Bible in 90 Days

David’s Last Words

23 These are the last words of David.

David’s Army

⁸ These are the names of David’s warriors:

Josheb-Basshebeth, the Tahkemonite, was head of the Three.^[a] He killed 800 men at one time.

⁹ Next there was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. Eleazar was one of the three soldiers who were with David when they challenged the Philistines. The Philistines were gathered for battle, and the Israelites drew back. ¹⁰ But Eleazar stayed where he was. He fought the Philistines until he was so tired he could not let go of his sword. The Lord gave a great victory for the Israelites that day. The people came back after Eleazar had won the battle. But they came only to take weapons and armor from the enemy.

¹¹ Next there was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines came together to fight. They stood where there was a field full of small peas. Israel’s troops ran away from the Philistines. ¹² But Shammah stood in the middle of the field. He fought for the field and killed the Philistines. And the Lord gave a great victory.

¹³ Once, three of the Thirty, David’s chief soldiers, came down to him during harvest. Now David was at the cave of Adullam. The Philistine army had camped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴ At that time David was in a protected place. And some of the Philistine soldiers were in Bethlehem.

¹⁵ David had a strong desire for some water. He said, “Oh, I wish someone would get me water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁶ So the three warriors broke through the Philistine army. They took water out of the well near the city gate of Bethlehem. Then they took it to David. But he refused to drink it. He poured it out on the ground before the Lord. ¹⁷ David said, “Lord, I can’t drink this! It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives!” So David refused to drink the water. These were the brave things that the three warriors did.

¹⁸ Abishai was the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah. He was captain of the Three. Abishai used his spear against 300 enemies and killed them. He became as famous as the Three. ¹⁹ Abishai received even more honor than the Three. He became their commander. But he was not a member of them.

²⁰ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave fighter from Kabzeel. He did many brave things. He killed two of the best soldiers from Moab. He also went down into a pit when it was snowing. There he killed a lion. ²¹ Benaiah killed a big Egyptian. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand. But Benaiah only had a club. Benaiah grabbed the spear from the Egyptian’s hand. Then Benaiah killed him with his own spear. ²² These were the brave things that Benaiah son of Jehoiada did. He was as famous as the Three. ²³ He received more honor than the Thirty. But he did not become a member of the Three. David made him leader of his bodyguard.

The Thirty Chief Soldiers

²⁴ The following men were among the Thirty:

There were 37 in all.

David Counts His Army

24 The Lord was angry with Israel again. He caused David to turn against the Israelites. David said, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.”

² King David spoke to Joab, the commander of the army. David said, “Go through all the tribes of Israel. Go from Dan to Beersheba^[b] and count the people. Then I will know how many there are.”

³ But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God give you 100 times more people. And may you live to see this happen. But why do you want to do this?”

⁴ But the king very strongly commanded Joab and the commanders of the army. So they left the king to count the people of Israel.

⁵ After crossing the Jordan River, they camped near Aroer. They camped on the south side of the city in the ravine. They went through Gad and on to Jazer. ⁶ Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim Hodshi. Next they went to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon. ⁷ They went to the strong, walled city of Tyre. They also went to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went to southern Judah, to Beersheba. ⁸ After 9 months and 20 days, they had gone through all the land. Then they came back to Jerusalem.

⁹ Joab gave the list of the people to the king. There were 800,000 men in Israel who could use the sword. And there were 500,000 men in Judah.

¹⁰ David felt ashamed after he had counted the people. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done! Lord, I beg you, forgive my sin! I have been very foolish.”

¹¹ Before David got up in the morning, the Lord spoke his word to Gad. He was a prophet and David’s seer. ¹² The Lord told Gad, “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I offer you three choices. Choose one for me to do to you.’”

¹³ Gad went to David and told him. Gad said, “Choose one of these three things. Should three years of hunger come to you and your land? Or should your enemies chase you for three months? Or should there be three days of disease in your country? Think about it. Then decide which of these things I should tell the Lord who sent me.”

¹⁴ David said to Gad, “I am really in trouble. But the Lord is very merciful. So let the Lord punish us. Don’t let my punishment come from people!”

¹⁵ So the Lord sent disease on Israel. It began in the morning. And it continued until the chosen time to stop. From Dan to Beersheba 70,000 people died. ¹⁶ The angel raised his arm toward Jerusalem to destroy it also. But the Lord felt very sorry about the terrible things that had happened. He said to the angel who was destroying the people, “That’s enough! Put down your arm!” At this time the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁷ David saw the angel that killed the people. Then he said to the Lord, “I’ve sinned! I’ve done wrong! But these people only followed me like sheep! They did nothing wrong! Please let your punishment be against me and my father’s family!”

¹⁸ That day Gad came to David. Gad told him, “Go and build an altar to the Lord. Build it on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” ¹⁹ So David did what Gad told him to do. He obeyed the Lord’s command and went to see Araunah.

²⁰ Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming to him. So he went out and bowed facedown on the ground. ²¹ He said, “Why has my master the king come to me?”

David answered, “To buy the threshing floor from you. I want to build an altar to the Lord. Then the disease will stop.”

²² Araunah said to David, “My master and king, you may take anything you want for a sacrifice. Here are some oxen for the whole burnt offering. Here are the threshing boards and the yokes for the wood! ²³ My king, I give everything to you!” Araunah also said to the king, “May the Lord your God be pleased with you!”

²⁴ But the king answered Araunah, “No. I will pay you for the land. I won’t offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings which cost me nothing!”

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for one and one-fourth pounds of silver. ²⁵ Then he built an altar to the Lord there. And he offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer for the country. And the disease in Israel stopped.

Adonijah Tries to Become King

1 At this time King David was very old. His servants covered him with blankets, but he could not keep warm. ² So they said to him, “We will find a young woman to care for you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm.” ³ So the king’s servants looked everywhere in Israel for a beautiful young woman. They found a girl named Abishag from the Shunammite people. They brought her to the king. ⁴ The girl was very beautiful. She cared for the king and served him. But King David did not have physical relations with her.

^5-6 Adonijah was King David and Haggith’s son. He was born next after Absalom. He was a very handsome man. He said, “I will be the king.” So he got chariots and horses for himself. And he got 50 men to run ahead of him. Now David had never interfered with him by questioning what he did.

⁷ Adonijah talked with Joab son of Zeruiah. He also talked with Abiathar the priest. They told him they would help him. ⁸ But several men did not join Adonijah. These men were Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei and King David’s special guard.

⁹ Then Adonijah killed some sheep, cows and fat calves for sacrifices. He made these sacrifices at the Stone of Zoheleth near the spring, En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the other sons of King David, to come. He invited all the rulers and leaders of Judah also. ¹⁰ But Adonijah did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, his father’s special guard or his brother Solomon.

¹¹ When Nathan heard about this, he went to Bathsheba. She was the mother of Solomon. Nathan asked her, “Have you heard what Adonijah, Haggith’s son, is doing? He has made himself king. And our real king, David, does not know it. ¹² Your life and the life of your son Solomon may be in danger. But I will tell you how to save yourselves. ¹³ Go to King David and say to him, ‘My master and king, you made a promise to me. You promised that my son Solomon would be the king after you. You said he would rule on your throne. So why has Adonijah become king?’ ¹⁴ While you are still talking to him, I will come in. I will tell the king that what you have said about Adonijah is true.”

¹⁵ So Bathsheba went in to see the king in his bedroom. He was now very old. Abishag, the girl from Shunam, was caring for him there. ¹⁶ Bathsheba bowed down before the king.

He asked, “What do you want?”

¹⁷ She answered, “My master, you made a promise to me in the name of the Lord your God. You said, ‘Your son Solomon will become king after me. He will rule on my throne.’ ¹⁸ But now Adonijah has become king. And you did not know it. ¹⁹ Adonijah has killed many cows, fat calves and sheep for sacrifices. And he has invited all your sons. He also has invited Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of your army. But he did not invite Solomon, your son who serves you. ²⁰ My master and king, all the people of Israel are watching you. They are waiting for you to decide who will be king after you. ²¹ As soon as you die, Solomon and I will be treated as criminals.”

²² While Bathsheba was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. ²³ The servants told the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So Nathan went to the king and bowed facedown on the ground before him.

²⁴ Then Nathan said, “My master and king, have you said that Adonijah will be the king after you? Have you decided he will rule on your throne after you? ²⁵ Today he has sacrificed many cows, fat calves and sheep. And he has invited all your other sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him. They are saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶ But he did not invite me, Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada or your son Solomon. ²⁷ Did you do this? We are your servants. Why didn’t you tell us whom you chose to be the king after you?”

David Makes Solomon King

²⁸ Then King David said, “Tell Bathsheba to come in!” So she came in and stood before the king.

²⁹ Then the king said, “The Lord has saved me from all trouble. As surely as he lives, I make this promise to you. ³⁰ Today I will do what I promised you in the past. I made that promise in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. I promised that your son Solomon would be king after me. I promised he would rule on my throne after me.”

³¹ Then Bathsheba bowed facedown on the ground before the king. She said, “Long live my master King David!”

³² Then King David said, “Tell Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada to come in here.” So they came before the king. ³³ Then the king said to them, “Take my servants with you and put my son Solomon on my own mule. Take him down to the spring called Gihon. ³⁴ There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet should pour olive oil on him and make him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵ Then come back here with him. He will sit on my throne and rule in my place. I have chosen him to be the ruler over Israel and Judah.”

³⁶ Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “This is good! And may your God make it happen. ³⁷ The Lord has always helped you, our king. Let the Lord also help Solomon. And let King Solomon be an even greater king than you.”

³⁸ So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada went down. The Kerethites and Pelethites, the king’s bodyguards, went with them. They put Solomon on King David’s mule and went with him to the spring called Gihon. ³⁹ Zadok the priest took with him the container of olive oil from the Holy Tent. He poured the olive oil on Solomon’s head to show he was the king. Then they blew the trumpet. And all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” ⁴⁰ All the people followed Solomon into the city. They were playing flutes and shouting for joy. They made so much noise the ground shook.

⁴¹ At this time Adonijah and all the guests with him were finishing their meal. They heard the sound from the trumpet. Joab asked, “What does all that noise from the city mean?”

⁴² While Joab was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in! You are an important man. So you must be bringing good news.”

⁴³ But Jonathan answered, “No! Our master King David has made Solomon the new king. ⁴⁴ King David sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada and all the king’s bodyguards with him. They put Solomon on the king’s own mule. ⁴⁵ And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet poured olive oil on Solomon at Gihon to make him king. Then they went into the city, shouting with joy. Now the whole city is excited. That is the noise you hear. ⁴⁶ Solomon has now become the king. ⁴⁷ All the king’s officers have come to tell King David that he has done a good thing. They are saying, ‘May your God make Solomon even more famous than you. And may your God make Solomon an even greater king than you.’” Jonathan continued, “And King David bowed down on his bed to worship God. ⁴⁸ He said, ‘Praise the Lord, the God of Israel. Today he has made one of my sons the king and allowed me to see it.’”

⁴⁹ Then all of Adonijah’s guests were afraid, and they left quickly. ⁵⁰ Adonijah was also afraid of Solomon. So he went and took hold of the corners of the altar.^{[c] 51} Then someone told Solomon, “Adonijah is afraid of you. He is at the altar, holding on to its corners. He says, ‘Tell King Solomon to promise me today that he will not kill me.’”

⁵² So Solomon answered, “Adonijah must show that he is a man of honor. If he does, I promise that he will not lose even a hair from his head. But if he does anything wrong, he will die.” ⁵³ Then King Solomon sent some men to get Adonijah. They brought him to King Solomon. So Adonijah came before King Solomon and bowed down. Then Solomon said, “Go home.”

The Death of David

2 It was almost time for David to die. So he talked to Solomon and gave him his last commands. ² David said, “My time to die is near. Be a good and strong leader. ³ Obey everything that the Lord commands. Follow the commands he has given us. Obey all his laws, and do what he told us. Obey what is written in the teachings of Moses. If you do these things, you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. ⁴ And if you obey the Lord, he will keep the promise he made to me. He promised: ‘Your descendants must live as I tell them. They must have complete faith in me. If they do this, then a man from your family will always be king over the people of Israel.’

⁵ “Also, you remember what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me. He killed the two commanders of Israel’s armies. He killed Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them as if he and they were at war. But this was in a time of peace. He killed innocent men. And their blood got on his belt and sandals. ⁶ You should punish him in the way you think is wisest. (But do not let him die peacefully of old age.)

⁷ “Be kind to the children of Barzillai of Gilead. Allow them to eat at your table. They helped me when I ran away from your brother Absalom.

⁸ “And remember, Shimei son of Gera is here with you. He is from the people of Benjamin in Bahurim. Remember he cursed me the day I went to Mahanaim. Then he came down to meet me at the Jordan River. I promised him before the Lord, ‘Shimei, I will not kill you.’ ⁹ But you should not leave him unpunished. You are a wise man. You will know what to do to him. But you must be sure he is killed.”

¹⁰ Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem. ¹¹ He had ruled over Israel 40 years. Seven years were in Hebron, and 33 years were in Jerusalem.

Solomon Takes Control as King

¹² Now Solomon became king after David, his father. And he was in control of his kingdom.

¹³ At this time Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked, “Do you come in peace?”

Adonijah answered, “Yes. This is a peaceful visit. ¹⁴ I have something to say to you.”

“You may speak,” she said.

¹⁵ Adonijah said, “You remember that at one time the kingdom was mine. All the people of Israel thought I was their king. But things changed. Now my brother is the king because the Lord chose him. ¹⁶ So now I have one thing to ask you. Please do not refuse me.”

Bathsheba answered, “What do you want?”

¹⁷ Adonijah said, “I know King Solomon will do anything you ask him. So please ask him to give me Abishag the Shunammite woman to be my wife.”

¹⁸ “Very well,” she answered. “I will speak to the king for you.”

¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk to him for Adonijah. When Solomon saw her, he stood up to meet her. Then he bowed down to her and sat on the throne. He told some servants to bring another throne for his mother. Then she sat down at his right side.

²⁰ Bathsheba said to him, “I have one small thing to ask you. Please do not refuse me.”

The king answered, “Ask, mother. I will not refuse you.”

²¹ So she said, “Allow Abishag the Shunammite woman to marry your brother Adonijah.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask me to give him Abishag? Why don’t you ask for him to become the king also since he is my older brother? Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah will support him!”

²³ Then King Solomon made a promise in the name of the Lord. He said, “I promise Adonijah will pay for asking me this! May God punish me terribly if it doesn’t cost Adonijah his life! ²⁴ The Lord has given me the throne that belonged to my father David. The Lord has kept his promise and given the kingdom to me and my people. As surely as the Lord lives, Adonijah will die today!” ²⁵ So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada. And he went out and killed Adonijah.

²⁶ Then King Solomon said to Abiathar the priest, “I should kill you. But I will allow you to go back to your home in Anathoth. I will not kill you now because you helped to carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord God while marching with my father David. And I know you shared in all of the hard times with my father.” ²⁷ So Solomon removed Abiathar from being a priest to the Lord. This happened as the Lord had said it would. He had said this about the priest Eli and his family in Shiloh.

²⁸ When Joab heard about this, he was afraid. He had supported Adonijah, but not Absalom. So Joab ran to the Tent of the Lord and took hold of the corners of the altar.^{[d] 29} Someone told King Solomon that Joab had run to the Tent of the Lord and was beside the altar. So Solomon ordered Benaiah to go and kill him.

³⁰ Benaiah went into the Tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’”

But Joab answered, “No, I will die here.”

So Benaiah went back to the king and told him what Joab had said. ³¹ Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says! Kill him there and bury him. Then my family and I will be free of the guilt of Joab. Joab is guilty of killing innocent people. ³² He killed two men who were much better than he was. They were Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. Abner was the commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa was the commander of Judah’s army. My father David did not know that he killed them. So the Lord will pay him back for those men he killed. ³³ He and his family will be forever guilty for their deaths. But there will be peace from God for David, his descendants, his family and his rule forever.”

³⁴ So Benaiah son of Jehoiada killed Joab. And he was buried near his home in the desert. ³⁵ Solomon then made Benaiah son of Jehoiada commander of the army in Joab’s place. Solomon also made Zadok the new high priest in Abiathar’s place.

³⁶ Next the king sent for Shimei. The king said to him, “Build a house for yourself here in Jerusalem. Live in the house, and don’t leave the city. ³⁷ If you leave and go past Kidron Valley, someone will kill you. And it will be your own fault.”

³⁸ So Shimei answered the king, “What you have said is good. I will obey you, my master and king.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.

³⁹ But three years later two of Shimei’s slaves ran away. They went to Achish king of Gath. He was the son of Maacah. Shimei heard that his slaves were in Gath. ⁴⁰ So he put his saddle on his donkey and left. He went to Achish at Gath to find his slaves. When he found them there, he brought them back to his home.

⁴¹ Someone told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned. ⁴² So Solomon sent for Shimei. Solomon said, “I made you promise in the name of the Lord not to leave Jerusalem. I warned you that if you went anywhere else you would die. And you agreed to what I said. You said you would obey me. ⁴³ Why did you break your promise to the Lord? Why did you not obey my command? ⁴⁴ You know the many wrong things you did against my father David. Now the Lord will punish you for those wrongs. ⁴⁵ But the Lord will bless me. He will make the rule of David safe before the Lord forever.”

⁴⁶ Then the king ordered Benaiah to kill Shimei, and he did. Now Solomon was in full control of his kingdom.

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

3 Solomon made an agreement with the king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. Solomon brought her to Jerusalem. At this time Solomon was still building his palace and the Temple of the Lord. He was also building a wall around Jerusalem. ² The Temple had not yet been finished. So people were still offering animal sacrifices at altars in many places of worship. ³ Solomon showed that he loved the Lord. He did this by following the commands his father David had given him. But Solomon still used the many places of worship to offer sacrifices and to burn incense.

⁴ King Solomon went to Gibeon to offer a sacrifice. He went there because it was the most important place of worship. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ While he was at Gibeon, the Lord came to him in a dream during the night. God said, “Ask for anything you want. I will give it to you.”

⁶ Solomon answered, “You were very kind to your servant, my father David. He obeyed you. He was honest and lived right. And you showed great kindness to him when you allowed his son to be king after him. ⁷ Lord my God, you have allowed me to be king in my father’s place. But I am like a little child. I do not have the wisdom I need to do what I must do. ⁸ I, your servant, am here among your chosen people. There are too many of them to count. ⁹ So I ask that you give me wisdom. Then I can rule the people in the right way. Then I will know the difference between right and wrong. Without wisdom, it is impossible to rule this great people of yours.”

¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked him for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “You did not ask for a long life. And you did not ask for riches for yourself. You did not ask for the death of your enemies. Since you asked for wisdom to make the right decisions, ¹² I will give you what you asked. I will give you wisdom and understanding. Your wisdom will be greater than anyone has had in the past. And there will never be anyone in the future like you. ¹³ Also, I will give you what you did not ask for. You will have riches and honor. During your life no other king will be as great as you. ¹⁴ I ask you to follow me and obey my laws and commands. Do this as your father David did. If you do, I will also give you a long life.”

¹⁵ Then Solomon woke up. He knew that God had talked to him in the dream. Then he went to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord. There he gave burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. After that, he gave a feast for all of his leaders and officers.

Solomon Makes a Wise Decision

¹⁶ One day two women who were prostitutes came to Solomon. They stood before him. ¹⁷ One of the women said, “My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was there with me. ¹⁸ Three days later this woman also gave birth to a baby. No one else was in the house with us. There were only the two of us. ¹⁹ One night this woman rolled over on her baby, and it died. ²⁰ So during the night she took my son from my bed while I was asleep. She carried him to her bed. Then she put the dead baby in my bed. ²¹ The next morning I got up to feed my baby. But I saw that he was dead! Then I looked at him more closely. I saw that he was not my son.”

²² But the other woman said, “No! The living baby is my son. The dead baby is yours!”

But the first woman said, “No! The dead baby is yours, and the living one is mine!” So the two women argued before the king.

²³ Then King Solomon said, “Each of you says the living baby is your own. And each of you says the dead baby belongs to the other woman.”

²⁴ Then King Solomon sent his servants to get a sword. When they brought it to him, ²⁵ he said, “Cut the living baby into two pieces. Give each woman half of the baby.”

²⁶ The real mother of the living child was full of love for her son. She said to the king, “Please, my master, don’t kill him! Give the baby to her!”

But the other woman said, “Neither of us will have him. Cut him into two pieces!”

²⁷ Then King Solomon said, “Give the baby to the first woman. Don’t kill him. She is the real mother.”

²⁸ When the people of Israel heard about King Solomon’s decision, they respected him very much. They saw he had wisdom from God to make the right decisions.

Solomon’s Officers

4 King Solomon ruled over all Israel. ² These are the names of his leading officers:

Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;

³ Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, recorded what happened in the courts;

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud recorded the history of the people;

⁴ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army;

Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

⁵ Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors;

Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;

⁶ Ahishar was responsible for everything in the palace;

Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the slaves.

⁷ Solomon placed 12 governors over the districts of Israel. They had to gather food from their districts. Then they were to give it to the king and his family. Each governor was responsible for giving food to the king one month of each year. ⁸ These are the names of the 12 governors:

Ben-Hur was governor over the mountain country of Ephraim.

⁹ Ben-Deker was governor over Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan.

¹⁰ Ben-Hesed was governor over Arubboth, Socoh and Hepher.

¹¹ Ben-Abinadab was governor over Naphoth Dor. (He was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon.)

¹² Baana son of Ahilud was governor over Taanach, Megiddo and all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan. (This was below Jezreel from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across Jokmeam.)

¹³ Ben-Geber was governor over Ramoth in Gilead. (He was governor over all the Towns of Jair in Gilead. Jair was the son of Manasseh. Ben-Geber was also over the district of Argob in Bashan. It had 60 large, walled cities with bronze bars on their gates.)

¹⁴ Ahinadab son of Iddo was governor over Mahanaim.

¹⁵ Ahimaaz was governor over Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath daughter of Solomon.)

¹⁶ Baana son of Hushai was governor over Asher and Aloth.

¹⁷ Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was governor over Issachar.

¹⁸ Shimei son of Ela was governor over Benjamin.

¹⁹ Geber son of Uri was governor over Gilead. (Gilead was the country where Sihon king of the Amorite people lived. Og king of Bashan also lived there.) But Geber was the only governor over the district.

Solomon’s Kingdom

²⁰ There were many people in Judah and Israel. There were as many people as there were grains of sand on the seashore. The people ate, drank and were happy. ²¹ Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistine people. His kingdom went as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought Solomon the payments he demanded. And they obeyed him all his life.

²² Solomon needed much food each day to feed himself and all the people who ate at his table. It took 185 bushels of fine flour and 375 bushels of meal. ²³ It also took 10 cows that were fed good grain, 20 cows that were raised in the fields and 100 sheep. And it took 3 different kinds of deer and fat birds.

²⁴ Solomon ruled over all the countries west of the Euphrates River. This was the land from Tiphsah to Gaza. And Solomon had peace on all sides of his kingdom. ²⁵ During Solomon’s life Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,^[e] lived in peace. Each man was able to sit under his own fig trees and grapevines.

²⁶ Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses. And he had 12,000 chariot soldiers. ²⁷ Each month one of the district governors gave King Solomon all the food he needed. This was enough for every person who ate at the king’s table. The governors made sure he had everything he needed. ²⁸ They also gave the king enough barley and straw for the chariot and work horses. Each person brought this grain to the required places.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹ God gave great wisdom to Solomon. Solomon could understand many things. His wisdom was as hard to measure as the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ His wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men in the East. And his wisdom was greater than all the wisdom of the men in Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than any other man on earth. He was even wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite. He was wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda. They were the sons of Mahol. King Solomon became famous in all the countries around Israel and Judah. ³² During his life King Solomon spoke 3,000 wise teachings. He also knew 1,005 songs. ³³ He taught about many different kinds of plants. He taught about everything from the great cedar trees of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the walls. He also taught about animals, birds, crawling things and fish. ³⁴ People from all nations came to listen to King Solomon’s wisdom. The kings of all nations sent them to listen to him. These kings had heard of Solomon’s wisdom.

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple

5 Now King Hiram was the king of Tyre. He had always been a friend of David. Hiram heard that Solomon had been made king in David’s place. So he sent his messengers to Solomon. ² Then Solomon sent this message back to King Hiram: ³ “You remember that my father David had to fight many wars with the countries around him. So he was never able to build a temple for worship to the Lord his God. David was waiting until the Lord allowed him to defeat all his enemies. ⁴ But now the Lord my God has given me peace. There is peace on all sides of my country. I have no enemies now. My people are in no danger.

⁵ “The Lord made a promise to my father David. The Lord said, ‘I will make your son king after you. And he will build a temple for worship to me.’ Now, I plan to build that temple for worship to the Lord my God. ⁶ And so I ask for your help. Send your men to cut down cedar trees for me from Lebanon. My servants will work with yours. I will pay your servants whatever wages you decide. We don’t have anyone who can cut down trees as well as the people of Sidon can.”

⁷ When Hiram heard what Solomon asked, he was very happy. He said, “I thank the Lord today! He has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation!” ⁸ Then Hiram sent back this message to Solomon: “I received the message you sent. I will give you all the cedar and pine trees you want. ⁹ My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. There I will tie them together. Then I will float them down the shore to the place you choose. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. In return you will give food to all those who live with me.” ¹⁰ So Hiram gave Solomon as much cedar and pine as he wanted. ¹¹ And Solomon gave Hiram about 125,000 bushels of wheat each year. It was to feed all those who lived with Hiram. And Solomon gave him about 115,000 gallons of pure olive oil every year.

¹² The Lord gave wisdom to Solomon as he had promised. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon. These two kings made a treaty between themselves.

¹³ King Solomon forced 30,000 men of Israel to help in this work. ¹⁴ He put a man named Adoniram over them. Solomon sent a group of 10,000 men each month to Lebanon. So each group worked in Lebanon one month. Then it went home for two months. ¹⁵ Solomon forced 80,000 men to work in the hill country, cutting stone. And he had 70,000 men to carry the stones. ¹⁶ There were also 3,300 men who directed the workers. ¹⁷ King Solomon commanded them to cut large blocks of fine stone. These were to be used for the foundation of the Temple. ¹⁸ Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders and the men from Byblos carved the stones. They prepared the stones and the logs for building the Temple.

Solomon Builds the Temple

6 So Solomon began to build the Temple. This was 480 years after the people of Israel had left Egypt. (This was the fourth year of King Solomon’s rule over Israel.) It was the second month, the month of Ziv.

² The Temple was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. It was 45 feet high. ³ The porch in front of the main room of the Temple was 15 feet deep and 30 feet wide. The room ran along the front of the Temple itself. Its width was equal to the width of the Temple. ⁴ There were narrow windows in the Temple. These windows were narrow on the outside and larger on the inside. ⁵ Then Solomon built some side rooms against the walls of the main room of the Temple. These rooms were built on top of each other. ⁶ The rooms on the bottom floor were 7½ feet wide. The rooms on the middle floor were 9 feet wide. The rooms above that were 10½ feet wide. The Temple wall which made the side of each room was thinner than the wall in the room below. The rooms were pushed against the wall but did not have their main beams built into the wall.

⁷ The stones were prepared at the same place they were cut from the ground. Only these stones were used to build the Temple. So there was no noise of hammers, axes or any other iron tools at the Temple.

⁸ The entrance to the bottom rooms built beside the Temple was on the south side. From there, stairs went up to the second floor rooms. And from there, they went on to the third floor rooms. ⁹ Solomon put a roof made from beams and cedar boards on the Temple. So he finished building the Temple. ¹⁰ He also finished building the bottom floor that was beside the Temple. It was 7½ feet high. It was attached to the Temple by cedar beams.

¹¹ The Lord spoke his word to Solomon: ¹² “Obey all my laws and commands. If you do, I will do for you what I promised your father David. ¹³ And I will live among the children of Israel in this Temple you are building. I will never leave the people of Israel.”

¹⁴ So Solomon finished building the Temple. ¹⁵ The inside walls were covered from floor to ceiling with cedar boards. The floor was made from pine boards. ¹⁶ A room 30 feet long was built in the back part of the Temple. It was divided from the rest of the Temple by cedar boards reaching from floor to ceiling. It was called the Most Holy Place. ¹⁷ The main room, the room in front of the Most Holy Place, was 60 feet long. ¹⁸ Inside the Temple was cedar. It was carved with pictures of flowers and plants. Everything inside was covered with cedar. So a person could not see the stones of the wall.

¹⁹ He prepared the inner room at the back of the Temple to keep the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord. ²⁰ This inner room was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide and 30 feet high. Solomon covered this room with pure gold. He built an altar of cedar and covered it also. ²¹ He covered the inside of the Temple with pure gold. And he placed gold chains across the front of the inner room. It was covered with gold. ²² So all the inside of the Temple was covered with gold. Also the altar in the Most Holy Place was covered with gold.

²³ Solomon made two creatures with wings from olive wood. Each creature was 15 feet tall. They were put in the Most Holy Place. ²⁴ Each creature had two wings. Each wing was 7½ feet long. So it was 15 feet from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing. ²⁵ The creatures were the same size and shape. ²⁶ And each was 15 feet tall. ²⁷ These creatures were put beside each other in the Most Holy Place. Their wings were spread out. So one creature’s wing touched one wall. The other creature’s wing touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. ²⁸ The two creatures were covered with gold.

²⁹ All the walls around the Temple were carved. They were carved with pictures of creatures with wings, palm trees and flowers. This was true for both the main room and the inner room. ³⁰ The floors of both rooms were covered with gold.

³¹ Doors made from olive wood were put at the entrance to the Most Holy Place. The doors were made to fit into an area with five sides. ³² Creatures with wings, palm trees and flowers were carved on the two olive wood doors. Then the doors were covered with gold. And the creatures and the palm trees were covered with gold. ³³ At the entrance to the main room there was a door frame. It was square and was made of olive wood. ³⁴ Two doors were made from pine. Each door had two parts so that the doors folded. ³⁵ The doors were covered with pictures of creatures with wings, palm trees and flowers. And all of the carvings were covered with gold. The gold was smoothed over the carvings.

³⁶ The inner courtyard was built and enclosed with walls. The walls were made of three rows of cut stones and one row of cedar boards.

³⁷ Work began on the Temple in Ziv, the second month. This was during the fourth year Solomon ruled over Israel. ³⁸ The Temple was finished during the eleventh year Solomon ruled. It was finished in the eighth month, the month of Bul. It was finished exactly as it was planned. Solomon had worked seven years to build the Temple.

Solomon’s Palace

7 King Solomon also built a palace for himself. It took him 13 years to finish building it. ² He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. It had four rows of cedar columns. They supported the cedar beams. ³ The ceiling was covered with cedar above the beams. There were 45 beams on the roof, with 15 beams in each row. ⁴ Windows were placed in three rows facing each other. ⁵ All the doors were square. The three doors at each end faced each other.

⁶ Solomon also built the porch of pillars. It was 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. Along the front of the porch, there was a covering supported by pillars.

⁷ Solomon also built a throne room where he judged people. He called this the Hall of Justice. The room was covered with cedar from the floor to the ceiling. ⁸ The palace where Solomon was to live was behind the Hall of Justice. And it was built like the Hall of Justice. Solomon also built the same kind of palace for his wife. She was the daughter of the king of Egypt.

⁹ All these buildings were made with blocks of carefully cut fine stone. Then they were trimmed with a saw in the front and back. These fine stones went from the foundations of the buildings to the top of the walls. Even the courtyard was made with blocks of stone. ¹⁰ The foundations were made with large blocks of fine stone. Some of the stones were 15 feet long. Others were 12 feet long. ¹¹ On top of those stones there were other cut blocks of fine stone and cedar beams. ¹² The palace courtyard, the courtyard inside the Temple and the porch to the Temple were surrounded by walls. All of these walls had three rows of cut stone blocks and one row of cedar beams.

The Temple Is Completed Inside

¹³ King Solomon sent to Tyre and had Huram brought to him. ¹⁴ Huram’s mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father was from Tyre and had been skilled in making things from bronze. Huram was also very skilled and experienced in bronze work. So he came to King Solomon. And he did all the bronze work Solomon wanted.

¹⁵ He made two bronze pillars. Each one was 27 feet tall and 18 feet around. ¹⁶ He also made two bronze capitals that were 7½ feet tall. He put them on top of the pillars. ¹⁷ Then he made a net of seven chains for each capital. They covered the capitals on top of the two pillars. ¹⁸ Then he made two rows of bronze pomegranates to go on the nets. They were to cover the capitals at the top of the pillars. ¹⁹ The capitals on top of the pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies. They were 6 feet tall. ²⁰ The capitals were on top of both pillars. They were above the bowl-shaped section and next to the nets. At that place there were 200 pomegranates in rows all around the capitals. ²¹ Huram put these two bronze pillars at the porch of the Temple. He named the south pillar He Establishes. And he named the north pillar In Him Is Strength. ²² The capitals on top of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work on the pillars was finished.

²³ Then Huram made a large round bowl from bronze, which was called the Sea. It was 45 feet around. It was 15 feet across and 7½ feet deep. ²⁴ There was a rim around the outer edge of the bowl. Under this rim there were two rows of bronze plants surrounding the bowl. There were ten plants in every 18 inches. They were made in one piece with the bowl. ²⁵ The bowl rested on the backs of 12 bronze bulls. They faced outward from the center of the bowl. Three bulls faced north, 3 faced east, 3 faced south and 3 faced west. ²⁶ The sides of the bowl were 4 inches thick. The rim was like the rim of a cup or like a lily blossom. The bowl held about 11,000 gallons.

²⁷ Then Huram made ten bronze stands. Each one was 6 feet long, 6 feet wide and 4½ feet high. ²⁸ The stands were made from square sides, which were put on frames. ²⁹ On the sides were bronze lions, bulls and creatures with wings. On the frames above and below the lions and bulls there were designs of flowers hammered into the bronze. ³⁰ Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. At the corners there were bronze supports for a large bowl. The supports had designs of flowers. ³¹ There was a frame on top of the bowls. It was 18 inches high above the bowls. The opening of the bowl was round, 27 inches deep. There were designs carved into the bronze on the frame. The frame was square, not round. ³² The four wheels were under the frame. They were 27 inches high. The axles between the wheels were made as one piece with the stand. ³³ The wheels were like a chariot’s wheels. Everything on the wheels was made of bronze. The axles, rims, spokes and hubs were made of bronze.

³⁴ The four supports were on the four corners of each stand. They were made as one piece with the stand. ³⁵ There was a strip of bronze around the top of each stand. It was 9 inches deep. It was made as one piece with the stand. ³⁶ The sides of the stand and the frames were totally covered with carvings. They were carved with pictures of creatures with wings, lions and palm trees. There were also flowers carved all around. ³⁷ So this is the way Huram made the ten stands. The bronze for each stand was melted and poured into a mold. So all of the stands were the same size and shape.