The First Book of Kings

1

1 Now King David was old and advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he couldn’t keep warm. 2 Therefore his servants said to him, “ Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king. Let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.” 3 So they sought for a beautiful young lady throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The young lady was very beautiful; and she cherished the king, and served him; but the king didn’t know her intimately.

5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “ I will be king.” Then he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, “ Why have you done so?” and he was also a very handsome man; and he was born after Absalom. 7 He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and they followed Adonijah and helped him. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

9 Adonijah killed sheep, cattle, and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En Rogel; and he called all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants; 10 but he didn’t call Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.

11 Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “ Haven’t you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord doesn’t know it? 12 Now therefore come, please let me give you counsel, that you may save your own life and your son Solomon’s life. 13 Go in to King David, and tell him, ‘ Didn’t you, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “ Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then does Adonijah reign?’ 14 Behold,+ 1:14 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection. while you are still talking there with the king, I will also come in after you and confirm your words.”

15 Bathsheba went in to the king in his room. The king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king. 16 Bathsheba bowed and showed respect to the king. The king said, “ What would you like?”

17 She said to him, “ My lord, you swore by the LORD+ 1:17 When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “LORD” or “GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name. your God+ 1:17 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim). to your servant, ‘ Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 Now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and you, my lord the king, don’t know it. 19 He has slain cattle and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the army; but he hasn’t called Solomon your servant. 20 You, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered criminals.”

22 Behold, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 They told the king, saying, “ Behold, Nathan the prophet!”

When he had come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. 24 Nathan said, “ My lord, King, have you said, ‘ Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 For he has gone down today, and has slain cattle, fatlings, and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king’s sons, the captains of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘ Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he hasn’t called me, even me your servant, Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon. 27 Was this thing done by my lord the king, and you haven’t shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

28 Then King David answered, “ Call Bathsheba in to me.” She came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 The king vowed and said, “ As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 30 most certainly as I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying, ‘ Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place;’ I will most certainly do this today.”

31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth and showed respect to the king, and said, “ Let my lord King David live forever!”

32 King David said, “ Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” They came before the king. 33 The king said to them, “ Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 34 Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel. Blow the trumpet, and say, ‘ Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne; for he shall be king in my place. I have appointed him to be prince over Israel and over Judah.”

36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, “ Amen. May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so. 37 As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the Tent, and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet; and all the people said, “ Long live King Solomon!”

40 All the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth shook with their sound. 41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they had finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “ Why is this noise of the city being in an uproar?”

42 While he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said, “ Come in; for you are a worthy man, and bring good news.”

43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, “ Most certainly our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they have caused him to ride on the king’s mule. 45 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon. They have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that you have heard. 46 Also, Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47 Moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘ May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne;’ and the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 Also thus said the king, ‘ Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne today, my eyes even seeing it.’”

49 All the guests of Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and each man went his way. 50 Adonijah was afraid because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and hung onto the horns of the altar. 51 Solomon was told, “ Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon; for, behold, he is hanging onto the horns of the altar, saying, ‘ Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’”

52 Solomon said, “ If he shows himself a worthy man, not a hair of his shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.”

53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “ Go to your house.”

2

1 Now the days of David came near that he should die; and he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “ I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man; 3 and keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself. 4 Then the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘ If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘ a man on the throne of Israel.’

5 “ Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet. 6 Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his grey head go down to Sheol+ 2:6 Sheol is the place of the dead. in peace. 7 But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be amongst those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

8 “ Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘ I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his grey head down to Sheol+ 2:9 Sheol is the place of the dead. with blood.”

10 David slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city. 11 The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.

13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “ Do you come peaceably?”

He said, “ Peaceably. 14 He said moreover, I have something to tell you.”

She said, “ Say on.”

15 He said, “ You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from the LORD. 16 Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me.”

She said to him, “ Say on.”

17 He said, “ Please speak to Solomon the king ( for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”

18 Bathsheba said, “ All right. I will speak for you to the king.”

19 Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose up to meet her and bowed himself to her, and sat down on his throne and caused a throne to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, “ I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.”

The king said to her, “ Ask on, my mother, for I will not deny you.”

21 She said, “ Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

22 King Solomon answered his mother, “ Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, “ God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life. 24 Now therefore as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

25 King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he died. 26 To Abiathar the priest the king said, “ Go to Anathoth, to your own fields, for you are worthy of death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you bore the Lord+ 2:26 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.” GOD’s ark before David my father, and because you were afflicted in all in which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon thrust Abiathar out from being priest to the LORD, that he might fulfil the LORD’s word which he spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

28 This news came to Joab; for Joab had followed Adonijah, although he didn’t follow Absalom. Joab fled to the LORD’s Tent, and held onto the horns of the altar. 29 King Solomon was told, “ Joab has fled to the LORD’s Tent; and behold, he is by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “ Go, fall on him.”

30 Benaiah came to the LORD’s Tent, and said to him, “ The king says, ‘ Come out!’”

He said, “ No; but I will die here.”

Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “ This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.”

31 The king said to him, “ Do as he has said, and fall on him, and bury him, that you may take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and from my father’s house. 32 The LORD will return his blood on his own head, because he fell on two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, and my father David didn’t know it: Abner the son of Ner, captain of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the army of Judah. 33 So their blood will return on the head of Joab and on the head of his offspring+ 2:33 or, seed forever. But for David, for his offspring, for his house, and for his throne, there will be peace forever from the LORD.”

34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell on him, and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army; and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.

36 The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “ Build yourself a house in Jerusalem, and live there, and don’t go anywhere else. 37 For on the day you go out and pass over the brook Kidron, know for certain that you will surely die. Your blood will be on your own head.”

38 Shimei said to the king, “ What you say is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.

39 At the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. They told Shimei, saying, “ Behold, your slaves are in Gath.”

40 Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his slaves; and Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had come again.

42 The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “ Didn’t I adjure you by the LORD and warn you, saying, ‘ Know for certain that on the day you go out and walk anywhere else, you shall surely die’? You said to me, ‘ The saying that I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I have instructed you with?” 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, “ You know in your heart all the wickedness that you did to David my father. Therefore the LORD will return your wickedness on your own head. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will be established before the LORD forever.” 46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell on him, so that he died. The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

3

1 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into David’s city until he had finished building his own house, the LORD’s house, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 However, the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was not yet a house built for the LORD’s name. 3 Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 In Gibeon, the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “ Ask for what I should give you.”

6 Solomon said, “ You have shown to your servant David my father great loving kindness, because he walked before you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you. You have kept for him this great loving kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. 7 Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father. I am just a little child. I don’t know how to go out or come in. 8 Your servant is amongst your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can’t be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this great people of yours?”

10 This request pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 God said to him, “ Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have you asked for riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, and after you none will arise like you. 13 I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honour, so that there will not be any amongst the kings like you for all your days. 14 If you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

15 Solomon awoke; and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the LORD’s covenant, and offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king, and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “ Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. I delivered a child with her in the house. 18 The third day after I delivered, this woman delivered also. We were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, just us two in the house. 19 This woman’s child died in the night, because she lay on it. 20 She arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me while your servant slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead; but when I had looked at him in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I bore.”

22 The other woman said, “ No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”

The first one said, “ No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” They argued like this before the king.

23 Then the king said, “ One says, ‘ This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead;’ and the other says, ‘ No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’”

24 The king said, “ Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.

25 The king said, “ Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.”

26 Then the woman whose the living child was spoke to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, “ Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill him!”

But the other said, “ He shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.”

27 Then the king answered, “ Give the first woman the living child, and definitely do not kill him. She is his mother.”

28 All Israel heard of the judgement which the king had judged; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.

4

1 King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; 4 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 5 Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister, the king’s friend; 6 Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to forced labour.

7 Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for a month in the year. 8 These are their names: Ben Hur, in the hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben Deker, in Makaz, in Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; 10 Ben Hesed, in Arubboth ( Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him); 11 Ben Abinadab, in all the height of Dor ( he had Taphath, Solomon’s daughter, as wife); 12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth Shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam; 13 Ben Geber, in Ramoth Gilead ( the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, belonged to him; and the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars, belonged to him); 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali ( he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife); 16 Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer who was in the land.

20 Judah and Israel were numerous as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry. 21 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. 22 Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty cors+ 4:22 1 cor is the same as a homer, or about 55.9 U. S. gallons (liquid) or 211 litres or 6 bushels of fine flour, sixty measures of meal, 23 ten head of fat cattle, twenty head of cattle out of the pastures, and one hundred sheep, in addition to deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he had dominion over all on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River; and he had peace on all sides around him. 25 Judah and Israel lived safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 Those officers provided food for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon’s table, every man in his month. They let nothing be lacking. 28 They also brought barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds to the place where the officers were, each man according to his duty. 29 God gave Solomon abundant wisdom, understanding, and breadth of mind like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men— wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations all around. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered one thousand and five. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; he also spoke of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 People of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, sent by all kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

5

1 Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the place of his father, and Hiram had always loved David. 2 Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, 3 “ You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were around him on every side, until the LORD put his enemies under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side. There is no enemy and no evil occurrence. 5 Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to David my father, saying, ‘ Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place shall build the house for my name.’ 6 Now therefore command that cedar trees be cut for me out of Lebanon. My servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you say. For you know that there is nobody amongst us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”

7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and said, “ Blessed is the LORD today, who has given to David a wise son to rule over this great people.” 8 Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, “ I have heard the message which you have sent to me. I will do all your desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning cypress timber. 9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you specify to me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and you will receive them. You will accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.”

10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar timber and cypress timber according to all his desire. 11 Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors+ 5:11 20,000 cors would be about 120,000 bushels or about 4.2 megalitres of wheat, which would weigh about 3,270 metric tonnes. of wheat for food to his household, and twenty cors+ 5:11 20 cors is about 1,100 gallons or about 4220 litres. of pure oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year. 12 The LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.

13 King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: for a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the men subject to forced labour. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand who bore burdens, and eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains, 16 besides Solomon’s chief officers who were over the work: three thousand and three hundred who ruled over the people who laboured in the work. 17 The king commanded, and they cut out large stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with worked stone. 18 Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites cut them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.

6

1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the LORD’s house. 2 The house which King Solomon built for the LORD had a length of sixty cubits,+ 6:2 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimetres. and its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits. 3 The porch in front of the temple of the house had a length of twenty cubits, which was along the width of the house. Ten cubits was its width in front of the house. 4 He made windows of fixed lattice work for the house. 5 Against the wall of the house, he built floors all around, against the walls of the house all around, both of the temple and of the inner sanctuary; and he made side rooms all around. 6 The lowest floor was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around, that the beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house. 7 The house, when it was under construction, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and no hammer or axe or any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was under construction. 8 The door for the middle side rooms was in the right side of the house. They went up by winding stairs into the middle floor, and out of the middle into the third. 9 So he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar. 10 He built the floors all along the house, each five cubits high; and they rested on the house with timbers of cedar.

11 The LORD’s word came to Solomon, saying, 12 “ Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 13 I will dwell amongst the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.”

14 So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15 He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood. He covered the floor of the house with cypress boards. 16 He built twenty cubits of the back part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling. He built this within, for an inner sanctuary, even for the most holy place. 17 In front of the temple sanctuary was forty cubits long. 18 There was cedar on the house within, carved with buds and open flowers. All was cedar. No stone was visible. 19 He prepared an inner sanctuary in the middle of the house within, to set the ark of the LORD’s covenant there. 20 Within the inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in its height. He overlaid it with pure gold. He covered the altar with cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold. He drew chains of gold across before the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. 22 He overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. He also overlaid the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary with gold.

23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim+ 6:23 “Cherubim” is plural of “cherub”, an angelic being. of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 Five cubits was the length of one wing of the cherub, and five cubits was the length of the other wing of the cherub. From the tip of one wing to the tip of the other was ten cubits. 25 The other cherub was ten cubits. Both the cherubim were of one measure and one form. 26 One cherub was ten cubits high, and so was the other cherub. 27 He set the cherubim within the inner house. The wings of the cherubim were stretched out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the middle of the house. 28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 He carved all the walls of the house around with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inside and outside. 30 He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inside and outside. 31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall. 32 So he made two doors of olive wood; and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold. He spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. 33 He also made the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall, 34 and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work. 36 He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and a course of cedar beams.

37 The foundation of the LORD’s house was laid in the fourth year, in the month Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and according to all its specifications. So he spent seven years building it.

7

1 Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. 2 For he built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits,+ 7:2 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimetres. its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 It was covered with cedar above over the forty-five beams that were on the pillars, fifteen in a row. 4 There were beams in three rows, and window was facing window in three ranks. 5 All the doors and posts were made square with beams; and window was facing window in three ranks. 6 He made the hall of pillars. Its length was fifty cubits and its width thirty cubits, with a porch before them, and pillars and a threshold before them. 7 He made the porch of the throne where he was to judge, even the porch of judgement; and it was covered with cedar from floor to floor. 8 His house where he was to dwell, the other court within the porch, was of the same construction. He made also a house for Pharaoh’s daughter ( whom Solomon had taken as wife), like this porch. 9 All these were of costly stones, even of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside, even from the foundation to the coping, and so on the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. 11 Above were costly stones, even cut stone, according to measure, and cedar wood. 12 The great court around had three courses of cut stone with a course of cedar beams, like the inner court of the LORD’s house and the porch of the house.

13 King Solomon sent and brought Hiram out of Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill to work all works in bronze. He came to King Solomon and performed all his work. 15 For he fashioned the two pillars of bronze, eighteen cubits high apiece; and a line of twelve cubits encircled either of them. 16 He made two capitals of molten bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were nets of checker work and wreaths of chain work for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars: seven for the one capital, and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars; and there were two rows of pomegranates around the one network, to cover the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; and he did so for the other capital. 19 The capitals that were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily work, four cubits. 20 There were capitals above also on the two pillars, close by the belly which was beside the network. There were two hundred pomegranates in rows around the other capital. 21 He set up the pillars at the porch of the temple. He set up the right pillar and called its name Jachin; and he set up the left pillar and called its name Boaz. 22 On the tops of the pillars was lily work. So the work of the pillars was finished.

23 He made the molten sea ten cubits from brim to brim, round in shape. Its height was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits encircled it. 24 Under its brim around there were buds which encircled it for ten cubits, encircling the sea. The buds were in two rows, cast when it was cast. 25 It stood on twelve oxen, three looking towards the north, and three looking towards the west, and three looking towards the south, and three looking towards the east; and the sea was set on them above, and all their hindquarters were inward. 26 It was a hand width thick. Its brim was worked like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.

27 He made the ten bases of bronze. The length of one base was four cubits, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height. 28 The work of the bases was like this: they had panels; and there were panels between the ledges; 29 and on the panels that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the ledges there was a pedestal above; and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30 Every base had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze; and its four feet had supports. The supports were cast beneath the basin, with wreaths at the side of each. 31 Its opening within the capital and above was a cubit. Its opening was round like the work of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its opening were engravings, and their panels were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the panels; and the axles of the wheels were in the base. The height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit. 33 The work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast metal. 34 There were four supports at the four corners of each base. Its supports were of the base itself. 35 In the top of the base there was a round band half a cubit high; and on the top of the base its supports and its panels were the same. 36 On the plates of its supports and on its panels, he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, each in its space, with wreaths all around. 37 He made the ten bases in this way: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one form. 38 He made ten basins of bronze. One basin contained forty baths.+ 7:38 1 bath is one tenth of a cor, or about 5.6 U. S. gallons or 21 litres, so 40 baths was about 224 gallons or 840 litres. Every basin measured four cubits. One basin was on every one of the ten bases. 39 He set the bases, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house. He set the sea on the right side of the house eastward and towards the south.

40 Hiram made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished doing all the work that he worked for King Solomon in the LORD’s house: 41 the two pillars; the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 42 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 pillars; 43 the ten bases; the ten basins on the bases; 44 the one sea; the twelve oxen under the sea; 45 the pots; the shovels; and the basins. All of these vessels, which Hiram made for King Solomon in the LORD’s house, were of burnished bronze. 46 The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them. The weight of the bronze could not be determined.

48 Solomon made all the vessels that were in the LORD’s house: the golden altar and the table that the show bread was on, of gold; 49 and the lamp stands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 the cups, the snuffers, the basins, the spoons, and the fire pans, of pure gold; and the hinges, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, of the temple, of gold.

51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did in the LORD’s house was finished. Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated— the silver, the gold, and the vessels— and put them in the treasuries of the LORD’s house.

8

1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel with all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers’ households of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant out of David’s city, which is Zion. 2 All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 All the elders of Israel came, and the priests picked up the ark. 4 They brought up the LORD’s ark, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent. The priests and the Levites brought these up. 5 King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 6 The priests brought in the ark of the LORD’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, even under the cherubim’s wings. 7 For the cherubim spread their wings out over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles above. 8 The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen outside. They are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 It came to pass, when the priests had come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the LORD’s house, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the LORD’s glory filled the LORD’s house.

12 Then Solomon said, “ The LORD has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. 13 I have surely built you a house of habitation, a place for you to dwell in forever.”

14 The king turned his face around and blessed all the assembly of Israel; and all the assembly of Israel stood. 15 He said, “ Blessed is the LORD, the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth to David your father, and has with his hand fulfilled it, saying, 16 ‘ Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.’

17 “ Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to David my father, ‘ Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 Nevertheless, you shall not build the house; but your son who shall come out of your body, he shall build the house for my name.’ 20 The LORD has established his word that he spoke; for I have risen up in the place of David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 21 There I have set a place for the ark, in which is the LORD’s covenant, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

22 Solomon stood before the LORD’s altar in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands towards heaven; 23 and he said, “ LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keeps covenant and loving kindness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart; 24 who has kept with your servant David my father that which you promised him. Yes, you spoke with your mouth, and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today. 25 Now therefore, may LORD, the God of Israel, keep with your servant David my father that which you have promised him, saying, ‘ There shall not fail from you a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children take heed to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.’

26 “ Now therefore, God of Israel, please let your word be verified, which you spoke to your servant David my father. 27 But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house that I have built! 28 Yet have respect for the prayer of your servant and for his supplication, LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before you today; 29 that your eyes may be open towards this house night and day, even towards the place of which you have said, ‘ My name shall be there;’ to listen to the prayer which your servant prays towards this place. 30 Listen to the supplication of your servant, and of your people Israel, when they pray towards this place. Yes, hear in heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.

31 “ If a man sins against his neighbour, and an oath is laid on him to cause him to swear, and he comes and swears before your altar in this house, 32 then hear in heaven, and act, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

33 “ When your people Israel are struck down before the enemy because they have sinned against you, if they turn again to you and confess your name, and pray and make supplication to you in this house, 34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them again to the land which you gave to their fathers.

35 “ When the sky is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray towards this place and confess 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, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on your land which you have given to your people for an inheritance.

37 “ If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 whatever prayer and supplication is made by any man, or by all your people Israel, who shall each know the plague of his own heart, and spread out his hands towards this house, 39 then hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to every man according to all his ways, whose heart you know ( for you, even you only, know the hearts of all the children of men); 40 that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land which you gave to our fathers.

41 “ Moreover, concerning the foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, when he comes out of a far country for your name’s sake42 ( for they shall hear of your great name and of your mighty hand and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays towards this house, 43 hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you for; that all the peoples of the earth may know your name, to fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by your name.

44 “ If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the LORD towards the city which you have chosen, and towards the house which I have built for your name, 45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. 46 If they sin against you ( for there is no man who doesn’t sin), and you are angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; 47 yet if they repent in the land where they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication to you in the land of those who carried them captive, saying, ‘ We have sinned and have done perversely; we have dealt wickedly,’ 48 if they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who carried them captive, and pray to you towards their land which you gave to their fathers, the city which you have chosen and the house which I have built for your name, 49 then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven, your dwelling place, and maintain their cause; 50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions in which they have transgressed against you; and give them compassion before those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them51 ( for they are your people and your inheritance, which you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron furnace); 52 that your eyes may be open to the supplication of your servant and to the supplication of your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they cry to you. 53 For you separated them from amongst all the peoples of the earth to be your inheritance, as you spoke by Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, Lord GOD.”

54 It was so, that when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, he arose from before the LORD’s altar, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread out towards heaven. 55 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, according to all that he promised. There has not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant. 57 May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers. Let him not leave us or forsake us, 58 that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers. 59 Let these my words, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as every day requires; 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD himself is God. There is no one else.

61 “ Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as it is today.”

62 The king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD. 63 Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty two thousand head of cattle and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the LORD’s house. 64 The same day the king made the middle of the court holy that was before the LORD’s house; for there he offered the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the fat of the peace offerings.

65 So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven more days, even fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad in their hearts for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David his servant, and to Israel his people.

9

1 When Solomon had finished the building of the LORD’s house, the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do, 2 The LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The LORD said to him, “ I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before me. I have made this house holy, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually. 4 As for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, ‘ There shall not fail from you a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6 But if you turn away from following me, you or your children, and 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 out of the land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have made holy for my name, out of my sight; and Israel will be a proverb and a byword amongst all peoples. 8 Though this house is so high, yet everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss; and they will say, ‘ Why has the LORD done this to this land and to this house?’ 9 and they will answer, ‘ Because they abandoned the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshipped them, and served them. Therefore the LORD has brought all this evil on them.’”

10 At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the two houses, the LORD’s house and the king’s house11 ( now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and cypress trees, and with gold, according to all his desire), King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12 Hiram came out of Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they didn’t please him. 13 He said, “ What cities are these which you have given me, my brother?” He called them the land of Cabul+ 9:13 “Cabul” sounds like Hebrew for “good-for-nothing”. to this day. 14 Hiram sent to the king one hundred and twenty talents+ 9:14 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 120 talents is about 3.6 metric tonnes of gold.

15 This is the reason of the forced labour which King Solomon conscripted: to build the LORD’s house, his own house, Millo, Jerusalem’s wall, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, taken Gezer, burnt it with fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it for a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17 Solomon built in the land Gezer, Beth Horon the lower, 18 Baalath, Tamar in the wilderness, 19 all the storage cities that Solomon had, the cities for his chariots, the cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 20 As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel— 21 their children who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy— of them Solomon raised a levy of bondservants to this day. 22 But of the children of Israel Solomon made no bondservants; but they were the men of war, his servants, his princes, his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen. 23 These were the five hundred and fifty chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, who ruled over the people who laboured in the work.

24 But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of David’s city to her house which Solomon had built for her. Then he built Millo.

25 Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he built to the LORD three times per year, burning incense with them on the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.

26 King Solomon made a fleet of ships in Ezion Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27 Hiram sent in the fleet his servants, sailors who had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. 28 They came to Ophir, and fetched from there gold, four hundred and twenty talents,+ 9:28 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 420 talents is about 12.6 metric tonnes and brought it to King Solomon.

10

1 When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the LORD’s name, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great caravan, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart. 3 Solomon answered all her questions. There wasn’t anything hidden from the king which he didn’t tell her. 4 When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5 the food of his table, the sitting of his servants, the attendance of his officials, their clothing, his cup bearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the LORD’s house, there was no more spirit in her. 6 She said to the king, “ It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom. 7 However, I didn’t believe the words until I came and my eyes had seen it. Behold, not even half was told me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard. 8 Happy are your men, happy are these your servants who stand continually before you, who hear your wisdom. 9 Blessed is the LORD your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel. Because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore he made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” 10 She gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was there such an abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

11 The fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir also brought in from Ophir great quantities of almug trees+ 10:11 possibly an Indian sandalwood, with nice grain and a pleasant scent, and good for woodworking and precious stones. 12 The king made of the almug trees pillars for the LORD’s house and for the king’s house, harps also and stringed instruments for the singers; no such almug trees came or were seen to this day.

13 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, in addition to that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.

14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents+ 10:14 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 666 talents is about 20 metric tonnes of gold, 15 in addition to that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed people, and of the governors of the country. 16 King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels+ 10:16 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.32 Troy ounces, so 600 shekels is about 6 kilograms or 13.2 pounds or 192 Troy ounces. of gold went to one buckler. 17 He made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas+ 10:17 A mina is about 600 grams or 1.3 U. S. pounds. of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. 19 There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were armrests on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests. 20 Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps. Nothing like it was made in any kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver, because it was considered of little value in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

23 So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24 All the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, every man brought his tribute, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, armour, spices, horses, and mules.

26 Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had one thousand and four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. He kept them in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and cedars as common as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland. 28 The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt. The king’s merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price. 29 A chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels+ 10:29 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces. of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty shekels; and so they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria.

11

1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites, 2 of the nations concerning which the LORD said to the children of Israel, “ You shall not go amongst them, neither shall they come amongst you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon joined to these in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. His wives turned his heart away. 4 When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father was. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and didn’t go fully after the LORD, as David his father did. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 So he did for all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods. 9 The LORD was 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 go after other gods; but he didn’t keep that which the LORD commanded. 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “ Because this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for David your father’s sake; but I will tear it out of your son’s hand. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.”

14 The LORD raised up an adversary to Solomon: Hadad the Edomite. He was one of the king’s offspring in Edom. 15 For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom16 ( for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom), 17 Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt, when Hadad was still a little child. 18 They arose out of Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and appointed him food, and gave him land. 19 Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20 The sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house amongst the sons of Pharaoh. 21 When Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “ Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.”

22 Then Pharaoh said to him, “ But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you seek to go to your own country?”

He answered, “ Nothing, however only let me depart.”

23 God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 He gathered men to himself, and became captain over a troop, when David killed them of Zobah. They went to Damascus and lived there, and reigned in Damascus. 25 He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, in addition to the mischief of Hadad. He abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

26 Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. 27 This was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of his father David’s city. 28 The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he put him in charge of all the labour of the house of Joseph. 29 At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the way. Now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and the two of them were alone in the field. 30 Ahijah took the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces. 31 He said to Jeroboam, “ Take ten pieces; for the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘ Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you32 ( but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did.

34 “‘ However, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes, 35 but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, even ten tribes. 36 I will give one tribe to his son, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there. 37 I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel. 38 It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. 39 I will afflict the offspring of David for this, but not forever.’”

40 Therefore Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

41 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, aren’t they written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42 The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43 Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

12

1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it ( for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, and Jeroboam lived in Egypt; 3 and they sent and called him), Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “ Your father made our yoke difficult. Now therefore make the hard service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.”

5 He said to them, “ Depart for three days, then come back to me.”

So the people departed.

6 King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, “ What counsel do you give me to answer these people?”

7 They replied, “ If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them, and answer them with good words, then they will be your servants forever.”

8 But he abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9 He said to them, “ What counsel do you give, that we may answer these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘ Make the yoke that your father put on us lighter’?”

10 The young men who had grown up with him said to him, “ Tell these people who spoke to you, saying, ‘ Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter to us’— tell them, ‘ My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. 11 Now my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’”

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king asked, saying, “ Come to me again the third day.” 13 The king answered the people roughly, and abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, 14 and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “ My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

15 So the king didn’t listen to the people; for it was a thing brought about from the LORD, that he might establish his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 When all Israel saw that the king didn’t listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “ What portion have we in David? We don’t have an inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David.” So Israel departed to their tents.

17 But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to forced labour; and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel rebelled against David’s house to this day.

20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed David’s house, except for the tribe of Judah only.

21 When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 “ Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 24 ‘ The LORD says, “ You shall not go up or fight against your brothers, the children of Israel. Everyone return to his house; for this thing is from me.”’” So they listened to the LORD’s word, and returned and went their way, according to the LORD’s word.

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived in it; and he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “ Now the kingdom will return to David’s house. 27 If this people goes up to offer sacrifices in the LORD’s house at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, “ It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look and behold your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 29 He set the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 This thing became a sin, for the people went even as far as Dan to worship before the one there. 31 He made houses of high places, and made priests from amongst all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. 32 Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar. He did so in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made, and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. 33 He went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up to the altar to burn incense.

13

1 Behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the LORD’s word to Bethel; and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. 2 He cried against the altar by the LORD’s word, and said, “ Altar! Altar! the LORD says: ‘ Behold, a son will be born to David’s house, Josiah by name. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and they will burn men’s bones on you.’” 3 He gave a sign the same day, saying, “ This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Behold, the altar will be split apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.”

4 When the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, “ Seize him!” His hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to himself. 5 The altar was also split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the LORD’s word. 6 The king answered the man of God, “ Now intercede for the favour of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again.”

The man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him again, and became as it was before.

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

8 The man of God said to the king, “ Even if you gave me half of your house, I would not go in with you, neither would I eat bread nor drink water in this place; 9 for so was it commanded me by the LORD’s word, saying, ‘ You shall eat no bread, drink no water, and don’t return by the way that you came.’” 10 So he went another way, and didn’t return by the way that he came to Bethel.

11 Now an old prophet lived in Bethel, and one of his sons came and told him all the works 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 said to them, “ Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen which way the man of God went, who came from Judah. 13 He said to his sons, “ Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it. 14 He went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. He said to him, “ Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”

He said, “ I am.”

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

16 He said, “ I may not return with you, nor go in with you. I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 For it was said to me by the LORD’s word, ‘ You shall eat no bread or drink water there, and don’t turn again to go by the way that you came.’”

18 He said to him, “ I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the LORD’s word, saying, ‘ Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” He lied to him.

19 So he went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water. 20 As they sat at the table, the LORD’s word came to the prophet who brought him back; 21 and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “ The LORD says, ‘ Because you have been disobedient to the LORD’s word, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, 22 but came back, and have eaten bread and drank water in the place of which he said to you, “ Eat no bread, and drink no water,” your body will not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”

23 After he had eaten bread and after he drank, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 When he had gone, a lion met him by the way and killed him. His body was thrown on the path, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the body. 25 Behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the path, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived. 26 When the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, “ It is the man of God who was disobedient to the LORD’s word. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, which has mauled him and slain him, according to the LORD’s word which he spoke to him.” 27 He said to his sons, saying, “ Saddle the donkey for me,” and they saddled it. 28 He went and found his body thrown on the path, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body nor mauled the donkey. 29 The prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. He came to the city of the old prophet to mourn, and to bury him. 30 He laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, “ Alas, my brother!”

31 After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “ When I am dead, bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the saying which he cried by the LORD’s word against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely happen.”

33 After this thing, Jeroboam didn’t turn from his evil way, but again made priests of the high places from amongst all the people. Whoever wanted to, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places. 34 This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off and to destroy it from off the surface of the earth.

14

1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2 Jeroboam said to his wife, “ Please get up and disguise yourself, so that you won’t be recognised as Jeroboam’s wife. Go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said that I would be king over this people. 3 Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will become of the child.”

4 Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to Shiloh, and came to Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were set by reason of his age. 5 The LORD said to Ahijah, “ Behold, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to enquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Tell her such and such; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.”

6 So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, he said, “ Come in, Jeroboam’s wife! Why do you pretend to be another? For I am sent to you with heavy news. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘ The LORD, the God of Israel, says: “ Because I exalted you from amongst the people, and made you prince over my people Israel, 8 and tore the kingdom away from David’s house, and gave it you; and yet you have not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in my eyes, 9 but have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods, molten images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back, 10 therefore, behold, I will bring evil on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam everyone who urinates on a wall,+ 14:10 or, male he who is shut up and he who is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweeps away dung until it is all gone. 11 The dogs will eat he who belongs to Jeroboam who dies in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat he who dies in the field, for the LORD has spoken it.”’ 12 Arise therefore, and go to your house. When your feet enter into the city, the child will die. 13 All Israel will mourn for him and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam will come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing towards the LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover the LORD will raise up a king for himself over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day! What? Even now. 15 For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River,+ 14:15 That is, the Euphrates. because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. 16 He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he has sinned, and with which he has made Israel to sin.”

17 Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. As she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

19 The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 20 The days which Jeroboam reigned were twenty two years; then he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

21 Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22 Judah did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There were also sodomites in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD drove out before the children of Israel.

25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; 26 and he took away the treasures of the LORD’s house and the treasures of the king’s house. He even took away all of it, including all the gold shields which Solomon had made. 27 King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. 28 It was so, that as often as the king went into the LORD’s house, the guard bore them, and brought them back into the guard room.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31 Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in David’s city. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. Abijam his son reigned in his place.

15

1 Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3 He walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. 4 Nevertheless for David’s sake, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem; 5 because David did that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, and didn’t turn away from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6 Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7 The rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8 Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in David’s city; and Asa his son reigned in his place.

9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah. 10 He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 Asa did that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, as David his father did. 12 He put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah. Asa cut down her image and burnt it at the brook Kidron. 14 But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect with the LORD all his days. 15 He brought into the LORD’s house the things that his father had dedicated, and the things that he himself had dedicated: silver, gold, and utensils.

16 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that was left in the treasures of the LORD’s house, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered it into the hand of his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben Hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived at Damascus, saying, 19 “ Let there be a treaty between me and you, like that between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.”

20 Ben Hadad listened to King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and lived in Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah. No one was exempted. They carried away the stones of Ramah, and its timber, with which Baasha had built; and King Asa used it to build Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. 23 Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in his father David’s city; and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

25 Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah; and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin. 27 Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha struck him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon. 28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha killed him and reigned in his place. 29 As soon as he was king, he struck all the house of Jeroboam. He didn’t leave to Jeroboam any who breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite; 30 for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and with which he made Israel to sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.

31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 32 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel in Tirzah for twenty-four years. 34 He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin.

16

1 The LORD’s word came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 “ Because I exalted you out of the dust and made you prince over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins, 3 behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 The dogs will eat Baasha’s descendants who die in the city; and he who dies of his in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.”

5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 6 Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in his place.

7 Moreover the LORD’s word came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he struck him.

8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah for two years. 9 His servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah; 10 and Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

11 When he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, he attacked all the house of Baasha. He didn’t leave him a single one who urinates on a wall+ 16:11 or, male amongst his relatives or his friends. 12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the LORD’s word which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and with which they made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities. 14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 The people who were encamped heard that Zimri had conspired, and had also killed the king. Therefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the fortified part of the king’s house and burnt the king’s house over him with fire, and died, 19 for his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did to make Israel to sin. 20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he committed, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri prevailed against the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath; so Tibni died, and Omri reigned. 23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel for twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah. 24 He bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents+ 16:24 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds. of silver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill. 25 Omri did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and dealt wickedly above all who were before him. 26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins with which he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities. 27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 28 So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his place.

29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel. Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight above all that were before him. 31 As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshipped him. 32 He raised up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 Ahab made the Asherah; and Ahab did more yet to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. He laid its foundation with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

17

1 Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “ As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”

2 Then the LORD’s word came to him, saying, 3 “ Go away from here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook. I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the LORD’s word, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith that is before the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. 7 After a while, the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

8 The LORD’s word came to him, saying, 9 “ Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.”

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “ Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.”

11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “ Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

12 She said, “ As the LORD your God lives, I don’t have anything baked, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jar. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

13 Elijah said to her, “ Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you have said; but make me a little cake from it first, and bring it out to me, and afterward make some for you and for your son. 14 For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘ The jar of meal will not run out, and the jar of oil will not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth.’”

15 She went and did according to the saying of Elijah; and she, he, and her household ate many days. 16 The jar of meal didn’t run out and the jar of oil didn’t fail, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by Elijah.

17 After these things, the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 She said to Elijah, “ What have I to do with you, you man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to memory, and to kill my son!”

19 He said to her, “ Give me your son.” He took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the room where he stayed, and laid him on his own bed. 20 He cried to the LORD and said, “ LORD my God, have you also brought evil on the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?”

21 He stretched himself on the child three times, and cried to the LORD and said, “ LORD my God, please let this child’s soul come into him again.”

22 The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the room into the house, and delivered him to his mother; and Elijah said, “ Behold, your son lives.”

24 The woman said to Elijah, “ Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the LORD’s word in your mouth is truth.”

18

1 After many days, the LORD’s word came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “ Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain on the earth.”

2 Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria. 3 Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. ( Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly; 4 for when Jezebel cut off the LORD’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) 5 Ahab said to Obadiah, “ Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the animals.”

6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. 7 As Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. He recognised him, and fell on his face, and said, “ Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

8 He answered him, “ It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘ Behold, Elijah is here!’”

9 He said, “ How have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. When they said, ‘ He is not here,’ he took an oath of the kingdom and nation that they didn’t find you. 11 Now you say, ‘ Go, tell your lord, “ Behold, Elijah is here.”’ 12 It will happen, as soon as I leave you, that the LORD’s Spirit will carry you I don’t know where; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he can’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth. 13 Wasn’t it told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the LORD’s prophets, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD’s prophets with fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14 Now you say, ‘ Go, tell your lord, “ Behold, Elijah is here”.’ He will kill me.”

15 Elijah said, “ As the LORD of Armies lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “ Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

18 He answered, “ I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the LORD’s commandments and you have followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred and fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

20 So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “ How long will you waver between the two sides? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”

The people didn’t say a word.

22 Then Elijah said to the people, “ I, even I only, am left as a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Let them therefore give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it. 24 You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the LORD’s name. The God who answers by fire, let him be God.”

All the people answered, “ What you say is good.”

25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “ Choose one bull for yourselves, and dress it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

26 They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, “ Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice, and nobody answered. They leapt about the altar which was made.

27 At noon, Elijah mocked them, and said, “ Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is deep in thought, or he has gone somewhere, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he sleeps and must be awakened.”

28 They cried aloud, and cut themselves in their way with knives and lances until the blood gushed out on them. 29 When midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the evening offering; but there was no voice, no answer, and nobody paid attention.

30 Elijah said to all the people, “ Come near to me!”; and all the people came near to him. He repaired the LORD’s altar that had been thrown down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD’s word came, saying, “ Israel shall be your name.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the LORD’s name. He made a trench around the altar large enough to contain two seahs+ 18:32 1 seah is about 7 litres or 1.9 gallons or 0.8 pecks of seed. 33 He put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. He said, “ Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 He said, “ Do it a second time;” and they did it the second time. He said, “ Do it a third time;” and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.

36 At the time of the evening offering, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “ LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Hear me, LORD, hear me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again.”

38 Then the LORD’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust; and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces. They said, “ The LORD, he is God! the LORD, he is God!”

40 Elijah said to them, “ Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let one of them escape!”

They seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.

41 Elijah said to Ahab, “ Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”

42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down on the earth, and put his face between his knees. 43 He said to his servant, “ Go up now and look towards the sea.”

He went up and looked, then said, “ There is nothing.”

He said, “ Go again” seven times.

44 On the seventh time, he said, “ Behold, a small cloud, like a man’s hand, is rising out of the sea.”

He said, “ Go up, tell Ahab, ‘ Get ready and go down, so that the rain doesn’t stop you.’”

45 In a little while, the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 46 The LORD’s hand was on Elijah; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

19

1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “ So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don’t make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time!”

3 When he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree. Then he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “ It is enough. Now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”

5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, “ Arise and eat!”

6 He looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The LORD’s angel came again the second time, and touched him, and said, “ Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

8 He arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, God’s Mountain. 9 He came to a cave there, and camped there; and behold, the LORD’s word came to him, and he said to him, “ What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He said, “ I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

11 He said, “ Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD.”

Behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake a fire passed; but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, “ What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He said, “ I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

15 The LORD said to him, “ Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 Anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Israel; and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah to be prophet in your place. 17 He who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18 Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.”

19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and put his mantle on him. 20 Elisha left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “ Let me please kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.”

He said to him, “ Go back again; for what have I done to you?”

21 He returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, killed them, and boiled their meat with the oxen’s equipment, and gave to the people; and they ate. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and served him.

20

1 Ben Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, with horses and chariots. He went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. 2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “ Ben Hadad says, 3 ‘ Your silver and your gold are mine. Your wives also and your children, even the best, are mine.’”

4 The king of Israel answered, “ It is according to your saying, my lord, O king. I am yours, and all that I have.”

5 The messengers came again and said, “ Ben Hadad says, ‘ I sent indeed to you, saying, “ You shall deliver me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children; 6 but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants. Whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hand, and take it away.”’”

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “ Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him.”

8 All the elders and all the people said to him, “ Don’t listen, and don’t consent.”

9 Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “ Tell my lord the king, ‘ All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’”

The messengers departed and brought him back the message. 10 Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “ The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”

11 The king of Israel answered, “ Tell him, ‘ Don’t let him who puts on his armour brag like he who takes it off.’”

12 When Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, he said to his servants, “ Prepare to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.

13 Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, “ The LORD says, ‘ Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

14 Ahab said, “ By whom?”

He said, “ The LORD says, ‘ By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’”

Then he said, “ Who shall begin the battle?”

He answered, “ You.”

15 Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand. 16 They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17 The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, “ Men are coming out from Samaria.”

18 He said, “ If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

19 So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20 They each killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter. 22 The prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “ Go, strengthen yourself, and plan what you must do, for at the return of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you.”

23 The servants of the king of Syria said to him, “ Their god is a god of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we. But let’s fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. 24 Do this thing: take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their place. 25 Muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. We will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they are.”

He listened to their voice and did so. 26 At the return of the year, Ben Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 The children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and went against them. The children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of young goats, but the Syrians filled the country. 28 A man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “ The LORD says, ‘ Because the Syrians have said, “ The LORD is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’”

29 They encamped opposite each other for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand footmen of the Syrians in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. Ben Hadad fled and came into the city, into an inner room. 31 His servants said to him, “ See now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth on our bodies and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Maybe he will save your life.”

32 So they put sackcloth on their bodies and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, “ Your servant Ben Hadad says, ‘ Please let me live.’”

He said, “ Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

33 Now the men observed diligently and hurried to take this phrase; and they said, “ Your brother Ben Hadad.”

Then he said, “ Go, bring him.”

Then Ben Hadad came out to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34 Ben Hadad said to him, “ The cities which my father took from your father I will restore. You shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.”

“ I”, said Ahab, “ will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

35 A certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow by the LORD’s word, “ Please strike me!”

The man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, “ Because you have not obeyed the LORD’s voice, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you.” As soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him and killed him.

37 Then he found another man, and said, “ Please strike me.”

The man struck him and wounded him. 38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, he cried to the king, and he said, “ Your servant went out into the middle of the battle; and behold, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘ Guard this man! If by any means he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent+ 20:39 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds of silver.’ 40 As your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.”

The king of Israel said to him, “ So shall your judgement be. You yourself have decided it.”

41 He hurried, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognised that he was one of the prophets. 42 He said to him, “ The LORD says, ‘ Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life will take the place of his life, and your people take the place of his people.’”

43 The king of Israel went to his house sullen and angry, and came to Samaria.

21

1 After these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “ Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”

3 Naboth said to Ahab, “ May the LORD forbid me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”

4 Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him, for he had said, “ I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. 5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “ Why is your spirit so sad that you eat no bread?”

6 He said to her, “ Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘ Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ He answered, ‘ I will not give you my vineyard.’”

7 Jezebel his wife said to him, “ Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived with Naboth. 9 She wrote in the letters, saying, “ Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high amongst the people. 10 Set two men, wicked fellows, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘ You cursed God and the king!’ Then carry him out, and stone him to death.”

11 The men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had instructed them in the letters which she had written and sent to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high amongst the people. 13 The two men, the wicked fellows, came in and sat before him. The wicked fellows testified against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “ Naboth cursed God and the king!” Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “ Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”

15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “ Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”

16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

17 The LORD’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “ Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwells in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. 19 You shall speak to him, saying, ‘ The LORD says, “ Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘ The LORD says, “ In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick your blood, even yours.”’”

20 Ahab said to Elijah, “ Have you found me, my enemy?”

He answered, “ I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in the LORD’s sight. 21 Behold, I will bring evil on you, and will utterly sweep you away and will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall,+ 21:21 or, male and him who is shut up and him who is left at large in Israel. 22 I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger, and have made Israel to sin.” 23 The LORD also spoke of Jezebel, saying, “ The dogs will eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. 24 The dogs will eat he who dies of Ahab in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat he who dies in the field.”

25 But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26 He did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

27 When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went about despondently.

28 The LORD’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “ See how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but I will bring the evil on his house in his son’s day.”

22

1 They continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. 2 In the third year, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3 The king of Israel said to his servants, “ You know that Ramoth Gilead is ours, and we do nothing, and don’t take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” 4 He said to Jehoshaphat, “ Will you go with me to battle to Ramoth Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “ I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 5 Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “ Please enquire first for the LORD’s word.”

6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “ Should I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I refrain?”

They said, “ Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

7 But Jehoshaphat said, “ Isn’t there here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of him?”

8 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “ There is yet one man by whom we may enquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.”

Jehoshaphat said, “ Don’t let the king say so.”

9 Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, “ Quickly get Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made himself horns of iron, and said, “ The LORD says, ‘ With these you will push the Syrians, until they are consumed.’” 12 All the prophets prophesied so, saying, “ Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper; for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

13 The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “ See now, the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak good.”

14 Micaiah said, “ As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.”

15 When he had come to the king, the king said to him, “ Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?”

He answered him, “ Go up and prosper; and the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

16 The king said to him, “ How many times do I have to adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the LORD’s name?”

17 He said, “ I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. The LORD said, ‘ These have no master. Let them each return to his house in peace.’”

18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “ Didn’t I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

19 Micaiah said, “ Therefore hear the LORD’s word. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. 20 The LORD said, ‘ Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ One said one thing, and another said another.

21 A spirit came out and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘ I will entice him.’

22 The LORD said to him, ‘ How?’

He said, ‘ I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’

He said, ‘ You will entice him, and will also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 23 Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has spoken evil concerning you.”

24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “ Which way did the LORD’s Spirit go from me to speak to you?”

25 Micaiah said, “ Behold, you will see on that day when you go into an inner room to hide yourself.”

26 The king of Israel said, “ Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son. 27 Say, ‘ The king says, “ Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.”’”

28 Micaiah said, “ If you return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” He said, “ Listen, all you people!”

29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “ I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” The king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

31 Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “ Don’t fight with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.”

32 When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “ Surely that is the king of Israel!” and they came over to fight against him. Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34 A certain man drew his bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armour. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “ Turn around, and carry me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.” 35 The battle increased that day. The king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot. 36 A cry went throughout the army about the going down of the sun, saying, “ Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”

37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. 38 They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood where the prostitutes washed themselves, according to the LORD’s word which he spoke.

39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

41 Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43 He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He didn’t turn away from it, doing that which was right in the LORD’s eyes. However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places. 44 Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he fought, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 46 The remnant of the sodomites, that remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of the land. 47 There was no king in Edom. A deputy ruled. 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they didn’t go, for the ships wrecked at Ezion Geber. 49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “ Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat would not. 50 Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in his father David’s city. Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 52 He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, in which he made Israel to sin. 53 He served Baal and worshipped him, and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger in all the ways that his father had done so.