said to him: “Ask. What should I give you? ”

8 And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great and faithful love to my father David, and You have made me king in his place.

9 LordGod, let Your promise to my father David now come true.For You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

10 Now grant me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people,for who can judge this great people of Yours? ”

11 God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart, and you have not requested riches, wealth, or glory, or for the life of those who hate you, and you have not even requested long life, but you have requested for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king,

12 wisdom and knowledge are given to you. I will also give you riches, wealth, and glory, unlike what was given to the kings who were before you, or will be given to those after you.”

13 So Solomon went to Jerusalem fromthe high place that was in Gibeon in front of the tent of meeting, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Horses and Wealth

14 Solomonaccumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen,which he stationed in the chariot citiesand with the king in Jerusalem.

15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills.

16 Solomon’s horses came from Egypt and Kue.The king’s traders would get them from Kue at the going price.

17 A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 15 poundsof silver and a horse for about four pounds.In the same way, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram through their agents.

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Solomon’s Letter to Hiram

1 Solomon decided to build a temple for the name of Yahweh and a royal palace for himself,

2 so he assigned 70,000 men as porters, 80,000 men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 as supervisors over them.

3 Then Solomon sent word to King Hiramof Tyre:

Do for me what you did for my father David. You sent him cedars to build him a house to live in.

4 Now I am building a temple for the name of Yahweh my God in order to dedicate it to Him for burning fragrant incense before Him,for displaying the rows of the bread of the Presence continuously,and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening,the Sabbathsand the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of theLordour God. This is ordained for Israel forever.

5 The temple that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than any of the gods.

6 But who is able to build a temple for Him, since even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Him?Who am I then that I should build a temple for Him except as a place to burn incense before Him?

7 Therefore, send me a craftsman who is skilled in engraving to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with the craftsmen who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem,appointed by my father David.

8 Also, send me cedar, cypress, and algumlogs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon. Note that my servants will be with your servants

9 to prepare logs for me in abundance because the temple I am building will be great and wonderful.

10 I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the trees, 100,000 bushelsof wheat flour, 100,000 bushelsof barley, 110,000 gallonsof wine, and 110,000 gallonsof oil.

Hiram’s Reply

11 Then King Hiram of Tyre wrote a letterand sent it to Solomon:

Because theLordloves His people, He set you over them as king.

12 Hiram also said:

May theLordGod of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth,be praised! He gave King David a wise son with insight and understanding,who will build a temple for theLordand a royal palace for himself.

13 I have now sent Huram-abi,a skillful man who has understanding.

14 He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan. His father is a man of Tyre. He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, with purple, blue, crimson yarn, and fine linen. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and to execute any design that may be given him. I have sent him to be with your craftsmen and the craftsmen of my lord, your father David.

15 Now, let my lord send the wheat, barley, oil, and wine to his servants as promised.

16 We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.

Solomon’s Work Force

17 Solomon took a census of all the foreign men in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had conducted,and the total was 153,600.

18 Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.

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Building the Temple

1 Then Solomon beganto build theLord’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriahwhere theLordhad appeared to his father David, at the site David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornanthe Jebusite.

2 He began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

3 These are Solomon’s foundationsfor building God’s temple: the lengthwas 90 feet,and the width 30 feet.

4 The portico, which was across the front extending across the width of the temple, was 30 feetwide; its height was 30 feet;he overlaid its inner surface with pure gold.

5 The larger roomhe paneled with cypress wood, overlaid with fine gold, and decorated with palm trees and chains.

6 He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim.

7 He overlaid the temple — the beams, the thresholds, its walls and doors — with gold,and he carved cherubim on the walls.

The Most Holy Place

8 Then he made the most holy place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple, 30 feet,and its width was 30 feet.He overlaid it with 45,000 poundsof fine gold.

9 The weight of the nails was 20 ouncesof gold, and he overlaid the ceiling with gold.

10 He madetwo cherubim of sculptured work, for the most holy place, and he overlaid them with gold.

11 The overall length of the wings of the cherubim was 30 feet:the wing of one was 7 1/2 feet,touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7 1/2 feet,touching the wing of the other cherub.

12 The wing of the othercherub was 7 1/2 feet,touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7 1/2 feet,reaching the wing of the other cherub.

13 The wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet.They stood on their feet and faced the larger room.

14 He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he wove cherubim into it.

The Bronze Pillars

15 In front of the templehe made two pillars, each 27 feethigh. The capital on top of each was 7 1/2 feethigh.

16 He had made chainwork in the inner sanctuary and also put it on top of the pillars.He made 100 pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork.

17 Then he set up the pillars in front of the sanctuary, one on the right and one on the left. He named the one on the right Jachinand the one on the left Boaz.

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The Altar, Reservoir, and Basins

1 He made a bronze altar30 feetlong, 30 feetwide, and 15 feethigh.

2 Then he made the cast metal reservoir,15 feetfrom brim to brim, perfectly round. It was 7 1/2 feethigh and 45 feetin circumference.

3 The likeness of oxenwas below it, completely encircling it, 10 every half yard,completely surrounding the reservoir. The oxen were cast in two rows when the reservoir was cast.

4 It stood on 12 oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The reservoir was on top of them and all their hindquarters were toward the center.

5 The reservoir was three inchesthick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or a lily blossom. It could hold 11,000 gallons.

6 He made 10 basins for washing and he put five on the right and five on the left.The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them,but the reservoir was used by the priests for washing.

The Lampstands, Tables, and Courts

7 He made the 10 gold lampstands according to their specifications and put them in the sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left.

8 He made 10 tables and placed them in the sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left.He also made 100 gold bowls.

9 He made the courtyardof the priests and the large court, and doors for the court. He overlaid the doors with bronze.

10 He put the reservoir on the right side, toward the southeast.

11 Then Hurammadethe pots, the shovels, and the bowls.

Completion of the Bronze Furnishings

So Huram finished doing the work that he was doing for King Solomon in God’s temple:

12 two pillars; the bowls and the capitals on top of the two pillars; the two gratings for covering both bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars;

13 the 400 pomegranates for the two gratings (two rows of pomegranates for each grating covering both capitals’ bowls on top of the pillars).

14 He also made the water cartsand the basins on the water carts.

15 The one reservoir and the 12 oxen underneath it,

16 the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all their utensils — Huram-abimade them for King Solomon for theLord’s temple. All these were made of polished bronze.

17 The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zeredah.

18 Solomon made all these utensils in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not determined.

Completion of the Gold Furnishings

19 Solomon also made all the equipment in God’s temple: the gold altar; the tables on which to put the bread of the Presence;

20 the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn in front of the inner sanctuary according to specifications;

21 the flowers, lamps, and gold tongs — of purest gold;

22 the wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, ladles,and firepans — of purest gold; and the entryway to the temple, its inner doors to the most holy place, and the doors of the temple sanctuary — of gold.

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1 So all the work Solomon did for theLord’s temple was completed. Then Solomon brought the consecrated things of his father David — the silver, the gold, and all the utensils — and put them in the treasuries of God’s temple.

Preparations for the Temple Dedication

2 At that timeSolomon assembled at Jerusalem the elders of Israel — all the tribal heads, the ancestral chiefs of the Israelites — in order to bring the ark of the covenant of theLordup from the city of David,that is, Zion.

3 So all the men of Israel were assembled in the king’s presence at the festival; this was in the seventh month.

4 All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites picked up the ark.

5 They brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and the holy utensils that were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought them up.

6 King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel who had gathered around him were in front of the ark sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted or numbered because there were so many.

7 The priests brought the ark of theLord’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place, beneath the wings of the cherubim.

8 And the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark so that the cherubim formed a cover above the ark and its poles.

9 The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy placein front of the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen from outside; they are there to this very day.

10 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had put in it at Horeb,where theLordhad made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.

11 Now all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves regardless of their divisions.When the priests came out of the holy place,

12 the Levitical singers dressed in fine linen and carrying cymbals, harps, and lyreswere standing east of the altar, and with them were 120 priests blowing trumpets.The Levitical singers were descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun and their sonsand relatives.

13 The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank theLordwith one voice. They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments,in praise to theLord:

For He is good;

His faithful love endures forever.

The temple, theLord’s temple, was filled with a cloud.

14 And because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of theLordfilled God’s temple.

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Solomon’s Dedication of the Temple

1 Then Solomon said:

TheLordsaid He would dwell in thick darkness,

2 but I have built an exalted temple for You,

a place for Your residence forever.

3 Then the king turned and blessed the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing.

4 He said:

May theLordGod of Israel be praised!

He spoke directly to my father David,

and He has fulfilled the promise

by His power.

He said,

5 “Since the day I brought My people Israel

out of the land of Egypt,

I have not chosen a city to build a temple in

among any of the tribes of Israel,

so that My name would be there,

and I have not chosen a man

to be ruler over My people Israel.

6 But I have chosen Jerusalem

so that My name will be there,

and I have chosen David

to be over My people Israel.”

7 Now it was in the heart of my father David

to build a temple for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

8 However, Yahweh said to my father David,

“Since it was your desire to build a temple for My name,

you have done well to have this desire.

9 Yet, you are not the one to build the temple,

but your son, your own offspring,

will build the temple for My name.”

10 So Yahweh has fulfilled what He promised.

I have taken the place of my father David

and I sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised.

I have built the temple for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

11 I have put the ark there,

where Yahweh’s covenant is

that He made with the Israelites.

Solomon’s Prayer

12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of theLordin front of the entire congregation of Israel and spread out his hands.

13 For Solomon had made a bronze platform 7 1/2 feetlong, 7 1/2 feetwide, and 4 1/2 feethigh and put it in the court. He stood on it,knelt down in front of the entire congregation of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven.

14 He said:

LordGod of Israel,

there is no God like You

in heaven or on earth,

keeping His gracious covenant

with Your servants who walk before You

with their whole heart.

15 You have kept what You promised

to Your servant, my father David.

You spoke directly to him,

and You fulfilled Your promise by Your power,

as it is today.

16 Therefore,LordGod of Israel,

keep what You promised

to Your servant, my father David:

“You will never fail to have a man

to sit before Me on the throne of Israel,

if only your sons guard their way to walk in My Law

as you have walked before Me.”

17 Now,LordGod of Israel, please confirm

what You promised to Your servant David.

18 But will God indeed live on earth with man?

Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You,

much less this temple I have built.

19 Listento Your servant’s prayer and his petition,

Lordmy God,

so that You may hear the cry and the prayer

that Your servant prays before You,

20 so that Your eyes watch over this temple

day and night,

toward the place where You said

You would put Your name;

and so that You may hear the prayer

Your servant prays toward this place.

21 Hear the petitions of Your servant

and Your people Israel,

which they pray toward this place.

May You hear in Your dwelling place in heaven.

May You hear and forgive.

22 If a man sins against his neighbor

and is forced to take an oath

and he comes to take an oath

before Your altar in this temple,

23 may You hear in heaven and act.

May You judge Your servants,

condemning the wicked man by bringing

what he has done on his own head

and providing justice for the righteous

by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

24 If Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy,

because they have sinned against You,

and they return to You and praise Your name,

and they pray and plead for mercy

before You in this temple,

25 may You hear in heaven

and forgive the sin of Your people Israel.

May You restore them to the land

You gave them and their ancestors.

26 When the skies are shut and there is no rain

because they have sinned against You,

and they pray toward this place

and praise Your name,

and they turn from their sins

because You are afflictingthem,

27 may You hear in heaven

and forgive the sin of Your servants

and Your people Israel,

so that You may teach them the good way

they should walk in.

May You send rain on Your land

that You gave Your people for an inheritance.

28 When there is famine on the earth,

when there is pestilence,

when there is blight, mildew, locust, or grasshopper,

when their enemies besiege them

in the region of their fortified cities,

when there is any plague or illness,

29 whatever prayer or petition

anyone from your people Israel might have —

each man knowing his own afflictionand suffering,

and spreading out his hands toward this temple —

30 may You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place,

and may You forgive and repay the man

according to all his ways, since You know his heart,

for You alone know the human heart,

31 so that they may fear You

and walk in Your ways

all the days they live on the land

You gave our ancestors.

32 Even for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel

but has come from a distant land

because of Your great name

and Your mighty hand and outstretched arm:

when he comes and prays toward this temple,

33 may You hear in heaven in Your dwelling place,

and do all the foreigner asks You.

Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name,

to fear You as Your people Israel do

and know that this temple I have built

is called by Your name.

34 When Your people go out to fight against their enemies,

wherever You send them,

and they pray to You

in the direction of this city You have chosen

and the temple that I have built for Your name,

35 may You hear their prayer and petition in heaven

and uphold their cause.

36 When they sin against You —

for there is no one who does not sin—

and You are angry with them

and hand them over to the enemy,

and their captors deport them

to a distant or nearby country,

37 and when they come to their senses

in the land where they were deported

and repent and petition You in their captors’ land,

saying: “We have sinned and done wrong;

we have been wicked,”

38 and when they return to You with their whole mind and heart

in the land of their captivity where they were taken captive,

and when they pray in the direction of their land

that You gave their ancestors,

and the city You have chosen,

and toward the temple I have built for Your name,

39 may You hear their prayer and petitions in heaven,

Your dwelling place,

and uphold their cause.

May You forgive Your people

who sinned against You.

40 Now, my God,

please let Your eyes be open

and Your ears attentive

to the prayer of this place.

41 Now therefore:

Arise,LordGod, come to Your resting place,

You and Your powerful ark.

May Your priests,LordGod, be clothed with salvation,

and may Your godly people rejoice in goodness.

42 LordGod, do not reject Your anointed one;

remember the loyalty of Your servant David.

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The Dedication Ceremonies

1 When Solomon finished praying,fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices,and the glory of theLordfilled the temple.

2 The priests were not able to enter theLord’s temple because the glory of theLordfilled the temple of theLord.

3 All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of theLordcame on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised theLord:

For He is good,

for His faithful love endures forever.

4 The king and all the people were offering sacrifices in theLord’s presence.

5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. In this manner the king and all the people dedicated God’s temple.

6 The priests and the Levites were standing at their stations. The Levites had the musical instruments of theLord, which King David had made to praise theLord— “for His faithful love endures forever” — when he offered praise with them.Across from the Levites, the priests were blowing trumpets, and all the people were standing.

7 Since the bronze altar that Solomon had madecould not accommodate the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, Solomon first consecrated the middle of the courtyardthat was in front of theLord’s temple and then offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings there.

8 So Solomon and all Israel with him — a very great assembly, from the entrance to Hamathto the Brook of Egypt — observed the festival at that time for seven days.

9 On the eighth daythey held a sacred assembly,for the dedication of the altar lasted seven days and the festival seven days.

10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, rejoicing and with happy hearts for the goodness theLordhad done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.

11 So Solomon finished theLord’s temple and the royal palace. Everything that had entered Solomon’s heart to do for theLord’s temple and for his own palace succeeded.

The Lord’s Response

12 Then theLordappeared to Solomon at night and said to him:

I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a temple of sacrifice.

13 If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on My people,

14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

15 My eyes will now be open and My ears attentive to prayer from this place.

16 And I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My name may be there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there at all times.

17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances,

18 I will establish your royal throne, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man ruling in Israel.

19 However, if you turn away and abandon My statutes and My commands that I have set before you and if you go and serve other gods and worship them,

20 then I will uproot Israel from the soil that I gave them, and this temple that I have sanctified for My name I will banish from My presence;I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.

21 As for this temple, which was exalted, everyone who passes by will be appalled and will say:Why did theLorddo this to this land and this temple?

22 Then they will say: Because they abandoned theLordGod of their ancestors who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They clung to other gods and worshiped and served them. Because of this, He brought all this ruin on them.

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Solomon’s Later Building Projects

1 At the end of 20 yearsduring which Solomon had built theLord’s temple and his own palace —

2 Solomon had rebuilt the cities Hiramgave him and settled Israelites there —

3 Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and seized it.

4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness along with all the storage cities that he built in Hamath.

5 He built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon— fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars—

6 Baalath, all the storage cities that belonged to Solomon, all the chariot cities, the cavalry cities, and everything Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, or anywhere else in the land of his dominion.

7 As for all the peoples who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not from Israel—

8 their descendants who remained in the land after them, those the Israelites had not completely destroyed — Solomon imposed forced labor on them; it is this way today.

9 But Solomon did not consign the Israelites to be slaves for his work; they were soldiers, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and his cavalry.

10 These were King Solomon’s deputies: 250 who ruled over the people.

11 Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh from the city of David to the house he had built for her,for he said, “My wife must not live in the houseof David king of Israel because the places the ark of theLordhas come into are holy.”

Public Worship Established at the Temple

12 At that timeSolomon offered burnt offerings to theLordon theLord’s altar he had made in front of the portico.

13 He followed the daily requirementfor offerings according to the commandment of Mosesfor Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths.

14 According to the ordinances of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests over their service,of the Levites over their responsibilities to offer praise and to minister before the priests following the daily requirement,and of the gatekeepers by their divisions with respect to each gate,for this had been the command of David, the man of God.

15 They did not turn aside from the king’s command regarding the priests and the Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasuries.

16 All of Solomon’s work was carried out from the day the foundation was laid for theLord’s temple until it was finished. So theLord’s temple was completed.

Solomon’s Fleet

17 At that timeSolomon went to Ezion-geber and to Elothon the seashore in the land of Edom.

18 So Hiramsent ships to him by his servants along with crews of experienced seamen. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, took from there 17 tonsof gold, and delivered it to King Solomon.

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The Queen of Sheba

1 The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame,so she came to test Solomon with difficult questions at Jerusalem with a very large entourage, with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and spoke with him about everything that was on her mind.

2 So Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for Solomon to explain to her.

3 When the queen of Sheba observed Solomon’s wisdom, the palace he had built,

4 the food at his table, his servants’ residence, his attendants’ service and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and the burnt offerings he offered at theLord’s temple, it took her breath away.

5 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and about your wisdom is true.

6 But I didn’t believe their reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, I was not even told half of your great wisdom! You far exceed the report I heard.

7 How happy are your men.How happy are these servants of yours, who always stand in your presence hearing your wisdom.

8 May theLordyour God be praised! He delighted in you and put you on His throne as king for theLordyour God.Because Your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has set you over them as king to carry out justice and righteousness.”

9 Then she gave the king four and a half tonsof gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There never were such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10 In addition, Hiram’s servants and Solomon’s servants who brought gold from Ophiralso brought algum wood and precious stones.

11 The king made the algum wood into walkways for theLord’s temple and for the king’s palace and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had anything like them been seen in the land of Judah.

12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba her every desire, whatever she asked — far more than she had brought the king. Then she, along with her servants, returned to her own country.

Solomon’s Wealth

13 The weight of gold that came to Solomonannually was 25 tons,

14 besides what was brought by the merchants and traders. All the Arabian kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold; 15 poundsof hammered gold went into each shield.

16 He made 300 small shields of hammered gold; about eight poundsof gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

17 The king also made a large ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold.

18 The throne had six steps; there was a footstool covered in gold for the throne, armrests on either side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.

19 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps, one at each end. Nothing like it had ever been made in any other kingdom.

20 All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, since it was considered as nothing in Solomon’s time,

21 for the king’s ships kept going to Tarshishwith Hiram’s servants, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22 King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the world in riches and wisdom.

23 All the kings of the world wanted an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

24 Each of them would bring his own gift — itemsof silver and gold, clothing, weapons,spices, and horses and mules — as an annual tribute.

25 Solomonhad 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.He stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

26 He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt.

27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills.

28 They were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all the countries.

Solomon’s Death

29 The remaining eventsof Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Events of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Visions of Iddo the Seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat.

30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for 40 years.

31 Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David.His son Rehoboam became king in his place.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/2CH/9-ee2d26087518de67a4d702eea271ea56.mp3?version_id=72—

The Kingdom Divided

1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem,for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.

2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about it — for he was in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon’s presence — Jeroboam returned from Egypt.

3 So they summoned him. Then Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam:

4 “Your father made our yoke difficult. Therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

5 Rehoboam replied, “Return to me in three days.” So the people left.

6 Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive, asking, “How do you advise me to respond to these people? ”

7 They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and please them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

8 But he rejected the advice of the elders who had advised him, and he consulted with the young men who had grown up with him, the ones serving him.

9 He asked them, “What message do you advise we send back to these people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’? ”

10 Then the young men who had grown up with him told him, “This is what you should say to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter on us! ’ This is what you should say to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.

11 Now therefore, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I, with barbed whips.’ ”

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

13 Then the king answered them harshly. King Rehoboam rejected the elders’ advice

14 and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy,but I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, but I, with barbed whips.”

15 The king did not listen to the people because the turn of events came from God,in order that theLordmight carry out His word that He had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

16 Whenall Israel sawthat the king had not listened to them, the people answered the king:

What portion do we have in David?

We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

Israel, each man to your tent;

David, look after your own house now!

So all Israel went to their tents.

17 But as for the Israelites living in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram,who was in charge of the forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. However, King Rehoboam managed to get into his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

19 Israel is in rebellion against the house of David until today.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/2CH/10-30f546d74e207658b1632a631fc0a36d.mp3?version_id=72—