Bible in 90 Days

David’s Last Words

23 These are the last words of David:

David’s Three Fighting Men^(A)

⁸ These are the names of David’s fighting men: Josheb Basshebeth from Tahkemon’s family was leader of the three. He used a spear ^[f] to kill 800 men on one occasion.

⁹ Next in rank to him was Eleazar, another one of the three fighting men. He was the son of Dodo and grandson of Aho. Eleazar was with David at Pas Dammim ^[g] when the Philistines gathered there for battle. When the soldiers from Israel retreated, ¹⁰ he attacked and killed Philistines until his hand got tired and stuck to his sword. So the Lord won an impressive victory that day. The army returned to Eleazar, but they only returned to strip the dead.

¹¹ Next in rank to him was Shammah, the son of Agee from Harar. The Philistines had gathered at Lehi, where there was a field of ripe lentils. When the troops fled from the Philistines, ¹² he stood in the middle of the field and defended it by killing Philistines. So the Lord won an impressive victory.

¹³ At harvest time three of the thirty leading men came to David at the cave of Adullam when a troop from the Philistine army was camping in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴ While David was in the fortified camp, Philistine troops were at Bethlehem. ¹⁵ When David became thirsty, he said, “I wish I could have a drink of water from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem.” ¹⁶ So the three fighting men burst into the Philistine camp and drew water from the well. They brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out ⌞as an offering⌟ to the Lord and said, ¹⁷ “It’s unthinkable that I would do this, Lord. This is the blood of men who risked their lives!” So he refused to drink it.

These are the things which the three fighting men did.

David’s Thirty Fighting Men^(B)

¹⁸ Joab’s brother Abishai, Zeruiah’s son, was the leader of the thirty. He used his spear to kill 300 men. He was as famous as the three ¹⁹ and was honored more than they were. So he became their captain, but he didn’t become a member of the three.

²⁰ Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was from Kabzeel and was a brave man who did many things. He killed two distinguished soldiers from Moab. He also went into a pit and killed a lion on the day it snowed. ²¹ And he killed a handsome Egyptian. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand. Benaiah went to him with a club, grabbed the spear from him, and killed him with it. ²² These are the things that Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, did. He was as famous as the three fighting men. ²³ He was honored more than the thirty, but he was not a member of the three. David put him in charge of his bodyguards.

²⁴ One of the thirty was Joab’s brother Asahel. ⌞The thirty leading men were⌟

David’s Sin—He Takes a Census^(C)

24 The Lord became angry with Israel again, so he provoked David to turn against Israel. He said, “Go, count Israel and Judah.”

² King David said to Joab, the commander of the army who was with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and count the people. That way I will know how many there are.”

³ Joab responded to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the people a hundred times over, and may Your Majesty ⌞live⌟ to see it. But why does Your Majesty wish to do this?”

⁴ However, the king overruled Joab and the commanders of the army. So they left the king ⌞in order⌟ to count the people of Israel. ⁵ They crossed the Jordan River and camped at Aroer, south of the city in the middle of the valley. Then they went to Gad and to Jazer. ⁶ They went to Gilead and to Tahtim Hodshi and then to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. ⁷ They went to the fortified city of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. ⁸ When they had covered the whole country, they came to Jerusalem after 9 months and 20 days. ⁹ Joab reported the census figures to the king: In Israel there were 800,000 able-bodied men who could serve in the army, and in Judah there were 500,000.

¹⁰ After David counted the people, his conscience troubled him. David said to the Lord, “I have committed a terrible sin by what I have done. Lord, please forgive me because I have acted very foolishly.”

¹¹ When David got up in the morning, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Gad, David’s seer.^{[h] 12} “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m offering you three choices. Choose the one you want me to do to you.’ ”

¹³ When Gad came to David, he told David this and asked, “Should seven years of famine come to you and your land, or three months during which you flee from your enemies as they pursue you, or should there be a three-day plague in your land? Think it over, and decide what answer I should give the one who sent me.”

¹⁴ “I’m in a desperate situation,” David told Gad. “Please let us fall into the Lord’s hands because he is very merciful. But don’t let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁵ So the Lord sent a plague among the Israelites from that morning until the time he had chosen. Of the people from Dan to Beersheba, 70,000 died. ¹⁶ But when the Messenger stretched out his arm to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord changed his mind about the disaster. “Enough!” he said to the Messenger who was destroying the people. “Put down your weapon.” The Messenger of the Lord was at the threshing floor ^[i] of Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁷ When David saw the Messenger who had been killing the people, he said to the Lord, “I’ve sinned. I’ve done wrong. What have these sheep done? Please let your punishment be against me and against my father’s family.”

¹⁸ That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go, set up an altar for the Lord at Araunah the Jebusite’s threshing floor.”

¹⁹ David went as Gad had told him and as the Lord had commanded him. ²⁰ When Araunah looked down and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of the king. ²¹ “Why has Your Majesty come to me?” Araunah asked.

David answered, “To buy the threshing floor from you and to build an altar for the Lord. Then the plague on the people will stop.”

²² Araunah said to David, “Take it, Your Majesty, and offer whatever you think is right. There are oxen for the burnt offering, and there are threshers and oxen yokes ^[j] for firewood.” ²³ All this Araunah gave to the king and said, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

²⁴ “No!” the king said to Araunah. “I must buy it from you at a ⌞fair⌟ price. I won’t offer the Lord my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.”

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 1¼ pounds of silver. ²⁵ David built an altar for the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So the Lord heard the prayers for the country, and the plague on Israel stopped.

David’s Old Age

1 King David had grown old, and although he was covered with blankets, he couldn’t get warm. ² His officials told him, “Your Majesty, let us search for a young woman who has never been married. She can stay with you and be your servant. She can lie in your arms and keep you warm.”

³ So they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful, young woman. They found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king. ⁴ The woman was very beautiful. She became the king’s servant and took care of him, but the king did not make love to her.

Adonijah Plots to Become King

⁵ Adonijah, son of Haggith,^[k] was very handsome. His mother gave birth to him after she had Absalom.^[l] Adonijah was boasting that he was king. So he got a chariot and horses and 50 men to run ahead of him. ⁶ His father had never confronted him by asking why he was doing this. ⁷ But Adonijah had discussed his actions with Joab (son of Zeruiah) and with the priest Abiathar, so they supported him. ⁸ But the priest Zadok, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David’s ⌞thirty⌟ fighting men did not join Adonijah.

⁹ Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves at Zoheleth Rock near En Rogel. He had invited all his brothers, the king’s ⌞other⌟ sons, all the men of Judah, and the king’s officials. ¹⁰ But he didn’t invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the fighting men, or his brother Solomon.

The Prophet Nathan Helps Solomon Become King

¹¹ Then Nathan asked Solomon’s mother Bathsheba, “Haven’t you heard that Adonijah, Haggith’s son, has become king, and our master David doesn’t ⌞even⌟ know about it? ¹² Bathsheba, let me give you some advice about how to save your life and your son’s life. ¹³ Go to King David and ask him, ‘Your Majesty, didn’t you swear to me that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? Why is Adonijah acting as king?’ ¹⁴ And while you’re still there talking to the king, I’ll come in and confirm what you have said.”

¹⁵ Bathsheba went to the king in his private room. The king was very old, and Abishag from Shunem was taking care of him. ¹⁶ Bathsheba knelt and bowed down in front of the king. “What do you want?” the king asked.

¹⁷ “Sir,” she answered, “You took an oath to the Lord your God. You said that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne. ¹⁸ But now, you see, Adonijah has become king, and you don’t ⌞even⌟ know anything about it, Your Majesty. ¹⁹ He has sacrificed many fattened calves, bulls, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army ⌞to his feast⌟. But he hasn’t invited your servant Solomon. ²⁰ All Israel is looking to you, Your Majesty, to tell them who should succeed you on your throne. ²¹ Otherwise, my son Solomon and I will be treated like criminals when you lie down in death with your ancestors.”

²² While she was still talking to the king, the prophet Nathan arrived. ²³ The servants told the king, “The prophet Nathan is here.” When he came to the king, he bowed down in front of him. ²⁴ Nathan said, “Your Majesty, you must have said that Adonijah will be king after you and that he will sit on your throne, ²⁵ because today he went and sacrificed many bulls, fattened calves, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, the army’s commanders, and the priest Abiathar ⌞to his feast⌟. They are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶ But he didn’t invite me or the priest Zadok or Benaiah, who is Jehoiada’s son, or your servant Solomon. ²⁷ Did you allow this to happen without telling me who would sit on your throne next?”

²⁸ Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba in here.” So she stood in front of him, ²⁹ and he swore an oath. He said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord who has saved my life from all trouble lives, ³⁰ I will do today exactly what I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel. Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne.”

³¹ Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face touching the ground in front of the king. “May Your Majesty, King David, live forever!” she said.

³² King David said, “Summon the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada.” So they came to the king, ³³ and he said, “Take my officials with you. Put my son Solomon on my mule, and take him to Gihon. ³⁴ Have the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king of Israel there. Then blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵ Follow him ⌞back⌟ here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will be king in place of me. I have appointed him to be the leader of Israel and Judah.”

³⁶ “So be it!” Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, answered the king. “The Lord your God says so too. ³⁷ As the Lord has been with you, so may he be with Solomon. May Solomon be an even greater king than you, King David.”

³⁸ Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites put Solomon on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon. ³⁹ The priest Zadok took the container of olive oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram’s horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” ⁴⁰ All the people followed him, blew flutes, and celebrated so loudly that their voices shook the ground.

Adonijah’s Plot Fails

⁴¹ Adonijah and all his guests heard this as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the horn, he asked, “What’s the reason for the noise in the city?” ⁴² He was still speaking when Jonathan, son of the priest Abiathar, arrived. “Come in,” Adonijah said. “You’re an honorable man, so you must be bringing good news.”

⁴³ “Not at all,” Jonathan answered Adonijah. “His Majesty King David has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴ The king has sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites with him. They have put him on the king’s mule. ⁴⁵ The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon. They have come from there celebrating, so the city is excited. That is the sound you heard. ⁴⁶ Solomon is now seated on the royal throne. ⁴⁷ Furthermore, the royal officials have come ⌞to congratulate⌟ His Majesty King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his reign greater than your reign.’ The king himself bowed down on his bed ⁴⁸ and said, ‘Praise the Lord God of Israel who has let me see the heir to my throne.’ ”

⁴⁹ Adonijah’s guests were frightened, so they got up and scattered in all directions. ⁵⁰ Adonijah was afraid of Solomon. He got up, went ⌞to the tent of meeting,⌟ and took hold of the horns of the altar.^{[m] 51} Someone told Solomon, “Adonijah is afraid of you, King Solomon. He is holding on to the horns of the altar and saying, ‘Make King Solomon swear to me today that he will not have me killed.’ ”

⁵² Solomon said, “If he will behave like an honorable man, not one hair on his head will fall to the ground. But if he does ⌞anything⌟ wrong, he will die.” ⁵³ King Solomon sent men to take him from the altar. Adonijah bowed down in front of King Solomon. “Go home,” Solomon told him.

David’s Advice to Solomon^(D)

2 When David was about to die, he instructed his son Solomon, ² “I’m about to leave this world. Be strong and mature. ³ Fulfill your duty to the Lord your God. Obey his directions, laws, commands, rules, and written instructions as they are recorded in Moses’ Teachings. Then you’ll succeed in everything you do wherever you may go. ⁴ ⌞You’ll succeed⌟ because the Lord will keep the promise he made to me: ‘If your descendants are faithful to me with all their hearts and lives, you will never fail to have an heir on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “You know what Joab (Zeruiah’s son) did to me and to the two commanders of Israel’s army—Abner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Jether. Joab killed them. When there was peace, he shed blood as if it were wartime. With their blood he stained the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet. ⁶ Use your wisdom. Don’t let that gray-haired, old man go to his grave peacefully.

⁷ “Be kind to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead. Let them eat at your table. They helped me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.

⁸ “Shimei, son of Gera from Bahurim in Benjamin, is still with you. He cursed me repeatedly when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I took an oath by the Lord and said, ‘As long as I’m king, I won’t have you killed.’ ⁹ Now, don’t let him go unpunished. You are wise and know what to do to him: Put that gray-haired, old man into his grave by slaughtering him.”

¹⁰ David lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. ¹¹ He ruled as king of Israel for 40 years. He ruled for 7 years in Hebron and for 33 years in Jerusalem.

Solomon Establishes His Authority

¹² Solomon sat on his father David’s throne, and his power was firmly established.

¹³ Then Adonijah, son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. “Is this a friendly visit?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered. ¹⁴ Then he added, “I have a matter ⌞to discuss⌟ with you.”

“What is it?” she asked.

¹⁵ He said, “You know the kingship was mine. All Israel expected me to be their king. But the kingship has been turned over to my brother because the Lord gave it to him. ¹⁶ Now I want to ask you for one thing. Don’t refuse me.”

“What is it?” she asked.

¹⁷ He said, “Please ask King Solomon to give me Abishag from Shunem as my wife. He will not refuse you.”

¹⁸ “Very well,” Bathsheba answered. “I will talk to the king for you.”

¹⁹ Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk to him on Adonijah’s behalf. The king got up to meet her and bowed down in front of her. Then he sat on his throne. He had a throne brought for his mother, and she sat at his right side.

²⁰ “I’m asking you for one little thing,” she said. “Don’t refuse me.”

“Ask, Mother,” the king told her. “I won’t refuse you.”

²¹ She replied, “Let Abishag from Shunem be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”

²² King Solomon then said, “Why do you ask that Abishag from Shunem be given to Adonijah? That would be the same as giving him the kingship. After all, he is my older brother. The priest Abiathar and Joab (Zeruiah’s son) are supporting him.”

²³ King Solomon took an oath by the Lord and said, “May God strike me dead if Adonijah doesn’t pay with his life for this request! ²⁴ The Lord set me on my father David’s throne and gave me a dynasty as he promised. So I solemnly swear, as the Lord who has established me lives, that Adonijah will be put to death today.” ²⁵ King Solomon gave this task to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. Benaiah attacked and killed Adonijah.

²⁶ The king told the priest Abiathar, “Go to your land in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I won’t kill you at this time because you carried the ark of the Almighty Lord ahead of my father David and because you shared all my father’s sufferings.” ²⁷ So Solomon removed Abiathar as the Lord’s priest and fulfilled the Lord’s word spoken at Shiloh about Eli’s family.

²⁸ The news reached Joab. (He had supported Adonijah, although he hadn’t supported Absalom.) So Joab fled to the Lord’s tent and clung to the horns of the altar. ²⁹ After King Solomon heard that Joab had fled to the altar in the tent of the Lord, Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to kill Joab.

³⁰ When Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord, he told Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out.’ ”

“No,” Joab answered, “I’ll die here.”

So Benaiah reported to the king what Joab had said and how he had answered.

³¹ The king answered, “Do as he said. Kill him, and bury him. You can remove the innocent blood—the blood which Joab shed—from me and my father’s family. ³² The Lord will repay him for the slaughter he caused. Joab killed two honorable men who were better than he was. He used his sword to kill Abner (who was the son of Ner and the commander of Israel’s army) and Amasa (who was the son of Jether and the commander of Judah’s army). Joab did this without my father’s knowledge. ³³ The responsibility for their blood will fall on Joab and his descendants forever. But may David, his descendants, family, and throne always receive peace from the Lord.”

³⁴ Then Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, went and attacked Joab, killed him, and buried him at his home in the desert. ³⁵ The king then appointed Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to replace Joab as commander of the army. King Solomon also replaced Abiathar with the priest Zadok.

³⁶ The king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem, and stay there. Don’t leave ⌞the city⌟ to go anywhere else. ³⁷ But the day you leave and cross the brook in the Kidron Valley, you can be certain that you will die. You will be responsible for your own death.”

³⁸ “Very well,” Shimei answered. “I’ll do just what Your Majesty said.”

So Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time. ³⁹ But after three years, two of Shimei’s slaves fled to Gath’s King Achish, son of Maacah. Shimei was told that his slaves were in Gath, ⁴⁰ so he saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to search for his slaves. Shimei went to Gath and got his slaves.

⁴¹ After Solomon heard that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and back, ⁴² he summoned Shimei. Solomon asked him, “Didn’t I make you take an oath by the Lord? Didn’t I warn you that if you left ⌞the city⌟ to go anywhere, you could be certain that you would die? Didn’t you say to me, ‘Very well. I’ll do just what you said’? ⁴³ Why didn’t you keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you? ⁴⁴ Shimei, you know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. The Lord is going to pay you back for the evil you have done. ⁴⁵ But King Solomon is blessed, and David’s dynasty will always be firmly established by the Lord.”

⁴⁶ Then the king gave orders to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. He went to attack and kill Shimei.

Solomon’s power as king was now firmly established.

Solomon’s Marriage^(E)

3 Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). After marrying Pharaoh’s daughter, Solomon brought her to the City of David until he finished building his own house, the Lord’s house, and the wall around Jerusalem.

² The people were still sacrificing at other worship sites because a temple for the name of the Lord had not yet been built. ³ Solomon loved the Lord and lived by his father David’s rules. However, he still sacrificed and burned incense at these other worship sites.

Solomon Requests Wisdom from God^(F)

⁴ King Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice because it was the most important place of worship. Solomon sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar.

⁵ In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. He said, “What can I give you?”

⁶ Solomon responded, “You’ve shown great love to my father David, who was your servant. He lived in your presence with truth, righteousness, and commitment. And you continued to show him your great love by giving him a son to sit on his throne today.

⁷ “Lord my God, although I’m young and inexperienced, you’ve made me king in place of my father David. ⁸ I’m among your people whom you have chosen. They are too numerous to count or record. ⁹ Give me a heart that listens so that I can judge your people and tell the difference between good and evil. After all, who can judge this great people of yours?”

¹⁰ The Lord ^[n] was pleased that Solomon asked for this. ¹¹ God replied, “You’ve asked for this and not for a long life, or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies. Instead, you’ve asked for understanding so that you can do what is right. ¹² So I’m going to do what you’ve asked. I’m giving you a wise and understanding heart so that there will never be anyone like you. ¹³ I’m also giving you what you haven’t asked for—riches and honor—so that no other king will be like you as long as you live. ¹⁴ And if you follow me and obey my laws and commands as your father David did, then I will also give you a long life.”

¹⁵ Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem and stood in front of the ark of the Lord’s promise. He sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings and held a banquet for all his officials.

Solomon’s Wisdom in Action

¹⁶ A short time later two prostitutes came to the king and stood in front of him. ¹⁷ One woman said to him, “Sir, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth ⌞to a son⌟ while she was with me in the house. ¹⁸ Two days later this woman also gave birth ⌞to a son⌟. We were alone. No one else was with us. Just the two of us were in the house. ¹⁹ That night this woman’s son died because she rolled over on top of him. ²⁰ So she got up during the night and took my son, who was beside me, while I was asleep. She held him in her arms. Then she laid her dead son in my arms. ²¹ When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, he was dead! I took a good look at him and realized that he wasn’t my son at all!”

²² The other woman said, “No! My son is alive—your son is dead.”

The first woman kept on saying, “No! Your son is dead—my son is alive.” So they argued in front of the king.

²³ The king said, “This one keeps saying, ‘My son is alive—your son is dead,’ and that one keeps saying, ‘No! Your son is dead—my son is alive.’ ”

²⁴ So the king told his servants to bring him a sword. When they brought it, ²⁵ he said, “Cut the living child in two. Give half to the one and half to the other.”

²⁶ Then the woman whose son was still alive was deeply moved by her love for the child. She said to the king, “Please, sir, give her the living child. Please don’t kill him!”

But the other woman said, “He won’t be mine or yours. Cut him ⌞in two⌟.”

²⁷ The king replied, “Give the living child to the first woman. Don’t kill him. She is his mother.”

²⁸ All Israel heard about the decision the king made. They respected the king very highly, because they saw he possessed wisdom from God to do what was right.

Solomon’s Administration^(G)

4 When King Solomon was the king of all Israel, ² these were his officials:

Azariah, son of Zadok, was the ⌞chief⌟ priest.

³ Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were scribes.

Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was the royal historian.

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 the king’s adviser.

⁶ Ahishar was in charge of the palace.

Adoniram, son of Abda, was in charge of forced labor.

⁷ Solomon appointed 12 district governors in Israel. They were to provide food for the king and his palace. Each one had to supply food for one month every year. ⁸ Their names were

Benhur, who was in charge of the hills of Ephraim,

⁹ Bendeker, who was in charge of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan, and

¹⁰ Benhesed, who was in charge of Arubboth, Socoh, and the entire region of Hepher.

¹¹ Benabinadab had the entire region of Dor.

(Solomon’s daughter Taphath was his wife.)

¹² Baana, son of Ahilud, had Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Beth Shean.

(This was near Zarethan, below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah and over to Jokmeam.)

¹³ Bengeber was in charge of Ramoth Gilead; he had the settlements of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, in Gilead.

He ⌞also⌟ had the territory of Argob in Bashan, 60 large cities with walls and bronze bars across their gates.

¹⁴ Ahinadab, son of Iddo, was in charge of Mahanaim.

¹⁵ Ahimaaz was in charge of Naphtali.

(He also married Solomon’s daughter Basemath.)

¹⁶ Baana, son of Hushai, was in charge of Asher and Aloth.

¹⁷ Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, was in charge of Issachar.

¹⁸ Shimei, son of Ela, was in charge of Benjamin.

¹⁹ Geber, son of Uri, was in charge of Gilead, the territory of King Sihon the Amorite and King Og of Bashan. (There was only one governor in that territory.) ^[o]

²⁰ The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They ate and drank and lived happily.^[p]

²¹ Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the country of the Philistines and as far as the Egyptian border. These kingdoms paid taxes and were subject to Solomon as long as he lived.

²² Solomon’s food supply for one day was 180 bushels of flour, 360 bushels of coarse flour, ²³ 10 fattened cows, 20 cows from the pasture, and 100 sheep in addition to deer, gazelles, fallow deer, and fattened birds. ²⁴ He controlled all the territory west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza and all of its kings. So he lived in peace with all the neighboring countries. ²⁵ As long as Solomon lived, Judah and Israel (from Dan to Beersheba) lived securely, everyone under his own vine and fig tree.

²⁶ Solomon had stalls for 40,000 chariot horses. He also had 12,000 chariot soldiers.^{[q] 27} Each of the governors provided food for one month every year for King Solomon and all who ate at his table. The governors saw to it that nothing was in short supply. ²⁸ They brought their quota of barley and straw for the chariot horses to the proper places.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom—keen insight and a mind as limitless as the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the eastern people and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone, than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Heman, Calcol, or Darda, Mahol’s sons. His fame spread to all the nations around him.

³² Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. ³³ He described and classified trees—from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He described and classified animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. ³⁴ People came from every nation to hear his wisdom; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard about his wisdom.

Preparations for Building the Temple^(H)

5 ^[r]King Hiram of Tyre sent his officials to Solomon when he heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father. Hiram had always been David’s friend.

² Solomon sent word to Hiram, by saying, ³ “You know that my father David was surrounded by war. He couldn’t build a temple for the name of the Lord our God until the Lord let him defeat his enemies. ⁴ But the Lord my God has surrounded me with peace. I have no rival and no trouble. ⁵ Now I’m thinking of building a temple for the name of the Lord my God as the Lord spoke to my father David: ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne to succeed you, will build a temple for my name.’ ⁶ So order men to cut down cedars from Lebanon for me. My workers will work with your workers. I will pay you whatever wages you ask for your workers. You know we don’t have any skilled lumberjacks like those from Sidon.”

⁷ Hiram was very glad to hear what Solomon had said. Hiram responded, “May the Lord be praised today. He has given David a wise son to rule this great nation.”

⁸ Hiram sent men to Solomon to say, “I’ve received the message you sent me. I will do everything you want in regard to the cedar and cypress logs. ⁹ My workers will bring logs from Lebanon to the sea, and I will have them make them into rafts to go by sea to any place you specify. There I will have them taken apart, and you can use them. You can pay me by providing food for my palace.” ¹⁰ So Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar and cypress wood he wanted. ¹¹ Solomon gave Hiram 120,000 bushels of wheat and 120,000 gallons of pure olive oil. Solomon paid Hiram this much every year.

¹² The Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he had promised. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made a treaty with one another.

¹³ King Solomon forced 30,000 men from all over Israel to work for him. ¹⁴ He sent a shift of 10,000 men to Lebanon for a month. They would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of forced labor.

¹⁵ Solomon had 70,000 men who carried heavy loads, 70,000 who quarried stone in the mountains, ¹⁶ and 3,300 foremen who were in charge of the workers. ¹⁷ The king commanded them to quarry large, expensive blocks of stone in order to provide a foundation of cut stone for the temple. ¹⁸ Solomon’s workmen, Hiram’s workmen, and men from Gebal quarried the stone and prepared the logs and stone to build the temple.

The Temple Built in Seven Years^(I)

6 Solomon began to build the Lord’s temple 480 years after Israel left Egypt. He began building in the month of Ziv (the second month) of the fourth year of his reign over Israel. ² The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high. ³ The entrance hall in front of the main room of the temple was the same length as the shorter side of the temple. It extended 15 feet in front of the temple. ⁴ He also made latticed windows for the temple.

⁵ He built an annex containing side rooms all around the temple. This annex was next to the walls of the main building and the inner sanctuary. ⁶ The ⌞interior of⌟ the lowest story of the annex was 7½ feet wide, the second story was 9 feet wide, and the third story was 10½ feet wide. Solomon made ledges all around the temple so that this annex would not be fastened to the walls of the temple.

⁷ The temple was built with stone blocks that were finished at the quarry. No hammer, chisel, or any other iron tool made a sound at the temple construction site.

⁸ The entrance to the first story ^[s] was on the south side of the temple. A staircase went up to the middle story and then to the third story.

⁹ When he had finished building the walls, he roofed the temple with rows of cedar beams and planks. ¹⁰ He built ⌞each story of the⌟ annex 7½ feet high alongside the entire temple. Its cedar beams were attached to the temple.

¹¹ The Lord spoke to Solomon, saying, ¹² “This concerns the temple you are building: If you live by my laws, follow my rules, and keep my commands, I will fulfill the promise I made about you to your father David. ¹³ I will live among the Israelites and never abandon my people.”

¹⁴ When Solomon had finished building the temple’s ⌞frame⌟, ¹⁵ he began to line the inside walls of the temple with cedar boards. He paneled the inside of the temple with wood from floor to ceiling. He covered the floor of the temple with cypress planks.

¹⁶ He sectioned off a 30-foot-long room at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the rafters. He built it to serve as an inner room, the most holy place. ¹⁷ The 60-foot-long room at the front of the temple served as the main hall. ¹⁸ Gourds and flowers were carved into the cedar paneling inside the temple. Everything was ⌞covered with⌟ cedar. No stone could be seen.

¹⁹ He prepared the inner room of the temple in order to put the ark of the Lord’s promise there. ²⁰ The inner room was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. Solomon covered it and the cedar altar with pure gold. ²¹ He covered the inside of the temple with pure gold. He put golden chains across the front of the inner room which was covered with gold. ²² He covered the entire inside of the temple with gold. He also covered the entire altar in the inner room with gold.

²³ In the inner room he made two 15-foot-tall angels ^[t] out of olive wood. ²⁴ Each wing of the angels was 7½ feet long. The distance from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other was 15 feet. ²⁵ Both angels had a 15-foot ⌞wingspan⌟. Both had the same measurements and the same shape. ²⁶ Each was 15 feet high. ²⁷ Solomon put the angels in the inner room of the temple. The wings of the angels extended so that the wing of one of the angels touched the one wall, and the wing of the other touched the other wall. Their remaining wings touched each other in the center of the room. ²⁸ He covered the angels with gold.

²⁹ He carved angels, palm trees, and flowers into the walls all around the inner and outer rooms of the temple. ³⁰ He covered the floor of the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.

³¹ He made doors for the entrance to the inner room out of olive wood. The doorposts had five sides. ³² The two doors were ⌞made out of⌟ olive wood. He carved angels, palm trees, and flowers into them and covered them with gold. The gold was hammered onto the angels and the palm trees.

³³ In the same way he made square doorposts out of olive wood for the temple’s entrance. ³⁴ He made two doors from cypress. Each of the doors had two folding panels. ³⁵ On them he carved angels, palm trees, and flowers. He evenly covered them with gold.

³⁶ He built the inner courtyard with three courses of finished stones and a course of finished cedar beams.

³⁷ In the month of Ziv of the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. ³⁸ In the month of Bul (the eighth month) of the eleventh year ⌞of his reign⌟, the temple was finished according to all its plans and specifications. He spent seven years building it.

The Palace Built in 13 Years

7 Solomon took 13 years to finish building his palace. ² He built a hall ⌞named⌟ the Forest of Lebanon. It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. It had four rows of cedar pillars supporting cedar beams. ³ The hall was covered with cedar above the side rooms, which were supported by 45 pillars (15 per row). ⁴ The windows were in three rows facing each other on opposite sides ⌞of the palace⌟. ⁵ All the doors and doorframes were square. There were three doors facing each other on opposite sides ⌞of the palace⌟.

⁶ Solomon made the Hall of Pillars 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. In front of the hall was an entrance hall with pillars.

⁷ He made the Hall of Justice, where he sat on his throne and served as judge. The hall was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.^[u]

⁸ His own private quarters were in a different location than the Hall of Justice, but they were similar in design. Solomon also built private quarters like this for his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter.

⁹ From the foundation to the roof, all these buildings, including the large courtyard, were built with high-grade stone blocks. The stone blocks were cut to size and trimmed with saws on their inner and outer faces. ¹⁰ The foundation was made with large, high-grade stones (some 12 feet long, others 15 feet long). ¹¹ Above ⌞the foundation⌟ were cedar beams and high-grade stone blocks, which had been cut to size. ¹² The large courtyard had three layers of cut stone blocks and a layer of cedar beams, like the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the entrance hall.

The Temple Furnishings^(J)

¹³ King Solomon had Hiram brought from Tyre. ¹⁴ Hiram was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father, a native of Tyre, was a skilled bronze craftsman. Hiram was highly skilled, resourceful, and knowledgeable about all kinds of bronze craftsmanship. He came to King Solomon and did all his ⌞bronze⌟ work.

¹⁵ He made two bronze pillars. Each was 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference. ¹⁶ He made two capitals of cast bronze to put on top of the pillars. Each capital was 7½ feet high. ¹⁷ He also made seven rows of filigree and chains for each capital. ¹⁸ After he made the pillars, he made two rows ⌞of decorations⌟ around the filigree to cover the capitals which were above the pillars.^[v] He made the capitals identical to each other. ¹⁹ The capitals on top of the pillars in the entrance hall were lily-shaped. ⌞Each⌟ was six feet high. ²⁰ Two hundred pomegranates in rows were directly above the bowl-shaped parts around the filigree on the capitals on both pillars.

²¹ Hiram set up the pillars in the temple’s entrance hall. He set up the pillar on the right and named it Jachin [He Establishes]. Then he set up the pillar on the left and named it Boaz [In Him Is Strength]. ²² There were lily-shaped capitals at the top of the pillars. He finished the work on the pillars.

²³ Hiram made a pool from cast metal. It was 15 feet in diameter. It was round, 7½ feet high, and had a circumference of 45 feet. ²⁴ Under the rim were two rows of gourds all around the 45-foot circumference of the pool. They were cast in metal when the pool was cast. ²⁵ The pool was set on 12 metal bulls. Three bulls faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. The pool was set on them, and their hindquarters were toward the center ⌞of the pool⌟. ²⁶ The pool was three inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup, shaped like a lily’s bud. It held 12,000 gallons.

²⁷ He made ten bronze stands. Each stand was 6 feet square and 4½ feet high. ²⁸ The stands were made this way: They had side panels set in frames. ²⁹ On the panels set in frames were lions, oxen, and angels.^[w] These were also on the frames. Above and below the lions and the cattle were engraved designs. ³⁰ Each stand had four bronze wheels on bronze axles and four supports beneath the basin. The supports were made of cast metal with designs on the sides. ³¹ Each had a 1½-foot-deep opening in the center to the circular frame on top. The opening was round, formed like a pedestal, and was two feet ⌞wide⌟. Around the opening there were engravings. But the panels were square, not round. ³² The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles were attached to the stand. Each wheel was two feet high. ³³ The wheels were made like chariot wheels. The axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all cast metal. ³⁴ The four supports at the four corners of each stand were part of the stand. ³⁵ The top of each stand had a round, nine-inch-high band. Above the stand were supports which were part of the panels. ³⁶ Hiram engraved angels, lions, palm trees, and designs in every available space on the supports and panels. ³⁷ This is the way he made the ten stands. All of them were cast in the same mold, identical in size and shape.