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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael’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 Yisrael. 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael’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 judgements, 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 Yisrael’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 Yisrael’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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael’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 you 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael, 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 Yisrael, 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 Efrayim,

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 Avel-Meholah, as far as the other side of Yokmeam,

13 Ben-Geber in Ramot-Gilead, including the villages of Menashsheh’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 Yissakar,

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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael lived peacefully, from Dan in the north to Be’er-Sheva 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael, 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 Yisrael.”

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 blossom. 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 left 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 lifted 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 Yisrael, 15 saying, “Blessed is Yahweh, the god of Yisrael, 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 Yisrael out of Egypt, I didn’t choose a city from among all the tribes of Yisrael to build a house in so that my name would be established there. Instead I chose David to lead my people Yisrael.’ ”[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 Yisrael’s throne just as Yahweh said, and I’ve been the one to build the residence for Yisrael’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 Yisrael, 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 Yisrael, do the other things for your servant David my father, when you told him that there’ll always be one of his descendants on Yisrael’s throne, provided they follow you like he did.[ref] 26 So now, God of Yisrael, 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael, 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael, 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 Yisrael, 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 Yisrael 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 are not descendants of Yisrael 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael—to listen to them in all their crying out to you. 53 Because 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 Yisrael 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 judgements 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael.

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 judgements, 5 then I’ll continue your dynasty over Yisrael forever, just like I told your father David when I said, ‘your descendants will never be removed from Yisrael’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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael), 21 had descendants who continued living in Yisrael. 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 burnt 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 are 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 Yisrael’s throne. He appointed you as king to rule them fairly and honestly because Yahweh loves Yisrael 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 bringing 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 Yisrael 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 Yisrael’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 Yisrael.

26 Nebat’s son Yarave’am (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 Yarave’am as a strong and hard-working young man, so he’d appointed him as supervisor over all the forced labour from Menashsheh and Efrayim’s regions. 29 One time when Yarave’am 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 Yarave’am, “Take ten pieces for yourself, because this is what Yisrael’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 Yisrael. 33 This is because they’ve abandoned 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 judgements like the king’s father David did. 34 But I won’t take the entire kingdom off him, but rather I’ll leave 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 Yisrael. 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 Yisrael to you. 39 I’ll make David’s descendants suffer because of Shelomoh’s behaviour, but not forever.’ ”

40 Shelomoh tried to kill Yarave’am, 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 Yisrael from Yerushalem for forty years, 43 then he died and was buried in the City of David, and his son Rehavam (Rehoboam) became king.