Aramaic Peshitta Bible Repository
Lamsa OT - 1Kings
"
1 ¶ NOW King David was old and well advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not get warm. 2 Wherefore his servants said to him, Behold, your servants are before you, let them seek for our lord the king a young virgin; and let her wait upon the king, and let her minister to him, and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may get warm. 3 So they sought for a beautiful maiden throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag a Shilommite, and brought her to the king. 4 And the maiden was very beautiful, and she became the king’s attendant and ministered to him; but the king knew her not.""
5 ¶ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 And his father had never rebuked him at any time by saying, Why have you done so? And he also was a very handsome man; and his mother bore him after Absalom. 7 And he conferred with Joab the son of Zoriah and with Abiathar the priest; and they followed Adonijah and helped him. 8 But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah. 9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the great stone which is by En-kasra, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah and the king’s servants; 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet; and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada; and David’s mighty men; and Solomon his brother;""
11 ¶ Wherefore Nathan the prophet said to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, Have you not heard that Adonijah has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 Now therefore come, let me give you counsel, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go and get you in to the King David and say to him, Did you not my lord, O king, swear to your handmaid, saying, Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? Why then does Adonijah reign? 14 And, while you are still speaking there in the presence of the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words. 15 So Bath-sheba went in to King David into the chamber; and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shilommite ministered to the king. 16 And Bath-sheba bowed and did obeisance to the king. And the king said to her, What troubles you, Bath-sheba? 17 She said to him, My lord the king, you swore by the LORD your God to your handmaid, saying, Solomon your son shall reign after me and he shall sit upon my throne. 18 And now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and you, my lord the king, do not know it; 19 And he has sacrificed oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the general of the army; but Nathan the prophet; Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada; and Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20 And you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, that you should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers in peace, I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders. 22 And, while she was still speaking there before the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. 23 And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet has come. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground and did obeisance. 24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me and he shall sit upon my throne? 25 For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they are eating and drinking before him and saying, Long live King Adonijah! 26 But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest; and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada; and your servant Solomon he has not invited. 27 Has this thing been done by the order of my lord the king, and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? 28 Then King David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 29 And the king swore to her, and said, As the LORD lives, who has saved my soul out of all distress, 30 Even as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Solomon your son shall reign after me and he shall sit upon my throne, even so will I do this day. 31 Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth and did obeisance to the king, and said, Let my lord King David live for ever.""
32 ¶ And King David said, Call me Zadok the priest; and Nathan the prophet; and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. 33 And the king said to them, Arise, take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon my own mule, and take him down to Shilokha; 34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel; and blow with the trumpet, and say, Long live King Solomon. 35 Then you shall come after him, and he shall sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead; I have appointed him to be king over Israel and over Judah. 36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered and said before the king, Amen; so may the LORD your God do. 37 As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David. 38 So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada and the archers and the slingers went down and caused Solomon to ride upon King David’s mule, and took him to Shilokha. 39 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, Long live King Solomon. 40 And all the people came up after him, and the people played on tambourines and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth was shaken with their noise.""
41 ¶ And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, What is this noise of the city being in an uproar? 42 And while he was still speaking, behold, Nathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said to him, Come in; for you are a valiant man, and you bring good tidings. 43 And Nathan answered and said to Adonijah, Truly our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 And the king has sent with him Zadok the priest; and Nathan the prophet; and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada; and the archers; and the slingers, and they have caused Solomon to ride upon the king’s mule; 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Shilokha; and they are come up from there rejoicing, so that the whole city is rejoicing. This is the noise that you have heard. 46 And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47 And moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, May the LORD your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne. And the king bowed himself upon his bed. 48 And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has given me a son to sit upon my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it. 49 Then all the guests who were invited by Adonijah were afraid, and rose up and went every man his way. 50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 And it was told King Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah is afraid because of you, and, lo, has taken refuge on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear to me this day that he will not slay his servant with the sword. 52 And Solomon said, If he will show himself to be a worthy man, there shall not a hair of his head fall to the earth; but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die. 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and did obeisance to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, Go to your house.""
2:1 ¶ NOW the days of David to die drew near; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 I go the way of all the earth; be strong therefore, and show yourself a man; 3 And keep the charge of the LORD your God, and walk in his ways and keep his statutes, his commandments, his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and succeed wherever you go; 4 That the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, If your children take heed to their ways, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel. 5 Now, you know also what Joab the son of Zoriah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew and considered them as though they were in the battle, and shed their blood with the sword that was about his loins and trampled upon it with the shoes that were on his feet. 6 Do to him therefore according to your wisdom, and let not his hoary head go down to the grave in peace. 7 But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those who eat at your table; for so they ministered to me in everything when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And, behold, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, of the tribe of Benjamin, of the house of Horim, who cursed me with grievous curses on the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword. 9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless; for you are a wise man, and know what you ought to do to him; and bring his folly on his head; and you shall bring down his hoary head with blood to Sheol. 10 So David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. 11 And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem.""
12 ¶ Then Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was firmly established. 13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said to him, Have you come in peace? And he said, In peace. 14 Then he said to her, I have something to say to you. And she said to him, Say on. 15 And he said to her, You know that the kingdom rightly was mine, and that all Israel were looking forward to me to be king over them; but the kingdom was taken from me and is become my brother’s; for it was his from the LORD. 16 And now I make one petition of you, do not refuse me. And she said to him, Say on. 17 And he said to her, Speak to King Solomon (for he will not refuse you) that he give me Abishag the Shilommite to wife. 18 And Bath-sheba said, Very well; I will speak for you to the king. 19 Bath-sheba therefore went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and bowed himself to her and then sat on his throne, and they brought a chair for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, I desire one small petition of you; do not refuse me. And the king said to her, Ask on, my mother; for I will not refuse you. 21 And she said to him, Let Abishag the Shilommite be given to Adonijah your brother to wife. 22 And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, Why do you ask Abishag the Shilommite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; ask even for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab the son of Zoriah. 23 Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life. 24 Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day. 25 And King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he attacked him and slew him.""
26 ¶ And to Abiathar the priest the king said, Go to Anathoth, to your own fields; for you are worthy of death; but I will not at this time put you to death because you bore the ark of the LORD before David my father and because you have been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. 27 So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the LORD; that the word of the LORD might be fulfilled which he spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28 Now when the news reached Joab that Adonijah had been slain (for Joab had been leaning toward Adonijah and he was not leaning toward Solomon), Joab fled to the tabernacle of the LORD and took refuge on the horns of the altar. 29 And it was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tabernacle of the LORD and had taken refuge on the horns of the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go and attack him. 30 And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD and said to him, Thus says the king. Come forth. But he said, No, I will not go out; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me. 31 And the king said to him, Do to him as he has said, and attack him and kill him, that you may take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me and from the house of my father. 32 And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, because he attacked two men more righteous and better than he and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing of it; namely, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel; and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants for ever; but to David and to his descendants and to his house and to his throne shall there be peace for ever from the LORD. 34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and attacked him and slew him; and he was buried in his own sepulchre in the wilderness.""
35 ¶ Then King Solomon appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his stead over the army; and Zadok the priest the king appointed in the place of Abiathar. 36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go forth from there hither and thither. 37 For on the day that you go out and cross the brook Kidron, you shall know for certain that you shall surely die; your blood shall be upon your own head. 38 And Shimei said to the king, The saying is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do. So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. 39 And it came to pass at the end of three years that two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish the son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, your servants are in Gath. 40 And Shimei arose and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants; and Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 And it was told King Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned. 42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, Did I not make you to swear by the LORD, and witnessed against you, saying, Know for certain, on the day that you go out of Jerusalem and cross the brook Kidron, you shall surely die? And you said to me, The saying is good, so will I do. 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I have charged you with? 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, You know all the evil of which your heart is conscious that you did to David my father; therefore the LORD shall return your wickedness upon your own head; 45 And King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever. 46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and attacked him so that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.""
3:1 ¶ AND Solomon became the son-in-law to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David, until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall of Jerusalem round about. 2 The people sacrificed only in high places, because there was no house yet built to the name of the LORD, until those days. 3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father; only he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place; a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon the altar which was in Gibeon.""
5 ¶ Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in a vision by night; and God said to him, Ask that which I should give you. 6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shown to thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth and in faithfulness 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 throne as it is this day. 7 And now, O LORD God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father; and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in among thy people, whom thou hast chosen, 8 A great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9 Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people and to discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 10 And it pleased the LORD because Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And the LORD said to Solomon, Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself riches, neither have you asked the lives of your enemies nor have you asked for yourself long life, but have asked for yourself wisdom to discern judgment; 12 Behold, I have done according to your words; lo, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has been none like you before you, neither shall any arise after you like you. 13 And I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David did walk, then I will lengthen your days. 15 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 peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.""
16 ¶ Then came there two women who were harlots to plead before King Solomon. 17 And one of them said, I beseech you, O my lord, I and this woman dwelt in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. 18 And on the third day after I was delivered, this woman was delivered also; and we were together in the house; there was no stranger with us, only we two in the house. 19 And this woman’s child died in the night because she lay on it. 20 And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me while your handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, it was dead; but when I had examined it in the morning, behold, it was not my son which I had borne. 22 And the other woman said, It is not so; but the living is my son, and the dead is your son. And this one said, It is not so; the dead is your son, and the living is my son. 23 And the other woman said, It is not so, the living is my son and the dead is your son. Thus they argued before the king. 24 Then the king said, Bring 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 one and half to the other. 26 Then the woman whose child was alive said to the king, because her affections yearned for her son, I beseech you, O my lord, give her the child alive, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor yours, but divide it in two. 27 Then the king answered and said, Give the child alive to the first woman and in no wise slay it; she is the mother thereof. 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.""
4:1 ¶ So Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 And these were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder. 4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the governors; and Zabur, the son of Nathan, the priest, was the king’s friend; 6 And Abinshar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute. 7 And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household and for the army; each month of the year it fell on one of them to supply provisions. 8 And these are their names: the son of Hur, who ruled in mount Ephraim; 9 The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; 10 The son of Hesed, in Raboth to him belonged Socoth, and all the land of Hepher; 11 The son of Abinadab, in Naphatdor, who had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife; 12 Baana the son of Ahilud, who ruled in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all Beth-shean, which is beside Zartan, below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Nekemaam; 13 The son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him belonged the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh; to him also belonged the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with wails and bronze bars; 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife; 16 Baana the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paroh, in Issachar; 18 Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri was in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and the governors ruled in the land.""
20 ¶ Judah and Israel were as many in multitude as the sand which is by the sea; they ate and drank and made merry. 21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the river which is in the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt; and his subjects brought presents and served Solomon all the days of his life. 22 And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour and sixty measures of meal, 23 Ten fat oxen and twenty oxen out of the pastures and a hundred sheep, besides harts and gazelles and roe, bucks and fatted fowls. 24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side of the river; and he had peace on all sides round about him. 25 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 Solomon. 26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And those governors supplied provisions for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table, every man in his month; they lacked nothing. 28 Barley also and straw for the horses and the dromedaries they brought to the place where the officers were, every man as it was his due.""
29 ¶ And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, 30 So that Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. 31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Easterner, and Heman, and Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about. 32 And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. 33 And he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even to the, hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts and of fowl and of creeping things and of fishes. 34 And there came men from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth; and he received presents from all kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.""
5:1 ¶ AND Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father; for Hiram was always a lover of David. 2 And Hiram sent to Solomon and blessed him. And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, 3 You know how David my father could not build a house to the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put his enemies under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence. 5 And, behold, I purpose to build a house to the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to David my father, saying, Your son, whom I will set upon your throne in your place, shall build a house to my name. 6 Now therefore command that they cut for me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you shall ask; for you know that there is no one among us who has the skill to cut timber like the Zidonians. 7 And when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, who has given to David a wise son over this great people. 8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard the things for which you have sent to me; and I will do all your desire concerning timber of cedar and timber of fir. 9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will convey them by sea in floats to the place that you shall appoint me, and I will cause them to be discharged there, and you shall receive them from there; and you shall also accomplish my desire in giving food for my household.""
10 ¶ So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to his desire. 11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food for his household and twenty thousand measures of pure oil; thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. 12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon always, and they two made a league together. 13 And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by turns; a month they were in Lebanon and two months at home; and Adoniram was in charge of the levy. 15 And Solomon had seventy thousand men who bore burdens and eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountain, 16 Besides the chiefs of Solomon’s officers who were set over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who were in charge of the people doing the work. 17 And the king commanded and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones to complete the house. 18 And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the stonemasons did hew them; so they prepared stones and timber for the building of the house.""
6:1 ¶ AND it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of May, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. 2 And the house which Solomon built for the LORD was in length sixty cubits and in breadth twenty cubits and in height thirty cubits. 3 And the porch in front of the door of the temple was twenty cubits long, the same as the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the depth before the length of the house. 4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights. 5 And against the wall of the house he built rooms encircling the wall of the house, both of the temple and of the Holy of Holies; and he made side rooms round about. 6 The lowest chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for outside in the wall of the house he made narrowed copings round about in order that the walls should be fastened together. 7 And the house, when it was building, was made of stones hewn before they were brought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was building. 8 The door of the middle chamber was on the south side of the house; and it went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third. 9 So he built the house and finished it; and roofed the house with beams and boards of cedar. 10 And then he built additional rooms against the whole house, five cubits high, and they were fastened to the house with timbers of cedar.""
11 ¶ And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, 12 Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and execute my judgments and keep all my commandments to walk in them, then I will perform my word with you, which I spoke to David your father; 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and I will not forsake my people Israel. 14 So Solomon built the house and finished it.""
15 ¶ And he covered the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, from the floor of the house, to the rafters of the ceiling; and he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress. 16 And Solomon built twenty cubits in extent on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar; and he built within it the Holy of Holies. 17 And the house, that is, the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long. 18 And the house was covered within with cedar, which was carved with buds and open flowers; all was cedar; there was no stone seen in it. 19 And the holy place he made in the inner part of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 20 And the length of the holy place was twenty cubits, and the breadth was twenty cubits, and the height was twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with pure gold; and he covered the altar with gold. 21 And Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold; and he made a doorpost in front of the sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. 22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished; also the whole altar that was in the sanctuary he overlaid with gold. 23 And within the sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub, ten cubits from the tip of the one wing to the tip of the other. 25 And the other cherub was ten cubits; both cherubim were of the same measure and the same size. 26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. 27 And he set the cherubim within the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth so that the wing of one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched each other in the middle of the house. 28 And he overlaid the cherubim with pure gold. 29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with ornaments; and he fashioned carved ornaments and cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, within and without. 30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. 31 And for the entrance of the sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and the doorposts were strongly fastened. 32 The two doors also were of olive wood; and he carved upon them figures of cherubim, and carved ornaments and palm trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubim and upon the palm trees. 33 So also he made for the door of the temple, posts of olive wood, plain and square. 34 And the two doors were of fir wood; the two leaves of the one door were ornamented, and the two leaves of the other door were ornamented. 35 And he carved on them cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and covered them with gold overlaid upon the carved work. 36 And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams. 37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month of May; 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Tishrin, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all its parts, and according to all the fashion of it. So he was seven years in building it.""
7:1 ¶ BUT Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house and to finish it. 2 He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; its length was a hundred cubits and its breadth fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. 3 And it was covered with cedar above upon beams that lay upon forty-five pillars, fifteen in a row. 4 And there were balconies in three rows set one against another in three tiers. 5 And all the doors and posts were square, set one against another in three tiers. 6 And he made a porch of pillars; its length was fifty cubits, its breadth thirty cubits; and the porch was upon the pillars, with a court in front. 7 Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment; and covered it with cedar from the floor to the ceiling. 8 And his own house where he dwelt was in another court within the porch, and was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this in workmanship for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken to wife. 9 All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewn stones, sawed with saws within and without, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the court of the temple. 10 And the foundation was of great and costly stones, some of ten cubits and some of eight cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewn stones, and cedars. 12 And the great court round about was made with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD and for the porch of the house.""
13 ¶ And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. 14 He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was an artist and a worker in brass; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and cunning knowledge to fashion any work in brass. And he came to King Solomon and did all his work. 15 He cast two pillars of brass; the height of each pillar was eighteen cubits and the circumference was twelve cubits. 16 And he made two capitals of molten brass to set upon the tops of the pillars; the height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other was five cubits; 17 And he made carved ornaments of network and wreaths of chain work for the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for one capital and seven for the other. 18 And he made the pillars, and two rows of buds round about upon one network, to cover the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars; and he did so to the other pillar. 19 And the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits. 20 And the capitals that were upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, and over against the side which was by the network; and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the one capital; and in like manner the other capital. 21 And he made the pillars of the porch of the temple; and he set up the pillar on the right hand, and called its name Jachin; and he set up the pillar on the left hand, and called its name Boaz. 22 And upon the top of the pillars was lily work; so was the work of the pillars finished. 23 Then he made a molten sea, ten cubits in diameter; it was round about, and its height was five cubits and its circumference thirty cubits. 24 And under the brim of it round about there were buds encircling it, ten in a cubit, enclosing the sea; the buds were formed in two rows when it was cast. 25 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set upon them, and their hinder parts were inward. 26 And its thickness was a hand-breadth, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, with lilies; it contained two thousand baths. 27 And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits its breadth, and three cubits the height of it. 28 And the work of the bases was in this manner: they had borders between panels; 29 And on the borders that were between the panels were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and upon the panels was the same, both above and below, lions and oxen; the appearance of the work was beautiful. 30 And every base had four bronze wheels and axles of brass; and the four corners thereof had a framework under the laver joined to it, framework molten, beautiful work. 31 And the opening of the base within was a cubit; and its opening was round like the work of the base, a cubit and a half; and also upon the opening of it were engravings with borders foursquare, not round. 32 And under each border were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base; and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel; their axletrees and their spokes and their rims and their hubs were all cast. 34 And there were four supports at the four corners of one base; and the supports were part of the very base itself. 35 The supports and the frame of the base were half a cubit; and on the top of the base there was a rim; and the top of the base, its axletrees, and its borders were of the same. 36 And on the plates of the axletrees and on its borders he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees round about. 37 After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them were of one casting, one measure, and one size. 38 Then he made ten lavers of brass; one laver held forty baths; and every laver was four cubits; and upon every one of the ten bases one laver. 39 And he put five bases on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the sea on the right side of the house, toward the south. 40 And Hiram made the lavers and the pots and the cauldrons and the large hanging pots. So Hiram finished all the work that King Solomon made in the house of the LORD; 41 The two pillars, and the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars; 42 And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the pillars; 43 And the ten bases and the ten lavers upon the bases; 44 And the one sea and the twelve oxen under the sea; 45 And the pots and the cauldrons and the hanging pots; and all the vessels of ministration which Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of Corinthian brass. 46 In Kakar which is in the plain of Jericho by the side of the Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan. 47 And Solomon made all sorts of vessels, exceeding many; there was no limit to the weighing of the brass which King Solomon used for the house of the LORD;""
48 ¶ And he made all the vessels that pertained to the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold whereupon the shewbread was, 49 And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left before the sanctuary, the snuffers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold, 50 And the bowls, and the saucers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of pure gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house of the temple. 51 Thus was ended all the work that King Solomon made in the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; the silver and the gold and the vessels, and placed them among the treasures of the house of the LORD.""
8:1 ¶ THEN Solomon assembled all the tribes of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the chiefs of the fathers, to him in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at the feast in the month of the harvest, which is the seventh month. 3 And all the tribes of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 4 And they brought it up to the temple of the LORD, and brought the tabernacle of the congregation and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, and the priests and the Levites of Israel went up with them. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled to him were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the temple, to the inner house, the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the holy place, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves above. 8 And the staves were so long that the ends of them were seen from the holy place before the inner house, but they were not seen outside; and there they are to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone, which Moses had put there at Horeb when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.""
12 ¶ Then Solomon said, O LORD, thou hast said that thou wouldst dwell in the thick darkness. 13 And I have surely built thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever. 14 Then the king turned his face about and blessed all the congregation of Israel; and all the congregation of Israel stood; 15 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth to David my father, and has with his hands fulfilled his promise, saying, 16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel. 17 And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to David my father, Whereas it was in your heart to build a house to my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 Nevertheless you shall not build the house to my name; but your son who shall come forth out of your loins, he shall build the house to my name. 20 Now the LORD has performed the word that he spoke, and I have risen up in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built a house to the name of the LORD God of Israel. 21 And I have set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.""
22 ¶ And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven and prayed; 23 And he said, O LORD God of Israel, there is no one like thee in heaven above or on earth beneath, who keepeth covenant and mercy with thy servants who walk before thee in truth with all their heart and with all their soul; 24 Who hast kept with thy servant David my father what thou didst promise him; thou didst speak with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thy hand, as it is this day. 25 Therefore, now, O LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father what thou didst promise him, saying, There shall not fail you a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; if only your sons take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth as you have walked before me. 26 And now, O LORD God of Israel, let thy word be confirmed, which thou hast sworn to thy servant David my father. 27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have built? 28 But turn toward the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken to the supplication and to the prayer which thy servant prays before thee this day; 29 That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, even toward this place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there; that thou mayest hearken to the prayer which thy servant prays before thee for this place. 30 And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant and of thy people Israel, when they pray before thee in this place; and hear thou, O our God, from thy dwelling place in heaven, and forgive. 31 If any man sins against his neighbor and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear and he comes and swears before thine altar in this house; 32 Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, and bring his transgressions upon his head, and vindicating the righteous to reward him according to his innocence. 33 When thy people Israel are defeated in the battle before the enemy because they have sinned before thee, and shall turn again to thee and confess thy name and pray and make supplication to thee in this house; 34 Then hear thou in heaven and forgive the sin of thy servants and of thy people Israel, and bring them back to the land which thou gavest to their fathers. 35 When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against thee; and they shall come and pray in this place and confess thy name and turn from their sins, when thou dost afflict them; 36 Then hear thou in heaven and forgive the sins of thy servants and of thy people Israel, when thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give thy rain upon the land which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. 37 And when there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or when there are caterpillars; or when their enemy besieges them in one of their cities; whatsoever sickness, or whatsoever plague may be; 38 Whatsoever prayer and whatsoever supplication be made by any man or by all thy people Israel, who shall know every man the trouble of his own heart, and shall spread forth his hands before thee in this house; 39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men); 40 That they may reverence thee all the days that they live on the face of the land which thou gavest to their fathers. 41 Moreover concerning a stranger who is not of thy people Israel, but comes from a far country for thy name’s sake 42 (When they shall hear of thy great name and of thy strong hand and of thy stretched out arm), when he shall come before thee and pray in this house; 43 Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calls to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, to worship thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name. 44 When thy people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way thou shalt send them, and shall pray to the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen and toward the house that I have built for thy name; 45 Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. 46 When they sin against thee (for there is no man who does not sin), and thou be angry with them and deliver them to the enemy so that they carry them away captives to the land of their enemies, far or near; 47 Yet if they shall reckon it in their heart in the land to which they have been carried captives, and repent and make supplication to thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; 48 And so return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies who carried them away captive, and pray to thee according to the religion of their own land, which thou gavest to their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen and the house which I have built for thy name; 49 Then hear thou in heaven, thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause, 50 And forgive thy people who have sinned against thee and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion in the presence of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them; 51 For they are thy people and thine inheritance, whom thou didst bring forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron; 52 That thine eves may be open to the supplication of thy servants and to the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken to them in all that they call for unto thee. 53 For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou didst speak through Moses thy servant, when thou didst bring our fathers out of Egypt, O LORD God.""
54 ¶ And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD God, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling with his hands spread up to heaven. 55 And he stood and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56 Blessed be the LORD God, who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised; there has not failed one word of all his good promises, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. 57 The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers; let him not leave us nor forsake us; 58 That he may incline our heart unto him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. 59 And let these my words wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel day by day; 60 That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is none else. 61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments, his covenant, his judgments, and his laws, as at this day.""
62 ¶ And the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifice before the LORD. 63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings before the LORD, twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. 64 The same day the king consecrated the interior of the court that was before the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings and meal offerings and the fat of the peace offerings; because the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings and the meal offerings and the fat of the peace offerings. 65 And Solomon made a feast on that day, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entrance of Hamath to the entrance of the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day the people sent a delegation and blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant and for Israel his people.""
9:1 ¶ AND when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD and the king’s house and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do, 2 Then the LORD appeared to him the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 And the LORD said to him, I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before me; and I have hallowed for me this house which you have built to put my name there for ever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually. 4 And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my judgments; 5 Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel for ever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man upon the throne of Israel. 6 But if you shall indeed turn from following me, you or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them; 7 Then I will destroy Israel from the face of the land which I have given them; and this house which I have hallowed for my name will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all peoples; 8 And this house shall be in ruins; every one that passes by it shall be astonished and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house? 9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them and served them; therefore the LORD has brought upon them all this evil.""
10 ¶ And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD and the king’s house 11 (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees and gold, according to all his desire), that then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the land of Galilee. 12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they did not please him. 13 And he said, What kind of cities are these which you have given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabuli to this day. 14 And King Hiram sent to King Solomon one hundred and twenty talents of gold.""
15 ¶ And this is the portion of tribute which King Solomon levied to build the house of the LORD and his own house. And he also built the wall of Jerusalem and Millo and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer. 16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and conquered Gezer and burned it with fire and slain the Canaanites who dwelt in the city and given it as a present to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17 And Solomon built Gezer and Beth-hauran the lower 18 And Baalath and Tadmor in the land of the wilderness 19 And all the cities for storage that Solomon had, and the cities for the chariots and cities for the horsemen and whatsoever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his dominion. 20 And all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel, 21 Their children who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able to destroy utterly, Solomon made slaves and tributaries to this day. 22 But of the children of Israel Solomon made no slaves; because they were his men of war and his servants and his princes and his mighty men and commanders of his chariots and his horsemen. 23 These were the superintendents who were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, who had charge of the people and who supervised the work. 24 But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of the city of David to the house which Solomon had built for her; then he built Millo. 25 And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar, and he burned incense upon it before the LORD. So he finished the house of the LORD. 26 And King Solomon built a ship in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Arwad. 27 And Hiram sent his servants in the ship, seamen who had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. 28 And they came to Ophir and took from there gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King Solomon.""
10:1 ¶ AND when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon and the name of the LORD, she came to try him out with proverbs. 2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones; and when she was come to Solomon, she tested him with all that was in her heart. 3 And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king which he did not tell her. 4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom and the house that he had built 5 And the food of his table and the order in which his servants sat and the attendance of his ministers and their apparel, and his cupbearers and their clothing and his burnt offerings which he offered in the house of the LORD, she was greatly overcome. 6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your sayings and of your wisdom. 7 Howbeit I did not believe the words until I came, and my own eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half was not told me; your wisdom and prosperity exceed the report which I heard. 8 Happy are your wives, happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom. 9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and has set you upon the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore he has made you king, to do judgment and justice. 10 And she gave King Solomon one hundred and twenty talents of gold and a very great amount of spices and precious stones; and there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11 And the ships also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a great amount of sandalwood and precious stones. 12 And the king made of the sandalwood ornaments for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, harps also and psalteries for singers; never before nor since came such sandalwood to this day. 13 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, and whatsoever she asked for, besides that which he gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.""
14 ¶ Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents, 15 Besides that which came from the craftsmen and from the traffic of merchants and from all the kings of the Arabs and from the governors of the land. 16 And King Solomon made two hundred shields of pure gold; six hundred minas of gold went into each shield; 17 And three hundred round shields of pure gold; and three hundred minas went into each shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with gold from Ophir. 19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were arm rests on either side at the place of the seat, and two lions stood on either side of the seat. 20 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps; there was not the like in any kingdom. 21 And all King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was counted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had at sea a navy of ships of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram; once every three years came the navy from Tarshish, bringing silver and gold, ivory, apes and peacocks. 23 So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24 And all the kings of the earth sought to see the face of Solomon and to hear the wisdom which God had put in his heart. 25 And they brought every man his present, vessels of gold and vessels of silver, garments, armor, spices, horses, fancy chariots, and mules, year by year. 26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen; and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he left some of the chariots in the cities and kept others with the king in Jerusalem. 27 And King Solomon made silver to be as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore trees that are on the plain. 28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and the king’s merchants received a commission on the goods they bought. 29 And a chariot was delivered from 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, they brought many gifts with their own hands.""
11:1 ¶ BUT King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the children of Israel, You shall not mix with them, neither shall they mix with you, lest they turn away your heart after their gods; Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtaroth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and after Malcom the god of the Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the god of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Malcom the god of the Ammonites. 8 And likewise did he for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.""
9 ¶ And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he kept not that which the LORD commanded him. 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, Forasmuch as you have done this, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes and my commandments, which I have commanded you, I will surely rend the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless, in your days I will not do it for David my servant’s sake; but I will rend it out of the hand of your son. 13 However I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to your son for David my servant’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen.""
14 ¶ And the LORD stirred up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal family in Edom. 15 For when David destroyed Edom, and Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, he slew every male in Edom 16 (For Joab and all Israel with him remained there six months, until he had slain every male in Edom); 17 But Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites from among his father’s servants into Egypt, Hadad being yet a little boy. 18 They set out from Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran and went into Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and food, and said to him, Dwell with me; and gave him land. 19 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 Tahpenes the queen. 20 And the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh. 21 And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh. Let me depart that I may go to my own country. 22 But Pharaoh said to him, What have you lacked with me that, behold, you seek to go to your own country? And he answered, Nothing; but do let me go. 23 God also stirred up against Solomon another adversary, Hidron the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his lord Hadarezer king of Zobah; 24 And he gathered men to him, and became captain over a band, when David slew the people of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and dwelt in it, and Hadad reigned in Damascus. 25 And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, because of the evil which he did; and Hadad oppressed the children of Israel and reigned over Aram (Syria).""
26 ¶ And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zedda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zoriah, a widow, even he lifted up his hand against King Solomon. 27 And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against King Solomon. When Solomon built Millo and repaired the breaches of the city of David, 28 The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was valiant, made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 29 And it came to pass at the time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite encountered him on the road; and Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and the two of them were alone in a field; 30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces; 31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you 32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel); 33 Because he has forsaken me and has worshipped Ashtaroth the goddess of the Zidonians, and Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Malcom the god of the Ammonites, and has not walked in my ways and has not done that which is right in my eyes and has not kept my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. 34 Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him a ruler all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose because he kept my commandments and my statutes; 35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. 36 And to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may have an heir always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there. 37 And I will give it to you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38 And if you shall hearken to all that I command you and will walk in my ways and do what is right in my sight and keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did. I will be with you, and build you a sure house, as I built for David my servant, and will give Israel to you. 39 And for this I will afflict the descendants of David, but not for ever. 40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.""
41 ¶ And the rest of the acts of Solomon and all that he did and his wisdom, behold, they are written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon. 42 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.""
12:1 ¶ AND Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. 2 And when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it (for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt) 3 Then they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the people of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 Your father made our yoke harsh; now therefore lighten some of the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, and we will serve you. 5 And he said to them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. So all the people departed. 6 And King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had stood before his father while he was still alive, and said to them, How do you advise that I may answer the people? 7 And they said to him, If you will be a servant to this people this day and will serve them and answer them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants for ever. 8 But he forsook the counsel which the old men had given him and consulted with the young men who were grown up with him and who stood before him; 9 And he said to them, What counsel do you give, that we may answer the people who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which your father did put upon us lighter? 10 And the young men who were grown up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus shall you speak to the people who have said to you, Your father made our yoke heavy, but make you it lighter for us; thus shall you say to them, My little finger is thicker than my father’s thumb. 11 And now whereas my father laid a heavy yoke upon you, I will add to your yoke; my father has chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with knouts. 12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had commanded them, saying, Come to me again the third day. 13 And the king answered the people harshly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him; 14 And spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with knouts. 15 Wherefore the king did not listen to the people; for the stirring of strife was from the LORD, that the LORD might perform his saying which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet, the Shilonite, unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.""
16 ¶ So when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel; now see to your own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. 17 And the children of Israel dwelt in their cities; but Judah made Rehoboam the son of Solomon king over them. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam made haste to ride in his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has rebelled against the house of David to this day. 20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the congregation and made him king over all Israel; there was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only. 21 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men of war to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the prophet of God, saying, 23 Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 24 Thus says the LORD: You shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel; return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned according to the word of the LORD.""
25 ¶ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom will return to the house of David; 27 If this people go up to do sacrifices at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28 So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said to all Israel, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt! 29 And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other he put in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. 31 And he made a temple of idols, and made priests from among the people who were not of the sons of Levi. 32 And Jeroboam made a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar to offer sacrifices. So did he in Beth-el, sacrificing to the calves that he had made; and he appointed in Beth-el priests for the temples of idols which he had made. 33 And he went to the altar which he had made in Beth-el, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and made a feast to the children of Israel; and he went up to the altar to burn incense.""
13:1 ¶ AND, behold, there came a prophet out of Judah by the word of the LORD to Beth-el; and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense on the fifteenth day of the month, according to the feast which was in Judah. And he burned incense on the altar. 2 And the prophet cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, hear the word of the LORD, thus says the LORD: Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon you he shall offer the priests of the temples of idols who burn incense upon you, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon you. 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD has sent me: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. 4 And when the king heard the saying of the prophet of God which he had cried against the altar in Beth-el, the king, standing at the altar, put forth his hand, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him. 5 The altar also was broken, and the ashes which were upon it poured out, according to the sign which the prophet of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6 And the king answered and said to the prophet of God, Pray for me before the LORD your God, and entreat for me that my hand may be restored to me. And the prophet of God prayed before the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before. 7 And the king said to the prophet of God, Come home with me to eat and I will give you presents. 8 And the prophet of God said to him, If you give me half your house, I will not go home with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place. 9 For so it was charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, and drink no water, nor return again by the way that you came. 10 So he went by another way, and did not return by the way that he came to Beth-el.""
11 ¶ Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and his sons came and told him all the works that the prophet of God had done that day in Beth-el; and the words which he had spoken to the king, them they told also to their father. 12 And their father said to them, Which way did he go? And his sons showed him the way by which the prophet of God went, who came from Judah. 13 And he said to his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass; and he rode on it, 14 And went after the prophet of God, and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, Are you the prophet of God who came from Judah? And he said, I am. 15 Then he said to him, Come home with me and eat bread. 16 And he answered. I cannot return with you nor go to your house; neither will I eat bread with you, nor drink water in this place; 17 For so it was said to me by the word of the LORD, You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return again by the same way that you came. 18 He said to him, I am a prophet also as are you; and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied to him. 19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house and drank water. 20 And as they sat at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who brought him back; 21 And he cried to the prophet of God who came from Judah and said to him, Thus says the LORD. Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you. 22 But have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which the LORD said to you, You shall not eat bread, nor drink water; therefore your corpse shall not come into the sepulchre of your fathers.""
23 ¶ And after the two prophets had eaten bread and had drunk, they saddled the ass for the prophet of God. 24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way and slew him; and his corpse was cast in the way, and the ass stood beside, and the lion also stood by the corpse. 25 And, behold, men passed by and saw the corpse cast in the way and the ass standing beside it, and the lion also standing beside the corpse; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 26 And when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said. It is the prophet of God who disobeyed the word of the LORD; therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke to him. 27 And he said to his sons, Saddle me the ass, and they saddled it. 28 And he went and found the corpse cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing beside the corpse; the lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the ass. 29 And the prophet took up the corpse of the prophet of God, and laid it upon the ass and brought it back to the city where the old prophet dwelt, to mourn over him and to bury him. 30 And he laid his corpse in the grave; and he mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! Alas, my brother! 31 And after he had buried him, he said to his sons, When I die, bury me in the sepulchre wherein the prophet of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones; 32 For the saying which he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Beth-el and against all the temples of idols which are in the cities of Samaria shall surely come to pass. 33 After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made again from among the people priests for the temples of idols; whosoever would become a priest, he offered an offering and thus became the priest of the temple of idols. 34 And this thing became a sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.""
14:1 ¶ AT that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise and disguise yourself, that people may not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam; and go to Shiloh; behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I should be king over this people. 3 And take with you ten loaves of bread and dried fruits and a pot of honey, and go to him; he shall tell you what shall become of the child. 4 And Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were dim because of his age. 5 And the LORD said to Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to you, to ask word of you concerning her son, for he is sick; thus and thus shall you say to her; for it shall be, when she comes in, behold, she has disguised herself. 6 And when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, Come in, wife of Jeroboam; why do you disguise yourself? For I am sent to you with heavy tidings.""
7 ¶ Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus says the LORD God of Israel: Forasmuch as I exalted you from among the people and made you ruler over my people Israel, 8 And tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you; and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in my sight; 9 But you have done more evil than all who were before you; for you have gone and made for yourself molten gods, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back; 10 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every, male and him that possesses authority in Israel, and I will glean after the house of Jeroboam as they glean the vines of the vineyard when the gathering of the grapes is over. 11 Him that dies of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dies in the field shall the fowls of the air eat; for the LORD has spoken it. 12 Arise therefore, go to your own house; and when your feet enter into the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing in the sight of the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover the LORD shall raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam from that day. 15 And henceforth the LORD shall smite Israel as a reed is shaken by the wind, and he shall uproot Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river (Euphrates), because they have made for themselves idols and have provoked the LORD to anger. 16 And he shall deliver Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin and caused Israel to sin. 17 Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah; and when she came to the threshold of her house, the child died; 18 And all Israel mourned over him, and buried him, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet, the Shilonite. 19 And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 And the days which Jeroboam reigned over Israel were twenty-two years; and Jeroboam slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.""
21 ¶ And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned over Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to indignation in everything that their fathers had done and in their sins which they had committed. 23 For they also built for themselves high places and statues and idols on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 And there were also Sodomites in the land; and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. 25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; 26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27 And King Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them into the hands of the chiefs of the guard who kept the door of the king’s house. 28 And it was so, when the king went into the house of the LORD, the guards bore them and brought them back into the guard chamber. 29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. 30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. And Abijah his son reigned in his stead.""
15:1 ¶ NOW in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijah reigned over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maacah, the daughter of Abed-shalom. 3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had committed before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, like the heart of David his father. 4 Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD God give him an heir in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him and to establish him in Jerusalem; 5 Because David did that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6 And there was war between Abijah the son of Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of their lives. 7 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. 8 And Abijah slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead.""
9 ¶ And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa reigned over Judah. 10 And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Maacah, the daughter of Abed-shalom. 11 And Asa did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, as did David his father. 12 And he put the Sodomites out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 Moreover he removed Maacah his mother from being queen, because she used to make a feast to her idol, and Asa destroyed her idol and burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 But the high places he did not remove; nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD his God all his days. 15 And he brought the things which his fathers had dedicated and the things which he himself had dedicated into the house of the LORD, silver and gold and vessels. 16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramtha, and did not permit any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants; and Asa king of Judah sent them to Bar-hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, 19 There is a league between me and you and between my father and your father; behold, I have sent to you a present of silver and gold; come and break your league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me. 20 So when Bar-hadad heard from Asa, he sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and destroyed lion and Dan and Abel-beth-maacah and all the towns that are in all the land of Naphtali. 21 And when Baasha heard of it, he left off building Ramtha and dwelt in Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted; and they carried away the stones of Ramtha and its timber with which Baasha had built it; and King Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpeh. 23 The rest of the acts of Asa and all his might and all that he did and the cities which he built, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.""
25 ¶ And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father and in his sins wherewith he made Israel to sin. 27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him and slew him in Gath, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gath. 28 So Baasha slew him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. 29 And when he reigned, he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet, the Shilonite; 30 Because of the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which he sinned and which he made Israel sin, by his great provocation with which he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger. 31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 32 And there was war between Baasha and Asa the king of Judah all their days. 33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty-four years. 34 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and in his sins wherewith he made Israel to sin.""
16:1 ¶ THEN the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanan against Baasha, saying, 2 Thus says the LORD: Forasmuch as I have exalted you out of the dust and made you a ruler over my people Israel and you have walked in the ways of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin to provoke me to anger with the evil work of their hands; 3 Behold, I will pluck out one by one the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house, and I will make his house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 Him that dies of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dies in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat. 5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and all that he did and all his might, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 6 So Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in his stead. 7 And also by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanan the word of the LORD came against Baasha and against all his house, because of all the evil that he had done before the LORD, in provoking him to anger with the works of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed him. 8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years. 9 And his servant Zimri, commander of the half of the horsemen, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah, drinking old wine in the house of cedar which he had built in Tirzah. 10 And Zimri went in and smote him and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. 11 And when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, he slew all the house of Baasha; he left him not one male child, neither of his kinsfolks nor of his friends. 12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet 13 For all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son which they committed and made Israel to sin in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols. 14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.""
15 ¶ In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped against Gath, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 And the people who were encamped heard the news that Zimri had conspired, and had also slain the king; wherefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 And Omri went up from Gath, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 And when Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the shrine of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire, and died, 19 Because of the sins which he committed in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and the sins which he did to make Israel sin. 20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and the treason that he wrought, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath to make him king, and half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri prevailed against the people who followed Tibni; so Tibni died and Omri reigned. 23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and reigned for twelve years; six years he reigned in Tirzah. 24 And he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for one talent of silver, and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill of Samaria. 25 But Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did worse than all the kings who were before him. 26 And he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols. 27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri, and all that he did and all his might, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 28 So Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.""
29 ¶ And in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all who were before him. 31 And as though it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he went and took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal and worshipped him. 32 And he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab served idols; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days did Ahab build the accursed place, Jericho; he finished it with the death of Abiram, his first-born, and set up its gates with the death of his younger son Shacob, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.""
17:1 ¶ AND Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years but according to my word. 2 And the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3 Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook of Cherith that is before the Jordan. 4 And you shall drink from the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD; for he went and dwelt by the brook of Cherith that is before the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. 7 But after a while the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.""
8 ¶ And the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9 Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Zidon, and dwell there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you. 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her and said, Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand. 12 And she said, As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing but a handful of flour in a pot and a little oil in a cruse; and, behold, I am gathering a few sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die. 13 And Elijah said to her, Fear not; go and do as you have said; but first make a little cake and bring it to me, and afterward make for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the LORD God of Israel, The pot of flour shall not be spent, and the cruse of oil shall not diminish, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth. 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah; and she and he and her household did eat many days. 16 And the pot of flour was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil diminish, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Elijah.""
17 ¶ And it came to pass after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, What have I done to you, O prophet of God? Are you come to me to call my trespasses to remembrance and to slay my son? 19 And Elijah said to her. Give me your son. And he took him from her bosom, and carried him up into the upper chamber where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 20 And he cried to the LORD and said, O LORD God, why hast thou also brought misfortune upon this widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 21 Then he stretched himself upon the boy three times and cried to the LORD and said, O LORD my God, let this boy’s soul return to him again. 22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the boy returned into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the boy and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and delivered him to his mother; and Elijah said to her, See, your son lives. 24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now I know that you are a prophet of God and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.""
18:1 ¶ AND it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. 2 And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And there was a severe famine in Samaria. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah, who was the steward of his household. (Now Obadiah revered the LORD greatly; 4 For when Jezebel slew the prophets of God, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land, to all fountains of water and to all brooks; perhaps we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we may not lose all the beasts. 6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. 7 And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face and said, Is that you, my lord Elijah? 8 And he answered him, It is I; then he said to him, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 9 And Obadiah said, What sin have I committed, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 10 As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom whither my lord has not sent to seek you; and when they said, He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdoms and nations, that they had not found you. 11 And now you say to me, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 12 And as soon as I am gone from you, the Spirit of the LORD will take you up and carry you whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he shall slay me; but I your servant have revered the LORD from my youth. 13 Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of God, how I took a hundred of the prophets of the LORD and hid them by fifty in a cave and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say to me, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here; and he shall slay me. 15 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today. 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told Ahab; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.""
17 ¶ And when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, Are you he who troubles Israel? 18 And Elijah said to him, I have not troubled Israel; but it is you and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed Baal. 19 Now therefore send and gather to me all Israel at mount Carmel and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty and the prophets of the idols four hundred and fifty who eat at Jezebel’s table. 20 So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to mount Carmel.""
21 ¶ Then Elijah came near to all the people, and said, How long will you halt between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him, but if Baal is god, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces and lay it on wood and put no fire under; and I will prepare the other bullock and cut it in pieces and lay it on wood and put no fire under it. 24 And you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD my God; and the God who answers by fire, he is God. And all the people answered and said, You have spoken well. 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose for yourselves one bullock, and prepare it first; for you are many; 26 And they took the bullock which was given them and prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us. But there was no voice nor any that answered. And they cut themselves upon the altar which they had made. 27 And when it was noon, Elijah mocked them and said, Cry with a loud voice; for he is a god; perhaps he is meditating or he is busy or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened. 28 And they cried with a loud voice and they cut themselves after their custom with daggers and lances, until their blood gushed out upon them. 29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no voice nor any to answer nor any to listen. Then Elijah said to the prophets of the idols, Now you can move, so that I may prepare my burnt offerings. And they moved aside. 30 And Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be your name; 32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order and cut the bullock in pieces and laid it on the wood and said, Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood. 34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and they filled the trench also with water. 36 And at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, O LORD God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel and that I am thy servant and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that all this people may know that thou art the LORD God and that thou hast turned their perverse heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God. 40 And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal, and let not one of them escape. And they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slew them there.""
41 ¶ And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink; for there is a rushing sound of heavy rain. 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bent himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees; 43 And said to his servant, Go up now, and look toward the sea. And he went up and looked, and said, There is nothing. And Elijah said to him, Go again seven times. 44 And at the seventh time, he said, Behold, there is a little cloud like a man’s hand rising out of the sea. And he said to him, Go up, say to Ahab, Mount your horse, and get down before the rain stops you. 45 And while he busied himself here and there, the heavens were black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab till he entered Jezreel.""
19:1 ¶ AND told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had slain all the prophets of Baal and the prophets of the shrines with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. 3 And Elijah was afraid, and he arose and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his disciple there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under an oak tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough for me; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 5 Then he lay down and slept soundly under the oak tree; and, behold, an angel touched him and said to him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals and a cruse of water. And he did eat and drink, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time and touched him and said, Arise, eat and drink; because the journey is too great for you. 8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb the mount of God.""
9 ¶ And he entered into a cave and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? 10 And he said, I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 11 And he said, Go forth and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice to him, and said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? 14 And he said, I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 15 And the LORD said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; then go and anoint Hazael to be king over Aram; 16 And Jehu the son of Jamshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And it shall come to pass, that him who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay; and him who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. 18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.""
19 ¶ So he departed thence and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, and twelve ploughs were ahead of him, and he was one of the twelve; and Elijah came up to him and cast his mantle upon him. 20 And he left the plough and the oxen and went after Elijah and said to him, Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. And he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you? 21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slew them and boiled their meat with wood from the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and ministered to him.""
20:1 ¶ AND Bar-hadad the king of Edom gathered all his army together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it. 2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, Thus says Bar-hadad, 3 Your silver and your gold are mine; and the most attractive of your wives and your children are mine also. 4 And the king of Israel answered and said, According to your word, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have. 5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus says Bar-hadad, Although I sent to you at first, saying, You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children; 6 Yet I will send my servants to you tomorrow at about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants; and whatsoever pleases them, they shall take in their hands and bring back. 7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said to them, Know, and see how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives and for my children and for my silver and for my gold; and I denied him not. 8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do not hearken to him, nor consent. 9 Wherefore he said to the messengers of Bar-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that you did send for to your servant at the first I will do; but this thing I cannot do. And the messengers departed and brought him word again. 10 And Bar-hadad sent to him and said, The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria in handfuls shall suffice for all the people who are with me. 11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Let him talk; nevertheless, the one who ties a knot is not more able than the one who can untie it.""
12 ¶ And when Bar-hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, he said to his servants, Set yourselves in array against the city. 13 And, behold, a prophet drew near to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, Thus says the LORD, Have you seen all this great army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hands this day; and you shall know that I am the LORD. 14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said to him, By the young men and by the princes of the city. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he answered, You. 15 Then he numbered the young men and the princes of the city, and they were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand. 16 And they went out at noon, but Bar-hadad was drinking old wine in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who were come to help him. 17 And the young men and the princes of the city went out first; and Bar-hadad sent out men, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria. 18 And he said, Whether they have come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they have come out for war, take them alive. 19 So these young men and these princes came out of the city, and the army followed them. 20 And they slew every one his man; and the Arameans fled; and Israel pursued them; and Bar-hadad the king of Aram escaped in chariots with horsemen. 21 And the king of Israel went out and destroyed the horses and chariots, and slew the Arameans with a great slaughter.""
22 ¶ And, behold, the prophet of God came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, Go, strengthen yourself, and know, and see what you have to do; for at the beginning of the year the king of Aram will come up against you. 23 And the servants of the king of Aram said to him, Their god is a god of the mountains; this is why they triumphed over us; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall triumph over them. 24 And do this thing: Remove the kings, every one from his command, and put officers in their places; 25 And number for yourself an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot; and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened to their voice, and did so. 26 And it came to pass at the beginning of the year, that Bar-hadad gave orders to the Arameans, and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 And the children of Israel were mustered and set in array against them, like two little flocks of goats; but the Arameans filled the country. 28 And a prophet of God drew near to Ahab the king of Israel, and said to him, Thus says the LORD, Because the Arameans have said, The LORD is a god of the mountains, but he is not a god of the valleys, therefore I will deliver all this great army into your hands, and you shall know that I am the LORD. 29 So they encamped, one over against the other, seven days. And on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel slew of the Arameans a hundred thousand footmen in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men that were left. And Bar-hadad fled and came into the city into an inner chamber.""
31 ¶ And his servants came near and said to him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful kings; let us put sackcloth upon our heads and gird ropes on our loins and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare our lives. 32 So they put sackcloth on their heads and girded ropes on their loins, and went to the king of Israel and said to him, Your servant Bar-hadad says. Let me live. And the king said, Is he still alive? He is my brother. 33 Now Bar-hadad was a soothsayer, and the men surmised and quickly caught his meaning, and they said, Behold your brother, Bar-hadad. Then he said, Go, bring him. Then Bar-hadad came forth to him; and Ahab caused him to sit with him in the chariot. 34 And Bar-hadad said to him, The cities which my father took from your father, I will restore; and I will make a market place for you in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then Ahab said, I will send you away with a covenant. So he made a covenant with him and sent him away. 35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor according to the word of the LORD, Strike me. But the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, behold, as soon as you are departed from me, a lion shall slay you. And as soon as he departed from him, a lion found him and slew him. 37 Then he found another man and said to him, Strike me. And the man struck him, and wounded him. 38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, and disguised his face with ashes. 39 And, behold, as the king was passing by, he cried to the king and said, Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a soldier to me, and said, Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, then shall your life be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver. 40 And as your servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said to him, So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it. 41 And ha hasted and wiped off the ashes from his face; and the king of Israel realized that he was of the prophets. 42 And he said to him, Thus says the LORD, Because you have let go out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life and your people for his people. 43 Then the king of Israel went to his house sad and displeased, and came to Samaria.""
21:1 ¶ AND it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, Give me your vineyard that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near to my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to you, I will give you its worth in money. 3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers. 4 And Ahab went to his house sad and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.""
5 ¶ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, Why is your spirit so sad, that you refuse to eat food? 6 And he said to her, Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it, better than it; but he answered, I will not give you my vineyard. 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, Are you really king over Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. 8 So she wrote a letter in Ahab’s name and sealed it with his ring, and sent the letter to the elders and to the nobles who dwelt in the city with Naboth. 9 And she wrote in the letter, saying, Proclaim a fast and set Naboth on high among the people; 10 Then bring two wicked men and set them opposite him, and let them testify against him, saying, Naboth has reviled God and the king. And then take him out, and stone him, that he may die. 11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in the city with Naboth, did as Jezebel had sent to them and as it was written in the letter which she had sent to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and set Naboth on high among the people. 13 And they brought two wicked men, and seated them opposite him; and the wicked men witnessed against Naboth, saying, Naboth reviled God and the king. Then they took him outside the city and stoned him, so that he died. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned, and he is dead. 15 And when Jezebel heard that Naboth was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive but dead. 16 And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.""
17 ¶ And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, for he has gone there to possess it. 19 And you shall say to him, Thus says the LORD: Behold, you have killed, and, behold, you have also taken possession; thus says the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood, even yours. 20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Have you found me, O my enemy? And he answered, I have found you because you have exalted yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. 21 Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will pluck one by one your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male child and every one who has authority in governing Israel, 22 And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah for the provocation wherewith you have provoked me to anger and made Israel to sin. 23 And of Jezebel also the LORD spoke, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the inheritance which is in Jezreel. 24 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city shall the dogs eat; and anyone who dies in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. 25 But there was none like Ahab, who thought to do evil in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife incited. 26 And he did very abominably in following idols, just as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel. 27 And when Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth upon his body and fasted and lay in sackcloth and walked barefooted. 28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.""
22:1 ¶ AND three years passed without war Between Aram and Israel. 2 And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to Ahab the king of Israel. 3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, Do you know that Ramath-gilead belongs to us, and how long shall we keep still and not take it out of the hand of the king of Aram? 4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, Will you go with me to battle to Ramath-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said, I will go as you go, my people as your people and my horses as your horses. 5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray, for the word of the LORD this day. 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go to Ramath-gilead to battle or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the LORD will deliver the Arameans into the hand of the king. 7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD that we might enquire of him? 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may enquire of the LORD; his name is Micah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. 9 Then the king of Israel called a eunuch and said, Make haste and bring here Micah the son of Imlah. 10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were seated each on his throne, clothed with robes of different colors, at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 And Zedekiah the son of a Canaanitish woman made for himself horns of iron; and he said, Thus says the LORD: With these you shall pierce the Arameans, until you have destroyed them. 12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramath-gilead and you will triumph; for the LORD shall deliver them into your hands, O king. 13 And the messenger who went to call Micah spoke to him, saying, Behold now the words of the false prophets with one accord have predicted favorably concerning the king; let your word be like the word of one of them, and you also predict favorably. 14 And Micah said, As the LORD lives, whatsoever the LORD says to me, that will I speak.""
15 ¶ So he came to the king. And the king said to him, Micah, shall we go to Ramath-gilead to battle or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go up and be victorious; for the LORD shall deliver them into your hand, O king. 16 And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure you that you tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD? 17 And Micah said, I saw Israel scattered upon the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd; and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return every man to his own house in peace. 18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? 19 And Micah said, Hear therefore the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. 20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramath-gilead? And one said in this manner and another said in that manner. 21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. 22 And the LORD said to him, By what means? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said to him, You shall persuade him and prevail also; go forth and do so. 23 Now therefore", behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and the LORD has spoken evil concerning you. 24 But Zedekiah the son of the Canaanitish woman went near and struck Micah on his cheek and said to him, Which way has the Spirit of the LORD departed from me and spoken to you? 25 And Micah said to him, Behold, you shall see in that day, when you shall go into an inner chamber to hide yourself. 26 Then the king of Israel said, Take Micah and deliver him to Arnon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 27 And say, Thus says the king: Put this fellow in the prison and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction until I come in peace. 28 And Micah said, If you return in peace, then the LORD has not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, all you people.""
29 ¶ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramath-gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and enter into the battle; but you put on your robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. 31 But the king of Aram commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel. 32 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he was the king of Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him; and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And when the captains of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34 And a certain man drew his bow toward him at a venture and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the breastplate; wherefore the king said to the driver of his chariot, Turn around and carry me out of the army; for the pangs of death have come upon me. 35 And the battle grew fiercer that day; and the king was standing in the chariot facing the Arameans, and died that evening; and the blood ran out of his wound into the hollow of his chariot. 36 And at sunset a herald proclaimed throughout the army, saying, Go, every man to his city and every man to his own country. 37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria; and they buried him in Samaria. 38 And they washed the chariot on the hill of Samaria; and they washed his armor; and the dogs licked up his blood, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke. 39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did and the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 40 So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.""
41 ¶ And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Arubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43 And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD; nevertheless he did not remove the temples of idols; for the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 44 And Jehoshaphat made peace with the kings of Israel. 45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat and all the might that he showed and how he warred, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. 46 And the remnant of the Sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he removed from the land. 47 There was then no king who reigned in Edom. 48 Jehoshaphat built ships at Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold; but they did not go; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber. 49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with your servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not consent. 50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Joran his son reigned in his stead. 51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father and in the ways of his mother and in the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel sin; 53 For he served Baal and worshipped him and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done."