1 Now King David had become very old, and he couldn’t keep warm even when covered with blankets, 2 so his servants suggested, “Allow us search for a young woman who can wait on you and take care of your needs. She can sleep beside you and keep our master, the king, warm.” 3 So they searched throughout Israel and found a beautiful young woman called Avishag (a Shunammite) and brought her to the king. 4 She was incredibly beautiful and she took care of the king, but he didn’t have sexual relations with her.

5 Then David and Haggit’s son Adoniyyah promoted himself saying, “I, myself, will reign.” He acquired a chariot and horsemen and fifty men who ran along in front.[ref] 6 Haggit had given birth to him after Avshalom. He was a good-looker, but his father had never disciplined him or ever asked, “Why did you do that?” 7 He had spoken with Tseruyah’s son Yoav and the priest Evyatar and they had both agreed to support him. 8 But the priest Tsadok and Yehoyada’s son Benayah, the prophet Natan, Shimei and Rei, and David’s top warriors were all against Adoniyyah.

9 Then Adoniyyah sacrificed sheep and cattle and fattened calves near the Zohelet stone (which is beside Eyn-Rogel), and he invited all his brothers (the king’s sons), and all the men of Yehudah including the king’s servants. 10 However, he didn’t invite the prophet Natan, Benayah, the top warriors, or his brother Shelomoh.

11 Then Natan asked Shelomoh’s mother Batsheva, “Haven’t you heard that Haggit’s son Adoniyyah has made himself king, and our master David doesn’t even realise?[ref] 12 So please let me advise you now so that you can save your own life and that of your son Shelomoh (Solomon). 13 Go and ask King David, ‘My master the king, didn’t you promise your female servant, saying, “Surely your son Shelomoh will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne?” So why has Adoniyyah become king?’ 14 Then while you’re still there talking to the king, I’ll come in behind you and confirm what you said.”

15 So Batsheva went to the king’s bedroom where Avishag (the Shunammite) was attending him in his old age. 16 Batsheva bowed low to show respect to the king, and he asked her what she wanted.

17 “My master,” she replied, “you yourself promised to your female servant in front of your God Yahweh that your son Shelomoh would be the one to reign after you and sit on your throne. 18 But now, listen, Adoniyyah has become king instead, and you haven’t even been told about it. 19 He’s sacrificing many oxen and calves and sheep, and he invited the priest Evyatar, and Yoav the commander of the army, and all your sons except for your servant Shelomoh. 20 So now everyone’s waiting to see what you’ll do, my master the king. They want you to make it clearly known who’ll be the king on the throne after you. 21 Otherwise, as soon as my master the king passes on to join his ancestors, my son Shelomoh and I will be considered to be ‘in the way’.”

22 Just then, while she was still talking with the king, the prophet Natan appeared 23 and his arrival was announced to the king. He went into the room and knelt in front of the king and bowed his face to the floor. 24 Then he asked, “My master the king, did you announce that Adoniyyah will reign after you and sit on your throne? 25 I ask because today he sacrificed plenty of oxen and calves and sheep. He’d invited all your sons and army commanders, and Evyatar the priest. They’re all eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adoniyyah!’ 26 But as for me, I’m your servant, and nor did he invite Tsadok the priest or Yehoyada’s son Benayah, or Shelomoh your servant. 27 Did my master the king organise that without telling your servants who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him?”

28 Then King David said, “Call Batsheva back in.” So she came back into the king’s room and stood in front of him. 29 Then the king promised, “As Yahweh lives and has rescued me from every danger, 30 I promise you in front of Israel’s God Yahweh that your son Shelomoh will reign after me and will sit on my throne in my place. I’ll put it in action today.”

31 Batsheva knelt down and bowed her face to the floor and said, “May my master, the king David live forever.”

32 Then King David called out, “Summon Tsadok the priest for me, and Natan the prophet, and Yehoyada’s son Benayah.” So they came into the king’s room. 33 “Take some of my servants,” the king instructed them. “and put my son Shelomoh on my mule and lead him to the Gihon Spring. 34 Then you two, Tsadok and Natan, must anoint him there as king over Israel. Then blow the horn and shout, ‘Let King Shelomoh live!’ 35 Then follow him back here where he must come and sit on my throne. Then he’ll reign in my place as ruler of Israel and Yehudah.”

36 “Certainly,” Benayah replied. “Just as Yahweh, the God of my master the king has instructed. 37 Just as Yahweh has been with my master the king, so may he be with Shelomoh. And may his rule be even greater than that of my master, the king David.”

38 So Tsadok the priest and Natan the prophet and Yehoyada’s son Benayah and the kings bodyguards went and put Shelomoh on the king’s mule, and took him to Gihon. 39 Tsadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Shelomoh with it, and they blew the horn and all the people shouted, “Let King Shelomoh live!” 40 Then all the people followed him back uphill to the city, and the people were playing flutes and were so exuberant in their celebrations that the ground shook with the noise.

41 When Adoniyyah and all his invited guests had finished eating, they heard the noise, and Yoav heard the sound of the horn and asked, “What’s all that commotion in the city?” 42 He was still speaking when Yonatan the son of Evyatar the priest suddenly turned up, and Adoniyyah called him, “Come over here because you’re a good fellow and you’ll bring good news.”

43 “Actually, no,” Yonatan answered. “Our master the king David has just made Shelomoh king. 44 The king sent Tsadok the priest and Natan the prophet and Yehoyada’s son Benayah and the king’s bodyguards, and they placed Shelomoh on the king’s mule. 45 Then Tsadok and Natan anointed him as king at Gihon. Now they’ve gone back from there cheering all the way, and the whole city is happily celebrating. That’s the noise that you’re all hearing. 46 What’s more, Shelomoh’s sitting on the royal throne right now. 47 As well as that, the king’s servants went in to bless our master the king David, saying, ‘May God make Shelomoh’s reputation even better than yours, and may he make his reign even greater than yours.’ Then the king in his bed, bowed down 48 and said, ‘Blessed be Israel’s God Yahweh who has provided a son to sit on my throne today, and I’ve been able to see it before my death.’ ”

49 Then all Adoniyyah’s invited guests started trembling, and they all got up and quietly slipped back to their homes. 50 Adoniyyah himself was now afraid of what Shelomoh would do, so he went to the sacred tent and held on to the horns of the altar. 51 Shelomoh was told, “Listen, Adoniyyah is afraid of the new king because he’s grabbed the horns of the altar and said, ‘Let Shelomoh the king promise me as soon as possible, that he won’t execute his servant with the sword.’ ”

52 “If he shows himself as a loyal subject,” Shelomoh responded, “then he’ll be able to keep his head. But if he’s found to be a traitor, then he’ll die.” 53 So King Shelomoh sent for Adoniyyah, and they brought him down from beside the altar. He came and bowed down to Shelomoh the king and Shelomoh told him, “Go home.”

2 When David knew that his death was close, he instructed his son Shelomoh, 2 “I’ll soon be coming to my end, but you must be strong and sensible. 3 You must maintain your God Yahweh’s charge to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commands, his judgments, and his testimonies, according to what is written in Mosheh’s instructions, so that you’ll be wise in everything you do and everywhere that you turn, 4 so that Yahweh’s promise to me that he’d keep one of my descendants on Israel’s throne, will stand because he gave the condition, ‘If your descendants will obey me and worship me in truth with all their hearts and with all their souls.’

5 “Also you’re aware of what Tseruyah’s son Yoav did to me—what he did to two of the commanders of Israel’s armies—to Ner’s son Abner and to Yeter’s son Amasa. He murdered them, shedding blood in peace-time as if it was in a war, and the blood guilt is on him from head to toe.[ref] 6 So use your own wisdom, but don’t let Yoav get old and die peacefully.

7 However, return loyal kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and invite them to join you at your table because they helped me when I was fleeing from your brother Abshalom.[ref]

8 Then there’s Gera’s son Shimei, the Benyamite from Bahurim. He cursed me horribly when I was going to Mahanaim. Then he went down to meet me at the Yordan, and I promised him by Yahweh that I wouldn’t execute him,[ref] 9 so don’t leave him unpunished now. You’re a wise man and you’ll know how to handle him. Although he’s old, make sure he has a bloody death.

10 Then David breathed his last and was buried in the City of David. 11 He had reigned over Israel for forty years—seven years from Hebron and thirty-three years from Yerushalem.[ref] 12 Shelomoh replaced his father David on the throne, and his authority was established with firmness.[ref]

13 Then Haggit’s son Adoniyyah came to Shelomoh’s mother Batsheva and she asked him, “Is your coming peaceful?”

“It is,” he replied. 14 “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” she answered.

15 “You yourself know that the kingship was for me as the oldest son,” he said, “and all Israel wanted me to reign. But then Yahweh decided that it was for my brother, and then everything got turned around. 16 So now, I have only one thing to request from you—please don’t refuse me.”

“Go on,” she said.

17 He said, “Please speak to Shelomoh the king because he wouldn’t refuse you. Ask him to give me Avishag the Shunammite as my wife.”[ref]

18 “Okay,” Batsheva agreed, “I’ll personally speak to the king for you.”

19 So Batsheva went to King Shelomoh to speak to him on Adoniyyah’s behalf. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and he had a throne placed on his right for his mother to sit on. 20 Then she said, “I have one small request for you. Please don’t say you won’t do it”

“What’s your request, my mother,” the king responded, “because I couldn’t refuse you.”

21 “Let Avishag the Shunammite,” she said, “be given to your brother Adoniyyah as a wife.”

22 King Shelomoh answered his mother, “You’re requesting Avishag the Shunammite for Adoniyyah! You might as well request the throne for him, because he’s my brother and he’s older than I am! And then he’ll want Evyatar the priest and Tseruyah’s son Yoav!” 23 Then Shelomoh promised by Yahweh, “May God do to me whatever he wants, unless Adoniyyah pays with his life for saying that. 24 And now as Yahweh lives, the one who established me and caused me to sit on the throne of my father David, and who promised David’s descendants to continue reigning, Adoniyyah will certainly be put to death today.”

25 So King Shelomoh instructed Yehoyada’s son Benayah and he went and struck Adoniyyah down and he died.

26 Then concerning Evyatar the priest, the king told him, “Go to your fields at Anatot because you’re marked for death, but I won’t do it today because you carried my master Yahweh’s sacred box ahead of my father David, and because you suffered through all that my father suffered.”[ref] 27 That was how Shelomoh banished Evyatar from being a priest to Yahweh. It was done to fulfill what Yahweh had said at Shiloh said about removing Eli’s descendants.[ref]

28 When the news of that reached Yoav, he fled to Yahweh’s tent and held onto the horns of the altar, because he had supported Adoniyyah (even though he hadn’t supported Avshalom). 29 Someone told King Shelomoh that Yoav had fled to Yahweh’s tent and was there beside the altar, so Shelomoh instructed Yehoyada’s son Benayah, “Go and strike him down.” 30 So Benayah entered Yahweh’s tent and he told Yoav, “The king said for you to come out.”

“No, I’ll die here,” he replied.

So Benayah went back to the king and reported both sides of the conversation 31 and the king told him, “Just do what he said. Kill him and bury him, and in that way you’ll remove the blood guilt from me and my descendants for the blood that Yoav shed without cause. 32 Yahweh will return his blood onto his own head, because he attacked two men more righteous and better than himself: Ner’s son Abner, the commander of Israel’s army, and Yeter’s son Amasa, the commander of Yehudah’s army. He killed them with the sword and my father David didn’t have anything to do with it. 33 Their shed blood will return onto Joav’s head and on the heads of his descendants forever. But for David and his family and his descendants and his throne, Yahweh will give peace forever.”

34 So Yehoyada’s son Benayah went and struck Yoav at the altar and killed him. Then he was buried on his property in the wilderness. 35 The king appointed Benayah as army commander to replace Yoav, and appointed Tsadok as priest in place of Evyatar.

36 Then the king summoned Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house here in Yerushalem and live there. But don’t go anywhere else 37 because the day that you leave and cross the Kidron valley, you can be certain that you’ll die. Your blood will be on your own head.”

38 “My master the king,” Shimei responded, “your decision is good and your servant will do just what you said.”

39 However, three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves fled to Maacah’s son, King Akish of Gat, and Shimei was told where they’d gone. 40 So Shimei saddled his donkey and rode it to Akish at Gat to try to find his slaves and he was able to recover them 41 But Shelomoh was told that Shimei left Yerushalem and gone to Gath and then returned. 42 So the king summoned Shimei and asked him, “Didn’t I get you to promise by Yahweh that you heard me say that whenever you leave here, you’ll certainly die? And didn’t you tell me that it was a good decision? 43 So why didn’t you keep the promise by Yahweh and obey what I instructed you? 44 You yourself know all the evil things that you did to my father David, so now Yahweh will return your evil on your head. 45 But despite what you yelled out,[ref] Yahweh will bless me as king, and David’s throne will be established forever in front of Yahweh.”

46 Then the king commanded Yehoyada’s son Benayah, and he went out and put Shimei to death.

In those ways, Shelomoh established his control of the kingdom.

3 Shelomoh made himself the son-in-law of Egypt’s king Far-oh by taking Far-oh’s daughter as a wife and bringing her into the city of David (where she stayed until the completion of the construction of his palace and of Yahweh’s temple, and the wall around Yerushalem). 2 However, the people were sacrificing on various hills because at that time, a temple hadn’t yet been built for Yahweh. 3 Shelomoh demonstrated his love for Yahweh by obeying the instructions of his father David. However, he would offer sacrifices and burn incense on various hills.

4 One time, the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, because it was the most popular high place. Shelomoh offered up a thousand burnt up sacrifices on that altar, 5 and that night in Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Shelomoh in a dream and asked, “What would you like me to give you?”

6 Shelomoh replied, “You yourself showed incredible loyalty to your servant David, my father, because he walked in faithfulness and obedience in front of you, and did what he believed was rightyou wanted. And you’ve maintained this loyalty towards him and you allowed him to have a son sitting on his throne as I am today. 7 So now, Yahweh my God, you yourself have caused your servant to reign in place of my father David, but I’m still young—I don’t really know much about anything. 8 Yet your servant is among your chosen people—a numerous people who can’t be counted because there’s so many of us. 9 So please give your servant the ability to listen to your people and to judge them well—discerning between good and evil, because who’s able to judge your people—that’s a heavy task.”

10 Yahweh was very pleased that Shelomoh had requested that 11 and told him, “Because you requested that and didn’t request a long life or riches for yourself, or requested the lives of your enemies, but you requested discernment for yourself when listening and dispensing justice, 12 then I’ve done what you requested. Listen, I’ve given you a wise and discerning mind unlike anyone who’s lived before you or who will live in the future after you. 13 So I’ve also given you what you didn’t request: both riches and honour—there’ll be no other king like you for as long as you live, 14 and if you’ll obey my statutes and commands like your father David did, then I’ll also lengthen your life.”

15 Then Shelomoh woke up, and wow, it had been a dream, and he went into Yerushalem and stood in front of the sacred chest. Then he offered up burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and he held a feast for all his servants.

16 One day two prostitutes came to the king and stood in front of him, 17 and one of them said, “Please, my master, us two women live in the same house, and while she was there in the house, I gave birth to a baby. 18 Three days later, this woman also gave birth to her baby. Only the two of us were there in the house—no one else was around. 19 But then in the night, her son died because she rolled over onto him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me, as your female servant was asleep. She left her dead son with me, and took my son to her bed. 21 When I woke up in the morning ready to breastfeed my son, to my horror he was dead. However when I examined him closely in the light, more shock, it wasn’t actually my son!”

22 “No, my son is the living one,” the other woman said, “and your son is the dead one.”

“No, your son is the dead one,” the first woman countered, “and my son is the living one!”

Then they continued to argue in front of the king.

23 The king spoke, “So both of you are claiming that your baby is the one that’s alive and that the dead one belongs to the other.” 24 Then he ordered, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword to the king. 25 Then the king commanded, “Cut the living child into two pieces and give them half each.”

26 But the mother of the surviving baby felt compassion for her son and yelled, “Please, my master, give the baby to her—you certainly mustn’t kill him!”

Meanwhile the other woman was saying, “Well then, neither of us will have him. Cut him in half!”

27 The king spoke up, “Don’t harm the baby. Give the living child to the first woman—she’s his mother.”

28 All Israel eventually heard about this case that the king had judged, and they felt an awesome respect for him because they saw that he had God’s wisdom to do justice within him.

4 So Shelomoh was king over all Israel, 2 and these were his officials:

Tsadok’s son Azaryahu was the priest.

3 Shisha’s sons Elihoref and Ahiyyah were secretaries.

Ahilud’s son Yehoshafat was the recorder.

4 Yehoyada’s son Benayah was the army commander.

Tsadok and Evyatar were priests.

5 Natan’s son Azaryahu was supervisor of the governors,

and his son Zavud was a priest and adviser to the king.

6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace,

and Avda’s son Adoniram supervised the forced labourers.

7 Shelomoh appointed twelve governors over all Israel, and they sent in food for the palace—each governor was responsible for one month of the year. 8 Their names were:

Ben-Hur in the hill country of Efraim,

9 Ben-Deker in Makats, Shaalvim, Beyt-Shemesh, and Eylon-Beyt-Hanan,

10 Ben-Hesed in Arubot, Sokoh, and all the land of Hefer,

11 Ben-Avindav (who was married to Shelomoh’s daughter Tafat) in Nafat-Dor,

12 Ahilud’s son Baana in Taanak and Megiddo and all Beyt-Shan next to Tsaretan below Yezreel, from Beyt-Shan to Abel-Meholah, as far as the other side of Yokmeam,

13 Ben-Geber in Ramot-Gilead, including the villages of Manashsheh’s son Yair that were in Gilead, as well as the Argov area in the Bashan region, and including sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate bars.

14 Iddo’s son Ahinadav in Mahanayim.

15 Ahimaats (who had married Shelomoh’s daughter Basemat) in Naftali,

16 Hushai’s son Baana in Asher and Bealot,

17 Paruah’s son Yehoshafat in Yissashkar,

18 Ela’s son Shimei in Benyamin,

19 Uri’s son Geber in the Gilead region, including the lands of the Amorite King Sihon and King Og of the Bashan.

There was also one district governor over Yehudah.

20 Now Yehudah and Israel had become as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They had plenty to eat and drink and they were contented. 21 Shelomoh controlled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the Egyptian border, so they brought tribute to him and followed his orders during his lifetime.[ref]

22 The daily requirements for the palace included five tonnes of fine flour and eleven tonnes of coarse flour, 23 ten fattened cattle, twenty pasture cattle, one hundred sheep, wild game including deer, gazelle, and roebuck, and fattened fowls.

24 He controlled all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates from Tifsah in the north-east to Gaza in the south-west, and there was peace with all his neighbours. 25 So all Yehudah and Israel lived peacefully, from Dan in the north to Beersheva in the south—everyone focusing on their own property.

26 Shelomoh had forty thousand stalls for his chariot horses, and twelve thousand horsemen.[ref] 27 The district governors provided supplies for the palace—one governor for each month. They ensured that nothing was lacking for the king and his visitors. 28 They also provided the barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses, delivered to the designated locations.

29 God gave Shelomoh wisdom and incredible understanding, and the breadth of his interests seemed without limit. 30 He was wiser than anyone in the countries east of Israel or in Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Eytan the Ezrahite and Mahol’s son Heman and Kalkol and Darda, and his reputation spread to all the surrounding countries.[ref] 32 He could tell three thousand proverbs and he composed over a thousand songs.[ref] 33 He could lecture on plant life from the cedars in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows on walls. He taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34 People from all around came to listen to Shelomoh’s wisdom—many having been sent by other kings who’d heard about him.

5 Then King Hiram of Tsor (Tyre) sent his servants to Shelomoh when he heard that he’d been anointed as king to replace his father, because Hiram had always been a friend of David. 2 Shelomoh replied to Hiram, 3 “You yourself knew David my father, and you knew that he wasn’t able to build a temple for his God Yahweh his God because of the constant state of warfare until Yahweh would allow us to defeat all our enemies. 4 But now, my God Yahweh has enabled us to have peace from all around. We have no enemy, and there’s no threat of danger. 5 So listen, I’m planning to build a residence for my God Yahweh, just as Yahweh spoke to my father David, ‘Your son who I’ll put in your place on your throne, he’ll be the one to build the house to honour me.’[ref] 6 So now, please give the command to fell cedars for me from the Lebanon forest. Let my servants accompany your servants and I’ll pay your servants’ wages whatever amount you set, because you yourself know that there are no other workers who know how to fell trees like the Tsidonians.”

7 When Hiram got Shelomoh’s message, he was very happy and said, “Blessed be Yahweh today, who has given David a wise son to rule over that great nation.” 8 He sent this message back to Shelomoh, “I’ve received the message that you sent me and I myself will supervise everything you want including cedar and cypress logs. 9 My servants will transport them down from the forest to the ocean, and I’ll get them tied into rafts and float them to the place you specify and disassemble the rafts. Then it’ll be up to you to get them where you need them. All I ask for, is food for my family and workers.”

10 So Hiram supplied all the cedar and cypress logs that Shelomoh ordered 11 and each year Shelomoh supplied Hiram with three thousand tonnes of wheat and four hundred thousand litres of pure olive oil. 12 Yahweh gave Shelomoh wisdom just like he’d said he would, and there was peace between Hiram and Shelomoh and the two of them made a treaty with each other.

13 King Shelomoh forced thirty thousand men from all over Israel to become his workers, 14 and each month he sent a group of ten thousand of them to work in Lebanon. Each group would spend a month in Lebanon and then two months at home again. Adoniram was put in charge of all that.[ref] 15 Shelomoh also forced eighty thousand men to cut stones in the hill country and seventy thousand men to haul loads. 16 Then besides Shelomoh’s chief officers who were in charge of the work, there were another three thousand three hundred supervisors of the workers. 17 The king commanded them to quarry large, valuable blocks of dressed stone for the temple foundations. 18 Shelomoh’s and Hiram’s workers and the Gebalites shaped the stones and prepared the timber for building the temple.

6 So it was that four hundred and eighty years after the Israelis left Egypt, in the second month of the fourth year of Shelomoh’s reign over Israel, he began the construction of Yahweh’s residence. 2 It would be twenty-seven metres long, nine metres wide, and fourteen metres high.[fn] 3 The five-metre wide porch on the front was the same length as the temple width, so nine metres long. 4 The window openings narrowed towards the outer edge of the wall. 5 Against the outside of the back wall and the two sides, he built three-storey (but lower than the wall) side rooms. 6 The lowest level was just over two metres wide, the middle level was half a metre wider, and the top level the same again (because the temple wall got thinner as it went up). The temple walls had ledges built into them for the beams to sit on, so they wouldn’t have to go through the walls.

7 While the temple was being built, all of the huge stones were dressed at the quarry site, so there was no noise from any hammer or axe or iron tool at the construction site.

8 The entrance to the bottom level of siderooms was on the south side of the temple, then from there, stairs went up to the middle level, and more stairs to the top level. 9 So he built the temple walls, then it was roofed with cedar beams and planks, 10 and he built the siderooms—each level just over two metres high and attached to the temple with cedar beams.

11 Then Yahweh had this message sent to Shelomoh, 12 “This residence that you’re building, if you comply with my regulations and follow my judgements and obey all my commands, then I’ll ensure that everything I promised your father David will come to pass. 13 I will live among you Israelis and I’ll never abandon my people Israel.”

14 So Shelomoh finished the construction of the temple, 15 and on the inside he made walls of cedar boards. The floor was made with cypress boards, and the walls were panelled from the floor to the ceiling. 16 Inside the temple, nine metres at the rear were closed off to make an inner room called ‘the very holy place’. That too had walls made of cedar boards.[ref] 17 That left the main temple room as eighteen metres long, 18 and it had cedar boards on the walls decorated with carvings of buds and flowers in blosom. All the internal walls were covered with cedar so none of the large stones were visible.

19 The inner room at the back was to house the box containing Yahweh’s agreement, 20 and the room (nine metres long and wide and high) was overlaid with pure gold and equipped with an incense altar overlaid with cedar. 21 Then Shelomoh overlaid the main room with pure gold, and he hung gold chains crossing across the entrance to the inner room that was overlaid with gold. 22 He overlaid the interior of the entire temple with gold until it was all finished, including overlaying the altar belonging to the inner room with gold.[ref]

23 In the inner room, he made two winged creatures that were five metres high and made of olive wood.[ref] 24 Each wing was over two metres long, giving each one a total wingspan of four and a half metres. 25 Both creatures were the same size and shape, 26 and they were both five metres high. 27 The two winged creatures were placed across the inner room where their wingtips touched each other in the centre and their outer wings touched the walls. 28 Both of the wooden carvings were overlaid with gold.

29 He had all the interior walls of the temple engraved with winged creatures and palm trees and flowers in bloom, 30 and he overlaid the floor of both rooms with gold.

31 He made doors and doorposts for the inner room with olive wood, 32 and both doors were decorated with carvings of winged creatures and palm trees and flowers in bloom, then they were overlaid with gold that was hammered over the carvings. 33 He made the doorposts for the main temple entrance with olive wood, 34 and the two folding doors themselves each had two folding sections made of cypress. 35 These doors were also decorated with carvings of winged creatures and palm trees and flowers in bloom, and then overlaid with gold smoothed down over the carvings.

36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stones and a row of cedar beams.

37 The foundation for Yahweh’s residence was laid in the second month of the fourth year of Shelomoh’s reign, 38 and it was completed in the eighth month of his eleventh year—meeting all his specifications and requirements. So it took over seven years to build it.

7 Shelomoh also spent thirteen years getting his own palace finished. 2 He built the ‘Lebanon Forest Hall’ that was forty-six metres long, twenty-three metres wide, and fourteen metres high, with four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams sitting across the pillars. 3 It was roofed with cedar boards on forty-five supports set out into three rows of fifteen. 4 There were three rows of window gaps arranged in sets of three. 5 All the entrances and doorposts were made with wood planed with square sides, and they were arranged in sets of three.

6 He made his covered porch with pillars. It was twenty-three metres long and fourteen metres wide.

7 He made a hall for his throne where he would judge cases—called ‘The Judgement Hall’. It was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.

8 His actual residence behind the hall was constructed in a similar way. Shelomoh also built a house for his wife who was Far-oh’s daughter.[ref]

9 All these buildings were constructed with expensive stones that had been cut to size and trimmed with saws inside and out. They went from the foundation up to the eaves, and from the outside across to the great courtyard. 10 These large, costly stones in the foundations were cut in two sizes, with the largest almost five metres long. 11 On top of those were other costly stones of various sizes, and then cedar beams. 12 The largest courtyard had three rows of dressed stones and one row of cedar beams, as did the inner temple courtyard and the palace hall.

13 King Shelomoh sent for a craftsman in Tsor (Tyre) called Huram.[fn] 14 His mother was a widow with Naftali ancestry, and his father had been a bronze engraver in Tsor. He was very knowledgeable and skilled in everything to do with bronze, and so he came to work for King Shelomoh.

15 He cast two hollow bronze pillars—each being just over eight metres tall and measuring over five metres around. 16 Then he made two decorative bronze caps for those pillars—each over two metres high. 17 To hang over them, he made ornamental chains and wreaths—seven sets over the cap on each pillar. 18 Then he made two rows of decorative bronze pomegranates to go around each of the two caps. 19 The two caps were each shaped like lilies that were nearly two metres high 20 and there were two hundred bronze pomegranates in rows around each cap. NEED A DIAGRAM

21 Huram stood the two pillars at the temple entrance porch. (The lefthand pillar got nicknamed ‘Yakin’ and the one on the right, ‘Boaz’.) 22 The two bronze caps shaped like lilies were placed on top of the pillars and so the pillar construction was completed.

23 Huram also cast a very large round basin nicknamed ‘The sea’ that was five metres across (so a circumference of fourteen metres) and over two metres high. 24 Part of the same casting was two rows of decorative buds that went around it under the lip of the basin. There were about eighteen buds for each metre of circumference. 25 Twelve bronze cattle had also been cast and the large basin was sitting on their backs. The cattle were facing outwards with three facing towards each of the four compass points. 26 The basin was about 8cm thick and it had a lip around the outside like a lily blossom. It could contain around forty-four thousand litres of water.

27 Then Huram cast ten bronze carts for individual water basins. Each one was nearly two metres long and two metres wide and just over a metre tall, 28 and they had frames on the sides with panels between them. 29 There were bronze lions, oxen, and winged creatures in relief on the panels, and above and below those, wreaths were inset into the bronze. 30 Each cart had two bronze axles with four bronze wheels attached to them. At each of the top four corners, there were bronze supports to hold a wash basin, and these were also cast with decorative wreaths. 31 Inside those supports there was a round frame that protruded half a metre upwards and was inset by a quarter of a metre. It also had engravings on it inside square frames. 32 The axles were part of the main casting, and the four 70cm bronze wheels were below the panels. 33 The design of the wheels was similar to chariot wheels, but with their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs all cast from bronze. 34 Each cart had four handles as part of the casting—one projecting from each corner. 35 There was a 25cm bronze band around the top of each cart as well as supports and frames—all part of the main casting. 36 He engraved winged creatures, lions, and palm trees on the flat areas of the carts wherever there was space, and engraved wreaths around them. 37 So that’s how he made the ten carts—all the same shape and size using the same mold.

38 Huram also cast ten bronze wash basins for the ten carts—each one was almost two metres across and could hold 900 litres of water.[ref] 39 He put five basins on carts on each side of the temple (north and south of the east-facing temple), and he put the huge basin on its bronze cattle near the south-east corner. 40 Huram also made the basins and the ash shovels and the bowls.

So Huram finished everything that King Shelomoh had requested him to make for Yahweh’s residence: 41 two massive pillars with large decorated caps and then networks of chain over the caps, 42 the four hundred pomegranates with each pillar having two strings of one hundred of them placed over them, 43 the ten carts and the ten basins on them, 44 the huge water tank and the twelve cattle supporting it, 45 and the pots and shovels and bowls and all the other containers.

All the above was made from polished bronze by Huram for King Shelomoh for Yahweh’s residence. 46 The king had them cast in the clay in the Yordan valley between Sukkot and Tsaretan. 47 None of the above was weighed, because bronze was so plentiful that it didn’t matter.

48 Shelomoh also had the gold items made for Yahweh’s residence, including the gold incense altar and the gold table for the sacred bread,[ref] 49 the ten pure gold lampstands that were placed five on each side of the entrance to the inner room, along with the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs,[ref] 50 the pure gold cups, trimmers, bowls, dishes, and firepans, and also the gold door sockets for the inner holiest room and the main room of the temple.

51 Finally all the work that King Shelomoh did for Yahweh’s residence was completed, and he had all the holy things from his father David, including the silver and the gold and the containers, taken into the storerooms of the temple.[ref]

8 So Shelomoh assembled the Israeli leaders, and the tribal and clan heads, in Yerushalem to celebrate the arrival of the box containing Yahweh’s agreement coming from David’s city, i.e., Tsiyyon/Zion.[ref] 2 This all happened during the Celebration in Shelters in the seventh month of Etanin.[ref] 3 The Israeli elders and the priests lifed the sacred box 4 and carried it to the temple. Other priests and Levites brought all the sacred objects from the sacred tent. 5 King Shelomoh and all the Israelis who were there, walked ahead of the box, sacrificing more sheep and cattle than could be counted, because there were so many.

6 Then the priests brought the box containing the agreement into the inner room in the temple (the very holy place), and placed it beneath the wings of the two wooden winged creatures, 7 The two creatures had their wings stretched out and touching in the middle of the room where the sacred box was placed, so their wings covered over the top of the box and its carrying poles. 8 The poles were very long and the ends of them could be seen from the entrance to that inner room, but otherwise they couldn’t be seen from the outside, and they’re still there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the box except for the two stone slabs that Mosheh (Moses) had put inside at Mt. Sinai (also called Horev) where Yahweh made the agreement with the Israelis after he’d brought them out of Egypt.[ref]

10 When the priests came back out of the holy place, a cloud filled Yahweh’s residence[ref] 11 and the priests were unable to stand to minister because of the cloud, because Yahweh’s presence had filled his temple. 12 Then Shelomoh said, “Yahweh stated that he would dwell in the cloudy darkness.[ref] 13 Actually, I’ve built a raised house for you—where you can live forever.”

14 Then while all the people stood there, the king turned around and pronounced a blessing on all Israel, 15 saying, “Blessed is Yahweh, the God of Israel, who spoke audibly to my father David, and then put into action the promise he’d given, 16 ‘From the day when I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I didn’t choose a city from among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in so that my name would be established there. Instead I chose David to lead my people Israel.’ ”[ref]

17 Shelomoh continued, “My father David wanted to build a temple to confirm Yahweh’s power and authority here.[ref] 18 However, Yahweh told him that it was good that he wanted to build a temple for him, 19 however he wouldn’t be the one to build it, because it would be his biological son who would do it.[ref]

20 Now Yahweh has put his promise into action, and I’m here now having succeeded my father David—sitting on Israel’s throne just as Yahweh said, and I’ve been the one to build the residence for Israel’s God Yahweh. 21 I’ve included a place for the box containing the two stone tablets with the agreement that Yahweh made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”

22 Then Shelomoh stood between Yahweh’s altar and all the gathered Israelis, and held his arms up towards the sky 23 and prayed, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, there’s no God like you in the heavens above or here on the earth below, keeping the agreement and showing loyal affection to your servants, the ones who serve you with honest devotion. 24 You have done what you told your servant David, my father, that you said you’d do—you said it with your mouth and then put it into action with your hands as we can see today. 25 Now, Yahweh, the God of Israel, do the other things for your servant David my father, when you told him that there’ll always be one of his descendants on Israel’s throne, provided they follow you like he did.[ref] 26 So now, God of Israel, show that you’re faithful to do what you say, by doing what you told your servant David, my father.

27 “But would God really reside on the earth? The sky and the heavens aren’t big enough for you so how could this building I’ve constructed contain you?[ref] 28 But still, please give attention to your servant’s prayer and my request for favour, Yahweh my God. Please listen to my humble prayer that your servant is praying to you today 29 that your eyes be on this house night and day—the place that you’ve said will be associated with your name. May you answer the prayers that your servant will pray towards this place.[ref] 30 Listen to your servant’s plea for favour, and the prayers that your people Israel will pray toward this place. Keep listening from where you live in the heavens, and hear and forgive.

31 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbour and says on oath that the accusation is false, and makes that oath in front of your altar here in this temple, 32 then you should listen from the heavens and judge your people Israel, so that wicked people will be condemned and bear the appropriate punishment, and innocent people should be declared not guilty and dealt with appropriately.

33 When your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they’ve sinned against you, and they turn back to you and confess your name and pray, and plead for favour toward you in this temple, 34 then you should listen from the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to this land that you gave to our ancestors.

35 “Or when the rain is held back in the sky because your people have sinned against you, and then they pray towards this place and acknowledge you and turn away from the disobedience that caused the problem, 36 then listen to them from the heavens and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, because you’ll direct them towards the right way to conduct themselves. Then you’ll send rain onto your land that you gave to your people as an inheritance.

37 “Suppose that there was a drought in the land, or diseases like blight or mildew, or swarms of locusts or grasshoppers, or if an enemy besieges them in a gated city, or some other trouble or calamity, 38 then if anyone from your people Israel who knows about their own disobedience would spread out their palms toward this temple, 39 then listen to them from your heavenly abode and forgive their sin, and give them what they need. You and you alone are the only one who knows what’s inside a human heart. 40 Then the people will want to obey you as long as they’re alive here in the land that you gave to our ancestors.

41 “Also the foreigners who’re not descendants of Israel and who came from distant countries because of your reputation 42 (when they heard about your nature and saw your power in action), and they come and pray toward this temple, 43 then listen to them from your abode in the heavens and do what that foreigner begged of you, so that all the countries will know your reputation and respect you like your people Israel do. Then they’ll know that your authority is connected with this residence that I’ve built.

44 “When your people go out to battle against the enemy, and on the road where you sent them they pray to you Yahweh, in this city that you’ve chosen, with this house that I’ve built for your honour, 45 Then listen from the heavens to their prayer and their request, and help their situation.

46 “If they disobey you (because everyone sins) and you’re angry with them and cause them to be defeated by their enemies, and then they get taken prisoner and led away to the enemy’s country (even a far away country), 47 and then they have a change of mind in the land where they were taken to as captives, and while they’re still living in that land, they turn back and beg for your favour and confess, ‘We’ve disobeyed and done wrong—we’ve behaved wickedly,’ 48 and they return to you with all their hearts and all their souls in the land of their enemies where they were taken captive, and they pray to you toward the direction of their country which you gave to their fathers, the city that you chose, and the residence that I’ve built for your honour, 49 then listen to their prayers and requests from your abode in the heavens, and help their situation. 50 Forgive your people who’ve disobeyed you and forgive the wicked things that they’ve done. Help their captors to be compassionate to them, 51 because they’re your people and your special possession who you brought out from Egypt—from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace.

52 “May you notice the plea for favour from your servant and from your people Israel—to listen to them in all their crying out to you. 53 For you yourself separated them for yourself as a special possession out of all the people groups in the world, just as you said through your servant Mosheh when you brought our ancestors out from Egypt, my master Yahweh.”

54 Once Shelomoh was finished praying this prayer and request for favour to Yahweh, he stood up from bowing on his knees with his palms spread out toward the heavens in front of Yahweh’s altar, 55 then stood there and blessed all the Israeli people, saying, 56 “Blessed be Yahweh, who has given peace to his people Israel like he said he would. He didn’t fail to do even one part out of all the good things that he told his servant Mosheh that he’d do.[ref] 57 May our God Yahweh be with us, just as he was with our ancestors. May he not leave us or abandon us, 58 help us to want to follow him and walk on all his paths and obey his commands and statutes and judgments that he gave our ancestors. 59 May this prayer of mine pleading for Yahweh’s favour, be remembered by our God Yahweh day and night—to protect both his servant and his people Israel as each day requires, 60 so that all the people groups in the worlds would know that Yahweh is the God—there’s no other besides him. 61 And you people, may your purpose be to completely follow our God Yahweh, by obeying his statutes, and by keeping his commands like you’re doing today.”

62 Then the king and all the Israelis offered sacrifices to Yahweh, 63 and King Shelomoh sacrificed peace offerings to Yahweh (twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep) and the king and the Israelis dedicated Yahweh’s residence. 64 On that day the king reserved the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the temple, because that was where he made the burnt up offerings and the grain offerings and the fat pieces of the peace offerings. This was because the bronze altar was too small to handle all those offerings.

65 Then Shelomoh and Israelis from all over the country celebrated in front of Yahweh at that time—people from Lebo-Hamat in the far north down to the Egyptian border in the far south—one week, then a second week—a total of fourteen days. 66 The next day, he instructed the people to go home, and they blessed the king, then went home feeling happy and encouraged because of all the good things that Yahweh had done for his servant David’s family and for his people Israel.

9 Once Shelomoh had finished the construction of the temple and his palace, and various other projects of his, 2 Yahweh appeared a second time to him, similar to his appearance at Gibeon[ref] 3 and said, “I’ve heard your prayer and your plea for favour requested from me. I’ve declared that this residence that you built is holy by associating my name with it forever, and my eyes and my heart will constantly be there.[fn] 4 And as for you, if you’ll behave with godliness just like your father David lived with total dedication and honesty, by following everything that I’ve commanded you including keeping my statutes and my judgments, 5 then I’ll continue your dynasty over Israel forever, just like I told your father David when I said, ‘your descendants will never be removed from Israel’s throne.’[ref] 6 If you or your descendants ever turn back from following me and don’t keep my commands and statutes, and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, 7 then I’ll cut Israel off from the land that I’ve given them and from the temple that’s dedicated to my name—I’ll send them far away, and Israel will become an example and a laughing stock among all the other countries. 8 As this temple is on a hill and very visible, everyone who passes anywhere nearby will see it and will be appalled and will hiss and they’ll say, ‘What did the people do that was so bad that Yahweh did that to this country and to this temple?’[ref] 9 Then they’ll answer, ‘It’s because they abandoned their God Yahweh who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, but they held on to other gods and bowed down to them and served them. Therefore Yahweh brought all this calamity onto them.’ ”

10 It took twenty years for Shelomoh to construct the temple for Yahweh and the palace for himself. 11 King Hiram from Tsor (Tyre), had supported Shelomoh with cedar and cypress logs, and with gold—as much as he’d needed. So King Shelomoh gave him twenty cities in the Galilee region, 12 but when Hiram came down from Tsor to see the cities that Shelomoh had given him, he wasn’t very happy about them 13 and asked, “My friend, what sort of cities are these that you’ve given me?” and he called the area ‘Kabul’ (meaning ‘Worthless’), which it’s still called to this day. 14 Hiram had sent four tonnes of gold to Shelomoh.

15 Now this is the matter of the forced labour that King Shelomoh brought up to build Yahweh’s residence and his palace, the raised terraces and the Yerushalem city wall, and the cities of Hatsor, Megiddo and Gezer. 16 (Egypt’s King Far-oh had seized Gezer and set fire to it and killed the Canaanites who had lived in the city. Then he’d given it as a wedding present to his daughter when Shelomoh had married her.) 17 Shelomoh rebuilt Gezer and lower Beyt-Horon, 18 Baalat, Tadmor in the Yehudah wilderness, 19 all of Shelomoh’s storehouse cities, and the cities for his chariots and horses. They also built whatever else Shelomoh wanted—in Yerushalem, in Lebanon, and in the entire area of his dominion. 20 All the remaining Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Yebusite people (they weren’t descendants of Israel), 21 had descendants who continued living in Israel. These were people groups that the Israelis hadn’t been able to annihilate so Shelomoh used them for forced labour (where they remain to this day). 22 But he didn’t consign any Israelis to slavehood, because they were his warriors and servants, and his officers and captains, and the commanders of his chariots and horsemen. 23 Some were commanders of the five hundred and fifty work supervisors.

24 Once Far-oh’s daughter moved out of the City of David to the palace that he’d built for her, then he built the raised terraces.

25 Shelomoh offered burnt offerings and peace offerings three times that year on the altar that he’d built for Yahweh, and he burned incense to Yahweh with it, and he completed the temple.[ref]

26 King Shelomoh constructed a fleet of ships in Ezion-Geber, which is near Eylot on the shore of the Red Sea in the Edom region. 27 King Hiram sent some of his servants who were experienced sailors to serve with Shelomoh’s men. 28 They sailed to Ofir and brought back fourteen tonnes of gold that they took to Shelomoh.

10 Now the queen from Sheva had heard a report about how Yahweh had blessed Shelomoh, and she came to test him with difficult questions.[ref] 2 She came to Yerushalem with lots of her top people, camels carrying spices and gemstones and a lot of gold. Then she went to Shelomoh and started asking him everything that had been on her mind. 3 He answered all her questions—there wasn’t any topic that he wasn’t able to shed light on. 4 When the queen from Sheva saw the extent of Shelomoh’s wisdom, the palace that he’d built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the uniforms and the service of his waiters, and the burnt offerings that he sacrificed at Yahweh’s temple, she was totally lost for words.

6 She told the king, “Wow, everything that I heard about you back in my own country, and about how wise you are, is true. 7 I hadn’t believed it until I got here and saw it with my own eyes, but then I find that what I heard is only half of how incredible it is. Your wisdom and your goodness is way more than what I’d heard described. 8 Your men are so fortunate and especially your servants who’re always standing in front of you and able to hear the wise things that you say. 9 May your God Yahweh be blessed, who was pleased with you and placed you on Israel’s throne. He appointed you as king to rule them fairly and honestly because Yahweh loves Israel forever.”

10 Then the queen gave to king four tonnes of gold and very many spices and precious gemstones. Never again did King Shelomoh receive more spices than what the queen gave him that day.

11 King Hiram’s fleet also brought gold from Ofir as well as a lot of almug wood and precious gemstones. 12 The king used the almug timber to make railings[fn] for the temple and the palace, and lyres and harps for the musicians. Such a quantity and quality of almug wood has never again been brought in or seen in Israel to this day.

13 Then King Solomon gave the queen from Sheva everything she wanted—whatever she requested on top of what he had already given to her. Then she departed with her servants and returned to her country.

14 The amount of gold that came to Shelomoh in one year was around twenty-two tonnes, 15 not counting what came from explorers and traders, and all the Arab kings, and the governors of the land.

16 King Shelomoh had two hundred body shields made from beaten gold overlaid over wood—each shield took six kilograms of gold. 17 He also had three hundred smaller shields made—each of them covered with two kilograms of gold—and placed in his ‘Lebanon Forest Hall’.

18 The king had a large ivory throne made and overlaid with pure gold. 19 It had six steps going up to it and the seat-back was rounded at the top. It had armrests on both sides, then a lion on each side next to the armrests, 20 plus twelve lions standing one on each side of the six steps. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.

21 All of Shelomoh’s cups were gold, and the various dishes in the ‘Lebanon Forest Hall’ were also pure gold. Nothing was made out of silver because it was considered to be of little value during Shelomoh’s time 22 because the king had a fleet of ships that joined King Hiram’s fleet. Every three years the fleet would return bringin gold and silver, ivory, monkeys and baboons.[fn]

23 King Shelomoh became richer and wiser than any other king in the world, 24 and even people from distant countries would come to see Shelomoh to listen to the wisdom that God had given him. 25 Every visitor would bring a gift: gold containers, clothes, weapons, spices, horses and mules. This continued year after year.

26 Shelomoh acquired 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. He stationed most of them in his chariot cities and some with him there in Yerushalem.[ref] 27 While he was king, silver in Yerushalem was given a value similar to stones, and cedar timber was given a value like that of the sycamores that grow in plenty in the lowlands.[ref] 28 Shelomoh acquired horses from Egypt and from Kue—his traders would acquire them from Kue for the king for a price.[ref] 29 An Egyptian chariot went for six hundred silver coins and a horse for one hundred and fifty. Then they’d export them again to the Hittite and Aramean kings.

11 Now King Shelomoh loved many foreign women—besides Far-oh’s daughter there were Moabite women, Ammonite women, Edomite women, Sidonian women, and Hittite women.[ref] 2 They were from the nations that Yahweh had told Israel about, “You must not mix with people from those nations, and they must not join together with you. They will certainly entice you to worship their gods.” However, Shelomoh clung to them for love.[ref] 3 He had seven hundred wives who were kings’ daughters, as well as three hundred slave-wives, and his wives were instrumental in his turning away from Yahweh. 4 By the time of his old age, Shelomoh’s wives had persuaded him to worship the gods from their countries—his heart wasn’t totally dedicated to Yahweh like his father David had been. 5 So Shelomoh started to worship the Tsidonians’ God Ashtoret and the Ammonites’ detestable God Milkom, 6 so he did many things that Yahweh had said were evil—he didn’t remain fully committed to Yahweh like his father David had been. 7 Then Shelomoh built a place to worship Kemosh, the Moabites detestable God, on a hill facing Yerushalem, and also for Molek, the Ammonites’ detestable God. 8 He did those things for his foreign wives who were burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.

9 Although Israel’s God Yahweh had appeared twice to Shelomoh, he now turned his devotion away from Yahweh, who then became angry with him. 10 Yahweh had warned Shelomoh not to follow after other gods, but he didn’t obey Yahweh’s instructions, 11 and Yahweh told him, “You have this against you: you haven’t kept my agreement and you’ve disobeyed my statutes that I gave you. So I’ll definitely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant, 12 except that for the sake of your father David I won’t do it in your lifetime, rather, I’ll tear the kingdom away from your son. 13 What’s more, I won’t tear the whole kingdom away—I’ll leave one tribe for your son to rule for my servant David’s sake, and for the sake of my chosen city Yerushalem.”

14 Then Yahweh caused Hadad the Edomite (and a descendant of the Edomite king) to stand against Shelomoh. 15 In the past when David had been in Edom with his army commander Yoav to bury their dead, they had killed every male in Edom. 16 (Yoav and the Israeli warriors had had to stay there for six months to kill the Edomite males.) 17 However, Hadad had been a small child at that time, and he’d fled to Egypt with some of his father’s Edomite servants. 18 They’d passed through Midyan and then Paran where they’d gained some more men before entering Egypt where King Far-oh gave him a house and land, and provided him with food. 19 Far-oh took a liking to Hadad and gave him his wife Queen Tahpenes’ sister to marry. 20 Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son Genubath, his son, and Tahpenes weaned him in the midst of the house of Pharaoh. And Genubath was in the house of Pharaoh in the midst of the sons of Pharaoh.

21 When Hadad in Egypt heard that both David and his army commander Yoav had died, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Give me permission to leave, and I’ll go back to my land.”

22 But Far-oh asked him, “But what’s wrong with staying here? You’ve stunned me by asking to go to your land.”

“Nothing’s lacking here,” he replied, “but I have to go—please give me permission to leave.”

23 God also caused Elyada’s son Rezon to stand against Shelomoh. He’d run away from his master, King Hadadezer in Tsovah, 24 then he’d gathered men for himself and had become a commander of a raiding band. When David attacked them, they went to Dammesek (Damascus). They lived there and gained control of the city. 25 Then during all of Shelomoh’s reign, he’d been outspoken against Israel—encouraged by the evil that Hadad did. He reigned over Syria (Aram) and he loathed Israel.

26 Nebat’s son Yarobam (Jeroboam), an Efratite from Tseredah also rebelled against the king. (His widowed mother Tseruah was one of Shelomoh’s servants.) 27 This is the background about how it started: Shelomoh had built the raised terrace and had repaired a gap in the wall of the city of David his father. 28 Shelomoh had noticed Yarobam as a strong and hard-working young man, so he’d appointed him as supervisor over all the forced labour from Manashsheh and Efraim’s regions. 29 One time when Yarobam was away from Yerushalem, the prophet Ahiyyah the Shilonite met him on the road. He was wearing a brand-new a new cloak, and there was just the two by themselves in the countryside. 30 Ahiyyah then pulled the new cloak off his shoulders and tore it into twelve pieces, 31 and told Yarobam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, because this is what Israel’s God Yahweh says, ‘Listen, I’m about to tear the kingdom away from Shelomoh’s control, and I’ll give the[fn] ten tribes to you. 32 The one tribe[fn] will be for him, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Yerushalem city which I’ve chosen from all the tribes of Israel. 33 This is because they’ve forsaken me. Instead they’ve bowed down to the Tsidonians’ God Ashtoret, to the Moabite god Kemosh, and to the Ammonite God Milkom. They’re no longer following my instructions or doing what they know I’ve said is right—not obeying my statutes or my judgments like the king’s father David did. 34 But I won’t take the entire kingdom off him, but rather I’ll leavet him as a leader while he’s still alive for the sake of my chosen servant David, who obeyed my commands and my statutes. 35 However, I’ll take the kingship away from his son and I’ll give the ten tribes to you to rule. 36 I’ll give Shelomoh’s son one tribe to rule so that one of David’s descendants will always rule in my chosen city Yerushalem because it’s associated with my name. 37 But I’ll use you, and you’ll be able to reign over the area where you want to rule—you’ll become king over Israel. 38 Then if you’ll listen to everything that I command you, and walk on the right path and do what pleases me and keep my statutes and my commands, just like my servant David did, then I’ll be with you. I’ll establish a dynasty for you just like I did for David, and I’ll give Israel to you. 39 I’ll make David’s descendants suffer because of Shelomoh’s behaviour, but not forever.’ ”

40 Shelomoh tried to kill Yarobam, but he left the area and fled to Egypt. He remained in Egypt under the protection of King Shishak until Shelomoh’s death.

41 A record of all the other things that Shelomoh did, and all the wise things that he said, was written in the ‘Record of Shelomoh’s Achievements’. 42 Shelomoh reigned over all Israel from Yerushalem for forty years, 43 then he died and was buried in the City of David, and his son Rehavam (Rehoboam) became king.

12 Rehavam went to Shekem, because all Israel had assembled there to make him king. 2 Meanwhile, Nebat’s son Yarobam (Jeroboam) in Egypt (where he’d fled from King Shelomoh) heard the news and returned to Israel. 3 The leaders of the northern tribes summoned him, and they all went to petition King Rehavam, 4 “Your father Shelomoh required us to contribute too much labour. If you’ll lighten the burden on us, then we’ll serve you.”

5 “Come back in three days,” he replied, “and I’ll give my response.” So the people left.

6 Then King Rehavam consulted with the elders (who’d served his father Shelomoh while he was alive), asking them for advice on how to respond.

7 “If you want to serve these people well,” they replied, “answer them with kindness now then they’ll serve you well in the future.”

8 However he dediced to ignore that advice from the elders, and he consulted with the young men who were standing in front of him and that he’d grown up with, 9 so he asked them, “What would you all recommend that we tell the people who wanted me to lighten the burden that my father placed on them?”

10 “You should tell them this,” his young companions replied. “They’ve asked that you should lighten the load on them from what your father demanded, but on the contrary, you should tell them that your little finger is thicker than your father’s thigh bone was. 11 Tell them that your father placed a heavy burden on them, but that you’ll add to that. He punished them with whips, but you’ll punish them with scorpions.”

12 So when Yarobam and all the leaders came back to King Rehavam on the third day as he’d instructed them, 13 he answered them harshly—ignoring the advice of the elders at the beginning. 14 Instead he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father placed a heavy burden on you all, but as for me, I’ll add to those demands. My father punished you all with whips, but as for me, I’ll punish you all with scorpions.” 15 So the king didn’t listen to the people. This change came from Yahweh so that what he’d had Ahiyyah the Shilonite tell Nebat’s son Yarobam would all indeed happen.[ref]

16 When all Israel saw that the king hadn’t listened to them, the people responded,

“What share in David do we have?

≈We won’t get any inheritance from Yeshai’s son.

Go back to your tents, Israel.

Look at your dynasty now, David.”[ref]

So the northern Israeli leaders went home again. 17 However, Rehavam continued to rule over the cities in Yehudah.

18 Then King Rehavam took Adoniram who was over the forced labour, to go north but the people killed him by throwing rocks at him and the king had to hurriedly jump into his chariot to flee to Yerushalem. 19 Ever since then, the northern tribes of Israel have rebelled against David’s dynasty.

20 So as soon as all Israel heard that Yarobam had returned from Egypt, they summoned him to their assembly and appointed him as king over all northern Israel. Only the Yehudah region was left under the rule of David’s grandson Rehavam.

21 So when Shelomoh’s son Rehavam (Rehoboam) returned to Yerushalem, he assembled all the tribes of Yehudah and Benyamin, and 180,000 warriors were chosen to fight against the northern tribes to return the kingship to him. 22 But God told the prophet Shemayah, 23 “Go and tell Shelomoh’s son Rehavam, the king of Yehudah, and tell all the descendants of Yehudah and Benyamin, and the remainder of the people, saying, 24 ‘Yahweh says this: Don’t go and fight against your Israeli relatives. Everyone should just return home because everything that happened there was initiated by me.’ ” When they heard Yahweh’s message, they took note of it and everyone went back home.

25 Then Yarobam built Shekem in the hill country of Efraim and he lived there for a while. Then he left there and built Penuel. 26 After that, he worried that the entire country might want to go back under David’s dynasty. 27 He worried that if the people went down to Yerushalem to offer sacrifices in Yahweh’s temple, they might shift their allegiance to King Rehavam in Yehudah and then his life might be in danger.

28 So after getting advice, the king made two gold calves, and he told his people, “Going all the way down to Yerushalem is too far for you. Look, these can be your gods, Israel, who brought you out from Egypt.”[ref] 29 He set one up at Bethel (in the south) and the other one at Dan (in the north). 30 This caused the people to sin, and some people went up as far as the one in Dan. 31 He built temples on hills and appointed priests from various tribes—not just from the tribe of Levi.

32 In the eighth month on the 15th, Yarobam put on a celebration like the one in Yehudah. He’d made an altar at Bethel and he got the priests from the hill temples he’d made to come and stand there, then he offered a sacrifice on that altar to the calves that he’d made.[ref] 33 That date of the 15th day of the eighth month was one that he’d just decided for himself, and he instituted a new celebration for the Israelis and he burnt incense on the altar as a sacrifice.

13 Then a prophet from of God came from Yehudah, taking Yahweh’s message to Bethel. as Yarobam (Jeroboam) was standing by the altar to burn incense. 2 The prophet called out against the altar with Yahweh’s message: “Altar! Altar! Yahweh says this: Listen, one of David’s descendants will have a son who’ll be named Yoshiyyah (Josiah), and he’ll sacrifice the priests from the hill temples on you—the ones who are burning incense on you. Yes, human bones will be burned on you.”[ref] 3 Then he offered them evidence that what he said came from Yahweh, “Listen, that altar will be broken into pieces, and the ashes in it will spill all over the ground.”

4 The moment the King Yarobam heard the message that the man of God had called out against the altar at Bethel, he called for the man to be arrested. However, the arm that he used to point to him over the altar suddenly became paralyzed and he wasn’t able to pull it back. 5 Then the altar itself broke open and ashes poured out onto the ground, exactly as Yahweh had promised through that man of God. 6 Then the king begged the prophet, “Please, pray to your God Yahweh for me, so my hand will return to normal.”

So the man of God interceded with Yahweh, and the king was able to use his hand again. 7 “Come home with me,” the king told the prophet, “and have something to eat. Then I’ve got a gift to give you.”

8 But the man of God replied, “Even if you offered me half of your house, I wouldn’t go with you, and I wouldn’t eat or drink in this place. 9 Yahweh already told me not to eat or drink here, and not to return home by the same road I came on.” 10 Then he left for home taking a different route from the one he’d used to come to Bethel.

11 Now at that time there was an old prophet who lived in Bethel, and his sons[fn] had been and told him all the news about what that man of God had done that day in Bethel and they told him the message that had been passed on to the king. 12 “Oh, what road did he take when he left?” their father asked, and indeed his sons had noticed which road the man of God from Yehudah had taken. 13 So he told his sons to saddle his donkey, and he rode off 14 after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak tree. “Are you the man of God,” he asked him, “who came from Yehudah?”

“I am,” he said.

15 “Come home with me and have something to eat.” he invited him.

16 “Sorry,” he replied. “I can’t go with you or visit your home, and I can’t eat or drink with you in this place, 17 because Yahweh instructed me not to eat or drink here, or to go home by the same road that I came on.”

18 Then the old prophet told him, “I’m also a prophet like you, and Yahweh sent a messenger to tell me that I should take you home with me so you can have something to eat and drink.” (But that was a lie.)

19 So the prophet accompanied him to his house and had a meal there. 20 Then while they were still seated at the table, Yahweh spoke through the old prophet, 21 and he called out to the man of God who’d come from Yehudah, “Yahweh says this: Because you have been rebellious against Yahweh and because you didn’t obey what Yahweh instructed you 22 and you’ve returned and you’ve had food and drink in the place where he told you not to eat or drink, your body won’t be buried in your home town.”

23 After the meal was finished, the old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet that he’d brought back, 24 and he left. But on the road, a lion came across him and killed him. His corpse ended up lying on the road with the donkey standing beside it, and the lion also standing beside it. 25 Some passers-by saw the corpse on the road and the unusual sight of the lion standing beside it, and when they got to the city where the old prophet lived, they told everyone the news.

26 When the prophet who had brought him back from the road heard he said, “That will be the man of God who was rebellious against Yahweh. Yahweh must have given him to the lion, and it tore him into pieces and put him to death according what Yahweh had said would happen.” 27 Then he told his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” They put the saddle on, 28 and he went and found the body lying on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by it. The lion hadn’t eaten any of the man of God’s body, nor had it attacked the donkey. 29 The prophet lifted the body and laid it across the donkey and brought it back to his city to be buried in his own tomb. 30 They wailed over him, saying, “Oh dear, my brother,” and they laid his body in the old prophet’s grave. 31 When the period of mourning was over, he told his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried. My bones will end up beside his bones. 32 The message from Yahweh that he shouted out against the altar in Bethel will certainly happen, and against all the hilltop worship places in Shomron (Samaria).

33 Despite the man of God’s warning, King Yarobam didn’t stop his evil ways—in fact he chose more people from across the country to become priests. Anyone who wanted to be a priest would be appointed and he would become one of the priests of the hilltop worship places. 34 Those were the sins of Yarobam that would eventually lead to the rejection and destruction of his entire family.

14 At that time, one of Yarobam’s sons, Aviyyah, became very sick 2 and Yarobam told his wife, “Go and get changed so that no one will recognise you as my wife. Then go to Shiloh where the prophet Ahiyyah is—he’s the one who prophesied that I’d become king. 3 Take ten loaves of bread and some cakes and a jar of honey to give to him. He’ll tell you what will happen to the boy.”

4 So his wife got ready and went to Ahiyyah’s house at Shiloh. Ahiyyah was now very elderly and not able to see, 5 but Yahweh had told him, “Listen, Yarobam’s wife will be coming to ask for your guidance about her son, because he’s sick. I want you to tell her so-and-so. And when she comes, she won’t be dressed like a queen.”

6 So as soon as Ahiyyah heard her walk through the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Yarobam. Why did you get changed like that? Now I’ve been instructed to pass bad news onto you— 7 go back and give Yarobam this message from Israel’s God Yahweh, ‘I chose you out from the people and placed you as a leader over my people Israel, 8 and I tore the kingdom away from David’s descendants and gave it to you. But you haven’t been like my servant David who obeyed my instructions and followed me with integrity—only doing what he knew that I approved of. 9 However, you’ve done more evil things than any of those who ruled before you. You’ve rejected me and made cast images of other gods, and have provoked me into anger. 10 Because of that, I’m about to bring calamity to your family: I’ll cause all your male descendants to die, either before or after they’ve left home. I’ll eliminate your family just like dried dung burns until it’s all gone.[ref] 11 The family members who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the countryside will be eaten by birds. All this comes from Yahweh.’

12 So go back home, but as soon as you set foot in the city, your son will die. 13 All Israel will mourn for him and they’ll bury him. He’ll be the only one of your children to be buried, because out of all of Yarobam’s descendants, he’s the only one that Israel’s God Yahweh found good in. 14 In the future, Yahweh will appoint for himself, a king over Israel who will get rid of Yarobam’s descendants—in fact it’s beginning to come about even now. 15 And Yahweh will strike Israel just like the reeds bend over in the swamps, and he’ll uproot Israel from this good soil that he gave to their ancestors and he’ll scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they made their Asherah statues which provoked Yahweh to anger. 16 He will hand Israel over to their enemies because of Yarobam’s sins and how he encouraged Israel to sin.”

17 So Yarobam’s wife left and went home to Tirtsah. As she entered the doorway of their home, their son died. 18 Just as Yahweh had told them, all Israel mourned for the boy and he was buried.

19 Everything else that Yarobam did, including the record of wars that his army fought and how he ruled, is written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. 20 Yarobam reigned for twenty-two years, then he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his son Nadav replaced him as king.

21 Meanwhile, Shelomoh’s son Rehavam reigned in Yehudah. He was forty-one when he started reigning, and he reigned for seventeen years from Yerushalem—the city that Yahweh had chosen to associate his name with out of all the tribes of Israel. Rehavam’s mother was Naamah the Ammonite.

22 The people of Yehudah did what Yahweh had decided was evil—in fact they made him more jealous (by worshipping other gods) than their ancestors ever had. 23 They even built hilltop temples and sacred pillars and poles on every high hill and under every large evergreen tree.[ref] 24 There were also male prostitutes associated with them, and the Israelis did the same abhorrent things as the nations that Yahweh had removed ahead of their entering the land.[ref]

25 In the fifth year of King Rehavam’s reign, Egypt’s King Shishak attacked Yerushalem[ref] 26 and took away the valuables from Yahweh’s temple, and the king’s palace. He took everything of value, including all the gold shields that Shelomoh had made.[ref] 27 To replace them, King Rehavam made some bronze shields and assigned them to the officers who protect the entrance to the palace. 28 Whenever the king would enter the temple, the guards would quickly take the shields there, and when he left, they’d run them back to the palace.

29 Everything else that Rehavam did is written in the book of the events of the kings of Yehudah. 30 Rehavam and Yarobam were in a continual state of war during their reigns. 31 Then Rehavam (his mother was Naamah the Ammonite) died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David, and his son Abiyyam replaced him as king.

15 In the eighteenth year of (Nabat’s son) King Yarobam’s reign over Israel, Abiyyam became king of Yehudah. 2 (His mother’s name was Maakah, one of Abishalom’s daughters.) He reigned from Yerushalem for three years 3 but he disobeyed God in ways similar to his father—he wasn’t interested in following his God Yahweh completely like his ancestor David had done. 4 However for David’s sake, his God Yahweh gave Abiyyam a son to rule after him—to allow Yerushalem to continue on with a flicker of light[ref] 5 because David had done what Yahweh had said was correct, and thoughout his life he hadn’t deviated from what Yahweh had instructed him, except in the matter concerning Uriyyah the Hittite.[ref] 6 Rehavam’s and Yarobam’s factions were in a continual state of war during Abiyyam’s reign.[ref] 7 Everything else that Abiyyam did is written in the book of the events of the kings of Yehudah, as the war between Abiyyam and Yarobam continued.

8 Then Abiyyam died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David, and his son Asa replaced him as king.

9 In the twentieth year of King Yarobam’s reign over Israel, Asa became king of Yehudah 10 and reigned from Yerushalem for forty-one years. (His grandmother was Abishalom’s daughter Maakah.) 11 Asa did what was pleasing to Yahweh, like his ancestor David had done, 12 and he expelled the male prostitutes from the country and removed all the idols made by the previous generations.[ref] 13 He also removed his grandmother Maakah from being queen-mother because she had made a horrid Asherah goddess, then he cut down her horrid idol and burnt it in the Kidron valley. 14 He didn’t remove the hilltop temples, but despite that he was fully devoted to Yahweh all his life. 15 He brought everything that father had dedicated, plus more of his own, into Yahweh’s temple, including gold, silver, and containers.

16 Asa and King Baasha of Israel were in a continual state of war during their reigns. 17 King Baasha invaded Yehudah and fortified Ramah so that no one could pass in or out to help King Asa of Yehudah. 18 So Asa took all the remaining gold and silver from the temple and palace storerooms, and sent it with his servants to take to Ben-Hadad, son of Tabrimmon, son of King Hezion of Aram who lived in Damascus, to tell him, 19 “You and me have an agreement between us that was made by our two fathers, so look, I’ve sent a present of gold and silver to you. So then, break your agreement with King Baasha of Israel so he’ll give up on attacking me.”

20 Ben-Hadad did what king Asa requested, and he sent the commanders of his best warriors to attack Israeli cities including Iyon, Dan, Abel-Beyt-Maakah, and all Kinnerot along with all Naftali region. 21 When King Baasha heard about that, he stopped fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirtsah.

22 Then King Asa informed all Yehudah that they were needed at Ramah. They removed the stones and timber from Baasha’s fortications, and king Asa used the materials to build Geba (in Benyamin) and Mitspah. 23 Everything else that Asa did, and all his great works and all the cities he built, are described in the book of the events of the kings of Yehudah. However in his old age, he developed problems with his feet. 24 Then he died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David (also his ancestor) and his son Yehoshafat replaced him as king.

25 In the second year of Asa’s reign over Yehudah, Yarobam’s son Nadav became king of Israel where he reigned for two years. 26 He did what Yahweh had said was evil, following his father’s behaviour and his sin that in turn, caused Israel to sin.

27 A man named Baasha (from the Yissashkar tribe) plotted against King Nadav and killed him at the Philistine city of Gibbeton when Nadav and all Israel were besieging the city. 28 It was the third year of King Asa’s reign in Yehudah when Baasha killed King Nadav, then Baasha took over as king of Israel. 29 As soon as he took over, he had Yarobam’s entire family executed—not leaving a single one of them alive. This fulfilled what Yahweh had said through his servant Ahiyyah the Shilonite,[ref] 30 because Yarobam’s own sins, as well as his causing Israel to sin, had provoked Yahweh into getting angry.

31 Everything else that Nadav did is written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. 32 King Asa and King Baasha of Israel were in a continual state of war during their reigns.

33 Ahiyyah’s son Baasha began to reign over Israel in the third year of King Asa’s reign over Yehudah, and he ruled from Tirtsah for twenty-four years. 34 He did what Yahweh had said was evil, similar to Nabat’s son Yarobam’s behaviour and his sin that in turn, caused Israel to sin.

16 Then Yahweh told Hanani’s son Yehu to tell Baasha, 2 “I took a nobody and promoted you to leader over my people Israel, yet you followed Yarobam’s behaviour and provoked me to anger by causing my people Israel to sin, 3 so now I’ll get rid of you and your family—I’ll do the same to you that I did to Yarobam and his family. 4 The bodies of those in your family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the countryside will be eaten by vultures.

5 Everything else that Baasha did is written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. 6 When Baasha died he was buried in Tirtsah, and his son Elah replaced him as king.

7 Yahweh sent that message via Hanani the prophet’s son Yehu. It was for Baasha and his family—speaking against the evil that they’d done that had provoked Yahweh to get angry with their behaviour which was as bad as Yarobam’s family had been. Yahweh was also angry with Baasha because he had killed all of Yarobam’s family.

8 Baasha’s son Elah began to reign in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign over Yehudah, and he ruled from Tirtsah for two years. 9 However, his servant Zimri who was the commander of half of the chariots conspired against him. Once when Elah was in Tirtsah getting himself drunk at the house of Arza (who was in charge of the palace), 10 Zimri went in and attacked and killed him, and took over his place as king. (That was in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign over Yehudah.)

11 As soon as Zimri took over and sat on his throne, he had all of Baasha’s family executed—he didn’t leave a single male or relative or friend. 12 In that way, Zimri eliminated all of Baasha’s descendants just as Yahweh had said via the prophet Yehu 13 concerning all of Baasha’s sins and the sins of his son Elah, and because they caused Israel to sin by provoking Israel’s God Yahweh to get angry with their idols. 14 Everything else that Elah did is written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel.

15 Zimri reigned from Tirtsah for seven days in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign over Yehudah. At the time, the Israeli army were besieging the Philistine city of Gibbeton, 16 and when the army camped around the city heard that Zimri had reblled and assasinated the king, that day all the people in the camp installed the army commander Omri as king to reign over Israel. 17 So Omri took all his warriors from Gibbeton and besieged Tirtsah. 18 As soon as Zimri realised that the city was surrounded, he went into the saferoom in the palace and set fire to the building and died in the flames 19 because he’d done what Yahweh had said was evil—following Yarobam’s behaviour including causing Israel to sin. 20 Everything else that Zimri did, including his rebellion, is written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel.

21 At that time, the people of Israel were divided concerning their leadership—half of them supported Ginnat’s son Tivni as king, and the other half supported Omri, 22 but those supporting Omri prevailed, so Tivni was executed and Omri remained in power. 23 Omri became king in the thirty-first years of King Asa’s reign over Yehudah, and reigned over Israel for twelve years—six of them from Tirtsah. 24 He bought a hill from a man named Shemer for seventy kilograms of silver, then built his capital city on it. He named it Shomron (Samaria) in honour of Shemer who’d owned the hill.

25 Omri did what Yahweh had said was evil—in fact he did more evil things than all those kings who preceded him. 26 He followed (Nabat’s son) Yarobam’s behaviour including causing Israel to sin by provoking Israel’s God Yahweh to get angry with their idols. 27 Everything else that Omri did, including his military victories, is written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. 28 Then Omri died and was buried in Shomron, and his son Ahav (Ahab) replaced him as king.

29 Omri’s son Ahav became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Ahab’s reign over Yehudah, and he reigned Israel from Shomrom for twenty-two years. 30 Ahav did what Yahweh had said was evil—in fact he did more evil things than all those kings who preceded him. 31 As if following Yarobam’s behaviour wasn’t bad enough, he married Izevel (Jezebel), the daughter of the Sidonian King Etbaal, then went and served Baal and bowed down to him. 32 He built a temple for Baal in Shomrom and placed an altar in it. 33 Ahav also made an Asherah pole and went on to provoke Israel’s God Yahweh to get angry, more than any of the previous kings of Israel had done. 34 During his reign, Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Yeriko city. As they laid the foundations, his eldest son Aviram died, and when they hung the city gates, his youngest son Seguv died, just as Yahweh had told (Nun’s son) Yehoshua (Joshua).[ref]

17 One day the prophet Eliyyah (Elijah) from the Tishbites in the Gilead region said to Ahav, “As Israel’s God Yahweh lives, the one who I serve, there won’t be any rain or even dew these next years unless I give the command.”[ref] 2 Then Yahweh told Eliyyah, 3 “Get away from here and travel eastward towards the Kerit stream that enters the Yordan river to hide. 4 You’ll be able to drink from the stream, and I’ve commanded the ravens to bring food to you there.”

5 So he did what Yahweh told him, and went and lived by the Kerit stream near the Yordan. 6 Ravens brought bread and meat to him every morning and again in the evening, and he was able to drink from the stream. 7 However, the stream dried up after a while because there was no rain anywhere in the country.

8 Then Yahweh told Eliyyah, 9 “Leave here and go to Tserefat in the Tsidon region and stay there. Listen, I’ve commanded a widow lady there to keep you fed.”[ref] 10 So he got ready and went to Tserefat. As he entered the town, he saw a woman picking up bits of firewood, and he asked her, “Can you please get me a drink of water.” 11 As she went to get it, he called out, “Would you have a piece of bread to go with it?.”

12 But she replied, “As your God Yahweh lives, I don’t have any bread at all—only a handful of flour in the jar, and a little bit of oil in the jug. See, I’m gathering a few bits of firewood so I can make a little bread for me and my son. After we’ve eaten that, then we’ll die.”

13 But Eliyyah told her, “Don’t be worried. Go and do what you said, except make some bread for me first and bring it out to me. Then after that, you can make some for you and for your son, 14 because Israel’s God Yahweh has told me that your flour won’t run out and your oil won’t come to an end until the day when Yahweh gives us rain again.”

15 So the woman went and did what Eliyyah said, then sure enough Eliyyah and the widow and her household had enough food every day. 16 The jar of flour never got empty and the jug of oil never ran out, just as Yahweh had promised via Eliyyah.

17 Some time afterwards, the woman’s son got sick and then it got so bad that he died, 18 so she hassled Eliyyah, “You man of God, why did you come here! Now my sins have been brought to God’s mind, and he’s caused my son to die!”

19 But he told her to bring her son to him, and taking the boy from her arms, he took the body upstairs to the room he was staying in, and laid him down on his bed. 20 Then he called out to Yahweh, “Yahweh, my God, would you really bring tragedy to this widow that I’m staying with by causing her son to die?” 21 Then three times he stretched himself over the boy’s body and begged Yahweh, “Yahweh, my God, please let this child’s life return into his organs.”[ref] 22 Yahweh took notice of Eliyyah and the boy’s life returned and he revived.

23 Then Eliyyah carried the boy back downstairs and gave him to his mother and told her, “Look, your son’s alive.”

24 “Now I certainly know that you’re a man of God,” the woman responded, “And when you say that you’re speaking for Yahweh, it’s really true.”

18 In the third year of drought, Yahweh told Eliyyah to go and show himself to King Ahav and tell him that it would soon rain, 2 so he went to present himself to Ahav.

Meanwhile in Shomron (Samaria), the food shortage was terrible 3 and King Ahav had summoned his palace manager Ovadyah. (Ovadyah was a sincere follower of Yahweh. 4 When Queen Izevel had tried to kill Yahweh’s prophets, Ovadyah had hidden a hundred prophets—fifty in each of two caves and kept them supplied with food and water.) 5 King Ahav told Ovadyah, “We’ll go across the country to all the springs and all the valleys that water sometimes flows in. Perhaps we’ll find some grass so we can keep a horse or a mule or two alive and not lose our breeding stock.” 6 So they divided the country into two, and they each went off in a different direction.

7 While Ovadyah was on a path, Eliyyah came to meet him. Ovadyah recognised him and fell to his knees with his face to the ground, and asked, “Is it really you, my master Eliyyah?”

8 “Yes, it’s me,” he replied. “Now go and tell your master that I’m here.”

9 “How have I sinned,” Ovadyah responded, “that you’re giving your servant a death sentence? 10 As your God Yahweh lives, my master sent people to every kingdom to try to find you, and if they said you weren’t there, then he made them promise under oath that it was true. 11 So now you tell me to tell my master that you’re here, 12 but as soon as I leave you, Yahweh’s spirit will take you to goodness knows where. Meanwhile I’ll go and tell Ahav, and he’ll come here and not find you, so then he’ll kill me, even though I’ve been trying to obey Yahweh since I was young. 13 Haven’t you heard, my master, what I did when Izevel was killing Yahweh’s prophets and I hid a hundred of them in two caves and kept them supplied with food and water? 14 Yet now you’re trying to get me killed by telling my master that he’ll find you here.”

15 “As army commander Yahweh lives—the one I serve,” Eliyyah replied, “I’ll definitely be here to see him today.”

16 So Ovadyah went and informed Ahav who then came to meet Eliyyah. 17 When he saw Eliyyah, Ahav asked him, “Is that you—the one who causes trouble for Israel?”

18 “It’s not me who brings trouble onto Israel,” Eliyyah replied. “But rather it’s you and your father’s families who decided to ignore Yahweh’s commands and serve the Baals instead. 19 So now, get all Israel to go to Mt. Karmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who Queen Izevel feeds at her table.”

20 So Ahav summoned all the Israelis and the prophets to go to Mt. Karmel, 21 and Eliyyah addressed the people, “How much longer are you all going to remain unsure who to follow? If Yahweh is God, follow him, but if it’s Baal, follow him.” But the people just stayed silent. 22 Then he said, “I’m Yahweh’s only remaining prophet, but Baal has 450 prophets. 23 Let them get us two bulls and they can choose one for themselves. Then they can cut it into pieces and lay them a pile of wood that they’ve set for a fire, but they can’t light the fire. I’ll do the same with the other bull, but also won’t light the fire. 24 Then they must call to their god and I’ll call to Yahweh, and the god who answers by setting the wood on fire must be the true God.”

“It sounds good to us,” the people answered.

25 So Eliyyah told Baal’s prophets, “Ok, there’s a lot more of you guys, so you choose your bull and go first and call out to your god, but don’t set fire to the pile.”

26 So they took the bull he gave them and prepared it all, and then they called out to Baal from morning until midday, shouting, “Baal, answer us!” But they didn’t hear any voice and got no answer. Then they hopped around the altar they’d made.

27 Finally at noon, Eliyyah began mocking them, saying, “Call out louder because he’s a god. Maybe he’s thinking about something else, or busy with something, or travelling somewhere. Pehaps he’s asleep and needs waking up.” 28 So they shouted even louder and did their usual cutting of their bodies with knives and swords until a lot of blood flowed. 29 Midday passed and they continued raving all afternoon, but they didn’t hear any voice, and they got no answer or even any suggestion that their god was listening.

30 Then Eliyyah told the people, “Ok, now come over here by me.” So all the people came over by him, and he repaired the altar of Yahweh that had been torn down. 31 He took twelve stones (the number of the sons of Yakob (Jacob) who Yahweh told would be called Israel)[ref] 32 and used them to rebuild Yahweh’s altar. Then around the altar he made a trench large enough to hold the water to water in two drums of seed.[fn] 33 He arranged the firewood, and cut the bull into pieces and placed them on top, 34 and then ordered, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and the firewood.” Then he said “Now do it a second time,” and they did it a second time, and again he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 The water ran around the altar and even filled the trench.

36 When it was time to offer the evening sacrifices, the prophet Eliyyah approached the altar and prayed, “Yahweh, God of Abraham, Yitsak, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and I’m your servant, and I’ve done all these things following your instructions. 37 Answer me, Yahweh! Answer me, so that this country will understand that you, Yahweh, are God, and that you can turn their hearts back again.”

38 Then Yahweh sent fire down from the sky that consumed the pieces of meat, the firewood, the stones, and the dirt around the altar, including all the water that had been in the trench. 39 When all the people saw what had happened, they fell onto their knees and bowed their faces to the ground, saying, “Yahweh is God! Yahweh is God!”

40 Then Eliyyah ordered them, “Grab hold of Baal’s prophets. Don’t let any of them sneak away.” So they seized them, and Eliyyah brought them down to the Kishon valley and he slaughtered them there.

41 Then Eliyyah told King Ahav, “Get ready and have something to eat and drink, because I can hear the noise of heavy rain coming.” 42 So Ahav got ready and had something to eat and drink, but Eliyyah went further up Mt. Karmel and squatted with his face down between his knees[ref] 43 and told his servant, “Go up now, and look towards the ocean.”

He went up and looked and said, “There’s nothing there.”

This happened seven times, 44 but on the seventh time he came back and said, “Wow, there’s a small cloud out above the ocean about the size of a man’s palm.”

Then Eliyyah ordered him, “Rush and tell Ahab to get his chariot ready and head down so he won’t be caught in the rain.”

45 Very soon the sky was full of dark clouds, then wind and heavy rain. Ahav kept riding and made it to the city of Yezreel. 46 Yahweh gave Eliyyah extra strength and he tucked his robe into his belt, and ran ahead of Ahav going into Yezreel.

19 Then King Ahav told Izevel (Jezebel) everything that Eliyyah, including how he’d killed all of Baal’s prophets, 2 so she sent this message to Eliyyah, “May the gods kill me or do worse if I haven’t done with your life what you did to those prophets by this time tomorrow.” 3 Hearing that, he packed up and fled for his life to Beersheva in Yehudah, where he left his servant. 4 Then he went an extra day’s travel further south into the wilderness where he sat down under a broom bush and prayed that he might be allowed to die, saying, “This is now too much, Yahweh. Take my life, because I’m no better than my ancestors.”.[ref]

5 Then he laid down and slept under the broom bush, until he was suddenly woken by a messenger from Yahweh telling him to get up and eat. 6 Eliyyah looked around and wow, there was some bread near his head that had been cooked on glowing coals, and a jug of water. He got up and ate and drank, and they lay down again. 7 Then Yahweh’s messenger returned a second time and prodded him and said, “Get up and eat, because otherwise the journey ahead will be too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. That food lasted his for forty days as he travelled to God’s mountain, Horeb (Mt. Sinai). 9 He entered a cave there and overnighted in the cave, then suddenly Yahweh spoke to him, asking, “What are you doing here, Eliyyah?”

10 “I’ve been very zealous for you, army commander Yahweh,” he replied. “But the Israeli people have abandoned your agreement, and they’ve torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. So here I am, left by myself while meanwhile they’re trying to kill me.”[ref]

11 Then Yahweh said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in front of me, Yahweh. Then look, I’m about to go past you.” Then there was an incredibly strong wind that hit the mountain and broke off bits of rock that then shattered. But Yahweh wasn’t in the wind, and after the wind there was an earthquake but Yahweh wasn’t in the earthquake either. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but Yahweh wasn’t in the fire.

Then after the fire, there was the sound of a soft whisper. 13 When Eliyyah heard that, he wrapped his cloak around his face and went out and stood at the opening of the cave, and he heard a voice ask him, “Why are you here, Eliyyah?”

14 “I’ve been very zealous for you, army commander Yahweh,” he replied, “But the Israeli people have abandoned your agreement, and they’ve torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. So here I am, left by myself while meanwhile they’re trying to kill me.”

15 Then Yahweh told him, “Go back towards the Damascus wilderness, then you must go and anoint Hazael as king over Aram (Syria).[ref] 16 Also you need to anoint Nimshi’s son Yehu as king over Israel, and you must anoint Shafat’s son Elisha from Abel-Meholah to succeed you as prophet.[ref] 17 In the future, anyone who escapes from being killed by Hazael’s army will be killed by Yehu’s army will be killed by Elisha. 18 But I’ve still got seven thousand people in Israel who’ve never bowed to Baal or kissed his image.”[ref]

19 So Eliyyah left that place and went and found Shafat’s son Elisha. There were twelve teams ploughing a field and he was with the back pair of cattle. Eliyyah walked past him and threw his cloak over him. 20 Elisha left the plough and ran after Eliyyah, saying, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I’ll come with you.”

“Go on back then,” Eliyyah replied, “because I haven’t done anything for you.”

21 So Elisha went back and killed his pair of cattle. He used the wood of the plough to cook the meat on, and he shared it around the people. After they’d eaten, he packed up and followed Eliyyah and became his helper.

20 At that time, King Ben-Hadam of Aram (Syria) joined with thirty-two smaller kingdoms and they brought their combined armies and horses and chariots and besieged Israel’s capital Shomrom (Samaria) ready to attack it. 2 He sent messengers to Israel’s King Ahav who was inside the city 3 to tell him, “Ben-Hadad says that your gold and silver are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.”

4 “Whatever you say, my master the king,” replied Israel’s king. “I’m yours along with everything I have.”

5 Then the messengers returned, saying, “Ben Hadad said that you’ll give him your gold and silver and your wives and sons, 6 but around this time tomorrow, he’ll send his servants to you to search through your palace and the homes of your people, and they’ll take everything that they consider to be of value.”

7 So Israel’s king summoned all Israel’s leaders and told them, “Listen and note how this man is looking for trouble. He’s claiming my wives and my sons, and my gold and silver, and I didn’t contradict him.”

8 But the elders and all the others responded, “No, don’t listen to him and don’t consent to his demands.”

9 So Ahab told Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Tell my master the king that everything he demanded the first time, I’ll do, but I can’t agree to this new demand.”

So they returned to Ben-Hadad with that response 10 and Ben-Hadad sent another message, “The gods can do whatever they like to me and more if I leave enough dust in Shomron for all my prisoners to have a handful each.”[fn]

11 Israel’s king replied, “Tell Ben-Hadad that someone who’s heading to battle shouldn’t boast like someone relaxing after his victory.”

12 Ben-Hadad received that message while he was in the huts drinking with the other kings, and he immediately ordered his men to get into position so they got ready to attack the city.

13 Just then,, a prophet approached Israel’s King Ahav and told him, “Yahweh asks if you’ve seen that great army, because he’s going to give you victory over them today so you’ll know that Yahweh is God.”

14 “Who will enable the victory?” Ahav asked.

“Yahweh says it’ll be the young men under the provincial commanders,” he answered.

“Who should lead the attack?” he asked.

“You should,” the prophet replied.

15 So Ahav gathered the provincial commanders’ young men and there were 232 of them. He also assembled the fighting men and there were merely seven thousand of them.

16 They exited the city at midday, while Ben-Hadad and the other kings were still getting drunk in their huts. 17 The young men under the provincial commanders led the way out, and the scouts that Ben-Hadad had sent out informed him that men were coming out of Shomrom. 18 He ordered, “Whether they’ve come out for peace or for battle, capture them alive.”

19 The provincial commanders’ young men exited the city followed by the warriors 20 and each of them killed their opponent. Then the Arameans took off with the Israeli’s chasing them, but King Ben-Hadad escaped on a horse along with other riders. 21 Then Israel’s king led more men out and they attacked the horses and chariots—thoroughly defeating Aram.

22 Afterwards that same prophet went back to King Ahav and told him, “Go back and fortify your defenses and plan your strategy, because Aram’s king will attack you again at the same time next year.”

23 Meanwhile the servants of Aram’s king told him, “Their gods are the gods of the hills, so that’s why they were stronger than us. But let’s fight them on the plain instead then we’ll be sure to defeat them. 24 So this is what you should do: relieve those kings of their command and replace them with military commanders. 25 Then gather an army like the one that was defeated, with as many horses and chariots as you had. Then we’ll fight them on the plain and we’ll be sure to defeat them.”

Ben-Hadad took their advice and put the plan into action. 26 The following year, he assembled his army and went to Afek to battle the Israelis, 27 and the Israeli warriors assembled and received their supplies. Then they went to confront them, but they seemed like ants in comparison to the massive Aramean army.

28 A man of God approached Israel’s king and told him, “Yahweh says that the Arameans have been saying that he’s a god of the hills, but not of the valleys. Because of that, he’s going to help you defeat this huge army, and then you’ll know that Yahweh is God.”

29 The two armies remained camped opposite each other for seven days, then the battle began and the Israelis killed a hundred thousand Aramean soldiers that day. 30 The remainder fled into Afek, but the city wall fell onto the remaining twenty-seven thousand men.

Ben-Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room, 31 but his servants told him, “Listen, we’ve heard that the Israeli kings show mercy. Please let us wrap sackcloth around our waists and go out to Israel’s king with ropes on our heads—perhaps he’ll spare your life.” 32 So they wrapped their waists in sacking and put ropes on their heads, and went to Israel’s king, saying, “Your servant Ben Hadad asks you to spare his life.”

“Is he still alive?” he asked. “He’s like a brother to me.”

33 The men were looking for an indication of mercy and when they heard that they were encouraged. “Yes,, Ben-Hadad is like your brother,” they said.

“Yes,, bring him here,” he responded.

So Ben-Hadad revealed himself and was brought into Ahav’s chariot, 34 and he told Ahav, “I’ll return the cities that my father took from with yours, and your traders can set up stalls in Damascus, just as my father did in Shomron.”

“Ok, I’ll accept that agreement and release you,” Ahav said, and after formalising the agreement, he sent him away.

35 One day, a prophet in training with a group told his companion, “By Yahweh’s command, please wound me.” But the man refused to slash him, 36 so the first prophet told him, “Because you didn’t obey Yahweh’s command, listen, as soon as you leave here you’ll be attacked by a lion.” Then after he left, a lion found him and killed him.[ref]

37 Then he found another prophet and said, “Strike me, please,” and the man struck him with a sword—wounding him. 38 Then the wounded prophet disguised himself with a covering over his eyes and went and stood on the road to wait for the king. 39 When the king came past, the prophet called out to him, saying, “Your servant went out in the middle of the battle, and suddenly, a man came across with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man. If he goes missing, your life will be forfeit in place of his, or else you’ll be fined three thousand pieces of silver.’ 40 But while I was busy with other things, the man escaped.”

“Well, by your own testimony, you deserve your punishment,” King Ahav responded.

41 Then he quickly uncovered his eyes and the king recognised that he was one of the prophets, 42 and the prophet told him, “Yahweh says that because you released a man who should have been executed, then your life will be required in place of his, and your people in place of his people.”

43 Then the king went on to his house in Shomron, but he was angry and depressed inside.

21 Sometime after that, King Ahav from Shomron was in his palace in Yizreel city, and his neighbour was the Yezreelite Navot (Naboth) with his vineyard. 2 Ahav pressured Navot, “Give me your vineyard so I can make it into my vegetable garden because it’s right beside my house. I can replace it with a better vineyard, or if you prefer, I can pay you in silver for this one.”

3 But Navot replied, “Far be it for me to disobey Yahweh by giving up the inheritance entrusted to my ancestors.”

4 So Ahav went back to his palace bitter and angry because of Navot’s refusal to turn over the land. He refused to eat and went to bed with his face towards the wall, 5 but his wife Izevel went in and demanded, “What’s this about eating nothing and going to bed in a sulk?”

6 “Well, I talked with Navot the Yezreelite,” he replied. “I offered to pay cash for his vineyard or to exchange it for another one if he preferred, but he wouldn’t let me have it.”

7 “What! You’re the king of Israel!” his wife responded. “Get up and have something to eat and cheer up! I’ll make sure myself that you get Navot’s vineyard.”

8 So she wrote letters in Ahav’s name and sealed them with his seal. Then she sent them to the city elders and nobles who lived near Navot. 9 This is what she wrote, “Announce a fast, and seat Navot hear the head of the table. 10 Then seat two troublemakers opposite him, and get them to testify against him that he cursed God and the king. Then take him outside and pelt him with rocks until he’s dead.

11 Then the elders and nobles of the city did what Izevel had instructed them via the letters: 12 They announced a fast and seated Navot near the head of the table, 13 then two worthless men were seated opposite him, and they testified in front of all the people that Navot had cursed God and the king. So Navot was led out of the city and killed by having rocks thrown at him, 14 and they sent a message to Izevel to tell her that Navot had been stoned to death.

15 As soon as Izevel heard that Navot had been executed, she told Ahav, “Go on now and take over Navot’s vineyard that he refused to sell you, because he’s not around any more—he’s dead.” 16 As soon as Ahav heard that Navot was dead, he went to the vineyard to take possession of it.

17 Then Yahweh told Eliyyah (from Tishbe), 18 “Leave here and go to Israel’s king Ahav in Shomron. Listen, he’s there in Navot’s vineyard, where he’s gone to take possession of it. 19 Tell him that Yahweh’s asking if he’s taking possession of the property of a murdered man. Then tell him that Yahweh wants him to know that the dogs will lick his blood in the same place where Navot died and the dogs came and licked up his blood.”

20 When Eliyyah arrived, Ahav asked him, “Ah, my enemy. Have you found me?”

“Yes, I’ve found you,” Eliyyah replied. “It seems you’ve sold your soul by doing what Yahweh’s finds to be evil. 21 Yahweh says that he’s about to send disaster on you to destroy you and every male in your household—whether they’re slaves or free. 22 Your entire family will be eliminated like the families of Nebat’s son Yarobam and Ahiyyah’s son Baasha because you’ve provoked Yahweh’s anger and made Israel sin. 23 Also concerning Izevel, Yahweh says that the dogs will eat her body by Yezreel’s city wall.[ref] 24 The bodies of any of your family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and any who die in the countryside will be eaten by birds.”

25 Surely there was never anyone else as evil as Ahav who sold his soul by doing what Yahweh was said was wrong—albeit often incited by his wife Izevel. 26 He also behaved disgustingly by worshipping idols like the Amorites had done before Yahweh removed them from the land as the Israelis entered.

27 As soon as Ahav heard that message, he tore his clothes and dressed in sacking and fasted. He even slept in the sackcloth, and he walked around slowly with his head down.

28 Then Yahweh asked Eliyyah (from Tishbe), 29 “Have you noticed that Ahav has shown repentance towards me? Because he’s humbled himself, I won’t bring that disaster on his family while he’s still alive, but rather I’ll do it during his son’s reign.”