| Holy Bible, The New Living Translation | |
| Book of 2 Chronicles |
Chapter 1 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio 
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 1:15 - [In Context]
- During Solomon's reign, silver and gold were as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones. And valuable cedarwood was as common as the sycamore wood that grows in the foothills of Judah. F3
|
|
- 1:16 - [In Context]
- Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt F4 and from Cilicia F5 ; the king's traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price.
|
|
- 1:17 - [In Context]
- At that time, Egyptian chariots delivered to Jerusalem could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver, F6 and horses could be bought for 150 pieces of silver. F7 Many of these were then resold to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.
|
|
| Chapter 2 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 2:1 - [In Context]
- Solomon now decided that the time had come to build a Temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.
|
|
- 2:2 - [In Context]
- He enlisted a force of 70,000 common laborers, 80,000 stonecutters in the hill country, and 3,600 foremen.
|
|
- 2:3 - [In Context]
- Solomon also sent this message to King Hiram F8 at Tyre: "Send me cedar logs like the ones that were supplied to my father, David, when he was building his palace.
|
|
- 2:4 - [In Context]
- I am about to build a Temple to honor the name of the LORD my God. It will be a place set apart to burn incense and sweet spices before him, to display the special sacrificial bread, and to sacrifice burnt offerings each morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, at new moon celebrations, and at the other appointed festivals of the LORD our God. He has commanded Israel to do these things forever.
|
|
- 2:5 - [In Context]
- "This will be a magnificent Temple because our God is an awesome God, greater than any other.
|
|
- 2:6 - [In Context]
- But who can really build him a worthy home? Not even the highest heavens can contain him! So who am I to consider building a Temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices to him?
|
|
- 2:7 - [In Context]
- "So send me a master craftsman who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron; someone who is expert at dyeing purple, scarlet, and blue cloth; and a skilled engraver who can work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who were selected by my father, David.
|
|
- 2:8 - [In Context]
- Also send me cedar, cypress, and almug F9 logs from Lebanon, for I know that your men are without equal at cutting timber. I will send my men to help them.
|
|
- 2:9 - [In Context]
- An immense amount of timber will be needed, for the Temple I am going to build will be very large and magnificent.
|
|
- 2:10 - [In Context]
- I will pay your men 100,000 bushels of crushed wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, F10 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil. F11 "
|
|
- 2:11 - [In Context]
- King Hiram sent this letter of reply to Solomon: "It is because the LORD loves his people that he has made you their king!
|
|
- 2:12 - [In Context]
- Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given David a wise son, gifted with skill and understanding, who will build a Temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.
|
|
- 2:13 - [In Context]
- "I am sending you a master craftsman named Huram-abi. He is a brilliant man,
|
|
- 2:14 - [In Context]
- the son of a woman from Dan in Israel; his father is from Tyre. He is skillful at making things from gold, silver, bronze, and iron. He also knows all about stonework, carpentry, and weaving. He is an expert in dyeing purple, blue, and scarlet cloth and in working with linen. He is also an engraver and can follow any design given to him. He will work with your craftsmen and those appointed by my lord David, your father.
|
|
- 2:15 - [In Context]
- "Send along the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine that you mentioned.
|
|
- 2:16 - [In Context]
- We will cut whatever timber you need from the Lebanon mountains and will float the logs in rafts down the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Joppa. From there you can transport the logs up to Jerusalem."
|
|
- 2:17 - [In Context]
- Solomon took a census of all foreigners in the land of Israel, like the census his father had taken, and he counted 153,600.
|
|
- 2:18 - [In Context]
- He enlisted 70,000 of them as common laborers, 80,000 as stonecutters in the hill country, and 3,600 as foremen.
|
|
| Chapter 3 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 3:1 - [In Context]
- So Solomon began to build the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to Solomon's father, King David. The Temple was built on the threshing floor of Araunah F12 the Jebusite, the site that David had selected.
|
|
- 3:2 - [In Context]
- The construction began in midspring, F13 during the fourth year of Solomon's reign.
|
|
- 3:3 - [In Context]
- The foundation for the Temple of God was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide. F14
|
|
- 3:4 - [In Context]
- The foyer at the front of the Temple was thirty feet wide, running across the entire width of the Temple. The inner walls of the foyer and the ceiling were overlaid with pure gold. The roof of the foyer was thirty feet F15 high.
|
|
- 3:5 - [In Context]
- The main room of the Temple was paneled with cypress wood, overlaid with pure gold, and decorated with carvings of palm trees and chains.
|
|
- 3:6 - [In Context]
- The walls of the Temple were decorated with beautiful jewels and with pure gold from the land of Parvaim.
|
|
- 3:7 - [In Context]
- All the walls, beams, doors, and thresholds throughout the Temple were overlaid with gold, and figures of cherubim were carved on the walls.
|
|
- 3:8 - [In Context]
- The Most Holy Place was thirty feet wide, corresponding to the width of the Temple, and it was also thirty feet deep. Its interior was overlaid with about twenty-three tons F16 of pure gold.
|
|
- 3:9 - [In Context]
- They used gold nails that weighed about twenty ounces F17 each. The walls of the upper rooms were also overlaid with pure gold.
|
|
- 3:10 - [In Context]
- Solomon made two figures shaped like cherubim and overlaid them with gold. These were placed in the Most Holy Place.
|
|
- 3:11 - [In Context]
- The total wingspan of the two cherubim standing side by side was 30 feet. One wing of the first figure was 7 1/2 feet long, and it touched the Temple wall. The other wing, also 7 1/2 feet long, touched one of the wings of the second figure.
|
|
- 3:12 - [In Context]
- In the same way, the second figure had one wing 7 1/2 feet long that touched the opposite wall. The other wing, also 7 1/2 feet long, touched the wing of the first figure.
|
|
- 3:13 - [In Context]
- So the wingspan of both cherubim together was 30 feet. They both stood and faced out toward the main room of the Temple.
|
|
- 3:14 - [In Context]
- Across the entrance of the Most Holy Place, Solomon hung a curtain made of fine linen and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with figures of cherubim embroidered on it.
|
|
- 3:15 - [In Context]
- For the front of the Temple, Solomon made two pillars that were 27 feet F18 tall, each topped by a capital extending upward another 7 1/2 feet.
|
|
- 3:16 - [In Context]
- He made a network of interwoven chains and used them to decorate the tops of the pillars. He also made one hundred decorative pomegranates and attached them to the chains.
|
|
- 3:17 - [In Context]
- Then he set up the two pillars at the entrance of the Temple, one to the south of the entrance and the other to the north. He named the one on the south Jakin, and the one on the north Boaz. F19
|
|
| Chapter 4 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 4:1 - [In Context]
- Solomon also made a bronze altar 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet high. F20
|
|
- 4:2 - [In Context]
- Then he cast a large round tank, 15 feet across from rim to rim; it was called the Sea. It was 7 1/2 feet deep and about 45 feet in circumference.
|
|
- 4:3 - [In Context]
- The Sea was encircled just below its rim by two rows of figures that resembled oxen. There were about six oxen per foot F21 all the way around, and they had been cast as part of the tank.
|
|
- 4:4 - [In Context]
- The Sea rested on a base of twelve bronze oxen, all facing outward. Three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east.
|
|
- 4:5 - [In Context]
- The walls of the Sea were about three inches F22 thick, and its rim flared out like a cup and resembled a lily blossom. It could hold about 16,500 gallons F23 of water.
|
|
- 4:6 - [In Context]
- He also made ten basins for water to wash the offerings, five to the south of the Sea and five to the north. The priests used the Sea itself, and not the basins, for their own washing.
|
|
- 4:7 - [In Context]
- Solomon then cast ten gold lampstands according to the specifications that had been given and put them in the Temple. Five were placed against the south wall, and five were placed against the north wall.
|
|
- 4:8 - [In Context]
- He also built ten tables and placed them in the Temple, five along the south wall and five along the north wall. Then he molded one hundred gold basins.
|
|
- 4:9 - [In Context]
- Solomon also built a courtyard for the priests and the large outer courtyard. He made doors for the courtyard entrances and overlaid them with bronze.
|
|
- 4:10 - [In Context]
- The Sea was placed near the southeast corner of the Temple.
|
|
- 4:11 - [In Context]
- Huram-abi also made the necessary pots, shovels, and basins.So at last Huram-abi completed everything King Solomon had assigned him to make for the Temple of God:
|
|
- 4:12 - [In Context]
- two pillars, two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars, two networks of chains that decorated the capitals,
|
|
- 4:13 - [In Context]
- four hundred pomegranates that hung from the chains on the capitals (two rows of pomegranates for each of the chain networks that were hung around the capitals on top of the pillars),
|
|
- 4:14 - [In Context]
- the water carts holding the basins,
|
|
- 4:15 - [In Context]
- the Sea and the twelve oxen under it,
|
|
- 4:16 - [In Context]
- the pots, the shovels, the meat hooks, and all the related utensils. Huram-abi made all these things out of burnished bronze for the Temple of the LORD, just as King Solomon had requested.
|
|
- 4:17 - [In Context]
- The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zarethan. F24
|
|
- 4:18 - [In Context]
- Such great quantities of bronze were used that its weight could not be determined.
|
|
- 4:19 - [In Context]
- So Solomon made all the furnishings for the Temple of God: the gold altar; the tables for the Bread of the Presence;
|
|
- 4:20 - [In Context]
- the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn in front of the Most Holy Place as prescribed;
|
|
- 4:21 - [In Context]
- the flower decorations, lamps, and tongs, all of pure gold;
|
|
- 4:22 - [In Context]
- the lamp snuffers, basins, dishes, and firepans, all of pure gold; the doors for the entrances to the Most Holy Place and the main room of the Temple, overlaid with gold.
|
|
| Chapter 5 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 5:1 - [In Context]
- When Solomon had finished all the work related to building the Temple of the LORD, he brought in the gifts dedicated by his father, King David, including all the silver and gold and all the utensils. These were stored in the treasuries of the Temple of God.
|
|
- 5:2 - [In Context]
- Solomon then summoned the leaders of all the tribes and families of Israel to assemble in Jerusalem. They were to bring the Ark of the LORD's covenant from its location in the City of David, also known as Zion, to its new place in the Temple.
|
|
- 5:3 - [In Context]
- They all assembled before the king at the annual Festival of Shelters in early autumn. F25
|
|
- 5:4 - [In Context]
- When all the leaders of Israel arrived, the Levites moved the Ark,
|
|
- 5:5 - [In Context]
- along with the special tent F26 and all its sacred utensils. The Levitical priests carried them all up to the Temple.
|
|
- 5:6 - [In Context]
- King Solomon and the entire community of Israel sacrificed sheep and oxen before the Ark in such numbers that no one could keep count!
|
|
- 5:7 - [In Context]
- Then the priests carried the Ark of the LORD's covenant into the inner sanctuary of the Temple – the Most Holy Place – and placed it beneath the wings of the cherubim.
|
|
- 5:8 - [In Context]
- The cherubim spread their wings out over the Ark, forming a canopy over the Ark and its carrying poles.
|
|
- 5:9 - [In Context]
- These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the front entrance of the Temple's main room – the Holy Place – but not from outside it. They are still there to this day.
|
|
- 5:10 - [In Context]
- Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed there at Mount Sinai, F27 when the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel after they left Egypt.
|
|
- 5:11 - [In Context]
- Then the priests left the Holy Place. All the priests who were present had purified themselves, whether or not they were on duty that day.
|
|
- 5:12 - [In Context]
- And the Levites who were musicians – Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all their sons and brothers – were dressed in fine linen robes and stood at the east side of the altar playing cymbals, harps, and lyres. They were joined by 120 priests who were playing trumpets.
|
|
- 5:13 - [In Context]
- The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the LORD with these words: "He is so good! His faithful love endures forever!" At that moment a cloud filled the Temple of the LORD.
|
|
- 5:14 - [In Context]
- The priests could not continue their work because the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple of God.
|
|
| Chapter 6 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 6:1 - [In Context]
- Then Solomon prayed, "O LORD, you have said that you would live in thick darkness.
|
|
- 6:2 - [In Context]
- But I have built a glorious Temple for you, where you can live forever!"
|
|
- 6:3 - [In Context]
- Then the king turned around to the entire community of Israel standing before him and gave this blessing:
|
|
- 6:4 - [In Context]
- "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David. For he told my father,
|
|
- 6:5 - [In Context]
- 'From the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among the tribes of Israel as the place where a temple should be built to honor my name. Nor have I chosen a king to lead my people Israel.
|
|
- 6:6 - [In Context]
- But now I have chosen Jerusalem as that city, and David as that king.'"
|
|
- 6:7 - [In Context]
- Then Solomon said, "My father, David, wanted to build this Temple to honor the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
|
|
- 6:8 - [In Context]
- But the LORD told him, 'It is right for you to want to build the Temple to honor my name,
|
|
- 6:9 - [In Context]
- but you will not be the one to do it. One of your sons will build it instead.'
|
|
- 6:10 - [In Context]
- "And now the LORD has done what he promised, for I have become king in my father's place. I have built this Temple to honor the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
|
|
- 6:11 - [In Context]
- There I have placed the Ark, and in the Ark is the covenant that the LORD made with the people of Israel."
|
|
- 6:12 - [In Context]
- Then Solomon stood with his hands spread out before the altar of the LORD in front of the entire community of Israel.
|
|
- 6:13 - [In Context]
- He had made a bronze platform 7 1/2 feet long, 7 1/2 feet wide, and 4 1/2 feet high F28 and had placed it at the center of the Temple's outer courtyard. He stood on the platform before the entire assembly, and then he knelt down and lifted his hands toward heaven.
|
|
- 6:14 - [In Context]
- He prayed, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your promises and show unfailing love to all who obey you and are eager to do your will.
|
|
- 6:15 - [In Context]
- You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father. You made that promise with your own mouth, and today you have fulfilled it with your own hands.
|
|
- 6:16 - [In Context]
- And now, O LORD, God of Israel, carry out your further promise to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, 'If your descendants guard their behavior and obey my law as you have done, they will always reign over Israel.'
|
|
- 6:17 - [In Context]
- Now, O LORD, God of Israel, fulfill this promise to your servant David.
|
|
- 6:18 - [In Context]
- "But will God really live on earth among people? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!
|
|
- 6:19 - [In Context]
- Listen to my prayer and my request, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you.
|
|
- 6:20 - [In Context]
- May you watch over this Temple both day and night, this place where you have said you would put your name. May you always hear the prayers I make toward this place.
|
|
- 6:21 - [In Context]
- May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.
|
|
- 6:22 - [In Context]
- "If someone wrongs another person and is required to take an oath of innocence in front of the altar at this Temple,
|
|
- 6:23 - [In Context]
- then hear from heaven and judge between your servants – the accuser and the accused. Punish the guilty party, and acquit the one who is innocent.
|
|
- 6:24 - [In Context]
- "If your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn to you and call on your name and pray to you here in this Temple,
|
|
- 6:25 - [In Context]
- then hear from heaven and forgive their sins and return them to this land you gave their ancestors.
|
|
- 6:26 - [In Context]
- "If the skies are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and then they pray toward this Temple and confess your name and turn from their sins because you have punished them,
|
|
- 6:27 - [In Context]
- then hear from heaven and forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them to do what is right, and send rain on your land that you have given to your people as their special possession.
|
|
- 6:28 - [In Context]
- "If there is a famine in the land, or plagues, or crop disease, or attacks of locusts or caterpillars, or if your people's enemies are in the land besieging their towns – whatever the trouble is –
|
|
- 6:29 - [In Context]
- and if your people offer a prayer concerning their troubles or sorrow, raising their hands toward this Temple,
|
|
- 6:30 - [In Context]
- then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive. Give your people whatever they deserve, for you alone know the human heart.
|
|
- 6:31 - [In Context]
- Then they will fear you and walk in your ways as long as they live in the land you gave to our ancestors.
|
|
- 6:32 - [In Context]
- "And when foreigners hear of you and your mighty miracles, and they come from distant lands to worship your great name and to pray toward this Temple,
|
|
- 6:33 - [In Context]
- then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. Then all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built bears your name.
|
|
- 6:34 - [In Context]
- "If your people go out at your command to fight their enemies, and if they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and toward this Temple that I have built for your name,
|
|
- 6:35 - [In Context]
- then hear their prayers from heaven and uphold their cause.
|
|
- 6:36 - [In Context]
- "If they sin against you – and who has never sinned? – you may become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to a foreign land far or near.
|
|
- 6:37 - [In Context]
- But in that land of exile, they may turn to you again in repentance and pray, 'We have sinned, done evil, and acted wickedly.'
|
|
- 6:38 - [In Context]
- Then if they turn to you with their whole heart and soul and pray toward the land you gave to their ancestors, toward this city you have chosen, and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name,
|
|
- 6:39 - [In Context]
- then hear their prayers from heaven where you live. Uphold their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you.
|
|
- 6:40 - [In Context]
- "O my God, be attentive to all the prayers made to you in this place.
|
|
- 6:41 - [In Context]
- And now, O LORD God, arise and enter this resting place of yours, where your magnificent Ark has been placed. May your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and may your saints rejoice in your goodness.
|
|
- 6:42 - [In Context]
- O LORD God, do not reject your anointed one. Remember your unfailing love for your servant David. F29 "
|
|
| Chapter 7 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 7:1 - [In Context]
- When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple.
|
|
- 7:2 - [In Context]
- The priests could not even enter the Temple of the LORD because the glorious presence of the LORD filled it.
|
|
- 7:3 - [In Context]
- When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the LORD filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying, "He is so good! His faithful love endures forever!"
|
|
- 7:4 - [In Context]
- Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the LORD.
|
|
- 7:5 - [In Context]
- King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple of God.
|
|
- 7:6 - [In Context]
- The priests took their assigned positions, and so did the Levites who were singing, "His faithful love endures forever!" They accompanied the singing with music from the instruments King David had made for praising the LORD. On the other side of the Levites, the priests blew the trumpets, while all Israel stood.
|
|
- 7:7 - [In Context]
- Solomon then dedicated the central area of the courtyard in front of the LORD's Temple so they could present burnt offerings and the fat from peace offerings there. He did this because the bronze altar he had built could not handle all the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrificial fat.
|
|
- 7:8 - [In Context]
- For the next seven days they celebrated the Festival of Shelters F30 with huge crowds gathered from all the tribes of Israel. They came from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north, to the brook of Egypt in the south.
|
|
- 7:9 - [In Context]
- On the eighth day they had a closing ceremony, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the Festival of Shelters for seven days.
|
|
- 7:10 - [In Context]
- Then at the end of the celebration, F31 Solomon sent the people home. They were all joyful and happy because the LORD had been so good to David and Solomon and to his people Israel.
|
|
- 7:11 - [In Context]
- So Solomon finished building the Temple of the LORD, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do.
|
|
- 7:12 - [In Context]
- Then one night the LORD appeared to Solomon and said, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices.
|
|
- 7:13 - [In Context]
- At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you.
|
|
- 7:14 - [In Context]
- Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.
|
|
- 7:15 - [In Context]
- I will listen to every prayer made in this place,
|
|
- 7:16 - [In Context]
- for I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be my home forever. My eyes and my heart will always be here.
|
|
- 7:17 - [In Context]
- "As for you, if you follow me as your father, David, did and obey all my commands, laws, and regulations,
|
|
- 7:18 - [In Context]
- then I will not let anyone take away your throne. This is the same promise I gave your father, David, when I said, 'You will never fail to have a successor who rules over Israel.'
|
|
- 7:19 - [In Context]
- "But if you abandon me and disobey the laws and commands I have given you, and if you go and worship other gods,
|
|
- 7:20 - [In Context]
- then I will uproot the people of Israel from this land of mine that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have set apart to honor my name. I will make it a spectacle of contempt among the nations.
|
|
- 7:21 - [In Context]
- And though this Temple is impressive now, it will become an appalling sight to all who pass by. They will ask, 'Why has the LORD done such terrible things to his land and to his Temple?'
|
|
- 7:22 - [In Context]
- And the answer will be, 'Because his people abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead. That is why he brought all these disasters upon them.'"
|
|
| Chapter 8 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 8:1 - [In Context]
- It was now twenty years since Solomon had become king, and the great building projects of the LORD's Temple and his own royal palace were completed.
|
|
- 8:2 - [In Context]
- Solomon now turned his attention to rebuilding the towns that King Hiram F32 had given him, and he settled Israelites in them.
|
|
- 8:3 - [In Context]
- It was at this time, too, that Solomon fought against the city of Hamath-zobah and conquered it.
|
|
- 8:4 - [In Context]
- He rebuilt Tadmor in the desert and built towns in the region of Hamath as supply centers.
|
|
- 8:5 - [In Context]
- He fortified the cities of Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, rebuilding their walls and installing barred gates.
|
|
- 8:6 - [In Context]
- He also rebuilt Baalath and other supply centers at this time and constructed cities where his chariots and horses F33 could be kept. He built to his heart's content in Jerusalem and Lebanon and throughout the entire realm.
|
|
- 8:7 - [In Context]
- There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
|
|
- 8:8 - [In Context]
- These were descendants of the nations that Israel had not completely destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them for his labor force, and they serve in the labor force to this day.
|
|
- 8:9 - [In Context]
- But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for forced labor. Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, officers in his army, commanders of his chariots, and charioteers.
|
|
- 8:10 - [In Context]
- King Solomon also appointed 250 of them to supervise the various projects.
|
|
- 8:11 - [In Context]
- Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh's daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, "My wife must not live in King David's palace, for the Ark of the LORD has been there, and it is holy ground."
|
|
- 8:12 - [In Context]
- Then Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar he had built in front of the foyer of the Temple.
|
|
- 8:13 - [In Context]
- The number of sacrifices varied from day to day according to the commands Moses had given. Extra sacrifices were offered on the Sabbaths, on new moon festivals, and at the three annual festivals – the Passover celebration, the Festival of Harvest, F34 and the Festival of Shelters.
|
|
- 8:14 - [In Context]
- In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people in praise and to assist the priests in their daily duties. And he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates by their divisions, following the commands of David, the man of God.
|
|
- 8:15 - [In Context]
- Solomon did not deviate in any way from David's commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries.
|
|
- 8:16 - [In Context]
- So Solomon made sure that all the work related to building the Temple of the LORD was carried out, from the day its foundation was laid to the day of its completion.
|
|
- 8:17 - [In Context]
- Later Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Elath, F35 ports in the land of Edom, along the shore of the Red Sea. F36
|
|
- 8:18 - [In Context]
- Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers and manned by experienced crews of sailors. These ships sailed to the land of Ophir with Solomon's men and brought back to Solomon almost seventeen tons F37 of gold.
|
|
| Chapter 9 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 9:1 - [In Context]
- When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's reputation, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, huge quantities of gold, and precious jewels.
|
|
- 9:2 - [In Context]
- When she met with Solomon, they talked about everything she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.
|
|
- 9:3 - [In Context]
- When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built,
|
|
- 9:4 - [In Context]
- she was breathless. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers and their robes, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD.
|
|
- 9:5 - [In Context]
- She exclaimed to the king, "Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true!
|
|
- 9:6 - [In Context]
- I didn't believe it until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. Truly I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom is far greater than what I was told.
|
|
- 9:7 - [In Context]
- How happy these people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom!
|
|
- 9:8 - [In Context]
- The LORD your God is great indeed! He delights in you and has placed you on the throne to rule for him. Because God loves Israel so much and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness."
|
|
- 9:9 - [In Context]
- Then she gave the king a gift of nine thousand pounds F38 of gold, and great quantities of spices and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon.
|
|
- 9:10 - [In Context]
- (When the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, they also brought rich cargoes of almug wood F39 and precious jewels.
|
|
- 9:11 - [In Context]
- The king used the almug wood to make steps F40 for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct harps and lyres for the musicians. Never before had there been such beautiful instruments in Judah.)
|
|
- 9:12 - [In Context]
- King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for – gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants left and returned to their own land.
|
|
- 9:13 - [In Context]
- Each year Solomon received about 25 tons F41 of gold.
|
|
- 9:14 - [In Context]
- This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
|
|
- 9:15 - [In Context]
- King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold, each containing over 15 pounds F42 of gold.
|
|
- 9:16 - [In Context]
- He also made three hundred smaller shields of hammered gold, each containing about 7 1/2 pounds F43 of gold. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
|
|
- 9:17 - [In Context]
- Then the king made a huge ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold.
|
|
- 9:18 - [In Context]
- The throne had six steps, and there was a footstool of gold attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with the figure of a lion standing on each side of the throne.
|
|
- 9:19 - [In Context]
- Solomon made twelve other lion figures, one standing on each end of each of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!
|
|
- 9:20 - [In Context]
- All of King Solomon's drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's day!
|
|
- 9:21 - [In Context]
- The king had a fleet of trading ships F44 manned by the sailors sent by Hiram. F45 Once every three years the ships returned, loaded down with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. F46
|
|
- 9:22 - [In Context]
- So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king in all the earth.
|
|
- 9:23 - [In Context]
- Kings from every nation came to visit him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.
|
|
- 9:24 - [In Context]
- Year after year, everyone who came to visit brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
|
|
- 9:25 - [In Context]
- Solomon had four thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand horses. F47 He stationed many of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem.
|
|
- 9:26 - [In Context]
- He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River F48 to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt.
|
|
- 9:27 - [In Context]
- The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones. And valuable cedarwood was as common as the sycamore wood that grows in the foothills of Judah. F49
|
|
- 9:28 - [In Context]
- Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt F50 and many other countries.
|
|
- 9:29 - [In Context]
- The rest of the events of Solomon's reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Nathan the Prophet and in The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and also in The Visions of Iddo the Seer, concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat.
|
|
- 9:30 - [In Context]
- Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
|
|
- 9:31 - [In Context]
- When he died, he was buried in the city of his father, David. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.
|
|
| Chapter 10 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 10:1 - [In Context]
- Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all Israel had gathered to make him king.
|
|
- 10:2 - [In Context]
- When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of Solomon's death, he returned from Egypt, for he had fled to Egypt to escape from King Solomon.
|
|
- 10:3 - [In Context]
- The leaders of Israel sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel went together to speak with Rehoboam.
|
|
- 10:4 - [In Context]
- "Your father was a hard master," they said. "Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects."
|
|
- 10:5 - [In Context]
- Rehoboam replied, "Come back in three days for my answer." So the people went away.
|
|
- 10:6 - [In Context]
- Then King Rehoboam went to discuss the matter with the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. "What is your advice?" he asked. "How should I answer these people?"
|
|
- 10:7 - [In Context]
- The older counselors replied, "If you are good to the people and show them kindness and do your best to please them, they will always be your loyal subjects."
|
|
- 10:8 - [In Context]
- But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers.
|
|
- 10:9 - [In Context]
- "What is your advice?" he asked them. "How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens imposed by my father?"
|
|
- 10:10 - [In Context]
- The young men replied, "This is what you should tell those complainers: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist – if you think he was hard on you, just wait and see what I'll be like!
|
|
- 10:11 - [In Context]
- Yes, my father was harsh on you, but I'll be even harsher! My father used whips on you, but I'll use scorpions!'"
|
|
- 10:12 - [In Context]
- Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to hear Rehoboam's decision, just as the king had requested.
|
|
- 10:13 - [In Context]
- But Rehoboam spoke harshly to them, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors
|
|
- 10:14 - [In Context]
- and followed the counsel of his younger advisers. He told the people, "My father was harsh on you, but I'll be even harsher! My father used whips on you, but I'll use scorpions!"
|
|
- 10:15 - [In Context]
- So the king paid no attention to the people's demands. This turn of events was the will of God, for it fulfilled the prophecy of the LORD spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh.
|
|
- 10:16 - [In Context]
- When all Israel realized that the king had rejected their request, they shouted, "Down with David and his dynasty! We have no share in Jesse's son! Let's go home, Israel! Look out for your own house, O David!" So all Israel returned home.
|
|
- 10:17 - [In Context]
- But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.
|
|
- 10:18 - [In Context]
- King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, F51 who was in charge of the labor force, to restore order, but the Israelites stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem.
|
|
- 10:19 - [In Context]
- The northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David to this day.
|
|
| Chapter 11 - Read Chapter - Click the Play Button for Chapter Audio
MediaPlayer
|
|
- 11:1 - [In Context]
- When Rehoboam arrived at Jerusalem, he mobilized the armies of Judah and Benjamin – 180,000 select troops – to fight against the army of Israel and to restore the kingdom to himself.
|
|
- 11:2 - [In Context]
- But the LORD said to Shemaiah, the man of God,
|
|
- 11:3 - [In Context]
- "Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin:
|
|
- 11:4 - [In Context]
- 'This is what the LORD says: Do not fight against your relatives. Go back home, for what has happened is my doing!'" So they obeyed the message of the LORD and did not fight against Jeroboam.
|
|
- 11:5 - [In Context]
- Rehoboam remained in Jerusalem and fortified various cities for the defense of Judah.
|
|
- 11:6 - [In Context]
- He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
|
|
- 11:7 - [In Context]
- Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,
|
|
|
