the mingled people and of the governors of the country. And King Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pounds of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were arms on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps; there was not the like made in any kingdom. And all King Solomon's drinking-cups were made of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hirom; once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks. And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and raiment and armor and spices, horses and mules, a rate year by year. And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen; and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king in Jerusalem. Now the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; also out of Keveh, the king's merchants buying them of the men of Keveh at a price. And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty; and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Aram did they bring them out by their means.

Now when the queen of Sheba 1 heard of the fame of Solomon, because of the name of Yahweh, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she was come to Solomon, she spake to him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the food of his table, and the seating of his servants; and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; and his cup-bearers, and his burntofferings which he offered in the house of Yahweh; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king: It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit, I believed not the words until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and behold, the half was not told me; thou hast wisdom and prosperity exceeding the fame that I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants that stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be thy God Yahweh, who delighted in thee to set thee on the throne of Israel. Because Yahweh loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do justice and righteousness.

And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones. There came no more such abundance of spices as those which the queen of Sheba brought to King Solomon. And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire; whatsoever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave

1 The story of the Queen of Sheba, though added late, seems to have come from the same source as the rest of J's account; it is only another detail, however, of the dizzy height of fame and glory attributed to Solomon, which brought about the fall of his kingdom. It is a tradition greatly cherished by the Arabs.

her of his royal bounty. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women besides the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; of the nations concerning which Yahweh said unto the Children of Israel: Ye shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Solomon did cleave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon did build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of the Moabites, in the mount that is before Jerusalem, and for Melech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And so did he for all his foreign wives, who offered and sacrificed unto their gods.

And Yahweh was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from Yahweh the God of Israel. And Yahweh raised up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the king's seed in Edom. For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab, the captain of the host, had gone up to bury the slain, and had smitten every male in Edom (for Joab and all Israel remained there six months until he had cut off every male in Edom), that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad being yet but a little child. And they arose out of Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran and came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who gave him a house and appointed him victuals, and gave him land. And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpahnes, the queen. And the sister of Tahpahnes bare him Genubath, his son, whom Tahpahnes weaned in Pharaoh's house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh. But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab, the captain of the host, was dead, Hadad said unto Pharaoh: Let me depart that I may go into mine own country. Then Pharaoh said unto him: But what hast thou lacked with me that thou makest to go to thine own country? And he answered: Nothing; howbeit, let me depart in any wise.1

And God raised up another adversary unto him, Rezon, the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer, King of Zobah. And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a troop, when David slew them [of Zobah]; and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein; and he reigned in Damascus. And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the mischief that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Aram.

And Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zeredah, whose mother's name was Zeruiah, a widow, he also lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built Millo and repaired the breach in the wall of the city of David, his father. And the man Jeroboam was a man of great vigor; and Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, and he gave him charge over all the levy of the house of Joseph. And it came to pass at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh found him in the way. Now Ahijah had clad himself in a new garment; and they two were alone in the field. And The sequel is hinted at in the next paragraph, and therefore put in Italics there.

Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and rent it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam: Take thee ten pieces; for thus saith Yahweh, the God of Israel. Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee. But he shall have one tribe, for My servant David's sake, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. Then Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, unto Shishak, King of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father; and Rehoboam, his son, reigned in his stead.

Now Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it, that Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came and spake unto Rehoboam, saying: Thy father made our yoke grievous; now, therefore, make thou the grievous service of thy father and the heavy yoke which he put upon us lighter, and we will serve thee. And he said unto them: Depart for yet three days, then come again unto me. And the people departed. And King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before his father Solomon while he yet lived, saying: What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people? And they spake unto him and said: If thou answer them and speak good words unto them, then will they be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that had grown up with him that stood before him. And he said unto them: What counsel give ye, that we may return answer to this people who have spoken to us, saying: Make the yoke that thy father did put upon us lighter. And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying: Thus shalt thou say unto this people that spake unto thee, saying: Thy father made our yoke heavy, but do thou make it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them: My little finger is thicker than my father's loins. And now, whereas my father did burden you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had bidden, saying: Come to me again the third day. And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him; and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying: My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. So the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from Yahweh, that He might establish His word which Yahweh had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

And when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying:

What share have we in David?

Or rights in the son of Jesse?

To your tents, O Israel!

Now look to thy own house, David!

So Israel departed to their tents.

Then king Rohoboam sent Adoram, who was over the levy; and all Israel stoned him with stones that he died. And king Rehoboam made

speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day; there was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.

And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and fourscore thousand chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying: Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and of Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying: Thus saith Yahweh: Ye shall not fight against your brethren the children of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing is of Me. So they hearkened unto the word of Yahweh, and returned and went their way, according to the word of Yahweh.

CHAPTER VII

THE APOSTASY OF REHOBOAM AND HIS SON ABIJAH AND THE REIGNS OF ASA AND JEHOSHAPHAT,

KINGS OF JUDAH

SECTION I. The evil-doings of Rehoboam and his people. The invasion of the Pharaoh Shishak. Accession of Abijah. His character. The long and righteous rule of Asa. His war with Baasha, king of Israel. His alliance with Ben-Hadad, king of Aram. The successful conclusion of the war. Rebuilds the cities of Geba and Mizpah. The struggle for the throne in apostate Israel; the establishing of the House of Omri. Omri builds the fortress-city, Samaria. Ahab succeeds him as king of Israel. Jehoshaphat succeeds his father Asa in Judah. (1 Ki. xiv, 21b-28, 30-31; xv, 2-5, 7b, 8, 10-15, 33, 18-22; xvi, 15-19, 21-26, 28-34; xv, 24; xxii, 41-45.)

Materials: Chiefly, State and Temple Records immediately preceding the author's day, and tidings of contemporary events both in Judah and Israel.

Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Naamah, the Ammonitess. And Judah did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh; and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed above all that their fathers had done. For they also built high places and pillars, and Asherim on every high hill, and under every leafy tree. And there were also sodomites in the land; and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which Yahweh drove out from before the Children of Israel.

And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. And he took away the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard who kept the door of the king's house. And it was so that, as oft as the king went into the house of Yahweh, the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber. Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Abijah his son reigned in his stead. Three years he reigned in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh, his God, like the heart of David his father. Nevertheless for David's sake did Yahweh, his God, give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem, because David had done what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, and turned not aside from anything