Solomon

12And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.

The LORD came to Solomon at night. He said, "I have heard your prayer. I have chosen this place for myself. It will be a house where people bring me offerings.

13If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

"Sometimes I close up the sky so that no rain falls. Sometimes I send locusts, bugs that eat up all the plants. Sometimes I send a sickness that spreads among my people.

14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

"My people are called by my name. If they become humble and pray, if they look for me and turn away from their wrong ways, then I will listen from heaven. I will forgive their sin. I will make their land well again.

15Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

"From now on my eyes will be open. My ears will listen to the prayers said in this place.

16For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

"I have chosen this house and made it holy. My name will be here forever. My eyes and my heart will always be here.

17And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments;

"Now about you, Solomon. Live the way your father David lived. Do everything I have told you to do. Keep my rules and my laws.

18Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

"If you do, I will keep your family ruling as kings. That is the promise I made to your father David. I told him that a man from his family would always rule Israel.

19But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;

"But you may turn away from me. You may stop keeping the rules and commands I gave you. You may go and serve other gods and worship them.

20Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

"If you do that, I will pull Israel out of the land I gave them. It will be like pulling a plant up by its roots. I will push this house away from me, even though I made it holy for my name. All the nations will talk about it and make fun of it.

21And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house?

"People will be shocked when they walk past this house. They will say, 'Why did the LORD do this to this land and to this house?'

22And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

"Others will answer, 'They left the LORD, the God of their families. He is the one who brought them out of Egypt. They took hold of other gods and worshipped and served them. That is why he brought all this trouble on them.'"

1And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD, and his own house,

Twenty years went by. In that time Solomon finished the LORD's house and his own house.

2That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

Solomon rebuilt the towns that King Huram had given him. Then he sent people from Israel to live in them.

3And Solomon went to Hamathzobah, and prevailed against it.

Solomon went to the town of Hamath-zobah and took it in battle.

4And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.

He built the town of Tadmor out in the dry, empty land. He also built storage towns in Hamath to keep food and supplies.

5Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars;

He rebuilt Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon. Both had strong walls, gates, and heavy bars to lock them.

6And Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion.

He also built Baalath and all his storage towns. He built towns for his chariots and towns for his horses. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and everywhere he ruled.

7As for all the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel,

Some people were still living in the land who were not Israelites. They were Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

8But of their children, who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, them did Solomon make to pay tribute until this day.

Their children and grandchildren still lived there, because Israel had not driven them out. Solomon made those people do hard work for him. They still do that work today.

9But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen.

Solomon did not make any Israelites do that hard labor. Instead they were his soldiers, his officers, and the leaders of his chariots and horsemen.

10And these were the chief of king Solomon’s officers, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people.

Solomon also had 250 chief officers. They were in charge of the workers.

11And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come.

Solomon had married the daughter of the king of Egypt. He moved her out of the City of David and into the house he built for her. He said, "My wife must not live in the house of King David of Israel. Those rooms are holy, because the ark of the LORD was brought there."

12Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch,

Then Solomon gave burnt offerings to the LORD. He gave them on the altar he had built in front of the temple porch.

13Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.

He gave the right offering each day, just as Moses had commanded. He did this on the Sabbath days, on the first day of each month, and at the three big feasts each year. Those feasts were the Feast of Bread Without Yeast, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Shelters.

14And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.

Solomon followed the plan his father David had made. He put the priests into groups for their work at the temple. He gave the Levites, the helpers at the temple, their own jobs. They sang praise and helped the priests each day. He also put the gatekeepers in groups at each gate. David, the man of God, had commanded all of this.

15And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.

The priests and Levites did just what the king said. They obeyed him about their work and about the storerooms too.

16Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was perfected.

All of Solomon's work was carried out well. It went from the day the temple floor was laid until the last day. So the LORD's house was finished.

17Then went Solomon to Eziongeber, and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom.

Then Solomon went to the towns of Ezion-geber and Eloth. They sit by the sea, in the land of Edom.

18And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.

King Huram sent Solomon ships and sailors who knew the sea well. They sailed with Solomon's men to a place called Ophir. There they got 450 talents of gold and brought it back to King Solomon.

1And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

The queen of Sheba heard how famous Solomon was. She came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She brought a very large group with her. Her camels carried spices, lots of gold, and jewels. She met Solomon and talked with him about everything on her mind.

2And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.

Solomon answered every one of her questions. Nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.

3And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,

The queen saw how wise Solomon was. She saw the palace he had built.

4And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.

She saw the food on his table. She saw where his helpers sat, and how they served. She saw their fine clothes, and the clothes of the men who poured his drinks. She saw the offerings he brought to the LORD's house. It took her breath away.

5And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom:

She said to the king, "What I heard back home about you is true. People told me about your words and your wisdom.

6Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.

But I did not believe it until I came and saw it myself. I was not told even half of how wise you are. You are much greater than the stories I heard.

7Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.

Your people must be very happy. So must these helpers who stand near you every day. They get to hear your wise words.

8Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.

Praise the LORD your God! He was pleased with you and put you on his throne. You are king for the LORD your God. Your God loves Israel and wants them to last forever. That is why he made you their king, to rule in a fair and right way."

9And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon.

Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold. She also gave him many spices and jewels. No one had ever brought spices like the ones she gave King Solomon.

10And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.

Huram's workers and Solomon's workers brought gold from a place called Ophir. They also brought algum wood and jewels.

11And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king’s palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.

The king used the algum wood to make steps for the LORD's house and for his own palace. He also made harps and other stringed instruments for the singers. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah before.

12And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted. He gave her whatever she asked for. It was even more than she had brought to him. Then she and her helpers went back home.

13Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;

Each year Solomon received 666 talents of gold.

14Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

That did not count what traders and sellers brought him. All the kings of Arabia and the rulers of the land brought him gold and silver too.

15And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.

King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold. Each one used six hundred shekels of gold.

16And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold. Each one used three hundred shekels of gold. The king put them all in the building called the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

17Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.

The king also made a big throne out of ivory. He covered it with pure gold.

18And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:

The throne had six steps. A gold footstool was attached to it. There were arm rests on both sides of the seat. A lion stood beside each arm rest.

19And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.

Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at each end of every step. No other kingdom had ever made anything like it.

20And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

All of King Solomon's cups were made of gold. Every dish in the House of the Forest of Lebanon was pure gold. Nothing was made of silver. In Solomon's days silver was not worth much.

21For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

The king had big trading ships that sailed with Huram's workers. Once every three years the ships came back. They brought gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

King Solomon had more riches and more wisdom than any other king on earth.

23And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.

Kings from everywhere came to see Solomon. They wanted to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

24And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

Year after year, each visitor brought a gift. They brought silver and gold dishes, clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

25And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots. He had 12,000 horses. He kept them in the chariot cities and with him in Jerusalem.

26And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.

He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines. His rule reached all the way to the border of Egypt.

27And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.

In Jerusalem the king made silver as common as stones. He made cedar wood as easy to find as sycamore trees in the hills.

28And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.

Horses were brought to Solomon from Egypt and from many other lands.

29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

The other things Solomon did, from start to finish, are written in other books. They are in the records of Nathan the prophet, a man who told people what God said. They are also in the writings of Ahijah from Shiloh, and in the visions of Iddo the seer about Jeroboam son of Nebat.

30And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

Solomon was king in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

31And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

Then Solomon died, like his family before him. He was buried in the City of David, the city of his father. His son Rehoboam became king after him.

23In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:

In those days I also saw Jewish men who had married women from other places. The women came from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.

24And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people.

Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of another people. They could not speak the language of Judah at all.

25And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.

I spoke sharply to those men and called down curses on them. I hit some of them and pulled out their hair. Then I made them promise before God. I said, "Do not let your daughters marry their sons. Do not take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves."

26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.

"King Solomon of Israel sinned in just this way. No king among the nations was like him. God loved him and made him king over all Israel. Even so, women from other lands led him into sin."

27Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?

"Should we listen to you and let this great evil happen? By marrying foreign women you are turning away from our God."