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The Lord Appears to Solomon Again(A)
9 Solomon finished building the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and ·his royal palace [L the king’s house] and everything he wanted to build. 2 Then the Lord appeared to him ·again [L a second time] just as he had done before, in Gibeon. 3 The Lord said to him: “I have heard your prayer and ·what you have asked me to do [L pleas/requests/supplications that you made before me]. I have ·made this Temple holy [L consecrated this house] that you built, and I ·will be worshiped there [L have put my name there] forever. ·I will watch over it and protect it always [L My eyes and my heart will be there all the days].
4 “But you must ·serve [walk before; follow] me as your father David did; ·he was fair and sincere […with integrity of heart and godliness/uprightness]. You must obey all I have commanded and keep my ·laws [statutes; decrees] and ·rules [regulations; judgments]. 5 If you do, I will ·make your kingdom strong [L establish the throne of your kingdom]. This is the promise I made to your father David—·that someone from his family would always rule [you will never lack a man/successor on the throne of] Israel [2 Sam. 7:16].
6 “But if you and your children do not follow me and obey the laws and ·commands [decrees] I have given you, and if you serve ·or [and] worship other gods, 7 I will ·force Israel to leave [banish/L cut off Israel from] the land I have given them, and I will ·leave [reject; disown; remove from my sight] this ·Temple [L house] that I have ·made holy [L consecrated for my name]. ·All the nations will make fun of Israel and speak evil about them [L Israel will become a byword/proverb among the nations/peoples]. 8 If the ·Temple is destroyed [L house becomes a heap of rubble], everyone who passes by will be ·shocked [astonished; appalled]. They will ·make fun of you [scoff; hiss] and ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this terrible thing to this land and this ·Temple [L house]?’ 9 People will answer, ‘This happened because they ·left [abandoned; deserted; forsook] the Lord their God. This was the God who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, but they ·decided to follow [embraced; adopted] other gods. They worshiped and served those gods, so the Lord brought all this ·disaster [adversity; calamity] on them.’”
Solomon’s Other Achievements(B)
10 By the end of twenty years, King Solomon had built two buildings—the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and the ·royal palace [L king’s house]. 11 At that time King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had helped with the buildings. Hiram had given Solomon all the cedar, ·pine [juniper; cypress timber], and gold he wanted. 12 So Hiram traveled from Tyre to see the towns Solomon had given him, but when he saw them, he was not pleased. 13 He asked, “What ·good are these towns [kinds of towns have] you have given me, my brother?” So he named them the Land of ·Cabul [C meaning “worthless”], and they are still called that today. 14 Hiram had sent Solomon ·about nine thousand pounds [L 120 talents] of gold.
15 This is the account of the forced labor Solomon ·used [conscripted] to build the ·Temple [L house] and ·the palace [L his own house]. He had them fill in the ·land [terraces; L the Millo; C a fortification of uncertain type] and build the ·wall [fortifications] around Jerusalem. He also had them rebuild the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 (In the past Pharaoh, king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. After burning it, he killed the Canaanites who lived there. Then he gave it as a ·wedding present [dowry] to his daughter, who married Solomon. 17 So Solomon rebuilt it.) He also built the cities of Lower Beth Horon 18 and Baalath, as well as Tadmor, which is in the ·desert [wilderness]. 19 King Solomon also built ·cities for storing grain and supplies [supply centers/cities/towns] and ·cities for [towns to station] his chariots and horses. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and everywhere he ruled.
20 There were other people in the land who were not ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]—Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 21 They were descendants of people that the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] had ·not destroyed [been unable to completely exterminate]. Solomon ·forced them to work for him as slaves [conscripted them for forced/slave labor], as is still true today. 22 But Solomon did not ·make slaves of [conscript] the Israelites. They were his soldiers, government ·leaders [officials], officers, captains, chariot commanders, and ·drivers [charioteers].
23 These were his ·most important officers [chief officials] over the work. There were five hundred fifty supervisors over the people who did the work on Solomon’s projects.
24 The daughter of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] moved from the old part of the City of David [C Jerusalem] to the ·palace [L house] that Solomon had built for her. Then Solomon ·filled in the surrounding land [built the terraces/Millo; 9:15].
25 Three times each year Solomon offered whole burnt offerings and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1] on the altar he had built for the Lord. He also burned incense before the Lord. So he finished the ·work on the Temple [L house].
26 King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, a town near Elath on the shore of the ·Red Sea [or Sea of Reeds; Ex. 10:19], in the land of Edom. 27 Hiram sent ·skilled sailors [L seamen who knew the sea] to serve in these ships with Solomon’s ·men [servants]. 28 The ships sailed to Ophir and brought back ·about thirty-two thousand pounds [L 420 talents] of gold to King Solomon.
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon(C)
10 When the queen of Sheba heard ·about [the reports about; or the fame of] Solomon ·because of [L for; to] the ·reputation [name] of the Lord, she came to test him with ·hard questions [riddles]. 2 She traveled to Jerusalem with a ·large group of servants [caravan; retinue] and camels carrying spices, ·jewels [precious stones], and ·much [immense quantities of] gold. When she came to Solomon, she talked with him about all she had in ·mind [L her heart], 3 and Solomon answered all her questions. Nothing was ·too hard for [hidden from; too obscure for] him to explain to her. 4 The queen of Sheba ·learned [perceived; observed; realized] that Solomon was very wise. She saw the ·palace [L house] he had built, 5 the food on his table, the ·accommodations [seating; organization] of his many ·officers [officials; servants], the ·palace [attending of his] servants, and their ·good clothes [robes]. She saw ·the servants who served him at feasts [his cupbearers] and the whole burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] he made in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. All these things ·amazed [overwhelmed; L took the spirit from] her.
6 So she said to King Solomon, “What I heard in my own country about your ·achievements [or words] and wisdom is true. 7 I could not believe it then, but now I have come and seen it with my own eyes. I was not told even half of it! Your wisdom and wealth are much greater than I had heard. 8 Your ·men and officers [or wives and servants] are very ·lucky [blessed; happy], because in always ·serving [standing before] you, they ·are able to hear [listen to] your wisdom. 9 ·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord your God, who ·was pleased to make you king [delighted in you and set you on the throne] of Israel. The Lord has ·constant [eternal; everlasting] love for Israel, so he made you king to ·keep [maintain; execute; administer] justice and ·to rule fairly [righteousness].”
10 Then she gave the king ·about nine thousand pounds [L one hundred and twenty talents] of gold and many spices and ·jewels [precious stones]. No one since that time has brought more spices than the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 (Moreover, Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir, as well as much ·juniper wood [almug; red sandalwood] and ·jewels [precious stones]. 12 Solomon used the ·juniper wood [almug; red sandalwood] to build supports for the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and the ·palace [L king’s house], and to make harps and lyres for the ·musicians [singers]. Such fine ·juniper wood [almug; red sandalwood] has not been brought in or been seen since that time.)
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for, in addition to what he had already given her ·of his wealth [according to his royal bounty; or out of his royal treasury]. Then she and her ·servants [attendants; retinue] returned to her own country.
Solomon’s Wealth(D)
14 ·Every [or In one] year King Solomon received ·about fifty thousand pounds [L 666 talents] of gold. 15 Besides that, he also received gold from the traders and merchants, as well as from the kings of Arabia and governors of the ·land [territories; provinces].
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of ·hammered [beaten] gold, each of which contained ·about seven and one-half pounds [L six hundred shekels] of gold. 17 He also made three hundred smaller shields of ·hammered [beaten] gold, each of which contained ·about four pounds [L three minas] of gold. The king put them in the ·Palace [L House] of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 The king built a large throne ·of [decorated with] ivory and covered it with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps on it, and its back was round at the top. There were armrests on both sides of the chair, and each armrest had a lion beside it. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21 All of Solomon’s drinking ·cups [goblets; vessels], as well as the ·dishes [utensils; vessels] in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon, were made of pure gold. Nothing was made from silver, because silver was ·not valuable [considered worthless/nothing] in Solomon’s time.
22 King Solomon also had ·many trading ships [L a fleet of ships of Tarshish] at sea, along with Hiram’s ships. Every three years the ·ships [L fleet of Tarshish] returned, bringing back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and ·baboons [or peacocks].
23 So Solomon had more riches and wisdom than all the other kings on earth. 24 ·People everywhere wanted [The whole earth sought] to see King Solomon and listen to the wisdom God had ·given him [L put into his heart/mind]. 25 Every ·year [or one of] those who came brought gifts of silver and gold, ·clothes [robes; garments], weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
26 Solomon had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand ·horses [or horsemen; charioteers]. He ·kept [stationed] some in special cities for the chariots, and others he kept with him in Jerusalem. 27 In Jerusalem Solomon made silver as common as stones and cedar trees as ·common [plentiful] as the ·fig [sycamore] trees on the ·western hills [or lowlands]. 28 He imported horses from Egypt and ·Kue [Cilicia]. His traders bought them in Kue. 29 A chariot from Egypt cost ·about fifteen pounds [L six hundred shekels] of silver, and a horse cost ·nearly four pounds [L 150 pieces] of silver. Solomon’s traders also ·sold [exported] horses and chariots to all the kings of the Hittites and the Arameans.
14 When the apostles who were still in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria [8:1] had ·accepted [received] the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When Peter and John arrived, they prayed that the Samaritan believers might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 These people had [L only] been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, but the Holy Spirit had not yet ·come [L fallen] upon any of them. 17 Then, when ·the two apostles [L they] began ·laying [placing] their hands on the people [C a ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority], they received the Holy Spirit.
18 Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the apostles ·laid [placed] their hands on them. So he offered the apostles money, 19 saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I ·lay [place] my hands will receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 Peter said to him, “·You and your money should both be destroyed [L May your silver perish with you], because you thought you could ·buy [get; obtain] God’s gift with money. 21 You ·cannot [L have no part or] share with us in this ·work [ministry; L thing; word] since your heart is not right before God. 22 ·Change your heart! Turn away from [L Repent of] this evil thing you have done, and pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you for ·thinking this [L the intent of your heart]. 23 [L For] I see that you are full of ·bitter jealousy [L the gall/bile of bitterness; C a metaphor; gall is a bitter fluid; Deut. 29:18] and ·ruled by sin [L in bondage to wickedness/unrighteousness].”
24 Simon answered, “Both of you pray for me to the Lord so the things you have said will not happen to me.”
25 After ·Peter and John [L they] ·told the people what they had seen Jesus do [L testified; bore witness] and after they had spoken the ·message [word] of the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem. On the way, they went through many Samaritan ·towns [villages] and preached the ·Good News [Gospel] to the people.
Philip Teaches an Ethiopian
26 An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get ·ready [up] and go ·south [or at about noon] to the road that leads down to Gaza from Jerusalem [C a distance of about fifty miles]—the ·desert [wilderness] road.” 27 So Philip got ·ready [up] and went. On the road he saw a man from Ethiopia [C not present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia), but Nubia in northern Sudan], a eunuch [or court official; C royal servants were sometimes made eunuchs (castrated males), especially if they served in the presence of females]. He was an important officer in the service of ·Candace [or the Kandáke; C a title, not a name, meaning “queen”], the queen of the Ethiopians; he was responsible for ·taking care of all her money [her entire treasury]. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship. 28 Now, as he was on his way home, he was sitting in his chariot reading from the ·Book of Isaiah, the prophet [L the prophet Isaiah]. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that chariot and ·stay near [join] it.”
30 So when Philip ran toward the chariot, he heard the man reading from Isaiah the prophet [C ancient peoples generally read aloud]. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 He answered, “How can I understand unless someone ·explains it to [guides; directs] me?” Then he ·invited [urged] Philip to climb in and sit with him. 32 The portion of Scripture he was reading was this:
“He was like a sheep being led to ·be killed [L the slaughter].
He was quiet, as a lamb is quiet ·while its wool is being cut [L before its shearer];
he never opened his mouth.
33 He was shamed and was treated ·unfairly [unjustly].
·He died without children to continue his family [L Who can describe his generation?; C having no descendants was a mark of shame and failure].
[L For] His life on earth ·has ended [was taken away; Is. 53:7–8].”
34 The ·officer [L eunuch] said to Philip, “Please tell me, who is the prophet talking about—himself or someone else [C the idea of a suffering messiah was not commonly understood in Judaism]?” 35 Philip ·began to speak [L opened his mouth], and starting with this same Scripture, he told the man the ·Good News [Gospel] about Jesus.
36 While they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The ·officer [L eunuch] said, “Look, here is water. What is ·stopping [preventing] me from being baptized?” |37 Philip answered, “If you believe with all your heart, you can.” The officer said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”|[a] 38 Then the officer commanded the chariot to stop. Both Philip and the ·officer [L eunuch] went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord ·took [snatched; carried] Philip away; the officer ·never [or no longer] saw him again. And the ·officer [L eunuch] continued on his way home, ·full of joy [rejoicing]. 40 But Philip ·appeared [or found himself; L was found] in a city called Azotus [C another name for Ashdod, just to the north of Gaza] and ·preached [proclaimed] the ·Good News [Gospel] in all the towns on the way from Azotus to Caesarea [C a city further north up the coast].
A Prayer for Mercy
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover].
130 Lord, ·I am in great trouble [L from the depths],
so I ·call out [pray] to you.
2 Lord, hear my voice;
·listen to my prayer for help [L let your ear pay attention to the sound of my supplication].
3 Lord, if you ·punished people for all their sins [L observed/watched/guarded against iniquity],
·no one would be left [L who could stand…?], Lord.
4 But you forgive ·us [L your people],
so you are ·respected [feared; Prov. 1:7].
5 I ·wait [hope] for the Lord ·to help me [L my soul hopes],
and I ·trust [hope in] his word.
6 I ·wait for the Lord to help me [hope for the Lord]
more than night watchmen wait for the ·dawn [morning],
more than night watchmen wait for the ·dawn [morning].
7 People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord
because he is ·loving [loyal]
and ·able to save [L with him is abundant redemption].
8 He will ·save [redeem] Israel
from all their ·sins [iniquities].
2 A ·wise [insightful] servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful child
and will even ·inherit a share of what the master leaves his children [L divide an inheritance with the brothers/relatives].
3 A crucible ·tests [or refines] silver and a furnace gold,
but the Lord ·tests [or refines] hearts.
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