And Joab fled unto the Tent of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 29And it was told king Solomon: 'Joab is fled unto the Tent of the LORD, and, behold, he is by the altar.' Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying: 'Go, fall upon him.' 30And Benaiah came to the Tent of the LORD, and said unto him: 'Thus saith the king: Come forth.' And he said: 'Nay; but I will die here.' And Benaiah brought back word unto the king, saying: Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.' And the king said unto him: 'Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and from my father's house. And the LORD will return his blood upon his own head, because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, and my father David knew it not: Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. So shall their blood return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever; but unto David, and unto his seed, and unto his house, and unto his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.' Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host; and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar. ron, know thou for certain that thou shalt surely die; thy blood shall be upon thine own head.' 38And Shimei said unto the king: 'The saying is good; as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do.' And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. 39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying: 'Behold, thy servants are in Gath.' And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish, to seek his servants; and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come back. And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him: 'Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and forewarned thee, saying: Know for certain, that on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me: The saying is good; I have heard it. 43Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?' 44 The king said moreover to Shimei: "Thou knowest all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father; therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head. 45But king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.' So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell upon him, so that he died. "And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him: 'Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell And the kingdom was established in there, and go not forth thence any 3 the hand of Solomon. 1And Solwhither. For on the day thou goest omon became allied to Pharaoh out, and passest over the brook Kid-king of Egypt by marriage, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her hast asked the life of thine enemies; into the city of David, until he had but hast asked for thyself undermade an end of building his own standing to discern justice; behold, house, and the house of the LORD, and I have done according to thy word: the wall of Jerusalem round about. lo, I have given thee a wise and an 2Only the people sacrificed in the high understanding heart; so that there places, because there was no house hath been none like thee before thee, built for the name of the LORD until neither after thee shall any arise those days. And Solomon loved the like unto thee. 13And I have also LORD, walking in the statutes of David given thee that which thou hast not his father; only he sacrificed and of- asked, both riches and honour- SO fered in the high places. that there hath not been any among And the king went to Gibeon to the kings like unto thee all thy sacrifice there; for that was the great days. 14And if thou wilt walk in My high place; a thousand burnt-offerings ways, to keep My statutes and My did Solomon offer upon that altar. commandments, as thy father David "In Gibeon the LORD appeared to did walk, then I will lengthen thy Solomon in a dream by night; and days.' 15And Solomon awoke, and, God said: 'Ask what I shall give behold, it was a dream; and he came thee.' And Solomon said: "Thou to Jerusalem, and stood before the hast shown unto Thy servant David ark of the covenant of the LORD, and my father great kindness, according offered up burnt-offerings, and offered as he walked before Thee in truth, peace-offerings, and made a feast to and in righteousness, and in upright- all his servants. ness of heart with Thee; and Thou 16Then came there two women, that hast kept for him this great kindness, were harlots, unto the king, and stood that Thou hast given him a son to before him. "And the one woman sit on his throne, as it is this day. said: 'Oh, my lord, I and this woman And now, O LORD my God, Thou dwell in one house; and I was delivhast made Thy servant king instead ered of a child with her in the house. of David my father; and I am but a 18And it came to pass the third day little child; I know not how to go out after I was delivered, that this woman or come in. And Thy servant is in was delivered also; and we were tothe midst of Thy people which Thou gether; there was no stranger with hast chosen, a great people, that can- us in the house, save we two in the not be numbered nor counted for house. 19And this woman's child died multitude. Give Thy servant there- in the night; because she overlay it. fore an understanding heart to judge 20And she arose at midnight, and took Thy people, that I may discern be- my son from beside me, while thy tween good and evil; for who is able handmaid slept, and laid it in her to judge this Thy great people?' bosom, and laid her dead child in my 10 And the speech pleased the Lord, bosom. And when I rose in the mornthat Solomon had asked this thing. ing to give my child suck, behold, it 11And God said unto him: 'Because was dead; but when I had looked well thou hast asked this thing, and hast at it in the morning, behold, it was not asked for thyself long life; neither not my son, whom I did bear.' And hast asked riches for thyself, nor the other woman said: 'Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year. And these are their names: The son of Hur, in the 23Then said the king: "The one hill-country of Ephraim; the son of saith: This is my son that liveth, Deker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and thy son is the dead; and the and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethother saith: Nay; but thy son is hanan; 10the son of Hesed, in Arubthe dead, and my son is the living.' both; to him pertained Socoh, and "And the king said: 'Fetch me a all the land of Hepher; "the son of sword.' And they brought a sword Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; before the king. 25And the king said: he had Taphath the daughter of Divide the living child in two, and Solomon to wife; 12Baana the son of give half to the one, and half to the Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, other.' 26Then spoke the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned upon her son, and she said: 'Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.' But the other said: 'It shall be neither mine nor thine; divide it. Then the king answered and said: 'Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.' 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice. and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abel-meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam; 13the son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him pertained the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; even to him pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brazen bars; 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife; 16Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17Jehoshaphat the 4 And king Solomon was king over son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18Shimei all Israel. And these were the the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19Geber princes whom he had: Azariah the the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph the country of Sihon king_of_the and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister and the king's friend; and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the levy. 'And Solomon had twelve officers and one officer that was [over all the officers] in the land. 20 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry. 5 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt; they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. 2And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal; 'ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, beside harts, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fatted fowl. For he had dominion over all the region on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River; and he had peace on all sides round about him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon. of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. 15 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father; for Hiram was ever a lover of David. 16And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: 17 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of my feet. 18But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence. 19And, behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke unto David my father, saying: Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the house for My name. 20Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; servants; and I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say; for thou knowest that there is not among us any that hath skill to hew timber like unto the Zidonians.' "And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month; they let nothing be lacking. Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they unto the place where it should be, every man according to his charge. and my servants shall be with thy And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore. 10And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. "For he was wiser than all men: than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about. 12And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. 13 And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. 14And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings 21 And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said: 'Blessed be the LORD this day, who hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.' 22And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: 'I have heard that which thou hast sent unto me; I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of cypress. servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, My and thou shalt receive them; and and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, thou shalt accomplish my desire, in and the height thereof thirty cubits. giving food for my household.' 24So And the porch before the temple of Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar the house, twenty cubits was the and timber of cypress according to length thereof, according to the all his desire. 25And Solomon gave breadth of the house; and ten cubits Hiram twenty thousand measures of was the breadth thereof before the wheat for food to his household, and house. And for the house he made twenty measures of beaten oil; thus windows broad within, and narrow gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. without. And against the wall of the *And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, house he built a side-structure round as He promised him; and there was about, against the walls of the house peace between Hiram and Solomon; round about, both of the temple and and they two made a league together. of the Sanctuary; and he made side"And king Solomon raised a levy chambers round about; the netherout of all Israel; and the levy was most story of the side-structure was thirty thousand men. 28 And he sent five cubits broad, and the middle was them to Lebanon, ten thousand a six cubits broad, and the third was month by courses: a month they were seven cubits broad; for on the outside in Lebanon, and two months at home; he made rebatements in the wall of the and Adoniram was over the levy. house round about, that the beams "And Solomon had threescore and should not have hold in the walls of ten thousand that bore burdens, and the house. For the house, when it fourscore thousand that were hewers was in building, was built of stone in the mountains; besides Solomon's made ready at the quarry; and there chief officers that were over the work, was neither hammer nor axe nor any three thousand and three hundred, tool of iron heard in the house, while who bore rule over the people that it was in building.-The door for wrought in the work. And the the lowest row of chambers was in king commanded, and they quarried the right side of the house; and they great stones, costly stones, to lay the went up by winding stairs into the foundation of the house with hewn middle row, and out of the middle stone. And Solomon's builders and into the third. So he built the house, Hiram's builders and the Gebalites and finished it; and he covered in did fashion them, and prepared the the house with planks of cedar over timber and the stones to build the beams. 10And he built the stories of house. the side-structure against all the house, each five cubits high; and they rested on the house with timber of cedar. And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of 11 And the word of the LORD came the land of Egypt, in the fourth year to Solomon, saying: 12As for this house of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the which thou art building, if thou wilt month Ziv, which is the second month, walk in My statutes, and execute Mine that he began to build the house of ordinances, and keep all My comthe LORD. And the house which mandments to walk in them; then king Solomon built for the LORD, the will I establish My word with thee, length thereof was threescore cubits, which I spoke unto David thy father; • Heb. Hirom, and in verse 32. b That is, the holy place. e Heb. debir, that is, the hindmost or innermost room, the most holy place. d Heb. middle. |