The Sacred Bible: The First Book of Kings
{1:1} Now king David had become elderly, and he had many days in his lifetime. And though he was covered with clothes, he was not warmed.
{1:2} Therefore, his servants said to him: “Let us seek, for our lord the king, a young virgin. And let her stand before the king, and warm him, and sleep in his bosom, and provide warmth for our lord the king.”
{1:3} And so they sought a beautiful young woman in all the parts of Israel. And they found Abishag, a Shunammite, and they led her to the king.
{1:4} Now the girl was exceedingly beautiful. And she slept with the king, and she ministered to him. Yet truly, the king did not know her.
{1:5} Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, “I shall reign!” And he appointed for himself chariots and horsemen, with fifty men who would run before him.
{1:6} Neither did his father chastise him at any time, saying, “Why have you done this?” Now he, too, was very beautiful, the second in birth, after Absalom.
{1:7} And he conferred with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar, the priest, who gave assistance to the side of Adonijah.
{1:8} Yet truly, Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan, the prophet, and Shimei and Rei, and the mature men of the army of David were not with Adonijah.
{1:9} Then Adonijah, having immolated rams and calves and every kind of fat cattle beside the Stone of the Serpent, which was in the vicinity of the fountain Rogel, summoned all his brothers, the sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king.
{1:10} But he did not summon Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, and all the mature men, and Solomon, his brother.
{1:11} And so Nathan said to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon: “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has begun to reign, and that our lord David is ignorant of this?
{1:12} Now then, come, accept my counsel, and save your life and the life of your son Solomon.
{1:13} Go and enter to king David, and say to him: ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to me, your handmaid, saying: “Your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he himself shall sit on my throne?” Then why does Adonijah reign?’
{1:14} And while you are still speaking with the king there, I will enter after you, and I will complete your words.”
{1:15} And so Bathsheba entered to the king in the bedroom. Now the king was very old, and Abishag, the Shunammite, was ministering to him.
{1:16} Bathsheba bowed herself, and she reverenced the king. And the king said to her, “What do you wish?”
{1:17} And responding, she said: “My lord, you swore to your handmaid, by the Lord your God: ‘your son Solomon will reign after me, and he himself shall sit upon my throne.’
{1:18} And now behold, Adonijah reigns, while you, my lord the king, are ignorant of it.
{1:19} He has slain oxen, and every kind of fattened cattle, and many rams. And he has summoned all the sons of the king, as well as Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the leader of the military. But Solomon, your servant, he did not summon.
{1:20} Truly now, my lord the king, the eyes of all of Israel look with favor upon you, that you may indicate to them who ought to sit upon your throne, my lord the king, after you.
{1:21} Otherwise, this will be: when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be as sinners.”
{1:22} And while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan, the prophet, arrived.
{1:23} And they announced to the king, saying, “Nathan, the prophet, is here.” And when he had entered in the sight of the king, and he had reverenced prone on the ground,
{1:24} Nathan said: “My lord the king, did you say, ‘Let Adonijah reign after me, and let him sit upon my throne?’
{1:25} For today, he descended, and he immolated oxen, and fattened cattle, and many rams. And he summoned all the sons of the king, and the leaders of the army, along with Abiathar, the priest. And they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘As king Adonijah lives.’
{1:26} But he did not summon me, your servant, and Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Solomon, your lowly servant.
{1:27} Could this word have gone out from my lord the king, and could you not have revealed it to me, your servant, as to who would be seated upon the throne of my lord the king after him?”
{1:28} And king David responded, saying, “Summon to me Bathsheba.” And when she had entered before the king, and she had stood before him,
{1:29} the king swore and said: “As the Lord lives, who has rescued my soul from all distress,
{1:30} just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he himself shall sit upon my throne in my place,’ so shall I do this day.”
{1:31} And Bathsheba, having lowered her face to the ground, reverenced the king, saying, “May my lord David live forever.”
{1:32} And king David said, “Summon to me Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada.” And when they had entered before the king,
{1:33} he said to them: “Take with you the servants of your lord, and place my son Solomon upon my mule. And lead him to Gihon.
{1:34} And let Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him in that place as the king over Israel. And you shall sound the trumpet, and you shall say, ‘As king Solomon lives.’
{1:35} And you shall ascend after him, and he shall arrive and shall sit upon my throne. And he himself shall reign in my place. And I will command that he be the ruler over Israel and over Judah.”
{1:36} And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, responded to the king, saying: “Amen. So says the Lord, the God of my lord the king.
{1:37} In the same way that the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon. And may he make his throne more sublime than the throne of my lord, king David.”
{1:38} Then Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, descended, with Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and Pelethites. And they placed Solomon on the mule of king David, and they led him to Gihon.
{1:39} And Zadok, the priest, took the horn of oil from the tabernacle, and he anointed Solomon. And they sounded the trumpet. And all the people said, “As king Solomon lives.”
{1:40} And the entire multitude ascended after him. And the people were playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy. And the earth resounded before the noise of them.
{1:41} Then Adonijah, and all who had been summoned by him, heard it. And now the feast had ended. Then, too, Joab, hearing the voice of the trumpet, said, “What is the meaning of this clamor from the tumultuous city?”
{1:42} While he was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, arrived. And Adonijah said to him, “Enter, for you are a valiant man, and you report good news.”
{1:43} And Jonathan answered Adonijah: “By no means. For our lord king David has appointed Solomon as king.
{1:44} And he has sent with him Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and Pelethites. And they have placed him on the mule of the king.
{1:45} And Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, have anointed him king, at Gihon. And they are ascending from there, rejoicing, and so the city resounds. This is the noise that you have heard.
{1:46} But also, Solomon sits upon the throne of the kingdom.
{1:47} And the servants of the king, entering, have blessed our lord king David, saying: ‘May God amplify the name of Solomon above your name, and may he magnify his throne above your throne.’ And the king reverenced from his bed.
{1:48} And he said: ‘Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has bestowed someone to sit upon my throne, while my eyes may see it.’ ”
{1:49} Therefore, all those who had been summoned by Adonijah were terrified. And they all rose up, and each one went his own way.
{1:50} Then Adonijah, fearing Solomon, rose up and went away. And he took hold of the horn of the altar.
{1:51} And they reported to Solomon, saying: “Behold, Adonijah, fearing king Solomon, has taken hold of the horn of the altar, saying: ‘May king Solomon swear to me this day that he will not put to death his servant with the sword.’ ”
{1:52} And Solomon said: “If he is a good man, not so much as one hair of his head shall fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he shall die.”
{1:53} Therefore, king Solomon sent and brought him from the altar. And entering, he reverenced king Solomon. And Solomon said to him, “Go to your own house.”
{2:1} Now the days of David had drawn near, so that he would die, and he instructed his son Solomon, saying:
{2:2} “I am entering the way of all the earth. Be strengthened and be a good man.
{2:3} And observe the care of the Lord your God, so that you walk in his ways, so that you care for his ceremonies, and his precepts, and judgments, and testimonies, just as it is written in the law of Moses. So may you understand everything that you do, in any direction that you may turn yourself.
{2:4} So may the Lord confirm his words, which he has spoken about me, saying: ‘If your sons will guard their ways, and if they will walk before me in truth, with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not be taken away from you a man on the throne of Israel.’
{2:5} Also, you know what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, has done to me, what he did to the two leaders of the army of Israel, to Abner, the son of Ner, and to Amasa, the son of Jether. He killed them, and so he shed the blood of war in peace time, and he set the bloodshed of battle on his belt, which was around his waist, and in his shoes, which were on his feet.
{2:6} Therefore, act according to your wisdom. And you shall not allow his gray head to be led away to death in peace.
{2:7} Then, too, repay grace to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite. And you shall allow them to eat at your table. For they met me when I fled from the face of Absalom, your brother.
{2:8} Also, you have with you Shimei, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse, when I went away to the camp. And he descended to meet me when I crossed over the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death by the sword,’
{2:9} yet do not choose to treat him as if he were innocent. Since you are a wise man, you will know what to do with him. And you shall lead away his grey hair to death with blood.”
{2:10} And so, David slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David.
{2:11} Now the days during which David reigned over Israel are forty years: he reigned seven years in Hebron, thirty-three in Jerusalem.
{2:12} Then Solomon sat upon the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was strengthened exceedingly.
{2:13} And Adonijah, the son of Haggith, entered to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. And she said to him, “Is your entrance peaceful?” He responded, “It is peaceful.”
{2:14} And he added, “My word is for you.” She said to him, “Speak.” And he said:
{2:15} “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all of Israel had preferred me for themselves as king. But the kingdom was transferred, and has become my brother’s. For it was appointed to him by the Lord.
{2:16} Now therefore, I beg of you one petition. May you not confound my face.” And she said to him, “Speak.”
{2:17} And he said: “I beg that you may speak to king Solomon, for he is not able to refuse anything to you, so that he may give Abishag the Shunammite to me as wife.”
{2:18} And Bathsheba said: “It is well. I will speak to the king on your behalf.”
{2:19} Then Bathsheba went to king Solomon, so that she might speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and he reverenced her, and he sat down upon his throne. And a throne was stationed for the mother of the king, and she sat at his right hand.
{2:20} And she said to him: “I petition one small request from you. May you not confound my face.” And the king said to her: “Ask, my mother. For it is not right that I turn away your face.”
{2:21} And she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah, your brother, as wife.”
{2:22} And king Solomon responded, and he said to his mother: “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Why not request the kingdom for him! For he is my older brother, and he has Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the son of Zeruiah.”
{2:23} And so king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying: “May God do these things to me, and may he add these other things! For Adonijah has spoken this word against his own life.
{2:24} And now, as the Lord lives, who has confirmed me and placed me upon the throne of my father David, and who, just as he said, has made a house for me: Adonijah shall be put to death this day.”
{2:25} And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, who put him to death, and so he died.
{2:26} Also, the king said to Abiathar, the priest: “Go into Anathoth, to your own land, for you are a man worthy of death. But I will not put you to death this day, since you carried the ark of the Lord God before David, my father, and since you have endured hardship in all the things, for which my father labored.”
{2:27} Therefore, Solomon cast out Abiathar, so that he would not be the priest of the Lord, so that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he spoke over the house of Eli at Shiloh.
{2:28} And the news came to Joab, for Joab had turned aside after Adonijah, and he had not turned aside after Solomon. And so, Joab fled into the tabernacle of the Lord, and he took hold of the horn of the altar.
{2:29} And it was reported to king Solomon that Joab had fled into the tabernacle of the Lord, and that he was beside the altar. And Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, put him to death.”
{2:30} And Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the Lord, and he said to him: “The king says this: ‘Come out.’ ” But he said: “I will not come out. Instead, I will die here.” Benaiah sent word back to the king, saying, “Joab said this, and he responded to me in this way.”
{2:31} And the king said to him, “Do just as he has said. And put him to death, and bury him. And so shall you take away the innocent blood, which was shed by Joab, from me and from my father’s house.
{2:32} And the Lord shall repay his blood upon his own head. For he killed two men, just and better than himself, and he killed them with the sword, while my father, David, did not know it: Abner, the son of Ner, leader of the military of Israel, and Amasa, the son of Jether, leader of the army of Judah.
{2:33} And their blood shall be turned back upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his offspring forever. But as for David, and his offspring and house, and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord, even unto eternity.”
{2:34} And so Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, went up and, attacking him, put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the desert.
{2:35} And the king appointed Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, in his place over the army. And he appointed Zadok, the priest, in place of Abiathar.
{2:36} Also, the king sent for and summoned Shimei, and he said to him: “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem, and live there. And do not depart from that place to here or to there.
{2:37} For on whatever day you will have departed and crossed the torrent Kidron, know that you shall be put to death. Your blood will be upon your own head.”
{2:38} And Shimei said to the king: “The word is good. Just as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” And so Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days.
{2:39} But it happened that, after three years, the servants of Shimei fled to Achish, the son of Maacah, the king of Gath. And it was reported to Shimei that his servants had gone away to Gath.
{2:40} And Shimei rose up, and he saddled his donkey. And went away to Achish in Gath, in order to seek his servants. And he led them away from Gath.
{2:41} And it was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone away from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned.
{2:42} And sending, he summoned him, and he said to him: “Did I not testify to you by the Lord, and warn you in advance, ‘On whatever day, having departed, you go forth to here or to there, know that you shall die?’ And you responded to me, ‘The word that I have heard is good.’
{2:43} Then why have you not kept the oath to the Lord, and the commandment which I instructed to you?”
{2:44} And the king said to Shimei: “You know all the evil, of which your heart is conscious, which you did to David, my father. The Lord has repaid your wickedness upon your own head.”
{2:45} And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord, even forever.
{2:46} And so the king commanded Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. And going out, he struck him down, and he died.
{3:1} And so the kingdom was confirmed in the hand of Solomon, and he was joined with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, by affinity. For he took his daughter, and he led her into the city of David, until he completed building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem all around.
{3:2} But still the people immolated in the high places. For no temple had been built to the name of the Lord, even to that day.
{3:3} Now Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the precepts of David, his father, except that he immolated in the high places, and he burned incense.
{3:4} And so, he went away to Gibeon, so that he might immolate there; for that was the greatest high place. Solomon offered upon that altar, at Gibeon, one thousand victims as holocausts.
{3:5} Then the Lord appeared to Solomon, through a dream in the night, saying, “Request whatever you wish, so that I may give it to you.”
{3:6} And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to your servant David, my father, because he walked in your sight in truth and justice, and with an upright heart before you. And you have kept your great mercy for him, and you have given him a son sitting upon his throne, just as it is this day.
{3:7} And now, O Lord God, you have caused your servant to reign in place of David, my father. But I am a small child, and I am ignorant of my entrance and departure.
{3:8} And your servant is in the midst of the people that you have chosen, an immense people, who are not able to be numbered or counted because of their multitude.
{3:9} Therefore, give to your servant a teachable heart, so that he may be able to judge your people, and to discern between good and evil. For who will be able to judge this people, your people, who are so many?”
{3:10} And the word was pleasing before the Lord, that Solomon had requested this kind of thing.
{3:11} And the Lord said to Solomon: “Since you have requested this word, and you have not asked for many days or for wealth for yourself, nor for the lives of your enemies, but instead you have requested for yourself wisdom in order to discern judgment:
{3:12} behold, I have done for you according to your words, and I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so much so that there has been no one like you before you, nor anyone who will rise up after you.
{3:13} But also the things for which you did not ask, I have given to you, namely wealth and glory, so that no one has been like you among the kings in the all days before.
{3:14} And if you will walk in my ways, and keep my precepts and my commandments, just as your father walked, I will lengthen your days.”
{3:15} Then Solomon awakened, and he understood that it was a dream. And when he had arrived in Jerusalem, he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and he offered holocausts and made victims of peace offerings, and he held a great feast for all his servants.
{3:16} Then two women harlots went to the king, and they stood before him.
{3:17} And one of them said: “I beg you, my lord, I and this woman were living in one house, and I gave birth, with her in the room.
{3:18} Then, on the third day after I gave birth, she also gave birth. And we were together, with no other person with us in the house, only the two of us.
{3:19} Then this woman’s son died in the night. For while sleeping, she smothered him.
{3:20} And rising up in the silent depths of the night, she took my son from my side, while I, your handmaid, was sleeping, and she set him in her bosom. Then she placed her dead son in my bosom.
{3:21} And when I had arisen in the morning, so that I might give milk to my son, he appeared to be dead. But gazing upon him more diligently in the light of day, I realized that he was not mine, whom I had born.”
{3:22} And the other woman responded: “It is not such as you say. Instead, your son is dead, but mine is alive.” To the contrary, she said: “You are lying. For my son lives, and your son is dead.” And in this manner, they were contending before the king.
{3:23} Then said the king: “This one says, ‘My son is alive, and your son is dead.’ And the other responds, ‘No, instead your son is dead, but mine lives.’ ”
{3:24} Therefore the king said, “Bring a sword to me.” And when they had brought a sword before the king,
{3:25} he said, “Divide the living infant in two parts, and give a half part to the one and a half part to the other.”
{3:26} But the woman, whose son was alive, said to the king, for her heart was moved concerning her son, “I beg you, my lord, give the living infant to her, and do not kill him.” To the contrary, the other said, “Let it be neither for me, nor for you, instead divide it.”
{3:27} The king responded and said: “Give the living infant to this woman, and do not kill it. For she is his mother.”
{3:28} Then all of Israel heard about the judgment that the king had judged, and they feared the king, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to accomplish judgment.
{4:1} Now king Solomon was reigning over all of Israel.
{4:2} And these were the leaders that he had: Azariah, the son of Zadok, the priest;
{4:3} Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, the scribes; Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, the keeper of records;
{4:4} Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, over the army; and Zadok, and Abiathar, priests;
{4:5} Azariah, the son of Nathan, over those who were assisting the king; Zabud, the son of Nathan, the priest, the friend of the king;
{4:6} and Ahishar, first ruler of the house; and Adoniram, the son of Abda, over the tribute.
{4:7} And Solomon had twelve commanders over all of Israel, who offered yearly provisions for the king and his house. For each was ministering the necessities, by each month of the year.
{4:8} And these are their names: Benhur, on mount Ephraim;
{4:9} Bendeker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon, and in Beth-hanan;
{4:10} Benhesed, in Arubboth: his was Socoh and the entire land of Hepher;
{4:11} Benabinadab, to whom was all of Naphath-Dor, who had Taphath, the daughter of Solomon, as wife;
{4:12} Baana, the son of Ahilud, who was reigning in Taanach, and Megiddo, and all of Bethshean, which is beside Zarethan and below Jezreel, from Bethshean as far as Abelmeholah, opposite Jokmeam;
{4:13} Bengeber, in Ramoth Gilead, who had the town of Jair, the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; the same was first in the entire region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls that had bronze bars;
{4:14} Ahinadab, the son of Iddo, who was first in Mahanaim;
{4:15} Ahimaaz, in Naphtali, and he also had Basemath, the daughter of Solomon, in marriage;
{4:16} Baana, the son of Hushai, in Asher and in Bealoth;
{4:17} Jehoshaphat, the son of Paruah, in Issachar;
{4:18} Shimei, the son of Ela, in Benjamin;
{4:19} Geber, the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan, over all who were in that land.
{4:20} Judah and Israel were innumerable, like the sand of the sea in multitude: eating and drinking, and rejoicing.
{4:21} Now Solomon had, in his dominion, all the kingdoms, from the river to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt. And they offered gifts to him, and they served him all the days of his life.
{4:22} And the provisions of Solomon, for each day, were thirty cor of fine wheat flour, and sixty cor of meal,
{4:23} ten fattened oxen, and twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred rams, aside from the venison of stags, roe deer, and gazelles, and fattened poultry.
{4:24} For he had obtained the entire region which was beyond the river, from Tiphsah as far as Gaza, and all the kings of those regions. And he had peace on every side all around.
{4:25} And so, Judah and Israel were living without any fear, each one under his own vine and under his own fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, during all the days of Solomon.
{4:26} And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of chariot horses, and twelve thousand riding horses.
{4:27} And the above-stated commanders of the king nourished these. And they also offered the necessities for the table of king Solomon, with immense diligence, each in his time.
{4:28} Also, they brought barley and straw for the horses and beasts of burden, to the place where the king was, just as it was appointed to them.
{4:29} And God gave wisdom to Solomon, and an exceedingly great prudence, and a spacious heart, like the sand which is on the shore of the sea.
{4:30} And the wisdom of Solomon surpassed the wisdom of all the East, and of the Egyptians.
{4:31} And he was wiser than all men: wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And he was renowned in all the nations on every side.
{4:32} Solomon also spoke three thousand parables. And his verses were one thousand and five.
{4:33} And he discoursed about trees, from the cedar which is in Lebanon, to the hyssop which grows out from the wall. And he explained about beasts, and birds, and reptiles, and fish.
{4:34} And they came from all the peoples in order to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who were hearing about his wisdom.
{5:1} Hiram, the king of Tyre, also sent his servants to Solomon. For he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father. Now Hiram had been a friend to David the entire time.
{5:2} Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:
{5:3} “You know the will of my father David, and that he was not able to build a house to the name of the Lord his God, because of the wars that were imminent all around him, until the Lord set them under the steps of his feet.
{5:4} But now the Lord my God has given rest to me on all sides. And there is no adversary, nor occurrence of evil.
{5:5} For this reason, I intend to build a temple to the name of the Lord my God, just as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying: ‘Your son, whom I will set in your place, upon your throne, he himself shall build a house to my name.’
{5:6} Therefore, order that your servants may cut down for me cedars from Lebanon. And let my servants be with your servants. Then I will give to you, for the wages of your servants, whatever you will ask. For you know that there is not a man among my people who knows how to cut wood as well as the Sidonians.”
{5:7} Therefore, when Hiram had heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and he said, “Blessed be the Lord God this day, who gave to David a very wise son over this numerous people!”
{5:8} And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: “I have heard the things that you would entrust to me. And I will do your whole will concerning the cedar trees and spruce trees.
{5:9} My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. And I will arrange them together as rafts on the sea, as far as the place that you will indicate to me. And I will land them there, and you will take them. And you shall offer to me what is necessary to give food to my house.”
{5:10} And so, Hiram gave to Solomon cedar trees and spruce trees, in accord with his whole will.
{5:11} Then Solomon offered to Hiram twenty thousand cor of wheat, as food for his house, and twenty cor of the purest oil. These things Solomon gave as a tribute to Hiram every year.
{5:12} And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as he said to him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two struck a pact.
{5:13} And king Solomon chose workers from all of Israel, and the conscription was of thirty thousand men.
{5:14} And he sent them into Lebanon, ten thousand each month, in turns, so that for two months they were in their own houses. And Adoniram was over this type of conscription.
{5:15} And Solomon had seventy thousand of those who were carrying burdens, and eighty thousand of those who cut stones from the mountain,
{5:16} aside from the commanders who were over each work, in number three thousand and three hundred, who gave orders to the people and to those who were doing the work.
{5:17} And the king ordered them to bring great stones, precious stones, for the foundation of the temple, and to square them.
{5:18} And these were shaped by the stoneworkers of Solomon and the stoneworkers of Hiram. And the men of Gebal also prepared the wood and the stones in order to build the house.
{6:1} Then it happened that, in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel departed from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the reign of Solomon over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, the house of the Lord began to be built.
{6:2} Now the house, which king Solomon was building to the Lord, was sixty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in width, and thirty cubits in height.
{6:3} And a portico was before the temple, of twenty cubits in length, in accord with the measure of the width of the temple. And it had ten cubits of width before the face of the temple.
{6:4} And he made oblique windows in the temple.
{6:5} And upon the wall of the temple, he built panels on all sides, in the walls of the house around the temple and the oracle. And he made side chambers all around.
{6:6} The flooring on the bottom level held five cubits in width, and the middle floor was six cubits in width, and the third floor held seven cubits in width. Then he positioned beams on the house all around the outside, in such a way that they would not be fastened to the walls of the temple.
{6:7} Now the house, while it was being built, was made from cut and finished stones. And so, neither mallet, nor chisel, nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.
{6:8} The door at the side of the middle section was to the right of the house. And they would ascend along winding stairs to the middle level, and from the middle level to the third level.
{6:9} And he built the house, and finished it. And he overlaid the house with boards of cedar.
{6:10} And he built a paneling over the entire house, five cubits in height, and he covered the house with cedar wood.
{6:11} And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying:
{6:12} “Concerning this house, which you are building: if you will walk in my precepts, and carry out my judgments, and keep all my commandments, advancing by them, I will confirm my word to you, which I spoke to your father David.
{6:13} And I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel, and I will not forsake my people Israel.”
{6:14} And so, Solomon built the house, and finished it.
{6:15} And he built the walls of the house, on the interior, with panels of cedar, from the floor of the house, to the top of the walls, and even to the ceiling. He covered it with cedar wood on the interior. And he overlaid the floor of the house with panels of spruce.
{6:16} And he built panels of cedar, of twenty cubits, at the back part of the temple, from the floor even to the top. And he made the inner house of the oracle as the Holy of Holies.
{6:17} And the temple itself, before the doors of the oracle, was forty cubits.
{6:18} And the entire house was clothed with cedar on the interior, having its turnings and junctures artfully wrought, with carvings projecting outward. Everything was clothed with panels of cedar. And no stone at all was able to be seen in the wall.
{6:19} Now he made the oracle in the middle of the house, in the inner part, so that he might station the ark of the covenant of the Lord there.
{6:20} And the oracle held twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height. And he covered and clothed it with the purest gold. Then, too, he clothed the altar in cedar.
{6:21} Also, the house before the oracle, he covered with the purest gold, and he fastened the plates with nails of gold.
{6:22} And there was nothing in the temple that was not covered with gold. Moreover, the entire altar of the oracle he overlaid with gold.
{6:23} And he made in the oracle two cherubim from wood of the olive tree, of ten cubits in height.
{6:24} One wing of a cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of a cherub was five cubits, that is, having ten cubits from the summit of one wing even to the summit of the other wing.
{6:25} Likewise, the second cherub was ten cubits. And the measure was equal and the work was one, in the two cherubim,
{6:26} that is, one cherub had a height of ten cubits, and similarly the second cherub.
{6:27} And he stationed the cherubim in the middle of the inner temple. And the cherubim extended their wings, and the wing of the one was touching the wall, and the wing of the second cherub was touching the other wall. But the other wings, in the middle of the temple, were touching each another.
{6:28} He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.
{6:29} And all the walls of the temple all around he engraved with diverse carvings and turnings. And he made in them cherubim, and palm trees, and various images, as if these were projecting out, and going forth from, the wall.
{6:30} Then, too, the floor of the house he overlaid with gold within and without.
{6:31} And at the entrance of the oracle, he made little doors, from wood of the olive tree, with posts of five corners.
{6:32} And there were two doors, from wood of the olive tree. And he carved upon them pictures of cherubim, and images of palm trees, and very prominent figures. And he overlaid these with gold. And he covered the cherubim, as well as the palm trees and the other things, with gold.
{6:33} And he made, at the entrance of the temple, posts from wood of the olive tree, with four corners,
{6:34} and two doors, from wood of the spruce tree, on the other side. And each door was double, and so it opened by folding upon itself.
{6:35} And he carved cherubim, and palm trees, and very prominent engravings. And he covered everything with gold plates, worked to be perfectly square.
{6:36} And he built the inner atrium with three rows of polished stones, and one row of cedar wood.
{6:37} In the fourth year, the house of the Lord was founded, in the month of Ziv.
{6:38} And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was perfected in all its works and in all its equipment. And he built it for seven years.
{7:1} Now Solomon built his own house for thirteen years, and he brought it to perfection.
{7:2} And he built the house from the forest of Lebanon: one hundred cubits in length, and fifty cubits in width, and thirty cubits in height, with four walkways between columns of cedar. For he had hewn the cedar trees into columns.
{7:3} And he clothed the entire vaulted room with panels of cedar. And it was supported by forty-five columns. Now one row held fifteen columns,
{7:4} each positioned opposite another,
{7:5} and looking toward one another, with equal spacing between the columns. And above the columns there were square beams equal in all things.
{7:6} And he made a portico of columns, fifty cubits in length and thirty cubits in width, and another portico, facing the greater portico, with columns and with crossbeams upon the columns.
{7:7} He also made the portico of the throne, in which is the tribunal. And he overlaid it with cedar wood, from the floor even to the summit.
{7:8} And in the midst of the portico, there was a small house, where he would sit in judgment, similar in workmanship. He also made a house for the daughter of Pharaoh (whom Solomon had taken as wife) of the same work and type as this portico.
{7:9} All was of precious stones, which had been sawed by a particular standard and measure, as much within as without, from the foundation even to the summit of the walls, and outside even to the great atrium.
{7:10} Now the foundations were of precious stones: great stones of eight or ten cubits.
{7:11} And above these, there were precious stones, of equal measure, which had been cut in a manner similar to boards of cedar.
{7:12} And the great atrium was round, with three rows of cut stones and one row of cut cedar, even as it also was in the interior atrium of the house of the Lord, and in the portico of the house.
{7:13} And king Solomon sent and brought Hiram of Tyre,
{7:14} the son of a widowed woman, from the tribe of Naphtali, whose father was a Tyrian, an artisan in brass, and full of wisdom, and understanding, and knowledge in order to form every work of brass. And when he had gone to king Solomon, he wrought all his work.
{7:15} And he cast two columns of brass. Each column was eighteen cubits in height, and a line of twelve cubits encompassed both columns.
{7:16} Also, he made two heads of molten brass, which would be set upon the tops of the columns: one head was five cubits in height, and the other head was five cubits in height.
{7:17} And there was something like a network of chains, woven together in a wonderful manner. Both heads of the columns were cast, and seven rows of little nets traversed one head, and seven little nets were on the other head.
{7:18} And he finished the columns with two rows all around each network, so that these covered the heads, which were at the top, with pomegranates. And he did in like manner to the second head.
{7:19} Now the heads that were at the top of the columns, in the portico of four cubits, had been fabricated with a work of lilies.
{7:20} And again, there were other heads at the tops of the columns above, in accord with the measure of the column opposite the netting. And there were two hundred of the pomegranates, in rows around the second head.
{7:21} And he stationed the two columns in the portico of the temple. And when he had stationed the column on the right, he called its name Jachin. Similarly, he erected the second column, and he called its name Boaz.
{7:22} And above the tops of the columns, he set a work in the manner of lilies. And the work of the columns was perfected.
{7:23} He also made a molten sea, of ten cubits from brim to brim, rounded on all sides. Its height was five cubits, and a thin rope of thirty cubits wrapped it all around.
{7:24} And a sculpted work under the brim encircled it for ten cubits going around the sea. There were two rows cast of striated sculptures.
{7:25} And it was standing upon twelve oxen, of which three were looking toward the north, and three toward the west, and three toward the south, and three toward the east. And the sea above was over them. And their posteriors were entirely hidden within.
{7:26} And the basin was the thickness of three twelfths. And its brim was like the brim of a chalice, or like the outturned petal of a lily. It contained two thousand baths.
{7:27} And he made ten bases of brass: each base was four cubits in length, and four cubits in width, and three cubits in height.
{7:28} And the work itself of the bases was engraved; and there were sculptures between the junctures.
{7:29} And between the little crowns and the edges, there were lions, and oxen, and cherubim; and similarly in the junctures above. And under the lions and oxen were something like bands of brass hanging down.
{7:30} And each base had four wheels, with axels of brass. And at the four sides were something like little arms, under the cast basin, facing away from one another.
{7:31} Also, the mouth of the interior of the basin was at the top of the head. And what was visible outside was of one cubit all around, and altogether it had one cubit and a half. Now at the corners of the columns were diverse engravings. And the spaces between the columns were square, not round.
{7:32} And the four wheels, which were at the four corners of the base, were joined to one another under the base. The height of one wheel held one cubit and a half.
{7:33} Now these were the kind of wheels such as are often made for a chariot. And their axels, and spokes, and tires, and centers were all cast.
{7:34} And the four little arms, which were at each corner of a base, were cast and joined together as part of the base itself.
{7:35} And at the summit of the base, there was a round stand of one half cubit, fabricated so that the basin could be placed upon it, having its engravings, and various sculptures of its own.
{7:36} He also engraved those plates, which were of brass. And at the corners were cherubim, and lions, and palm trees, standing out, as if in the likeness of a man, so that they seemed not to be engraved, but placed adjacent on all sides.
{7:37} In this manner, he made ten bases with the same casting and measure, and very similar engravings.
{7:38} He also made ten hand basins of brass. One hand basin contained four baths, and was of four cubits. And each basin he set upon a base, which is ten bases.
{7:39} And he stationed the ten bases, five to the right side of the temple, and five to the left. And the sea he placed to the right side of the temple, opposite the east, toward the south.
{7:40} Then Hiram made cooking pots, and trays, and small hooks. And he completed all the work of king Solomon in the temple of the Lord:
{7:41} the two columns, and the two cords of the heads over the tops of the columns, and the two networks which covered the two cords that were above the tops of the columns;
{7:42} and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two turnings of pomegranates for each network, in order to cover the cords of the heads, which were above the tops of the columns;
{7:43} and the ten bases, and the ten basins on the bases;
{7:44} and the one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea;
{7:45} and the cooking pots, and the trays, and the small hooks. All of the items that Hiram made for king Solomon, for the house of the Lord, were of golden brass.
{7:46} In the open regions near the Jordan, the king cast these, in the clay soil between Succoth and Zarethan.
{7:47} And Solomon positioned all the items. But because of its exceedingly great amount, the brass was not weighed.
{7:48} And Solomon made all the furniture for the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, upon which the bread of the presence would be placed;
{7:49} and the gold lampstands, five to the right, and five to the left, opposite the oracle, of pure gold; and likenesses of lily blossoms, with lamps above them, of gold; and gold tongs;
{7:50} and water pots, and little forks, and bowls, and little mortars, and censers, of the purest gold; and the hinges of the doors, for the interior house of the Holy of Holies and for the doors of the house of the temple, which were of gold.
{7:51} And Solomon perfected all the work that he was doing in the house of the Lord. And he brought in the things that his father David had sanctified: the silver, and the gold, and the vessels. And he stored these in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.
{8:1} Then all those greater by birth of Israel, with the leaders of the tribes and the rulers of the families of the sons of Israel, gathered together before king Solomon at Jerusalem, so that they might carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, from the city of David, that is, from Zion.
{8:2} And all of Israel assembled before king Solomon, on the solemn day in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
{8:3} And all the elders of Israel arrived, and the priests took up the ark.
{8:4} And they carried the ark of the Lord, and the tabernacle of the covenant, and all the vessels of the Sanctuary, which were in the tabernacle; and the priests and the Levites carried these.
{8:5} Then king Solomon, and the entire multitude of Israel, who had assembled before him, advanced with him before the ark. And they immolated sheep and oxen, which could not be numbered or estimated.
{8:6} And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the oracle of the temple, in the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim.
{8:7} For indeed, the cherubim extended their wings over the place of the ark, and they protected the ark and its bars from above.
{8:8} And since the bars projected outward, their ends were visible from without, in the Sanctuary before the oracle; but they were not visible farther outward. And they have been in that place even to the present day.
{8:9} Now inside the ark, there was nothing other than the two tablets of stone, which Moses had placed in it at Horeb, when the Lord formed a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they departed from the land of Egypt.
{8:10} Then it happened that, when the priests had exited from the Sanctuary, a cloud filled the house of the Lord.
{8:11} And the priests were unable to stand and minister, because of the cloud. For the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.
{8:12} Then Solomon said: “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a cloud.
{8:13} Building, I have built a house as your dwelling place, your most firm throne forever.”
{8:14} And the king turned his face, and he blessed the entire assembly of Israel. For the entire assembly of Israel was standing.
{8:15} And Solomon said: “Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth to my father David, and who, with his own hands, has perfected it, saying:
{8:16} ‘From the day when I led my people Israel away from Egypt, I did not choose any city out of all the tribes of Israel, so that a house would be built, and so that my name might be there. Instead, I chose David to be over my people Israel.’
{8:17} And my father David wanted to build a house to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
{8:18} But the Lord said to my father David: ‘Since you have planned in your heart to build a house to my name, you have done well by considering this plan in your mind.
{8:19} Yet truly, you shall not build a house for me. Instead, your son, who shall go forth from your loins, he himself shall build a house to my name.’
{8:20} The Lord has confirmed his word which he spoke. And so I stand in place of my father David, and I sit upon the throne of Israel, just as the Lord said. And I have built a house to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
{8:21} And there I have appointed a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he struck with our fathers, when they went forth from the land of Egypt.”
{8:22} Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, in the sight of the assembly of Israel, and he extended his hands toward heaven.
{8:23} And he said: “Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above, nor on the earth below. You preserve covenant and mercy with your servants, who walk before you with all their heart.
{8:24} You have fulfilled, for your servant David, my father, that which you said to him. With your mouth, you spoke; and with your hands, you completed; just as this day proves.
{8:25} Now therefore, O Lord God of Israel, fulfill, for your servant David, my father, that which you spoke to him, saying, ‘There shall not be taken away from you a man before me, who may sit upon the throne of Israel, if only your sons will guard their way, so that they walk before me, just as you have walked in my sight.’
{8:26} And now, O Lord God of Israel, establish your words, which you spoke to your servant David, my father.
{8:27} Is it, then, to be understood that truly God would dwell upon the earth? For if heaven, and the heavens of heavens, are not able to contain you, how much less this house, which I have built?
{8:28} Yet look with favor upon the prayer of your servant and upon his petitions, O Lord, my God. Listen to the hymn and the prayer, which your servant prays before you this day,
{8:29} so that your eyes may be open over this house, night and day, over the house about which you said, ‘My name shall be there,’ so that you may heed the prayer that your servant is praying in this place to you.
{8:30} So may you heed the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel, whatever they will pray for in this place, and so may you heed them in your dwelling place in heaven. And when you heed, you will be gracious.
{8:31} But if any man sins against his neighbor, and he has any kind of an oath by which he is bound, and he arrives because of the oath, before your altar in your house,
{8:32} you will hear in heaven, and you will act and judge your servants, condemning the impious, and repaying his own way upon his own head, but justifying the just, and rewarding him in accord with his justice.
{8:33} And if your people Israel will have fled from their enemies, because they have sinned against you, and doing penance and confessing to your name, shall arrive and pray and petition you in this house,
{8:34} listen in heaven, and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and lead them back to the land, which you gave to their fathers.
{8:35} And if the heavens have closed, so that there is no rain, because of their sins, and they, praying in this place, shall do penance to your name, and shall be converted from their sins, by occasion of their afflictions,
{8:36} hear them from heaven, and forgive the sins of your servants and of your people Israel. And reveal to them the good way, along which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as a possession.
{8:37} Then, if famine rises over the land, or pestilence, or corrupt air, or blight, or locust, or mildew, or if their enemy afflicts them, besieging the gates, or any harm or infirmity,
{8:38} or whatever curse or divine intervention may happen to any man among your people Israel, if anyone understands, having been wounded in his heart, and if he will have extended his hands in this house,
{8:39} you will hear in heaven, in your dwelling place, and you will forgive. And you will act so that you give to each one in accord with his own ways, just as you see in his heart, for you alone know the heart of all the sons of men.
{8:40} So may they fear you, all the days that they live upon the face of the land, which you have given to our fathers.
{8:41} Moreover, the foreigner too, who is not of your people Israel, when he will have arrived from a distant land because of your name, for they shall hear about your great name, and your strong hand,
{8:42} and your outstretched arm everywhere: so when he arrives and prays in this place,
{8:43} you will listen in heaven, in the firmament of your dwelling place. And you will do all the things, for which that foreigner will have called upon you. So may all the peoples of the earth learn to fear your name, just as your people Israel do. And so may they show that your name has been invoked over this house, which I have built.
{8:44} And if your people have gone out to war against their enemies, along whatever way you will send them, they shall pray to you in the direction of the city, which you have chosen, and toward the house, which I have built to your name.
{8:45} And you will hear in heaven their prayers and their petitions. And you will accomplish judgment for them.
{8:46} But if they sin against you, for there is no man who does not sin, and you, being angry, deliver them to their enemies, and they will have been led away as captives to the land of their enemies, whether far or near,
{8:47} and if they do penance in their heart, in the place of captivity, and having been converted, make supplication to you in their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned; we acted unjustly; we committed impiety,’
{8:48} and they return to you with all their heart and all their soul, in the land of their enemies, to which they have been led away as captives, and if they pray to you in the direction of their land, which you gave to their fathers, and of the city, which you have chosen, and of the temple, which I have built to your name:
{8:49} you will hear in heaven, in the firmament of your throne, their prayers and their petitions. And you will accomplish their judgment.
{8:50} And you will forgive your people, who have sinned against you, and all their iniquities, by which they have transgressed against you. And you will grant to them mercy in the sight of those who have made them captives, so that they may take pity on them.
{8:51} For they are your people and your inheritance, whom you have led away from the land of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron.
{8:52} So may your eyes be open to the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel. And so may you heed them in all the things about which they will call upon you.
{8:53} For you have separated them to yourself as an inheritance, from among all the peoples of the earth, just as you spoke by Moses, your servant, when you led our fathers away from Egypt, O Lord God.”
{8:54} And it happened that, when Solomon had completed praying this entire prayer and supplication to the Lord, he rose up from the sight of the altar of the Lord. For he had fixed both knees upon the ground, and he had extended his hands toward heaven.
{8:55} Then he stood and blessed the entire assembly of Israel in a great voice, saying:
{8:56} “Blessed is the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel, in accord with all that he said. Not even one word, out of all the good things that he spoke by his servant Moses, has fallen away.
{8:57} May the Lord our God be with us, just as he was with our fathers, not abandoning us, and not rejecting us.
{8:58} But may he incline our hearts to himself, so that we may walk in all his ways, and keep his commandments, and his ceremonies, and whatever judgments he commanded to our fathers.
{8:59} And may these my words, by which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God, day and night, so that he may accomplish judgment for his servant and for his people Israel, throughout each day.
{8:60} So may all the peoples of the earth know that the Lord himself is God, and there is no other beside him.
{8:61} Also, may our hearts be perfect with the Lord our God, so that we may walk in his decrees, and keep his commandments, as also on this day.”
{8:62} Then the king, and all of Israel with him, immolated victims before the Lord.
{8:63} And Solomon slew sacrifices of peace offerings, which he immolated to the Lord: twenty-two thousand oxen, and twenty thousand one hundred sheep. And the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the temple of the Lord.
{8:64} On that day, the king sanctified the middle of the atrium, which was before the house of the Lord. For in that place, he offered holocaust, and sacrifice, and the fat of peace offerings. For the bronze altar, which was before the Lord, was too small and was not able to hold the holocaust, and the sacrifice, and the fat of the peace offerings.
{8:65} Then Solomon made, at that time, a celebratory festival, and all of Israel with him, a great multitude, from the entrance of Hamath to the river of Egypt, in the sight of the Lord our God, for seven days plus seven days, that is, fourteen days.
{8:66} And on the eighth day, he dismissed the people. And blessing the king, they set out for their tents, rejoicing and cheerful in heart over all the good things that the Lord had done for his servant David and for his people Israel.
{9:1} Now it happened that, when Solomon had perfected the building of the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all that he had desired and had willed to do,
{9:2} the Lord appeared to him a second time, just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
{9:3} And the Lord said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your petition, which you prayed before me. I have sanctified this house, which you have built, so that I may place my name there forever, and so that my eyes and my heart will be there for all days.
{9:4} Also, if you will walk before me, just as your father walked, in simplicity of heart and in equity, and you do all that I have instructed to you, and you keep my laws and my judgments,
{9:5} then I will set the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised your father David, saying: ‘A man from your stock shall not be taken away from the throne of Israel.’
{9:6} But if you and your sons, wandering, will have turned away, not following me, and not keeping my commandments and my ceremonies, which I have proposed to you, but instead you go away, and you serve strange gods and adore them,
{9:7} then I will take away Israel from the face of the land, which I have given to them. And the temple, which I have sanctified to my name, I will cast out from my sight. And Israel will be a proverb and a parable among all the peoples.
{9:8} And this house will become an example: anyone who passes by it will be stupefied, and he will hiss and say, ‘Why has the Lord acted in this way to this land and to this house?’
{9:9} And they will respond: ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their fathers away from the land of Egypt, and they followed strange gods, and they adored them and served them. For this reason, the Lord led all this evil over them.’ ”
{9:10} Then, when twenty years were fulfilled, after Solomon had built the two houses, that is, the house of the Lord, and the house of the king,
{9:11} Hiram, the king of Tyre, having supplied Solomon with cedar wood, and spruce wood, and gold, in accord with all that he needed, then Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the land of Galilee.
{9:12} And Hiram went out of Tyre, so that he might view the towns that Solomon had given to him. And they did not please him.
{9:13} And he said, “Are these the cities that you have given to me, brother?” And he called them the land of Cabul, even to this day.
{9:14} And Hiram sent to king Solomon one hundred twenty talents of gold.
{9:15} This is the sum of the expenses that king Solomon offered for the building of the house of the Lord, and his own house, and for Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
{9:16} Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, ascended and seized Gezer, and he burned it with fire. And he put to death the Canaanite who was living in the city, and he gave it as a dowry for his daughter, the wife of Solomon.
{9:17} Therefore, Solomon built up Gezer, and lower Beth-horon,
{9:18} and Baalath, and Palmira in the land of the wilderness.
{9:19} And all the towns which belonged to him, and which were without walls, he walled, along with the cities of the chariots, and the cities of the horsemen, and whatever was pleasing to him that he might build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in the entire land of his dominion.
{9:20} All the people who had remained of the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel,
{9:21} their sons, who had remained in the land, namely, those whom the sons of Israel had not been able to destroy, Solomon made tributary, even to this day.
{9:22} But from the sons of Israel, Solomon did not appoint anyone at all to serve, except the men of war, and his ministers, and leaders, and commanders, and the overseers of the chariots and the horses.
{9:23} Now there were five hundred fifty leaders in the first place over all the works of Solomon, and they had people subject to them, and these were given orders for the appointed works.
{9:24} And the daughter of Pharaoh went up from the city of David to her house, which Solomon had built for her. Then he built up Millo.
{9:25} Also, three times each year, Solomon offered holocausts and victims of peace offerings, upon the altar that he had built to the Lord, and he burned incense before the Lord. And the temple was perfected.
{9:26} And king Solomon made a navy at Ezion Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shores of the Red Sea, in the land of Idumea.
{9:27} And Hiram sent his servants to that navy, the sailors and those knowledgeable about the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
{9:28} And when they had gone to Ophir, taking from there four hundred twenty talents of gold, they brought it to king Solomon.
{10:1} Then, too, the queen of Sheba, having heard of the fame of Solomon in the name of the Lord, arrived to test him with enigmas.
{10:2} And entering into Jerusalem with a great retinue, and with riches, and with camels carrying aromatics, and with an exceedingly great quantity of gold and precious stones, she went to king Solomon. And she spoke to him all that she held in her heart.
{10:3} And Solomon taught her, in all the words that she had proposed to him. There was not any word which was able to be hidden from the king, or which he did not answer for her.
{10:4} Then, when the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
{10:5} and the food of his table, and the dwelling places of his servants, and the rows of his ministers, and their apparel, and the cupbearers, and the holocausts that he was offering in the house of the Lord, she had no longer any spirit in her.
{10:6} And she said to the king: “The word is true, which I have heard in my own land,
{10:7} about your words and your wisdom. But I did not believe those who explained it to me, until I went myself and saw it with my own eyes. And I have discovered that the half of it has not been told to me: your wisdom and works are greater than the report that I have heard.
{10:8} Blessed are your men, and blessed are your servants, who stand before you always, and who hear your wisdom.
{10:9} Blessed is the Lord your God, whom you have greatly pleased, and who has placed you upon the throne of Israel. For the Lord loves Israel forever, and he has appointed you as king, so that you may accomplish judgment and justice.”
{10:10} Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and an exceedingly great amount of aromatics and precious stones. No greater quantity of aromatics was ever again brought forth as these, which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
{10:11} Then, too, the navy of Hiram, which carried gold from Ophir, brought an exceedingly great quantity of thyine wood and precious stones from Ophir.
{10:12} And the king made, from the thyine wood, the posts of the house of the Lord, and of the house of the king, and citharas and lyres for the musicians. No thyine trees of this kind were ever again brought forth or seen, even to the present day.
{10:13} Then king Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all that she desired and requested of him, aside from what he himself had offered to her from his royal bounty. And she returned and went away to her own land, with her servants.
{10:14} Now the weight of the gold that was brought to Solomon each year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,
{10:15} aside from what was brought to him by the men who were over the tributes, and by the merchants, and by those selling every kind of small item, and by all the kings of Arabia, and by the rulers of the land.
{10:16} Also, king Solomon made two hundred large shields from the purest gold. He dispensed six hundred shekels of gold for the layers of one shield.
{10:17} And for the three hundred crescent-shaped shields of tested gold, there were three hundred minas of gold covering one shield. And the king placed these in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
{10:18} Also, king Solomon made a great throne from ivory. And he clothed it with a great quantity of red gold.
{10:19} The throne had six steps, and the summit of the throne was rounded in the back section. And there were two hands, on one side and the other, holding the seat. And two lions were standing beside each hand,
{10:20} with twelve little lions standing upon the six steps, on one side and the other. No similar work has been made, ever in any kingdom.
{10:21} Moreover, all the vessels from which king Solomon would drink were of gold. And all the items in the house of the forest of Lebanon were of the purest gold. There was no silver, nor was any accounting made of silver in the days of Solomon.
{10:22} For the navy of the king, once every three years, went with the navy of Hiram by sea to Tarshish, bringing from there gold, and silver, and elephant tusks, and primates, and peacocks.
{10:23} And so, king Solomon was magnified above all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.
{10:24} And all the earth desired to see the face of Solomon, so as to hear his wisdom, which God had granted to his heart.
{10:25} And each one brought him gifts, vessels of silver and of gold, clothing and weapons of war, as well as aromatics, and horses, and mules, throughout each year.
{10:26} And Solomon gathered together the chariots and horsemen. And he had one thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And he placed them in the walled cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
{10:27} And he caused silver to be as abundant in Jerusalem as stones, and he supplied a multitude of cedars like the sycamores that grow in the plains.
{10:28} And horses were brought for Solomon from Egypt and from Kue. For the merchants of the king were buying these from Kue. And they paid out the established price.
{10:29} Now a four-horse chariot would be sent from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty. And in this manner, all the kings of the Hittites and of Syria were selling horses.