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Solomon's wisdom and magnificence.

I. KINGS.

His wives and concubines

the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. more-trees that are in the vale, for abundance. 6 And she said to the king, It was a true report 28 1 And Solomon had horses brought out of that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants rethy wisdom. ceived the linen yarn at a price.

7 Howbeit, I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. 8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.

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

10 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

29 And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.

CHAP. XI.

Solomon seduced to idolatry.

BUT King Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;

2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug-trees, and precious stones. 12 And the king made of the almug-trees pillars 4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, that his wives turned away his heart after other harps also and psalteries for singers: there came gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD no such almug-trees, nor were seen unto this day. his God, as was the heart of David his father. 13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen of 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the godSheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, be- dess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abosides that which Solomon gave her of his royal mination of the Ammonites. bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

14 T Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,

15 Besides that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice-merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.

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

17 And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pounds of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

18 ¶ Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.

19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.

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

21 T And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years, came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.

24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

7 Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto theirgods. 9 1 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. 11 Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not. kept my covenant and my statutes which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 12 Notwithstanding, in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.

13 Howbeit, I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.

14 ¶ And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom.

15 For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom;

10 (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom :) 17 That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child. 18 And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran: and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh 26 And Solomon gathered together chariots, king of Egypt; which gave him a house, and and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four appointed him victuals, and gave him land. hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horse- 19 And Hadad found great favour in the sight of men, whom he bestowed in the cities for cha- Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of riots, and with the king at Jerusalem. his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen 27 And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem 20 And the sister of Tahpenes bare him Genu as stones, and cedars made he to be as the syca-l bath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pha

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Ten tribes revolt from Rehoboam.

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with stones, that he died. Therefore king Re- heard the saying of the man of God, which had hoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put to flee to Jerusalem. forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.

19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

20 And it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the hcase of David, but the tribe of Judah only. 21 ¶ And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

23 Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remuant of the people, saying,

24 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.

25 T Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.

26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

29 And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan.

30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. 31 And he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. 7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.

8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:

9 For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest. 10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el. 11 ¶ Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father. 12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? for his sons had seen what way the man of God went which came from Judah. 13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon, 14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Ju dah? And he said, I am.

15 Then he said unto him, Come home with ine, and eat bread.

16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: 17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. 18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as 32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and altar. So did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the drink water. But he lied unto him. calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth-el 19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread the priests of the high places which he had made. in his house and drank water. 33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Beth-el the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

CHAP. XIII.

20 T And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:

21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,

22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no wa ter; thy carcass shall not come unto the sepul

Prophecy against the altar at Beth-el. AND behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar! thus saith the chre of thy fathers. LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the 23 1 And it came to pass, after he had eaten house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled shall he offer the priests of the high places that for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall had brought back.

be burnt upon thee.

24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by

3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, thé way, and slew him: and his carcass was cast This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes stood by the carcass. that are upon it shall be poured out.

25 And behold, men passed by, and saw the 4 And it came to pass when king Jeroboam carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by

210

Jeroboam's obstinacy.

CHAP. XIV.

Death of his son Abijah. the carcass: and they came and told it in the that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take city where the old prophet dwelt. away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as

26 And when the prophet that brought him back a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone. from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man 11 Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the of God, who was disobedient unto the word of dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him fowls of the air eat: for the LORD hath spoken it. unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain 12 Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own him, according to the word of the LORD, which house: and when thy feet enter into the city, he spake unto him. the child shall die.

27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me
the ass. And they saddled him.

28 And he went and found his carcass cast in the
way,
and the ass and the lion standing by the car-
cass: the lion had not eaten the carcass, nor torn
the ass.

29 And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.

13 And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

14 Moreover, the LORD shall raise him up & king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now. 15 For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.

16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

30 And he laid his carcass in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! 31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones: 32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Beth-el, and against 17 1 And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, all the houses of the high places which are in the and came to Tirzah: and when she came to the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass. threshold of the door, the child died: 331 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from 18 And they buried him; and all Israel mourned his evil way, but made again of the lowest of for him, according to the word of the LORD, the people priests of the high places: whosoever which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahiwould, he consecrated him, and he, became one jah the prophet. of the priests of the high places.

19 And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he 34 And this thing became sin unto the house of warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings from off the face of the earth.

CHAP. XIV.

Prophecy against Jeroboam.

of Israel.

20 And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his

T that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell fathers; and Nadab his son reigned in his stead. 21 ¶ And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reign

A sick.

2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray ed in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known old when he began to reign; and he reigned seto be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shi-venteen years in Jerusalem, the city which the loh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, told me that I should be king over this people. to put his name there: and his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess.

3 And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child.

4 And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.

22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.

23 For they also built them high places, and images and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.

51 And the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for 24 And there were also sodomites in the land: her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou and they did according to all the abominations say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, of the nations which the LORD cast out before that she shall feign herself to be another woman. the children of Israel.

6 And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound 25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feign- came up against Jerusalem: est thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.

26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made 27 And king Rehoboam made in their stead brazen shields, and committed them unto the 8 And rent the kingdom away from the house hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not door of the king's house.

7 Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel,

been as my servant David, who kept my com- 28 And it was so, when the king went into the mandments, and who followed me with all his house of the LORD, that the guard bare them, heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; and brought them back into the guard-chamber. 9 But hast done evil above all that were before 29 1 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other all that he did, are they not written in the book gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? and hast cast me behind thy back: 30 And there was war between Rehoboam and

10 Therefore behold, I will bring evil upon the Jeroboam all their days. house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jero- 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and boam him that pisseth against the wall, and him was buried with his fathers in the city of David.

Asa's good reign.

I. KINGS. Jehoshaphat succeedeth him." And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammo-king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and nitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead. Mizpah.

CHAP. XV.

Reigns of Abijam, and Asa.

23 The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which

Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam he built, are they not written in the book of the

the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. Chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in 2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And the time of his old age he was diseased in his his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter feet. of Abishalom.

3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.

4 Nevertheless, for David's sake did the LORD
his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up
his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:
5 Because David did that which was right in the
eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any
thing that he commanded him all the days of his
life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
6 And there was war between Rehoboam and
Jeroboam all the days of his life.

7 Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8 And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.

9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.

10 And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

11 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.

12 And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

13 And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.

24 And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father. and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead. 251 And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. 26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. 27 1 And Baasha the son of Abijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.

28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. 29 And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had de stroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite:

30 Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he
sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his
provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD
God of Israel to anger.

31 1 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all
that he did, are they not written in the book of
the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?
32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha
king of Israel all their days.

33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years. 34 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and 14 But the high places were not removed: never-walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin theless Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD wherewith he made Israel to sin all his days.

15 And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had

dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver,

and gold, and vessels.

CHAP. XVI.

Jehu's prophecy against Baasha. THEN the word of the LORD came to Jehu th

I son of Haani against Baasha, sting.

2 Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, 16 And there was war between Asa and and made thee prince over my people Israel, and Baasha king of Israel all their days. thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and 17 And Baasha king of Israel went up against hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suf-me to anger with their sins;

fer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 3 Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baa18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that sha, and the posterity of his house; and will were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the and the treasures of the king's house, and deliv-son of Nebat.

ered them into the hand of his servants: and 4 Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields T'abrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that shall the fowls of the air eat. dwelt at Damascus, saying, 5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what

19 There is a league between me and thee, and he did, and his might, are they not written in between my father and thy father: behold, I the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel? have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; 6 So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was come and break thy league with Baasha king of buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in Israel, that he may depart from me. his stead.

20 So Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-bethmaachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.

21 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.

7 And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him.

8 In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of 22 Then king Asa made a proclamation through-Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign out all Judah; none was exempted: and they over Israel in Tirzah, two years. took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber 9 And his servant Zimri, captain of half his thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and chariots, conspired against him, as he was in

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