9 He also made the priests' courtyard and the large courtyard and its doors. He covered the doors with bronze. 10 He set the pool on the south side in the southeast corner. 11 Huram also made the pots, shovels, and bowls.
So Huram finished the work for King Solomon in Elohim's temple: 12 2 pillars, bowl-shaped capitals on top of the 2 pillars, and 2 sets of filigree to cover the 2 bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars, 13 400 pomegranates for the 2 sets of filigree (2 rows of pomegranates for each filigree to cover the 2 bowl-shaped capitals on the pillars), 14 10 stands and 10a basins on the stands, 15 1 pool and the 12 bulls under it, 16 pots, shovels, and three-pronged forks. Huram made all of them out of polished bronze for Yahweh's temple at King Solomon's request. 17 The king cast them in foundries in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zeredah. 18 Solomon made so many of these products that no one tried to determine how much the bronze weighed.
19 Solomon made all the furnishings for Elohim's temple: the gold altar, the gold tables on which the bread of the presence was placed, 20 lamp stands and lamps of pure gold (to burn as directed in front of the inner room), 21 flowers, lamps, pure gold tongs, 22 snuffers, basins, dishes, incense burners of pure gold, the gold entrance to the temple, the gold doors of the inner room (the most holy place), and the gold doors of the temple.
5 1 All the work Solomon did on Yahweh's temple was finished. He brought the holy things that had belonged to his father David-the silver, gold, and all the utensils-and put them in the storerooms of Elohim's temple.
The LORD Comes to His Temple-1 Kings 8:1-11 2 Then Solomon assembled the respected leaders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the Israelite families. They came to Jerusalem to take the ark of Yahweh's promise from the City of David (that is, Zion). 3 All the men of Israel gathered around the king at the Festival of Booths in the seventh month.
4 When all the leaders of Israel had arrived, the Levites picked up the ark. 5 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 6 while King Solomon and the whole assembly from Israel were offering countless sheep and cattle sacrifices in front of the ark. 7 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.b 8 The angels' outstretched wings were over the place where the ark rested so that the angels became a covering above the ark and its poles. 9 The poles were so long that their ends could be seen in the holy place by anyone standing in front of the inner room,c but they couldn't be seen outside. (They are still there today.) 10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets Moses placed there at Horeb, where Yahweh made a promise to the Israelites after they left Egypt.
11 All the priests who were present had performed the ceremonies to make themselves holy to God without regard to staying in their divisions. 12 All the Levites who were musicians-Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, their sons, and their relatives-were dressed in fine linen and stood east of the altar with cymbals, harps, and lyres. With the musicians were 120 priests blowing trumpets. When the priests left the holy place,d 13 the trumpeters and singers praised and thanked Yahweh in unison. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments, they sang in praise to Yahweh: "He is good; his mercy endures forever." Then Yahweh's temple was filled with a cloud. 14 The priests couldn't serve because of the cloud. Yahweh's glory filled Elohim's temple.
Solomon Addresses the People-1 Kings 8:12-21 6 1 Then Solomon said, "Yahweh said he would live in a dark cloud. 2 But I have built you a high temple, a home for you to live in permanently."
3 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly from Israel while they were standing. 4 "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, 5 'Ever since I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I didn't choose any city from the tribes of Israel as a place to build a temple for my name. And I didn't choose any man to be prince over my people Israel. 6 But now I've chosen Jerusalem to be a place for my name; I've chosen David to rule my people Israel.'
7 "My father David had his heart set on building a temple for the name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel. 8 However, Yahweh said to my father David, 'Since you had your heart set on building a temple for my name, your intentions were good. 9 But you must not build the temple. Instead, your own son will build the temple for my name.' 10 Yahweh has kept the promise he made. I've 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. 11 I've put the ark which contains Yahweh's promise to Israel there."
Solomon's Prayer-1 Kings 8:22-53; Psalm 132:1, 8-10 12 In the presence of the entire assembly of Israel, Solomon stood in front of Yahweh's altar. He stretched out his hands to pray. 13 (Solomon had made a bronze platform 7 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 4 feet high. He put it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on the platform, knelt in front of the entire assembly, and stretched out his hands toward heaven.) 14 He said, "Yahweh Elohim of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or on earth.
You keep your promisea of mercy to your servants, who obey you wholeheartedly.
15 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.
16 "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.'
17 "So now, Yahweh Elohim of Israel, may the promise you made to David, your servant, come true.
18 "Does Elohim really live on earth with people?
If heaven itself, the highest heaven, cannot hold you, then how can this temple that I have built?
19 Nevertheless, my Yahweh Elohim, please pay attention to my prayer for mercy.
Listen to my cry for help as I pray to you.
20 Day and night may your eyes be on this temple, the place about which you said your name will be there.
Listen to me as I pray toward this place.
21 Hear the plea for mercy that your people Israel and I pray toward this place.
Hear us in heaven, the place where you live.
Hear and forgive.
22 "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, 23 then hear that person in heaven, take action, and make a decision.
Repay the guilty person with the proper punishment, but declare the innocent person innocent.
24 "An enemy may defeat your people Israel because they have sinned against you.
But when your people turn, praise your name, pray, and plead with you in this temple, 25 then hear them in heaven, forgive the sins of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land that you gave to them and their ancestors.
26 "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, 27 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.
28 "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 29 hear every prayer for mercy made by one person or by all the people in Israel, all who know suffering or pain, who stretch out their hands toward this temple.
30 Hear them in heaven, where you live.
Forgive them, and give each person the proper reply.
(You know what is in their hearts, because you alone know what is in people's hearts.) 31 Then, as long as they live in the land that you gave to our ancestors, they will fear you and follow you.
32 "People who are not Israelites will come from distant countries because of your great name, mighty hand, and powerful arm.
When they come to pray facing this temple, 33 then 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 that this temple which I built bears your name.
34 "When your people go to war against their enemies (wherever you may send them) and they pray to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I built for your name, 35 then hear their prayer for mercy in heaven, and do what is right for them.
36 "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.
37 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,'
38 if they change their attitude toward you in the land 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, 39 then in heaven, the place where you live, hear their prayer for mercy.
Do what is right for them.
Forgive your people, who have sinned against you.
40 "Finally, my Elohim , may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
41 "Now arise, and come to your resting place, Yahweh Elohim- you and the ark of your power.
Clothe your priests, Yahweh Elohim, with salvation.
Let your godly ones rejoice in what is good.
42 Yahweh Elohim , do not reject your anointed one.
Remember your mercy to your servant David!"
Solomon Offers Sacrifices-1 Kings 8:62-66 7 1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices, and Yahweh's glory filled the temple. 2 The priests couldn't go into Yahweh's temple because Yahweh's glory had filled Yahweh's temple. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire come down and Yahweh's glory on the temple, they knelt down with their faces on the pavement. They worshiped and praised Yahweh, by saying, "He is good; his mercy endures forever."
4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to Yahweh. 5 King Solomon offered 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep as sacrifices to the LORD. So the king and all the people dedicated Elohim's temple.
6 The priests were standing at their posts. So were the Levites who had Yahweh's musical instruments which King David made for praising Yahweh with "his mercy endures forever" and which he used to offer praise. The priests were opposite the Levites blowing trumpets while all Israel was standing there.
7 Solomon designated the courtyard in front of Yahweh's temple as a holy place. He sacrificed the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat because the bronze altar that he had made and that was in front of the LORD was not able to hold all of them.
8 At that time Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Booths. A very large crowd had come from the territory between the border of Hamath and the River of Egypt. 9 On the eighth day there was an assembly. They had observed the dedication of the altar for seven days and celebrated the festival for another seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon dismissed the people to their tents. They rejoiced with cheerful hearts for all the blessings Yahweh had given David, Solomon, and his people Israel.
The LORD Answers Solomon's Prayer-1 Kings 9:1-9 11 Solomon finished Yahweh's temple and the royal palace and completed everything he had in mind for Yahweh's temple and his own palace. 12 Then Yahweh appeared to him at night. He said to Solomon, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13 I may shut the sky so that there is no rain, or command grasshoppers to devour the countryside, or send an epidemic among my people.
14 However, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear their prayer from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their country.
15 My eyes will be open, and my ears will pay attention to those prayers at this place.
16 I have chosen and declared this temple holy so that my name may be placed there forever.
My eyes and my heart will always be there.
17 "If you will be faithful to me as your father David was, do everything I command, and obey my laws and rules, 18 then I will establish your royal dynasty as I said in a promise to your father David, 'You will never fail to have an heir ruling Israel.'
19 But if you and your descendants turn away from me and abandon my commands and laws that I gave you, and follow and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from the land I gave them.
I will reject this temple that I declared holy for my name.
I will make it an example and an object of ridicule for all the people of the world.
21 Everyone passing by this impressive temple will be appalled.
They will ask, 'Why did Yahweh do these things to this land and this temple?'
22 They will answer themselves, 'They abandoned Yahweh Elohim of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt.
They adopted other gods, worshiped, and served them.
That is why he brought this disaster on them.'"
Solomon Completes His Construction-1 Kings 9:10-28 8 1 It took Solomon 20 years to build Yahweh's house and his own house. 2 He rebuilt the cities Huram gave him, and he had Israelites live in them.
3 Then Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and conquered it. 4 He rebuilt Tadmor in the desert and built all the storage cities in Hamath. 5 He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon into cities fortified with walls, double-door gates, and bars. 6 He also rebuilt Baalath and all the storage cities that he owned. He built all the cities for his chariots, all the cities for his war horses, and whatever else he wanted to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, or the entire territory that he governed.
7 The Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites had been left in the land because the Israelites had not been able to destroy them.a They were not Israelites, 8 but they had descendants who were still in the land. Solomon drafted them for slave labor. (They are still slaves today.) 9 But Solomon didn't make any of the Israelites slaves for his projects. Instead, they were the soldiers, officers, generals, and commanders of his chariot and cavalry units.
10 These were the officers in charge of King Solomon's projects: 250 foremen for the people who did the work.
11 Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David to a palace he had built for her. He said, "My wife will not live in the palace of King David of Israel because these places where Yahweh's ark has come are holy."
12 Then Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to Yahweh on Yahweh's altar that he built in front of the entrance hall. 13 He sacrificed every day, on weekly worship days, on the New Moon Festivals, and on the three annual festivals (the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths) as Moses had commanded. 14 As Solomon's father David had directed, he set up the divisions of priests for their service and the divisions of Levites for their appointed places. The Levites were to lead in praising the LORD and to serve beside the priests by doing whatever needed to be done each day. Solomon also set up divisions of doorkeepers at every gate because this is what David, the man of Elohim , had commanded. 15 No one neglected the king's orders to the priests or the Levites in any matter, including the temple's finances. 16 All of Solomon's work was carried out from the day the foundation of Yahweh's temple was laid until it was completed. Yahweh's temple was now finished.
17 Then Solomon went to the coast near Ezion Geber and Elath in Edom. 18 Huram sent his own servants and his experienced sailors with ships to Solomon. They went with Solomon's servants to Ophir, got 33,750 pounds of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon-1 Kings 10:1-13 9 1 The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's reputation. So she came to Jerusalem to test him with riddles. She arrived with a large group of servants, with camels carrying spices, a large quantity of gold, and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she talked to him about everything she had on her mind. 2 Solomon answered all her questions. No question was too difficult for Solomon to answer.
3 When the queen of Sheba saw Solomon's wisdom, the palace he built, 4 the food on his table, his officers' seating arrangement, the organization of his officials and the uniforms they wore, his cupbearersa and their uniforms, and the burnt offerings that he sacrificed at Yahweh's temple, she was breathless. 5 She told the king, "What I heard in my country about your words and your wisdom is true! 6 But I didn't believe the reports until I came and saw it with my own eyes. I wasn't even told about half of the extent of your wisdom. You've surpassed the stories I've heard. 7 How blessed your men must be! How blessed these servants of yours must be because they are always stationed in front of you and listen to your wisdom! 8 Thank Yahweh your Elohim, who is pleased with you. He has put you on his throne to be king on behalf of Yahweh your Elohim. Because of your Elohim's love for the people of Israel, he has established them permanently and made you king over them so thatyou would maintain justice and righteousness."
9 She gave the king 9,000 pounds of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never was there such a large quantity of spices in Israel as those that the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
10 Huram's servants and Solomon's servants who brought gold from Ophir also brought sandalwood and precious stones. 11 With the sandalwood the king made gateways to Yahweh's temple and the royal palace, and lyres and harps for the singers. No one had ever seen anything like them in Judah.
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba anything she wanted, whatever she asked for, more than what she had brought him. Then she and her servants went back to her country.
Solomon's Wealth-1 Kings 5:1; 10:14-29 13 The gold that came to Solomon in one year weighed 49,950 pounds, 14 not counting the gold which the merchants and traders brought. All the Arab kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, using 15 pounds of gold on each shield. 16 He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold, using 7 pounds of gold on each shield. The king put them in the hall named the Forest of Lebanon.
17 The king also made a large ivory throne and covered it with pure gold. 18 Six steps led to the throne, which had a gold footstool attached to it. There were armrests on both sides of the seat. Two lions stood beside the armrests. 19 Twelve lions stood on six steps, one on each side. Nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.
20 All King Solomon's cups were gold, and all the utensils for the hall named the Forest of Lebanon were fine gold. (Silver wasn't considered valuable in Solomon's time.) 21 The king had ships going to Tarshish with Huram's sailors. Once every three years the Tarshish ships would bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
22 In wealth and wisdom King Solomon was greater than all the other kings of the world. 23 All the kings of the world wanted to listen to the wisdom that Elohim gave Solomon. 24 So everyone who came brought him gifts: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This happened year after year.
25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 war horses. He stationed some in chariot cities and others with himself in Jerusalem. 26 He ruled all the kings from the Euphrates River to the country of the Philistines and as far as the Egyptian border. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as fig trees in the foothills. 28 Horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all other countries.
Solomon's Death-1 Kings 11:41-43 29 Aren't the rest of Solomon's acts from first to last written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and in Iddo the seer'sa visions about Jeroboam (son of Nebat)?
30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for 40 years. 31 Solomon lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. His son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.
King Rehoboam Foolishly Rejects Israel's Request-1 Kings 12:1-19 10 1 Rehoboam went to Shechem because all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2 Jeroboam (Nebat's son) was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. When he heard about Rehoboam, he returned from Egypt. 3 Israel sent for Jeroboam and invited him back. Jeroboam and all Israel went to speak to Rehoboam. They said, 4 "Your father made us carry a heavy burden. Reduce the hard work and lighten the heavy burden he put on us, and we will serve you."