5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give 6 thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great kindness, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his 7 throne, as it is this day. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of 1 2 Chronicles 1. 1. And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him ex2 ceedingly. And Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the 3 fathers' houses. So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had 4 made in the wilderness. But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent 5 for it at Jerusalem. Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, 'was there before the tabernacle of the LORD: and Solomon and the congregation 6 sought unto it. And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it. 7 2 In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. 8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great kindness unto David my father, and hast 9 made me king in his stead. Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust IO of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can 1 Or, as otherwise read, he had put 2 Or, offered there, upon...yea, he offered David my father: and I am but 8 a little child; I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multi9 tude. Give thy servant therefore an 'understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great 10 people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had VII asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to 'discern judge12 ment; behold, I have done ac cording to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an 1understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise 13 like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour, so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto 14 thee, all thy days. And if thou 15 wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream: and he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants. 1 Heb. hearing. 2 Heb. heavy. 3 Heb. many days. 4 Heb. hear. 5 Or, hath not been judge this thy people, that is so great? II And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of them that hate thee, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have 12 made thee king: wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee: and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there 13 any after thee have the like. So Solomon 'came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, unto Jerusalem; and he reigned over Israel'. 1 The Sept. and Vulgate have, came from the high place. 2 For verses 14-17 see page 106. 16 I Kings 3. 16. Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and 17 stood before him. And the one woman said, Oh my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with 18 her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. 19 And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it. 20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child 21 in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, 22 behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. 23 they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, 24 Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Fetch me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the 26 one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living And Thus child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, Oh my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. 27 But the other said, It shall be neither mine nor thine; divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise 28 slay it: she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgement which the king had judged; and they feared the king for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgement. 4 1,2 And king Solomon was king over all Israel. And these were the princes 3 which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok, 'the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the 4 recorder; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host; and 5 Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Azariah the son of Nathan was over 'the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was "priest, and the 6 king's friend; and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the 7 son of Abda was over the levy. And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each 8 man had to make provision for a month in the year. And these are 9 their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim: Ben-deker, in 10 Makaz, and in Shaalbin, and Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan: Benhesed, in Arubboth; to him pertained Socoh, and all the land of II Hepher: Ben-abinadab, in all the height of Dor; he had Taphath the 12 daughter of Solomon to wife: Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach 1 See I Chr. vi. 10. 2 Or, secretaries 3 Or, chronicler 4 See ver. 7. 5 Or, chief minister See 2 Sam. viii. 18. 6 Or, Naphathdor 7 Or, region and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as 'beyond Jokmeam : 13 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; even to him pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and 14,15 brasen bars: Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim: Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife: 16,17 Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth: Jehoshaphat the 18 son of Paruah, in Issachar: Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin: 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer 20 which was in the land. Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry. 21 "And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought 22 presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and three23 score measures of meal; ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, besides harts, and gazelles, and roe24 bucks, and fatted fowl. For he had dominion over all the region 'on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River: and he had peace on all sides round about 25 him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of 26 Solomon. And Solomon had 'forty thousand stalls of horses for his 27 chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And those officers provided 8 8 victuals for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's 28 table, every man in his month: they let nothing be lacking. Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge. 10 29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, 30 and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, 31 and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of 32 Mahol: and his fame was in all the nations round about. And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. 33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and 34 of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. 1 Or, over against 2 Or, Havvoth-jair 3 Or, in Aloth 4 Heb. and one officer. 5 Ch. v. I in Heb. See 2 Chr. ix. 26. 6 Heb. cor. 7 Or, beyond the river 8 Some authorities read, with all his servants. 9 In 2 Chr. ix. 25, four thousand. 10 Or, where he (that is, the king) was Or, where it should be 2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, 3 saying, Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house for the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under 4 the soles of his feet. But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occur5 rent. And, behold, I purpose to build an house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the house for my name. 2 'Now Solomon purposed to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his 2 kingdom. "And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand men that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred 3 to oversee them. And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with 4 me. Behold, I build an house for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel. 5 And the house which I build is great for great is our God above 6 all gods. But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn 7 incense before him? Now therefore send me a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave all manner of gravings, to be with the 1 Ch. i. 18 in Heb. 2 Ch. ii. I in Heb. 3 Heb. retaineth strength. |