48 Solomon made all the furnishings for Yahweh's temple: the gold altar, the gold table on which the bread of the presence was placed, 49 lamp stands of pure gold (five on the south side and five on the north in front of the inner room), flowers, lamps, gold tongs, 50 dishes, snuffers, bowls, saucers, incense burners of pure gold, the gold sockets for the doors of the inner room (the most holy place), and the doors of the temple.

51 All the work King Solomon did on Yahweh's temple was finished. He brought the holy things that had belonged to his father David-the silver, gold, and utensils-and put them in the storerooms of Yahweh's temple.

The LORD Comes to His Temple-2 Chronicles 5:2-14 8 1 Then Solomon assembled the respected leaders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the Israelite families. They came to King Solomon in Jerusalem to take the ark of Yahweh's promise from the City of David (that is, Zion). 2 All the people of Israel gathered around King Solomon at the Festival of Booths in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.

3 When all the leaders of Israel had arrived, the priests picked up Yahweh's ark. 4 They brought the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils in it to the temple. The priests and the Levites carried them 5 while King Solomon with the whole assembly from Israel were offering countless sheep and cattle sacrifices in front of the ark. 6 The priests brought the ark of Yahweh's promise to its place in the inner room of the temple (the most holy place) under the wings of the angels.a 7 When the angels' outstretched wings were over the place where the ark rested, the angels became a covering above the ark and its poles. 8 The poles were so long that their ends could be seen in the holy place by anyone standing in front of the inner room, but they couldn't be seen outside. (They are still there today.) 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses put there at Horeb, where Yahweh made a promise to the Israelites after they left Egypt.

10 When the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled Yahweh's temple. 11 The priests couldn't serve because of the cloud. Yahweh's glory filled Yahweh's temple.

Solomon Addresses the People-2 Chronicles 6:1-11 12 Then Solomon said, "Yahweh said he would live in a dark cloud. 13 I certainly have built you a high temple, a home for you to live in permanently."

14 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel while they were standing. 15 "Thanks be to Yahweh Elohim of Israel. With his mouth he made a promise to my father David; with his hand he carried it out. He said, 16 'Ever since I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I didn't choose any city in any of the tribes of Israel as a place to build a temple for my name. But now I've chosen David to rule my people Israel.'

17 "My father David had his heart set on building a temple for the name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel. 18 However, Yahweh said to my father David, 'Since you had your heart set on building a temple for my name, your intentions were good. 19 But you must not build the temple. Instead, your own son will build the temple for my name.' 20 Yahweh has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David's place, and I sit on the throne of Israel as Yahweh promised. I've built the temple for the name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel. 21 I've made a place there for the ark which contains Yahweh's promise that he made to our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt."

Solomon's Prayer-2 Chronicles 6:12-42 22 In the presence of the entire assembly of Israel, Solomon stood in front of Yahweh's altar. He stretched out his hands toward heaven 23 and said, "Yahweh Elohim of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below.

You keep your promiseb of mercy to your servants, who obey you wholeheartedly.

24 You have kept your promise to my father David, your servant.

With your mouth you promised it.

With your hand you carried it out as it is today.

25 "Now, Yahweh Elohim of Israel, keep your promise to my father David, your servant.

You said, 'You will never fail to have an heir sitting in front of me on the throne of Israel if your descendants are faithful to me as you have been faithful to me.'

26 "So now, Elohim of Israel, may the promise you made to my father David, your servant, come true.

27 "Does Elohim really live on earth?

If heaven itself, the highest heaven, cannot hold you, then how can this temple that I have built?

28 Nevertheless, my Yahweh Elohim , please pay attention to my prayer for mercy.

Listen to my cry for help as I pray to you today.

29 Night and day may your eyes be on this temple, the place about which you said, 'My name will be there.'

Listen to me as I pray toward this place.

30 Hear the plea for mercy that your people Israel and I pray toward this place.

Hear us when we pray to heaven, the place where you live.

Hear and forgive.

31 "If anyone sins against another person and is required to take an oath and comes to take the oath in front of your altar in this temple, 32 then hear that person in heaven, take action, and make a decision.

Condemn the guilty person with the proper punishment, but declare the innocent person innocent.

33 "An enemy may defeat your people Israel because they have sinned against you.

But when your people turn to you, praise your name, pray, and plead with you in this temple, 34 then hear them in heaven, forgive the sins of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land that you gave to their ancestors.

35 "When the sky is shut and there's no rain because they are sinning against you, and they pray toward this place, praise your name, and turn away from their sin because you made them suffer, 36 then hear them in heaven.

Forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel.

Teach them the proper way to live.

Then send rain on the land, which you gave to your people as an inheritance.

37 "There may be famine in the land.

Plant diseases, heat waves, funguses, locusts, or grasshoppers may destroy crops.

Enemies may blockade Israel's city gates.

During every plague or sickness 38 hear every prayer for mercy, made by one person or by all the people in Israel, whose consciences bother them, who stretch out their hands toward this temple.

39 Hear them in heaven, where you live.

Forgive them, and take action.

Give each person the proper reply.

(You know what is in their hearts, because you alone know what is in the hearts of all people.) 40 Then, as long as they live in the land that you gave to our ancestors, they will fear you.

41 "People will hear about your great name, mighty hand, and powerful arm.a So when people who are not Israelites come from distant countries because of your name 42 to pray facing this temple, 43 hear them in heaven, the place where you live.

Do everything they ask you so that all the people of the world may know your name and fear you like your people Israel and learn also that this temple which I built bears your name.

44 "When your people go to war against their enemies (wherever you may send them) and they pray to you, O Yahweh, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I built for your name, 45 then hear their prayer for mercy in heaven, and do what is right for them.

46 "They may sin against you.

(No one is sinless.) You may become angry with them and hand them over to an enemy who takes them to another country as captives, whether it is far or near.

47 If they come to their senses, are sorry for what they've done, and plead with you in the land where they are captives, saying, We have sinned. We have done wrong.

We have been wicked,'

48 if they change their attitude toward you in the land of their enemies where they are captives, if they pray to you toward the land that you gave their ancestors, and the city you have chosen, and the temple I have built for your name, 49 then in heaven, the place where you live, hear their prayer for mercy.

Do what is right for them.

50 Forgive your people, who have sinned against you.

Forgive all their wrongs when they rebelled against you, and cause those who captured them to have mercy on them 51 because they are your own people whom you brought out of Egypt from the middle of an iron smelter.

52 "May your eyes always see my plea and your people Israel's plea so that you will listen to them whenever they call on you.

53 After all, you, Adonay Yahweh , set them apart from all the people of the world to be your own as you promised through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt."

Solomon Blesses the People 54 When Solomon finished praying this prayer for mercy to Yahweh, he stood in front of Yahweh's altar, where he had been kneeling with his hands stretched out toward heaven. 55 Then he stood and in a loud voice blessed the entire assembly of Israel, 56 "Thanks be to Yahweh! He has given his people Israel rest, as he had promised. None of the good promises he made through his servant Moses has failed to come true. 57 May Yahweh our Elohim be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us. 58 May he bend our hearts toward him. Then we will follow him and keep his commands, laws, and rules, which he commanded our ancestors to keep. 59 May these words which I have prayed to Yahweh be near Yahweh our Elohim day and night. Then he will give me and his people Israel justice every day as it is needed. 60 In this way all the people of the world will know that Yahweh is Elohim and there is no other god. 61 May your hearts be committed to Yahweh our Elohim. Then you will live by his laws and keep his commands as you have today."

Solomon Offers Sacrifices-2 Chronicles 7:4-10 62 Then the king and all Israel offered sacrifices to Yahweh. 63 Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings to Yahweh. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated Yahweh's temple.

64 On that day the king designated the courtyard in front of Yahweh's temple as a holy place. He sacrificed the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the fellowship offerings because the bronze altar in front of Yahweh was too small to hold all of them.

65 At that time Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Booths. A large crowd had come from the territory between the border of Hamath and the River of Egypt to be near Yahweh our Elohim for seven days.a 66 On the eighth day he dismissed the people. They blessed the king and went to their tents. They rejoiced with cheerful hearts for all the blessings Yahweh had given his servant David and his people Israel.

The LORD Answers Solomon's Prayer-2 Chronicles 7:11-22 9 1 Solomon finished building Yahweh's temple, the royal palace, and everything else he wanted to build. 2 Then Yahweh appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him in Gibeon. 3 Yahweh said to him, "I have heard your prayer for mercy that you made to me.

I have declared that this temple which you have built is holy so that my name may be placed there forever.

My eyes and my heart will always be there.

4 "If you will be faithful to me as your father David was (with a sincere and upright heart), do everything I command, and keep my laws and rules, 5 then I will establish your royal dynasty over Israel forever as I promised your father David when I said, 'You will never fail to have an heir on the throne of Israel.'

6 But if you and your descendants dare to turn away from me and do not keep my commands and laws that I gave to you, and follow and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut Israel out of the land I gave them.

I will reject this temple that I declared holy for my name.

Israel will be an example and an object of ridicule for all the people of the world.

8 Everyone passing by this temple, as impressive as it is, will be appalled.

They will gasp and ask, 'Why did Yahweh do these things to this land and this temple?'

9 They will answer themselves, 'They abandoned Yahweh their Elohim , who brought their ancestors out of Egypt.

They adopted other gods, worshiped, and served them.

That is why Yahweh brought this disaster on them.'"

Solomon Completes His Construction-2 Chronicles 8:1-18 10 It took Solomon 20 years to build the two houses (Yahweh's house and the royal palace). 11 When King Solomon had finished, he gave King Hiram of Tyre 20 cities in Galilee. (Hiram had supplied Solomon with as much cedar and cypress lumber and gold as he wanted.) 12 Hiram left Tyre to see the cities Solomon gave him. However, they didn't please him. 13 "What kind of cities have you given me, brother?" he asked. So he named it the region of Cabul [Good for Nothing]. (They're still called that today.) 14 Hiram had sent the king 9,000 pounds of gold.

15 This is the record of the forced laborers whom King Solomon drafted to build Yahweh's house, his own house, the Millo,a the walls of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 (The king of Egypt captured Gezer, burned it down, and killed the Canaanites living there. Then he gave it to his daughter, Solomon's wife, as a wedding present.) 17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth Horon, 18 Baalath, Tadmor in the desert (inside the country), and 19 all the storage cities that he owned. He also built cities for his chariots, cities for his war horses, and whatever else he wanted to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, or the entire territory that he governed.

20 The Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites had been left in the land because the Israelites had not been able to claim them for God by destroying them.b They were not Israelites, 21 but they had descendants who were still in the land. Solomon drafted them for slave labor. (They are still slaves today.) 22 But Solomon didn't make any of the Israelites slaves. Instead, they were soldiers, officials, officers, generals, and commanders of his chariot and cavalry units.

23 These were the officers in charge of Solomon's projects: 550 foremen for the people who did the work.

24 Pharaoh's daughter moved from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.

25 Three times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he built for Yahweh. He burnt them on the altar that was in Yahweh's presence. And he finished the temple.

26 King Solomon also built a fleet near the Red Sea coast at Ezion Geber by Elath in Edom. 27 Hiram sent his own servants who were experienced seamen with the fleet. Along with Solomon's servants 28 they went to Ophir, got 31,500 pounds of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon-2 Chronicles 9:1-12 10 1 The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's reputation. (He owed his reputation to the name of Yahweh.) So she came to test him with riddles. 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of servants, with camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she talked to him about everything she had on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions. No question was too difficult for the king to answer.

4 When the queen of Sheba saw all of Solomon's wisdom, the palace he built, 5 the food on his table, his officers' seating arrangement, the organization of his officials and the uniforms they wore, his cupbearers,a and the burnt offerings that he sacrificed at Yahweh's temple, she was breathless. 6 She told the king, "What I heard in my country about your words and your wisdom is true! 7 But I didn't believe the reports until I came and saw it with my own eyes. I wasn't even told half of it. Your wisdom and wealth surpass the stories I've heard. 8 How blessed your men must be! How blessed these servants of yours must be because they are always stationed in front of you, listening to your wisdom! 9 Thank Yahweh your Elohim, who is pleased with you. He has put you on the throne of Israel. Because of Yahweh's eternal love for the people of Israel, he has made you king so that you would maintain justice and righteousness."

10 She gave the king 9,000 pounds of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was such a large quantity of spices brought into Israel as those that the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

11 Hiram's fleet that brought gold from Ophir also brought a large quantity of sandalwood and precious stones from Ophir. 12 With the sandalwood the king made supports for Yahweh's temple and the royal palace, and lyres and harps for the singers. Never again was sandalwood like this imported into Israel, nor has any been seen there to this day.

13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba anything she wanted, whatever she asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal generosity. Then she and her servants went back to her country.

Solomon's Wealth-2 Chronicles 9:13-25, 27-28; 1:14-17 14 The gold that came to Solomon in one year weighed 49,950 pounds, 15 not counting the gold which came from the merchants, the traders' profits, all the Arab kings, and the governors of the country.

16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, using 15 pounds of gold on each shield. 17 He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold, using four pounds of gold on each shield. The king put them in the hall which he called the Forest of Lebanon.

18 The king also made a large ivory throne and covered it with fine gold. 19 Six steps led to the throne. Carved into the back of the throne was a calf's head. There were armrests on both sides of the seat. Two lions stood beside the armrests. 20 Twelve lions stood on six steps, one on each side. Nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.

21 All King Solomon's cups were gold, and all the utensils for the hall which he called the Forest of Lebanon were fine gold. (Nothing was silver, because it wasn't considered valuable in Solomon's time.) 22 The king had a fleet headed for Tarshish with Hiram's fleet. Once every three years the Tarshish fleet would bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.

23 In wealth and wisdom King Solomon was greater than all the other kings of the world. 24 The whole world wanted to listen to the wisdom that Elohim gave Solomon. 25 So everyone who came brought him gifts: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This happened year after year.

26 Solomon built up his army with chariots and war horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 war horses. He stationed some in chariot cities and others with himself in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as fig trees in the foothills.

28 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and Kue. The king's traders bought them from Kue for a fixed price. 29 Each chariot was imported from Egypt for 15 pounds of silver and each horse for 6 ounces of silver. For the same price they obtained horses to export to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.

Solomon's Idolatry 11 1 King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh's daughter. He loved Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon. 2 They came from the nations about which Yahweh had said to the people of Israel, "Never intermarry with them. They will surely tempt you to follow their gods." But Solomon was obsessed with their love. 3 He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 wives who were concubines.a 4 In his old age, his wives tempted him to follow other gods. He was no longer committed to Yahweh his Elohim as his father David had been. 5 Solomon followed Astarte (the goddess of the Sidonians) and Milcom (the disgusting idol of the Ammonites). 6 So Solomon did what Yahweh considered evil. He did not wholeheartedly follow Yahweh as his father David had done. 7 Then Solomon built an illegal worship site on the hill east of Jerusalem for Chemosh (the disgusting idol of Moab) and for Molech (the disgusting idol of the Ammonites). 8 He did these things for each of his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

God Pronounces Judgment on Solomon 9 So Yahweh became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned from Yahweh Elohim of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 God had given him commands about this. He told him not to follow other gods. But Solomon did not obey Yahweh's command. 11 Yahweh told Solomon, "Because this is your attitude and you have no respect for my promisesb or my laws that I commanded you to keep, I will certainly tear the kingdom away from you. I will give it to one of your servants. 12 But I will not do it in your lifetime because of your father David. I will tear it away from the hands of your son. 13 However, I will not tear the whole kingdom away from you. I will give your son one tribe for my servant David's sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I chose."

Rebellions against Solomon 14 Yahweh raised up Hadad the Edomite as a rival to Solomon. Hadad was from the Edomite royal family. 15 When David had conquered Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, went to bury those killed in battle and killed every male in Edom. 16 (Joab and all Israel stayed there six months until they had destroyed every male in Edom.) 17 Hadad was a young boy at the time. He and some of his father's Edomite servants fled to Egypt. 18 They left Midian and went to Paran. Taking some men from Paran with them, they went to Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). Pharaoh gave Hadad a home, a food allowance, and land.

19 Pharaoh approved of Hadad. So he gave Hadad his sister-in-law, the sister of Queen Tahpenes, to be Hadad's wife. 20 Tahpenes' sister had a son named Genubath. Tahpenes presented the boy to Pharaoh in the palace, and Genubath lived in the palace among Pharaoh's children.

21 When Hadad heard in Egypt that David had lain down in death with his ancestors and that Joab, the commander of the army, had died, he said to Pharaoh, "Let me go to my own country."

22 Pharaoh asked him, "What don't you have here that makes you eager to go home?"

"Nothing," he said. "But let me leave anyway."

23 Elohim also raised up Rezon, son of Eliada, as a rival to Solomon. Rezon fled from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah, 24 after David killed the men of Zobah. Rezon gathered men and became the leader of a troop of warriors. They went to Damascus, settled there, and ruled a kingdom in Damascus. 25 In addition to the trouble that Hadad caused, Rezon was Israel's rival as long as Solomon lived. He ruled Aram and despised Israel.

26 There was also Jeroboam, who was the son of Nebat and an Ephrathite from Zeredah. His mother Zeruah was a widow. He was one of Solomon's officers, but he rebelled against the king.

27 This was the situation when he rebelled against the king: Solomon was building the Milloa and repairing a break in the wall of the City of David. 28 Solomon saw that Jeroboam was a very able and hardworking man. So he put Jeroboam in charge of all forced labor from the tribes of Joseph.

29 At that time Jeroboam left Jerusalem. The prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him on the road. The two of them were alone in the open country, and Ahijah had on new clothes. 30 Ahijah took his new garment and tore it into 12 pieces.