1 Kings 9 Cross References - ISV

¹ God Appears to Solomon
Later, after Solomon had finished building the LORD’s Temple, the royal palace, and everything else that Solomon wanted to do, ² the LORD appeared to Solomon for a second time, just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. ³ The LORD told him: “I’ve heard your prayer and your request that you made to me. I have consecrated this Temple that you have built by placing my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there continuously. ⁴ “Now as for you, if you commune with me like your father did, with an upright heart of integrity and doing everything that I’ve commanded you and keeping my statutes and ordinances, ⁵ then I’ll make your royal throne secure forever, just as I agreed to do so for your father David when I said, ‘You are to not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ ⁶ But if you or your descendants abandon me, and do not keep my commandments and statutes that I have given to you, and if you go away, serve other gods, and worship them, ⁷ then I will eliminate Israel from the land that I gave them and from the Temple that I’ve consecrated for my name. I will throw them out of my sight, and Israel will become the butt of jokes and a means of ridicule among people worldwide! ⁸ “This Temple will become a pile of ruins. Everyone who passes by it will be so astounded that they will ask, ‘Why did the LORD do this to this land and to this Temple?’ ⁹ They will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD their God, who brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and served them. That’s why the Lord has brought all of this disaster on them.’”
¹⁰ Solomon Cedes Cities to HiramIt took 20 years for Solomon to finish working on the two houses—the LORD’s Temple and the royal palace— ¹¹ after which King Solomon gave Hiram 20 cities in the land of Galilee, because King Hiram of Tyre had provided Solomon with as much cedar, cypress timber, and gold that he wanted. ¹² Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, but he wasn’t happy with them, ¹³ so he asked him, “What are these cities that you have given to me, my brother?” That’s why these cities were named “the land of Cabal” to this day. ¹⁴ Then Hiram paid the king 120 talents of gold.
¹⁵ Solomon’s Other Accomplishments
Here is a summary of the conscripted labor that King Solomon required to build the LORD’s Temple, his royal palace, the terrace ramparts in the City of David, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁶ Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer, burned it down, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and then gave it as a dowry for his daughter, Solomon’s wife. ¹⁷ So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, lower Beth-horon, ¹⁸ Baalath, and Tamar in the wilderness, ¹⁹ along with the storage cities that Solomon used for his chariots and for his cavalry, everything that Solomon felt like building in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in every territory under his control.
²⁰ The people who survived from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not related to the Israelis, ²¹ and whose descendants had survived them and continued to live in the land because the Israelis were unable to completely eliminate them, Solomon placed under conscripted labor, a situation that remains in effect to this day. ²² However, Solomon did not force Israelis into conscripted labor, but they did serve as his soldiers, servants, princes, captains, chariot commanders, and cavalry. ²³ There were 550 chief officers who supervised Solomon’s activities and managed the staff that was doing the work.
²⁴ As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter arrived from the City of David to live in her house that Solomon had built for her, then he fortified the terrace ramparts in the City of David. ²⁵ Three times every year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he had built to the LORD, burning incense with the offerings in the presence of the Lord.
This concludes the record of the Temple construction.
²⁶ Solomon’s Business Ventures
King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Reed Sea in the land of Edom. ²⁷ Hiram sent his servants to sail with the fleet, since they were expert seamen, and so they accompanied Solomon’s servants. ²⁸ They sailed as far as Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold for Solomon.

³⁷ Temple Construction is CompletedThe foundation for the LORD’s Temple was laid in the month of Ziv during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign,

⁵¹ Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the LORD’s Temple was finished. Then Solomon brought in the articles that had been dedicated by his father David, including silver, gold, and other utensils, and he placed them into storage in the treasuries of the LORD’s Temple.

¹¹ after which King Solomon gave Hiram 20 cities in the land of Galilee, because King Hiram of Tyre had provided Solomon with as much cedar, cypress timber, and gold that he wanted.

¹⁹ along with the storage cities that Solomon used for his chariots and for his cavalry, everything that Solomon felt like building in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in every territory under his control.

¹¹ And so Solomon completed the LORD’s Temple, bringing to completion everything that he had planned on doing for the LORD’s Temple and for his own palace.

⁴ A Testimony to Extravagant WorksWith respect to my extravagant works, I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself.

¹⁰ Whenever I wanted something I had seen, I never refused that desire. Instead, I enjoyed everything I did, and this became the reward in what I had undertaken.

⁹ It is better to focus on what you can see than to meander after your self-interest; this also is pointless and a chasing after wind.

⁵ The LORD appeared to Solomon one night in a dream and told him, “Ask me for whatever you want and I’ll give it to you.”

⁹ The LORD became angry at Solomon because his heart wandered away from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice

⁷ Solomon Asks God for WisdomThat very night God appeared to Solomon and told him, “Ask what I am to give you.”
⁸ Solomon replied to God, “You showed great gracious love to my father David, and have established me as king in his place. ⁹ Now, LORD God, your promise to my father David is fulfilled, because you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰ Give me wisdom now, so I may go in and out among this people, because who can rule this great people that belongs to you?
¹¹ God told Solomon, “Since you had this in mind, to ask neither to focus on riches, wealth, honor, or the lives of those who hate you, nor have you requested a long life, but instead you have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, so that you may rule my people over whom I have established you as king, ¹² wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. Furthermore, I will give you riches, wealth, and honor—such as none of the kings owned who lived before you and none after you are to ever attain their equal.”

¹² God Appears to Solomon
Later, the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night and told him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for a sacrificial temple to me.

¹¹ because the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, in six days, then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.ה

³⁸ As for the censers of those rebels who died, fasten them into beaten plates to line the altar. Since they brought them into the LORD’s presence, they’re holy. They are to become a reminder to the Israelis.”

¹² a land about which the LORD your God is always concerned, because the eyes of the LORD are continuously on it throughout the entire year.”

⁵ Instead, you must seek to enter only the place that the LORD your God will choose among your tribes. There he will establish his name and live.

¹¹ then bring to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling place—where he will establish his name—everything that I’m commanding you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your hand-carried gifts, and all your best offerings in fulfillment of promises that you pledged to the LORD.

²¹ “If the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish his name is distant from you, then you may slaughter from your herd and your flock what the LORD has provided for you, as he instructed you. You may consume them in your cities as much as you please.

¹¹ Rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God with your son, daughter, male and female slaves, the descendant of Levi who is in your city, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow among you, at the place where the LORD your God will choose to establish his name.

¹⁰ When the priests left the Holy Place after setting the ark in place, the cloud filled the LORD’s Temple ¹¹ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, since the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s Temple.

²⁹ Let your eyes always look toward this Temple night and day, toward the location where you have said ‘My name will reside there.’ Listen to the prayer that your servant prays in this direction.

⁵ “Return to Hezekiah,” he said, “and tell the Commander-in-Chief of my people: ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: “I’ve heard your prayer and I’ve observed your tears. Look! I’m healing you. Three days from now, you’ll go visit the LORD’s Temple.

⁴⁰ “And now, my God, please let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers that are uttered in this place.

¹⁵ “Now therefore my eyes will remain open and my ears will remain listening to the prayers that are offered in this place. ¹⁶ Furthermore, I have chosen and have set apart for myself this Temple, intending my name to reside there forever. My eyes and my heart will reside there every day.

¹⁷ LORD, you heard the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen them, you will listen carefully,

¹⁹ Surely God has heard, and he paid attention to my prayers.

¹ God, My Deliverer I love the LORD because he has heard my prayer for mercy;

¹³ For the LORD has chosen Zion, desiring it as his dwelling place. ¹⁴ “This is my resting place forever. Here I will live, because I desire to do so.

⁹ You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride. You have made my heart beat faster with one glance of your eyes, with one strand of your necklace. ¹⁰ How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride. How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than all kinds of spices.

¹ The Destiny of the JudgedThen the LORD told me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were standing before me, I wouldn’t be favorably disposed toward this people. Send them out of my presence! Let them go!

²³ Because you’re highly regarded, the answer was issued when you began your prayer, and I’ve come to tell you. Pay attention to my message and you’ll understand the vision.

⁹ Therefore, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

⁴² I know that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.”

³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard. God has remembered your gifts to the poor,

¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have in him: if we ask for anything according to his will, he listens to us.

¹ God Appears to AbramWhen Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and announced, “I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I’m always with you, and be blameless.

¹ Rewards for Obedience“Indeed, if you diligently obey the LORD your God to carry out all his commands that I’m giving you today, then the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

¹⁴ If you will live life my way, keeping my statutes and my commands, just like your father David did, I’ll also increase the length of your life.”

²⁵ “Now therefore, LORD God of Israel, keep your promise that you made to my father, your servant David, when you said, ‘You will not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants will watch their lives, to live in my presence just as you have lived in my presence.’

⁴ because as Solomon grew older, his wives turned his affections away after other gods, and his heart was not fully as devoted to the LORD his God as his father David’s heart had been.

⁶ Solomon practiced what the LORD considered to be evil by not fully following the LORD, as had his father David.

³⁸ If you listen to everything that I command you to do, and if you live your life my way, and if you do what I consider to be right by observing my statutes and my commandments, just like my servant David did, then I will be with you, I will build an enduring dynasty for you, just like I did for David, and I’ll give Israel to you.

⁸ ‘I tore the kingdom away from David’s dynasty.‘Then I gave it to you.But you have not lived like my servant David, who kept my commands with all his heart, and did only what I considered to be right.

⁵ because David had practiced what the LORD considered to be right. He never avoided anything that the LORD had commanded him during his entire lifetime, except for the case of Uriah the Hittite.

¹⁷ Now as for you, if you commune with me like your father did, doing everything that I have commanded you, including obeying my statutes and my legal decisions, ¹⁸ then I will make your royal throne secure, just as I agreed to do for your father David when I said, ‘You are to not lack a man to rule over Israel.’

¹¹ My feet stay where his footsteps lead; I kept on his pathway and haven’t turned aside. ¹² I haven’t wandered away from the commands that he has spoken; I’ve treasured what he has said more than my own meals.”

² The one who lives with integrity, who does righteous deeds, and who speaks truth to himself.

¹ Davidic
A Man of Integrity Pleads for Justice Vindicate me, LORD, because I have walked in integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

¹¹ But as for me, I walk in my integrity. Redeem me and be gracious to me!

⁹ Whoever walks in integrity lives prudently, but whoever perverts his way of life will be exposed.

⁷ The righteous person lives a life of integrity; happy are his children who follow him!

¹⁸ Whoever lives blamelessly will be delivered, but whoever is perverted will fall without warning.

⁷ “This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘If you will live according to my ways, and if you will keep what I have entrusted to you, then you will also administer my Temple, and you will also guard my courtyards. And I will give you access to these who serve here.

⁶ Both of them were righteous before God, having lived blamelessly according to all of the commandments and regulations of the Lord.

¹ Instructions on the Way Christians Should LiveNow then, brothers, you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, as in fact you are doing. We ask and encourage you in the Lord to do so even more. ² You know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

¹² When your life is complete and you go to join your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who will come forth from your body, and I will fortify his kingdom.

¹⁶ Your dynasty and your kingdom will remain forever in my presence—your throne will be secure forever.”’”

⁴ and so that the LORD may fulfill his promise that he spoke about me when he said, ‘If your sons pay attention to how they live by walking truthfully in my presence with all their heart and with all their soul, you will never lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

¹² “Concerning this Temple that you’re building, if you live your life according to my statutes, carry out my ordinances, and keep all of my commands, and live according to them, then I will do what I promised to your father David.

¹⁵ Then Solomon prayed: “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who made a commitment to my father David and then personally fulfilled what he had promised when he said:

²⁰ “The LORD has brought to fulfillment what he promised, and now here I stand, having succeeded my father David to sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the Temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

⁹ But look! A son born to you will live comfortably, because I will give him rest from all his enemies that surround him on every side, since his name will be “Solomon”—I will give peace and quiet for Israel during his lifetime. ¹⁰ He will build a temple to my name. He will be a son to me, I myself will be a father to him, and I will secure his royal throne in Israel forever.’

²⁸ I will show my gracious love toward him forever, since my covenant is securely established with him. ²⁹ I will establish his dynasty forever, and his throne as long as heaven endures. ³⁰ “But if his sons abandon my laws and do not follow my ordinances, ³¹ if they profane my statutes; and do not keep my commands, ³² then I will punish their disobedience with a rod and their iniquity with lashes. ³³ But I will not cut off my gracious love from him, and I will not stop being faithful. ³⁴ I will not dishonor my covenant, because I will not change what I have spoken. ³⁵ I have sworn by my holiness once for all: I will not lie to David. ³⁶ His dynasty will last forever and his throne will be like the sun before me. ³⁷ It will be established forever like the moon, a faithful witness in the sky.” Interlude
³⁸ A Commitment to PersevereBut you have spurned, rejected, and became angry with your anointed one. ³⁹ You have dishonored the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown on the ground.

¹¹ The LORD made an oath to David from which he will not retreat: “One of your sons I will set in place on your throne. ¹² If your sons keep my covenant and my statutes that I will teach them, then their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”

¹⁵ However, just as all of the good things have come about that the LORD your God promised, so also the LORD will bring upon you all of the threats until he has destroyed you from possessing this good land that he has given you. ¹⁶ When you break the covenant of the LORD your God that he commanded you to obey by going to serve other gods and worship them, then the anger of the LORD will blaze against you, and you will perish quickly from this good land that he gave you.”

³⁰ “Therefore, the LORD God of Israel has declared, ‘I did, in fact, say that your family and your ancestor’s family would walk before me forever,’ but now the LORD declares, ‘Far be it from me! The one who honors me I’ll honor, and the one who despises me is to be treated with contempt.

¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he will be to me a son who, when he commits iniquity, I will discipline with the rod wielded by armies and with wounds inflicted by human beings. ¹⁵ But I’ll never remove my gracious love from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed from your presence. ¹⁶ Your dynasty and your kingdom will remain forever in my presence—your throne will be secure forever.”’”

⁴ because as Solomon grew older, his wives turned his affections away after other gods, and his heart was not fully as devoted to the LORD his God as his father David’s heart had been. ⁵ Solomon pursued Astarte, the Sidonian goddess, and Milcom, that detestable Ammonite idol. ⁶ Solomon practiced what the LORD considered to be evil by not fully following the LORD, as had his father David. ⁷ Later, Solomon even constructed a high place on the mountain east of Jerusalem that was dedicated to Chemosh, that detestable Moabite idol, and to Molech, the detestable Ammonite idol. ⁸ Solomon did this for all of his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their own gods.
⁹ The LORD became angry at Solomon because his heart wandered away from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice ¹⁰ and warned him about this so he would not pursue other gods. But he did not obey what the LORD had commanded,

⁹ David Addresses Solomon Directly“Now as for you, my son Solomon, get to know the God of your father. Serve him with a sound heart and a devoted soul, because the LORD is searching every heart, every plan and thought. He will be found by you, assuming you are seeking him, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you forever.

¹⁹ “But if you turn away and abandon my statutes and my commands that I have given you, and if you walk away to serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰ then I will tear them up by the roots from the ground that I had given them! And as for this Temple that I have set apart for my name, I will throw it out of my sight and make it the butt of jokes and a means of ridicule among people worldwide! ²¹ “Furthermore, even though this Temple seems so exalted, everyone who passes by it will be so astounded that they will ask, ‘Why did the LORD do this to this land and to this Temple?’ ²² They will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors, who brought them from the land of Egypt, adopted other gods, worshipped them, and served them, therefore the LORD has brought all of this disaster on them.’”

² so he went out to meet Asa and rebuked him: “Listen to me, Asa, Judah, and Benjamin! The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will allow you to find him, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.

³⁰ “But if his sons abandon my laws and do not follow my ordinances,

³² then I will punish their disobedience with a rod and their iniquity with lashes.

²⁴ “You are not to defile yourselves by doing any of these things, since all of these nations that I’m casting out before you have defiled themselves this way. ²⁵ The land has been defiled, so I brought the punishment of its iniquity to it. As a result, the land is vomiting out its inhabitants.
²⁶ “Therefore, keep my statutes and ordinances. You are not to do any of these detestable things—this applies to the native born and the resident alien who lives among you— ²⁷ because the inhabitants of the land did all of these detestable things and by doing so defiled the land before you. ²⁸ So you are not to let the land vomit you up because of your uncleanness as it is vomiting the nations that were here before you.

²⁶ Heaven and earth will testify against what has occurred today: you’ll surely and swiftly be destroyed from the land that you are about to possess by crossing the Jordan River. You won’t live long in it, because you’ll certainly be exterminated.

³⁷ You’ll become a desolation and a proverb, and you’ll be mocked among the people where the LORD will drive you.”

²⁶ They followed and worshipped other gods whom they had not known and whom he did not assign to them. ²⁷ For this reason, the anger of the LORD raged against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that were written in this book. ²⁸ The LORD uprooted them from the land in his anger, wrath, and great fury, deporting them to another land, and that’s the way things are today.’

³ The LORD told him: “I’ve heard your prayer and your request that you made to me. I have consecrated this Temple that you have built by placing my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there continuously.

²⁰ so the LORD rejected all of the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and handed them over to the control of plunderers until he had thrown them away from his presence. ²¹ He ripped them away from the heritage of David, even as the people appointed Nebat’s son Jeroboam to be king. Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the LORD and made them commit great sin.
²² The Israelis practiced all the sins that Jeroboam had practiced, and never wavered from them ²³ until the LORD removed Israel from his presence, just as he had warned through all of his prophets who served him. So Israel was carried off into exile from their own land into Assyria, where they remain to this day.

⁹ and set fire to the LORD’s Temple, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He even incinerated the lavish homes.

²¹ where the king of Babylon executed them in the land of Hamath. And so Judah was transported into exile from the land.

²⁰ then I will tear them up by the roots from the ground that I had given them! And as for this Temple that I have set apart for my name, I will throw it out of my sight and make it the butt of jokes and a means of ridicule among people worldwide!

¹⁹ After this, they set fire to God’s Temple, demolished the wall around Jerusalem, burned all of its fortified buildings, and destroyed everything of value.

¹ Sanballat Opposes the ReconstructionWhen Sanballat heard that we were reconstructing the wall, he flew into a rage, became indignant, and mocked the Jews. ² He addressed his allies and the Samaritan officials, saying “What are these pathetic Jews doing? Are they intending to rebuild it by themselves? Do they intend to offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a single day? Can they make stones from this burned out rubble?”
³ Tobiah the Ammonite stood to the side, commenting, “If a fox were to jump onto what they’re building, it would collapse their stone wall!”
⁴ Nehemiah’s Prayer“Listen, our God, because we are being mocked. Let their insults fall back on them, and let them be dragged away as captives into exile.

¹⁴ You made us an object lesson among the nations; people shake their heads at us.

¹⁵ You’ll leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse, and the Lord GOD will put you to death permanently.

⁴ Don’t trust deceptive words like these, and say, ‘The Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the LORD,’ ⁵ but rather, truly change your ways and your deeds. If you truly practice justice between each person and his neighbor, ⁶ and if you don’t oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, and don’t shed an innocent person’s blood in this place, and if you don’t follow other gods to your own harm, ⁷ then I’ll let you dwell in this land, the land that I gave to your ancestors forever and ever. ⁸ “Look, you’re trusting in deceptive words that cannot benefit. ⁹ Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear by false gods, burn incense to Baal, follow other gods that you don’t know, ¹⁰ and then come to stand before me in this house that is called by my name and say, ‘We’re delivered’ so we can continue to do all these things that are repugnant to God? ¹¹ Has this house that is called by my name become a hideout for bandits in your eyes? Look, I’m watching,” declares the LORD. ¹² “Go to my place that was in Shiloh, where I first caused my name to dwell. See what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. ¹³ Now, because you have done all these things,” declares the LORD, “I spoke to you over and over again, but you didn’t listen. I called to you, but you didn’t answer. ¹⁴ Just as I did to Shiloh, I’ll do to the house in which you trust and which is called by my name, the place that I gave to you and your ancestors. ¹⁵ I’ll cast you out of my sight, just as I cast out all your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.

⁹ I’ll make them into a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms of the earth; into a cause for contempt, into a byword, into a taunt, and into a curse in all the places to which I drive them.

⁶ then I’ll make this house like Shiloh and make this city into a curse to all the nations of the earth.’”’”

¹⁸ “Micah of Moresheth prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “Zion will be a plowed field, and Jerusalem a ruin. The Temple Mount will be a wooded hill.”’

¹³ He burned the LORD’s Temple, the king’s house, and all the houses in Jerusalem. He also burned every public building with fire.

⁶ He plowed under his Temple like a garden, spoiling his tent. The LORD abolished in Zion both festivals and Sabbaths. In his fierce wrath he despised both king and priest. ⁷ The Lord rejected his altar, disavowing his sanctuary. He gave up her palace walls to the control of the enemy. They shouted in the LORD’s Temple, as though they were attending a day of celebration.

¹⁵ Everyone who passes by on the road shake their fists at you. They hiss and shake their heads at cherished Jerusalem: “Is this the city men used to call ‘The Perfection of Beauty,’ and ‘The Joy of the Entire Earth’”? ¹⁶ All of your enemies insult you with gaping mouths. They hiss and grind their teeth while saying, “We have devoured her completely. Yes, this is the day that we anticipated! We found it at last; we have seen it!”

²¹ ‘Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: “Look! I’m about to profane my sanctuary, the source of your proud strength, the desire of your eyes, and the object of your affection. Your sons and daughters, whom you’ve left behind, will die by the sword.

²⁷ “Tell them this: ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “As certainly as I’m alive and living, those who live in the wastelands are certain to die violently, I’ll give those who die in the open fields to the wild animals for food, and whoever takes refuge in caves and fortified places will die of diseases. ²⁸ Then I’ll turn the land into a desolate ruin and her arrogant strength will come to an abrupt end. The mountains of Israel will become so desolate that no one will be able to travel over them.” ²⁹ ‘Then they’ll learn that I am the LORD, when I’ve turned their land into a desolate wasteland because of all of the loathsome deeds that they’ve committed.’”

¹⁷ As they serve between the porch and the altar, let the priests and ministers of the LORD weep and pray: ‘Spare your people, LORD, and do not make your heritage a disgrace so that nations ridicule them. Why should they say among the people, “Where is their God?”’”

¹² “Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed up like a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps of rubble, and the Temple Mount like a forest high place.”

² But he told them, “You see all these things, don’t you? I tell all of you with certainty, there isn’t a single stone here that will be left standing on top of another. They will all be torn down.”

²⁴ They will fall by the edge of the sword and be carried off as captives among all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the unbelievers until the times of the unbelievers are fulfilled.”

²⁴ All the nations will ask, ‘Why did the LORD do this to this land? What is the meaning of this fierce and great anger?’ ²⁵ Then they will answer themselves, ‘Because they’ve abandoned the covenant of their LORD, the God of their ancestors that he had made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. ²⁶ They followed and worshipped other gods whom they had not known and whom he did not assign to them.

²¹ “Furthermore, even though this Temple seems so exalted, everyone who passes by it will be so astounded that they will ask, ‘Why did the LORD do this to this land and to this Temple?’

¹¹ Our holy Temple and our splendor, where our ancestors praised you, have become a conflagration of fire, and all our dearest places have become ruins.

⁸ I’ll make this city into a desolate place and an object of scorn. All who pass by it will be astonished and will scoff because of all its wounds.

⁸ “Many nations will pass by this city and say to one another, ‘Why did the LORD do this to this great city?’ ⁹ Then people will respond, ‘It is because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have bowed down to other gods and served them.’

²⁸ “Is this man Jehoiachin a despised and shattered jar, a vessel no one wants? Why were he and his descendants hurled away, thrown into a land that they didn’t know?

¹⁷ “Edom will become an object of horror. Everyone who passes by her will be horrified and will scoff because of all her wounds.

¹³ Because of the anger of the LORD she won’t be inhabited, but will be utterly devastated. Everyone who passes by Babylon will be horrified and will scoff because of all her wounds.

¹² ‘He has confirmed his accusation that he spoke against us and against our rulers who governed us by bringing upon us great calamity, because nowhere in the universe has anything been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.

²⁵ Then they will answer themselves, ‘Because they’ve abandoned the covenant of their LORD, the God of their ancestors that he had made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.

²² They will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors, who brought them from the land of Egypt, adopted other gods, worshipped them, and served them, therefore the LORD has brought all of this disaster on them.’”

¹⁰ “Indeed, go over to the coasts of Cyprus and see, send to Kedar and pay very close attention. See if there has ever been such a thing as this! ¹¹ Has a nation ever changed gods when they aren’t even gods? But my people have exchanged their glory for that which does not profit. ¹² Heavens, be appalled at this, be shocked, be utterly devastated,” declares the LORD. ¹³ “Indeed, my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

¹⁹ Your wickedness will be punished, and you will be corrected due to your acts of apostasy. Know and see that it’s evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God, but the fear of me is not in you,” declares the Lord GOD of the Heavenly Armies.

¹⁹ When the people ask, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?’ you are to say to them, ‘Just as you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’”

⁷ I’ll forsake my house, I’ll abandon my inheritance. I’ll give the beloved of my heart into the hand of her enemies. ⁸ My inheritance has become like a lion in the forest to me. She roars at me; therefore, I hate her.

¹⁰ “When you speak all these words to this people, they’ll say to you, ‘Why has the LORD pronounced all this disaster against us? What is our iniquity, and what is the sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?’ ¹¹ Then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors abandoned me,’ declares the LORD. ‘They followed other gods, served them, worshipped them, abandoned me, and didn’t keep my Law. ¹² You have done even more evil than your ancestors, and each one of you is stubbornly following his own evil desires, refusing to listen to me. ¹³ I’ll throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, and I’ll show you no favor.’

⁷ All who find them devour them, but their enemies say, ‘We’re not guilty, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of righteousness, the LORD, the hope of their ancestors.’

¹⁶ All of your enemies insult you with gaping mouths. They hiss and grind their teeth while saying, “We have devoured her completely. Yes, this is the day that we anticipated! We found it at last; we have seen it!” ¹⁷ The LORD did what he planned. He carried out his threat. Just as he commanded long ago, he has torn down without pity; He let the enemy boast about you and has exalted the power of your enemies.

¹³ Due to the sins committed by her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests who shed in her midst, the blood of the righteous, ¹⁴ people stagger around in the streets like the blind, defiled by blood unclean so that no one is able to touch their clothing. ¹⁵ “Go away! Unclean!” they shouted at them. “Go away! Go away! Don’t touch!” When they fled away and wandered, those among the nations decreed, “They cannot live here!”

¹⁷ “Son of Man, when the house of Israel was living on their own land, they defiled it with their lifestyles and behavior; they were as disqualified to be with me as a menstruating woman is to you. ¹⁸ So I poured out my anger on them because of all the bloodshed throughout the land and because they had defiled it with their idolatry. ¹⁹ Then I scattered them among the nations, dispersing them to other lands, just as their lifestyles and behavior deserved. That’s how I judged them. ²⁰ Nevertheless, when they arrived in those nations, they continued to profane my holy name. It was said about them, ‘These are the LORD’s people, even though they’ve left his land.’

⁴ “I will also stretch out my hand against Judah, and upon all inhabitants of Jerusalem. I’ll wipe out every trace of Baal from this place, and the name of the pagan priests, along with my own priests. ⁵ I’ll wipe out those who worship the stars that they view from their housetops, those who bow down and swear to the LORD and who also swear by Milcom,

¹ God Appears to Solomon
Later, after Solomon had finished building the LORD’s Temple, the royal palace, and everything else that Solomon wanted to do,

¹ Solomon’s Accomplishments
It took Solomon 20 years to build the LORD’s Temple and his own palace. ² During this time, he also rebuilt the towns that Hiram had restored to him, and he settled Israelis in them. ³ After this, Solomon traveled to Hamath-zobah and captured it. ⁴ Then he rebuilt Tadmor in the desert, along with supply centers that he had built in Hamath. ⁵ He also built upper and lower Beth-horon as fortified cities, installing walls, gates, and bars, ⁶ and he rebuilt Baalath and its supply centers that belonged to Solomon, along with all the cities that he utilized to garrison his chariots and cavalry forces. Solomon was pleased also to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in every territory that he controlled.
⁷ Conscripted LaborersAll of the survivors who remained living in the land but who were not Israelis (including Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites) ⁸ were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not eliminated. Solomon put them to work as conscripted laborers, which they continue to do to this day. ⁹ However, Solomon never made conscripted laborers from among the Israelis, but they did serve as his army, as his chief captains, and as commanders in charge of his chariots and cavalry. ¹⁰ King Solomon appointed 250 chief officers to command his army. ¹¹ Later, Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter from the City of David to the palace that he had constructed to house her, because he reasoned, “My wife isn’t going to live in the palace where King David of Israel lived, because wherever the ark of the LORD entered is holy.”
¹² Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the LORD’s altar that he had built in front of the porch of the Temple, ¹³ acting in compliance with the daily rule by offering them in conformity to commands issued by Moses for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, the three annual festivals (the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tents). ¹⁴ Following proscriptions laid down by his father David, Solomon appointed divisions of priests for their service as well as descendants of Levi for duties of praise and ministry before the priests consistent with the daily rules. Furthermore, because David, the man of God, had commanded it, Solomon also appointed gatekeepers to serve by divisions at every gate of the Temple. ¹⁵ They scrupulously adhered to the orders issued by the king to the priests and descendants of Levi in everything, including matters pertaining to operation of the treasuries.
¹⁶ Work on the Temple is CompletedAnd so Solomon completed all of the work, from the day that the foundation stone of the LORD’s Temple was laid until the LORD’s Temple was completely finished. ¹⁷ After this, Solomon visited Ezion-geber and Elath at the seashore in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ Hiram sent Solomon ships and servants who were expert mariners, and they sailed with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, where they brought back 450 talents of gold for Solomon.

⁷ So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

⁶ Now therefore please order that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, because you know there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians do.”
⁷ As soon as Hiram received the message from Solomon, he became so ecstatic that he exclaimed, “Blessed be the LORD today, who has given David a wise son to rule this great people!” Then he sent this message to Solomon: ⁸ “I have read the letter that you sent me. I’ll do what you’ve asked about the cedar and cypress timber. ⁹ My servants will transport them from Lebanon to the sea, where we’ll make them into rafts and float them by sea to the port that you tell me to send them. We’ll have them prepared for transport there and then you can carry them from there. You can meet my needs by providing provisions for my household.”
¹⁰ That’s how Hiram came to provide Solomon as much cedar and cypress timber as he needed.

⁸ Also send me cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, since I’m aware that your servants know how to cut down timber from Lebanon. My servants will accompany your servants ⁹ to prepare an abundant amount of timber for me, because the Temple that I’m building is to be great and awesome. ¹⁰ “Now look! I will pay your servants, the lumberjacks who prepare the timber, 20,000 measures of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.”

¹⁶ We’ll cut down the timber you need from Lebanon and transport it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so you can move it to Jerusalem.”

² During this time, he also rebuilt the towns that Hiram had restored to him, and he settled Israelis in them.

³⁴ If she hadn’t turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and left her alive!”
At this, Balaam replied to the angel of the LORD, “I’ve sinned! I didn’t know that you were standing to meet me on the road. So now, since it displeases you, let me go back.”

³ His father and mother asked him, “Isn’t there a woman suitable among the daughters of your relatives or among all of our people, since you’re going to get your wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”
But Samson retorted to his father, “Get her for me, since she looks fine to me.”

²⁷ then proceeded east to Beth-dagon. It proceeded to Zebulun and the Iphtah-el Valley, turned north to Beth-emek and Neiel, then proceeded north to Cabul,

¹ Preparations to Build the Temple
King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he learned that Solomon had been anointed king to replace his father, because Hiram had been David’s lifelong friend. ² Solomon sent this message to Hiram:

⁹ A Warning to TyreThis is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Tyre —and now for a fourth— I will not turn away; because they delivered the entire population to Edom, and did not remember their covenant with their relatives.

²⁸ They sailed as far as Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold for Solomon.

¹⁰ Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a vast quantity of spices, and precious stones. No spices ever came again that were comparable to those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹⁴ Solomon’s Wealth
Solomon’s annual revenue was 666 talents of gold,

²¹ All of King Solomon’s drinking vessels were made of gold, and all the vessels in his palace in the Lebanon forest were made of pure gold. None were of silver, because silver was never considered to be valuable during Solomon’s lifetime,

³³ Then Horam king of Gezer appeared to help Lachish. So Joshua attacked him and his army, until he left no one remaining.

¹ The Northern CampaignWhen King Jabin of Hazor heard all of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,

¹⁰ However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live within the territory of Ephraim to this day, but they serve as forced laborers.

¹¹ In Issachar and Asher, Manasseh held Beth-shean and its towns, Ibleam and its towns, the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, and the three coastal districts.

³⁶ Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

²¹ Shechem was allocated to them as a city of refuge for unintentional killers, along with its pasture lands, in the mountainous region of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasture lands,

²⁹ The army of the tribe of Ephraim did not expel the Canaanites who were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

² so the LORD turned them over to domination by Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commanding officer of his army, lived in Harosheth-haggoyim.

¹⁹ “Kings came to fight, then battled the kings of Canaan at Taanach near the waters of Megiddo. They took no silver as the spoils of war.

⁶ All the men from Shechem and Beth-millo gathered together and set up Abimelech as king near the pillar erected in Shechem.

²⁰ But if not, may fire spring out from Abimelech and consume the “lords” of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire spring out from the “lords” of Shechem and Beth-millo to consume Abimelech.”

⁹ David occupied the fortress, naming it the City of David. He built up the surroundings from the terrace ramparts inward.

¹² Ahilud’s son Baana served Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Beth-shean near Zarethan below Jezreel, including from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;

¹³ Conscripted Labor for the Building ProgramKing Solomon conscripted laborers from throughout Israel. The work force numbered 30,000 men.

³⁸ and the Temple was completely finished according to its plans and specifications in the eighth month of the eleventh year of Solomon’s reign, that is, during the month of Bul. It took about seven years to build.

¹⁰ Solomon Cedes Cities to HiramIt took 20 years for Solomon to finish working on the two houses—the LORD’s Temple and the royal palace—

¹⁶ Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer, burned it down, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and then gave it as a dowry for his daughter, Solomon’s wife. ¹⁷ So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, lower Beth-horon,

²¹ and whose descendants had survived them and continued to live in the land because the Israelis were unable to completely eliminate them, Solomon placed under conscripted labor, a situation that remains in effect to this day.

²⁴ As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter arrived from the City of David to live in her house that Solomon had built for her, then he fortified the terrace ramparts in the City of David.

²⁷ and this is why he rose in rebellion against the king: Solomon had built up the terrace ramparts in the city of his father David in order to repair a weakness.

²⁷ King Ahaziah is Also Killed
As soon as King Ahaziah of Judah observed this, he attempted to flee by the garden house road, but Jehu pursued him. At the ascent toward Gur which is near Ibleam, he ordered, “Shoot him in the chariot, too!”
Ahaziah fled to Megiddo, where he died.

²⁰ His servants rose up in rebellion, formed a conspiracy, and assassinated Joash in the palace at the terrace ramparts while he was on his way down to Silla.

²⁹ During the lifetime of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria attacked. He captured the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor. He also captured Gilead, Galilee, and the entire territory of Naphtali, and carried its people off to Assyria.

²⁹ During his reign, Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, marched out toward the Euphrates River to meet the king of Assyria. King Josiah went out to engage him in battle, but Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo as soon as he saw him. ³⁰ Josiah’s servants drove his corpse in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in a tomb made for him.
Jehoahaz is Anointed KingThe people of the land took Josiah’s son Jehoahaz, anointed him, and installed him as king in his father’s place.

⁶⁷ They were given these cities of refuge: Shechem with its surrounding suburbs in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its surrounding suburbs,

⁴ Fighting Philistine Giants
Afterwards, war broke out against the Philistines at Gezer, where Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaim, defeating the Philistines.

¹ Solomon’s Accomplishments
It took Solomon 20 years to build the LORD’s Temple and his own palace.

²² But Josiah wouldn’t turn around. In fact, he put on a disguise so he could fight Neco. He wouldn’t listen to what God told him through what Neco had to say, and as a result, Josiah came to attack Neco on the Megiddo plain.

¹⁸ Show favor to Zion in your good pleasure; and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

¹¹ At that time, Jerusalem will mourn deeply, like the mourning about Hadad-rimmon that took place in the plain of Megiddo.

¹ Solomon Prays for Wisdom
Later, Solomon intermarried with the family of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt by taking his daughter and bringing her to the City of David to live until he had completed building his own palace, the LORD’s Temple, and the wall around Jerusalem.

⁸ Solomon’s personal dwelling quarters, a separate court behind the hall, was of similar workmanship. Solomon also built a house similar to this for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Solomon had married.

¹⁰ The LORD threw the Amorites into a panic right in front of the army of Israel, which then slaughtered many of them at Gibeon. The Israeli army chased them along the road that goes up to Beth-horon, striking them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

³ It proceeded westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as the territory of lower Beth-horon, then toward Gezer, ending at the Mediterranean Sea.

⁴⁴ Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

²² Kibzaim with its pasture lands, and Beth-horon with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.

⁴ Then he rebuilt Tadmor in the desert, along with supply centers that he had built in Hamath.

¹¹ So the Egyptians placed supervisors over them, oppressing them with heavy burdens. The Israelis built the supply cities of Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh.

²⁶ Solomon owned 40,000 stalls for the horses that drove his chariots, and he employed 12,000 men to drive them. ²⁷ His officers supplied provisions for King Solomon and for everyone who visited King Solomon’s palace, each in their respective month of service responsibility. Nothing ever ran out. ²⁸ They also provided barley and straw for the horses and camels to their respective locations, each consistent with their responsibilities.

²⁶ Solomon accumulated chariots and cavalry. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 cavalry soldiers. He stationed them in various chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

¹⁴ Solomon amassed both chariots and horsemen: he owned 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, stationing them in armories and with the king in Jerusalem.

¹⁹ including the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

²³ because my angel will go ahead of you and will bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I’ll annihilate them.

²⁸ I’ll send hornets ahead of you and they’ll drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. ²⁹ I won’t drive them out before you in a single year, so that the land does not become desolate and so that wild animals do not overrun you. ³⁰ I’ll drive them out ahead of you little by little until you increase in numbers and possess the land.
³¹ “I’ll set your borders from the Reed Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River, bringing the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you are to drive them out ahead of you. ³² You are not to make a covenant with them or with their gods. ³³ They are not to live in your land. Otherwise they will cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will become a snare for you.”

¹¹ Obey what I am commanding you today and I’ll drive out from before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
¹² “Be very careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, so they won’t be a snare among you.

¹ Instructions Regarding the Tribal Nations“When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to possess, he will drive out many nations before you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations who are more numerous and stronger than you. ² So when the LORD your God delivers them to you and you have defeated them, then utterly destroy them. You are not to make any covenant with them nor be gracious to them. ³ You are not to intermarry with them. You are not to give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons,

²⁵ he said, “Canaan is cursed! He will be the lowest of slaves to his relatives.”
²⁶ He also said, “Blessed be the LORD God of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave.

⁶³ Now as for the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, the descendants of Judah could not expel them, so Jebusites live with the descendants of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.

¹² The descendants of Manasseh did not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites predominated in that territory.

¹⁶ The descendants of Joseph replied, “The hill country isn’t sufficient for us, but all the Canaanites who live on the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shean and its villages as well as the inhabitants of the Jezreel Valley.”
¹⁷ So Joshua told the tribes of Joseph, which were Ephraim and Manasseh, “You’re truly a numerous group, and you have great power. You are not to have only one allotment, ¹⁸ but the hill country will also belong to you. Even though it’s a forest, you will clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. You’ll drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and even though they’re strong.”

²¹ However, the descendants of Benjamin did not expel the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the descendants of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

²⁷ Unconquered TerritoriesThe army of the tribe of Manasseh did not conquer Beth-shean and its villages, Taanach and its villages, the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages. Instead, the Canaanites continued to live in that land. ²⁸ When Israel had grown strong, they subjected the Canaanites to conscripted labor and never did expel them completely.
²⁹ The army of the tribe of Ephraim did not expel the Canaanites who were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
³⁰ The army of the tribe of Zebulun did not expel the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but were subjected to conscripted labor.
³¹ The army of the tribe of Asher did not expel the inhabitants of Acco nor the inhabitants of Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. ³² So the descendants of Asher lived among the Canaanites who continued to inhabit the land, because they did not expel them.
³³ The army of the tribe of Naphtali did not expel the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and the inhabitants of Beth-anath. Instead, they lived among the Canaanites who inhabited the land. However, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were subjected to conscripted labor.
³⁴ Later on, the Amorites forced the descendants of Dan into the hill country and did not permit them to come into the valleys of the hills. ³⁵ Furthermore, the Amorites continued to inhabit Mount Heres in Aijalon and Shaalbim. Eventually, however, after the tribe of Joseph had become strong, the Amorites were subjected to conscripted labor.

²⁰ In his burning anger against Israel, the LORD said, “Because the people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors to keep, and because they haven’t obeyed me,

¹⁵ Solomon’s Other Accomplishments
Here is a summary of the conscripted labor that King Solomon required to build the LORD’s Temple, his royal palace, the terrace ramparts in the City of David, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

⁵⁵ The Descendants of Solomon’s Servants:
Descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, and Peruda.
⁵⁶ Descendants of Jaalah, Darkon, and Giddel.
⁵⁷ Descendants of Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, and Ami.
⁵⁸ All of the Temple Servants and descendants of Solomon’s servants numbered 392.

⁵⁷ The Descendants of Solomon’s Servants:
Descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, and Perida,

³ These are the leaders of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem. Some lived in the towns of Judah—each on their property in their respective towns—that is, the Israelis, the priests, the descendants of Levi, the Temple Servants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants.

³⁴ They never destroyed the people, as the LORD had commanded them. ³⁵ Instead, they mingled among the nations and learned their ways. ³⁶ They worshipped their idols, and this became a trap for them.

³⁹ “If your brother with you becomes so poor that he sells himself to you, you are not to make him serve like a bond slave.

¹¹ He said, “This is how the king who rules over you will operate: He will conscript your sons and assign them to his chariots. He will conscript them as his horsemen, and they’ll run in front of his chariots. ¹² He will appoint his officers over thousands and officers over fifties—some will plow his fields, reap his harvest, and craft his war implements and equipment for his chariots.

¹ Solomon’s AdministrationAnd so King Solomon ruled over all of Israel. ² Here’s a list of his officials: Zadok’s son Azariah was priest, ³ Shisha’s sons Elihoreph and Ahijah were his secretaries, Ahilud’s son Jehoshaphat was recorder, ⁴ Jehoiada’s son Benaiah commanded the army, Zadok and Abiathar served as priests, ⁵ Nathan’s son Azariah supervised the governors, Nathan’s son Zabud the priest was the king’s counselor, ⁶ Ahishar supervised palace matters, and Abda’s son Adoniram supervised conscripted labor. ⁷ Solomon also appointed twelve governors over all of Israel, each of whom were responsible for providing one month’s food provisions to the king and to his administration during each year.
⁸ Here’s a list of their names: Ben-hur from the hill country of Ephraim; ⁹ Ben-deker in Makaz, Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh and Elonbeth-hanan; ¹⁰ Ben-hesed served in Arubboth (where he supervised Socoh and all of the territory of Hepher); ¹¹ Ben-abinadab supervised the Dor heights (Solomon’s daughter Taphath was his wife); ¹² Ahilud’s son Baana served Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Beth-shean near Zarethan below Jezreel, including from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam; ¹³ Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead, including the towns that belonged to Manasseh’s descendant Jair that are in Gilead; ¹⁴ Iddo’s son Ahinadab served in Mahanaim; ¹⁵ Ahimaaz served in Naphtali (he was married to Solomon’s daughter Basemath); ¹⁶ Hushai’s son Baana served in Asher and Bealoth; ¹⁷ Paruah’s son Jehoshaphat served in Issachar; ¹⁸ Ela’s son Shimei served in Benjamin; ¹⁹ and Uri’s son Geber served in the territory of Gilead, the territory formerly ruled by King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan (he was the only governor over that territory).
²⁰ Solomon’s MagnificenceJudah and Israel became as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They enjoyed abundance, and ate, drank, and rejoiced regularly. ²¹ Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the territory of the Philistines and south to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon throughout his lifetime. ²² Solomon’s daily provisions were 30 kors of fine flour, 60 kors of meal, ²³ ten fattened oxen, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and domestic poultry. ²⁴ He ruled over everything west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all of the kings west of the Euphrates River, and he enjoyed peace on all sides around him.
²⁵ Judah and Israel lived safely, and everyone enjoyed their own vine and fig tree from Dan to Beer-sheba through all of Solomon’s life. ²⁶ Solomon owned 40,000 stalls for the horses that drove his chariots, and he employed 12,000 men to drive them. ²⁷ His officers supplied provisions for King Solomon and for everyone who visited King Solomon’s palace, each in their respective month of service responsibility. Nothing ever ran out.

⁹ However, Solomon never made conscripted laborers from among the Israelis, but they did serve as his army, as his chief captains, and as commanders in charge of his chariots and cavalry. ¹⁰ King Solomon appointed 250 chief officers to command his army.

¹⁶ Solomon also employed 3,300 officials to supervise the work and to manage the people employed in the construction.

¹⁸ He conscripted 70,000 of them to do heavy work, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 men to supervise the people.

¹⁰ King Solomon appointed 250 chief officers to command his army.

¹⁵ Solomon’s Other Accomplishments
Here is a summary of the conscripted labor that King Solomon required to build the LORD’s Temple, his royal palace, the terrace ramparts in the City of David, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁶ Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer, burned it down, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and then gave it as a dowry for his daughter, Solomon’s wife.

¹¹ Later, Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter from the City of David to the palace that he had constructed to house her, because he reasoned, “My wife isn’t going to live in the palace where King David of Israel lived, because wherever the ark of the LORD entered is holy.”

⁵ Hezekiah took courage and rebuilt all of the walls that had been broken down. Then he erected watch towers on them, and added another external wall. He fortified the terrace ramparts in the City of David and prepared a large number of weapons and shields.

¹⁴ The Three Major Festivals“Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival for me. ¹⁵ You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month Abib, because in it you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty handed. ¹⁶ You are to observe the Festival of Harvest, celebrating the first fruits of your work in planting the field, and the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather the fruit of your work from the field. ¹⁷ Three times a year all your males shall appear in the presence of the Lord GOD.”

⁷ Aaron is to offer fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he trims the lamps he is to offer it,

²³ Three times during the year all your males are to appear in the presence of the LORD God of Israel,

¹⁶ “Every male must appear in the presence of the LORD your God three times a year at the place where he will choose: for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Seven Weeks, and the Festival of Tents. He must not appear in the LORD’s presence empty-handed,

³⁸ and the Temple was completely finished according to its plans and specifications in the eighth month of the eleventh year of Solomon’s reign, that is, during the month of Bul. It took about seven years to build.

¹³ The descendants of Amram included Aaron and Moses. Aaron had been set apart to consecrate the most holy things, with the intent that he and his sons should present offerings in the LORD’s presence forever, ministering to him and pronouncing blessings in his name forever.

¹² Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the LORD’s altar that he had built in front of the porch of the Temple, ¹³ acting in compliance with the daily rule by offering them in conformity to commands issued by Moses for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, the three annual festivals (the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tents).

¹⁶ Work on the Temple is CompletedAnd so Solomon completed all of the work, from the day that the foundation stone of the LORD’s Temple was laid until the LORD’s Temple was completely finished.

¹⁶ Uzziah’s Arrogance and Apostasy
But after he had become strong, in his arrogance he acted corruptly and became unfaithful to the LORD his God, and he dared to enter the LORD’s Temple to burn incense on the incense altar. ¹⁷ Azariah the priest ran after him, along with 80 of the LORD’s valiant priests, ¹⁸ and they opposed King Uzziah. “Uzziah, it’s not for you to burn incense to the LORD,” they told him, “but for the priests to do, Aaron’s descendants who are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary now, because you have been unfaithful and won’t receive any honor from the LORD God.”
¹⁹ Uzziah flew into a rage while he held in his hand a censer to burn incense. As he got angry at the priests, leprosy broke out all over his forehead right in front of the priests beside the incense altar in the LORD’s Temple. ²⁰ So Azariah the chief priest and all the priests stared at Uzziah, who was infected with leprosy in his forehead! They all rushed at him and hurried him out of the Temple. Uzziah was in a hurry to get out anyway, because the LORD had struck him.
²¹ King Uzziah remained a leper until the day he died. Because he was a leper, he lived in a separate residence and remained disqualified to enter the LORD’s Temple. His son Jotham served in the royal palace, judging the people of the land.

¹¹ Please don’t be careless, you descendants of Aaron, because the LORD has chosen you to minister in his presence, to serve him, to be his ministers, and to burn incense.”

²⁵ Because they abandoned me and have burned incense to other gods, provoking me to become angry at everything they’re doing, therefore my wrath is about to be poured out on this place, and it won’t be quenched.’”’

³⁵ They traveled from Abronah, then rested in Ezion-geber.

⁸ So we bypassed our relatives, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir. We turned through the Arabah desert from Elath, and from Ezion-geber we traveled the desert road to Moab.”

⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat had ocean-going vessels from Tarshish sail to Ophir for gold, but they never made it because they were shipwrecked at Ezion-geber.

²² He rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah. Later on the king died, as did his ancestors.

¹¹ Later, Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter from the City of David to the palace that he had constructed to house her, because he reasoned, “My wife isn’t going to live in the palace where King David of Israel lived, because wherever the ark of the LORD entered is holy.”
¹² Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the LORD’s altar that he had built in front of the porch of the Temple,

⁶ Now therefore please order that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, because you know there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians do.”

⁹ My servants will transport them from Lebanon to the sea, where we’ll make them into rafts and float them by sea to the port that you tell me to send them. We’ll have them prepared for transport there and then you can carry them from there. You can meet my needs by providing provisions for my household.”

¹¹ Hiram’s ships that brought gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir lots of algum wood and precious stones.

⁴⁹ Ahab’s son Ahaziah had offered to go. “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships!” he said. But Jehoshaphat was not willing.

³⁶ He also agreed with King Ahaziah to build ships to sail toward Tarshish, which they built in Ezion-geber. ³⁷ But Dodavahu’s son Eliezer from Mareshah prophesied in opposition to Jehoshaphat, “Because you have entered into an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your efforts.” So the ships were destroyed and were never able to sail for Tarshish.

²⁹ Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were Joktan’s descendants.

⁴ 3,000 gold talents imported from Ophir, 7,000 talents of refined silver for gilding the walls of the Temple

¹⁸ Hiram sent Solomon ships and servants who were expert mariners, and they sailed with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, where they brought back 450 talents of gold for Solomon.

¹⁰ Hiram’s servants and Solomon’s servants, who brought gold from Ophir, also presented algum wood and other precious stones.

²⁴ Bury your gold nuggets in the dust, and your source of gold among the stones in a streambed,

¹⁶ It cannot be compared to gold from Ophir, with precious onyx, or with sapphire.

⁹ The king’s daughters are among your honorable women; the queen, dressed in gold from Ophir, has taken her place at your right hand.”

¹² I’ll make people scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than gold from Ophir.