{N}DAVID'S LAST YEARS{/}

{1}1{/}

{R}_{I}1_{/}King David was already a very old man who could no longer 
keep warm even in very thick clothing. {R}_{I}2_{/}So his servants said 
to him, "They should get for my lord king a virgin girl to attend 
the king and nurse him. She could sleep with you, my lord king, 
and make you feel warm." [=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}And so they looked for a 
beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel. They found 
Abishag the Shunamite, a very beautiful girl and brought her to 
the king. {R}_{I}4_{/}She attended to him, but the king had no intimate 
relations with her.
[=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}Now Adonijah, son of Haggith, had in mind that he would 
be king and so he provided himself with a chariot and horsemen, 
and fifty men to run before him. {R}_{I}6_{/}His father had never 
interfered by questioning his conduct, "Why have you done this or 
that?" He was a very handsome man born of Haggith after Absalom. 
{I}7_{/}Adonijah conferred with Joab, son of Zuriah, and with 
Abiathar, the priest. These two sided with him; {R}_{I}8_{/}but Zadok, 
the priest, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada; Nathan, the prophet; 
Shimei, Rei and David's warriors did not join Adonijah.
{R}_{I}9_{/}Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves at the 
Slipping Stone, beside Engrogel, and invited his brothers, the 
king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah to join him; 
{R}_{I}10_{/}but not Nathan the prophet or Benaiah, or the warriors, or 
his brother Solomon.
[=]_{R}_{I}11_{/}Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba, mother of Solomon, "Have 
you heard that Adonijah, son of Haggith, acts as a king, unknown 
to David our lord? [=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}Let me then give you advice that 
could save both your life and Solomon your son. {R}_{I}13_{/}Go, see King 
David immediately and tell him this, 'Did you not, my lord king, 
swear to your handmaid that Solomon, my son, would reign after you 
and sit on your throne? Why then does Adonijah act as king?' 
{I}14_{/}Then, while you are still speaking with the king, I will come 
in and confirm what you say."

{R}_{I}15_{/}So Bathsheba went to the king, right into his room. (Now the 
king was very old, and Abishag the Shunamite was attending to 
him.) {R}_{I}16_{/}Bathsheba bowed in homage to the king who asked her, 
"What do you want?" {R}_{I}17_{/}She answered him, "My lord, you swore to 
your handmaid by Yahweh your God that Solomon, my son, would reign 
after you and sit on your throne. {R}_{I}18_{/}But now, Adonijah acts as 
king without your knowing it, my lord king. {R}_{I}19_{/}He has 
sacrificed oxen, fattened calves and plenty of sheep, inviting all 
the king's sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab, commander of the 
army; but he did not invite Solomon your servant. {R}_{I}20_{/}And now, 
my lord king, all Israel is waiting for your decision as to who 
shall reign as your successor. [=]_{R}_{I}21_{/}If this is not known when 
my lord the king passes away, I and my son Solomon will be 
numbered among the criminals."
{R}_{I}22_{/}While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the 
prophet arrived {R}_{I}23_{/}and was announced to the king, "Here is 
Nathan the prophet." When Nathan came in before the king, he bowed 
before him with his face to the ground, {R}_{I}24_{/}and said, "My lord 
king, have you decided that Adonijah shall reign after you and sit 
on your throne? {R}_{I}25_{/}For indeed, today he has gone down to 
sacrifice oxen, fattened calves and plenty of sheep. He has 
invited all the king's sons, Joab, the commander of the army, and 
Abiathar the priest. They are now eating and drinking with him and 
proclaiming, 'Long live King Adonijah!' {R}_{I}26_{/}But he has not 
invited me, your servant, Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of 
Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. {R}_{I}27_{/}Has my lord king decided 
this without having told us, your servants, who is to sit on your 
throne after you?"

{N}DAVID MAKES SOLOMON KING{/}

{R}_{I}28_{/}King David then answered, "Call Bathsheba to me." So she 
came to the king. As she stood before him, {R}_{I}29_{/}the king swore an 
oath and said, "As Yahweh lives, he who has delivered me from all 
adversity, {R}_{I}30_{/}so will I fulfill today the oath I swore to you 
by Yahweh, the God of Israel, when I said: "Solomon, your son, 
shall reign after me; he shall sit on my throne in my place." 
{R}_{I}31_{/}Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid 
homage to the king as she said, "May my lord King David live 
forever!"
{R}_{I}32_{/}King David then said, "Call Zadok the priest, Nathan the 
prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." So they came to the 
king [=]_{R}_{I}33_{/}who said to them, "Take with you the servants of 
your lord and make my son Solomon ride on my own mule. Then bring 
him down to Gihon [=]_{R}_{I}34_{/}and let Zadok the priest and Nathan 
the prophet anoint him there as king of Israel. Once this is done, 
sound the horn and proclaim, 'Long live King Solomon!' {R}_{I}35_{/}Then 
he shall sit on my throne in your presence. From now on he will be 
king in my place for I have made him ruler of Israel and Judah."
{R}_{I}36_{/}Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, answered the king, "Amen! May 
Yahweh, the God of my lord king, confirm this. {R}_{I}37_{/}As Yahweh has 
been with my lord king, may he also be with Solomon and make his 
reign even greater than that of my lord King David's."
[=]_{R}_{I}38_{/}So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son 
of Jehoiada, together with the Cherethites and the Pelethites, 
went down and made Solomon ride on King David's mule to Gihon. 
[=]_{R}_{I}39_{/}There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil that was in 
the Holy Tent and anointed Solomon. {R}_{I}40_{/}They then sounded the 
horn and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!" They 
all went up after him playing on pipes; and their shouts were so 
great that the noise seemed to rent the earth.
{I}41_{/}Adonijah and all his guests heard this as they finished 
feasting. On hearing the sound of the horn, Joab asked, "What is 
all this commotion in the city?" {R}_{I}42_{/}While he was still 
speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, arrived and 
Adonijah asked, "Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good 
news." {R}_{I}43_{/}Jonathan answered Adonijah, "Not at all, for our lord 
King David has made Solomon king. {R}_{I}44_{/}The king sent him with 
Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, 
and the Cherethites and Plethites who made him ride on the king's 
mule.
{R}_{I}45_{/}Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him 
king at Gihon. As they returned, all the city cheered; this is the 
noise that you have heard. {R}_{I}46_{/}Solomon already sits on the royal 
throne {R}_{I}47_{/}and the king's servants came to congratulate our lord 
King David, saying: 'May your God make the name of Solomon more 
famous than yours and his reign greater than yours.' At this, the 
king bowed in worship on his bed and said, {R}_{I}48_{/}"Blessed be 
Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has granted one of my offspring to 
sit on my throne this day when I can still see it."
{I}49_{/}All the guests of Adonijah trembled and left, each going his 
own way. {R}_{I}50_{/}In his fear of Solomon, Adonijah went and held onto 
the horns of the altar. {R}_{I}51_{/}This was reported to Solomon, 
"Adonijah is so afraid of King Solomon that he has held onto the 
horns of the altar, and he says, 'Let King Solomon swear to me 
today that he will not slay me with the sword'." 
{R}_{I}52_{/}Solomon replied, "If he proves to be a worthy man, not a 
hair of his head shall perish. But if he acts like a wicked man, 
he shall die." {R}_{I}53_{/}So King Solomon sent for him and they brought 
him down from the altar. He came before King Solomon and paid him 
homage; after that, Solomon sent him home.

{N}DAVID'S TESTAMENT{/}

{1}2{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}When David was about to die, he gave his son Solomon this 
instruction, [=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}"I am about to go the way of all creatures. 
Be strong and show yourself a man. {R}_{I}3_{/}Keep the commandments of 
Yahweh your God and walk in his ways. Keep his statutes, his 
commands, his ordinances and declarations written in the law of 
Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do and wherever you 
go. [=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}If you do so, Yahweh will fulfill the promise he made 
to me: 'If your sons take care to walk before me faithfully with 
their whole heart and their whole soul, you shall always have one 
of your descendants on the throne of Israel.'
{R}_{I}5_{/}Now you know what Joab, the son of Zeruiah did to me - how he 
dealt with the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner the son of 
Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether. These two he murdered, avenging, 
in time of peace, blood which had been shed in time of war. He has 
thus stained with innocent blood the belt I wear and the sandals 
on my feet. {I}6_{/}Act wisely, therefore, his blood must be shed 
before he dies of old age. {I}7_{/}As to the sons of Barzillai, the 
Gileadite, deal kindly with them and let them be among those who 
eat at your table, for they themselves treated me with similar 
kindness when I fled from your brother Absalom.
[=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}With you also is Shimei, son of Gera, the Benjaminite 
from Bahurim who cursed me terribly, the day I fled to Mahanaim. 
When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by 
Yahweh, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.' {R}_{I}9_{/}Now 
therefore, you, being a wise man, shall not hold him guiltless. 
You will know what to do with him: his blood must be shed before 
he dies of old age." 
{R}_{I}10_{/}Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the 
city of David. {R}_{I}11_{/}David reigned over Israel for forty years: 
seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 
{R}_{I}12_{/}So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father and his 
reign was firmly established. 

{N}SOLOMON AFFIRMS HIS POWER{/}

{R}_{I}13_{/}Then Adonijah, son of Haggith, came to Bathsheba, mother of 
Solomon, who asked him, "Do you come in peace?" He answered, "In 
peace," {I}14_{/}and added, "I have something to tell you." She said, 
"Speak" {R}_{I}15_{/}and Adonijah said, "You know that the kingdom was 
mine and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. But the 
kingdom has slipped from my hands and become my brother's for it 
was given him by Yahweh. {I}16_{/}Now I have one thing to ask of you 
and I beg you not to refuse me." She said, "Speak," {R}_{I}17_{/}and he 
continued, "Please ask King Solomon to give me Abishag the 
Shunammite for my wife. I know that he cannot refuse you." 
{R}_{I}18_{/}Bathsheba answered, "Very well, I shall speak to the king on 
your behalf."
{R}_{I}19_{/}So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf 
of Adonijah. The king met her and bowed to her. Then he sat on his 
throne and had a seat brought for the king's mother who sat on his 
right.
{R}_{I}20_{/}She said, "I have one small request to make of you. Do not 
refuse me." And the king answered her, "Make your request, my 
mother, for I will not refuse you." {I}21_{/}She then said, "Let 
Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his 
wife." {R}_{I}22_{/}King Solomon answered his mother, "And why do you not 
ask for the kingdom to be given to him! For he is my elder 
brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah are 
on his side."
{R}_{I}23_{/}Then King Solomon swore this oath, "Yahweh do so to me and 
more if this request does not cause Adonijah his life! {R}_{I}24_{/}Now, 
therefore, as Yahweh lives, he who has established me and placed 
me on the throne of David my father, and who has established a 
kingly line as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this 
day." {R}_{I}25_{/}So King Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, who 
killed him.
[=]_{R}_{I}26_{/}Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, "Go to your 
estate at Anathoth. You deserve death but I will not put you to 
death, because you carried the ark of God before my father David 
and shared in all his trials." {R}_{I}27_{/}So Solomon removed Abiathar 
as priest of Yahweh, and fulfilled the word spoken by Yahweh in 
Shiloh concerning the descendants of Eli.
{R}_{I}28_{/}This news reached Joab, who had supported Adonijah but not 
Absalom. He fled to the tent of Yahweh and held onto the horns of 
the altar. {R}_{I}29_{/}When it was reported to King Solomon that Joab 
had fled to the tent of Yahweh and was beside the altar, the king 
sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, with this command, "Go, strike him 
down!"
{R}_{I}30_{/}So Benaiah went to the tent of Yahweh and said to Joab, "The 
king commands: 'Come forward.'" But he replied, "No, I will die 
here."
So Benaiah went back to the king with this report, "This is what 
Joab answered." {R}_{I}31_{/}The king then replied. "Do as he has said. 
Strike him down and have him buried. With this, the guilt for the 
blood which Joab shed will be lifted from me and from my father's 
family. [=]_{R}_{I}32_{/}Yahweh will repay him for the blood he shed 
because, without my father David's knowledge, he attacked and slew 
with the sword two men more righteous and better than himself, 
Abner son of Ner, commander of the Israelite army, and Amasa son 
of Jether, commander of Judah's army.
{R}_{I}33_{/}"Their blood shall be avenged on Joab and his descendants 
forever; but David and his descendants, his family and throne 
shall enjoy peace from Yahweh forever."
{R}_{I}34_{/}Then Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, went up, struck Joab down and 
killed him. He was buried in his own house in the desert. 
{R}_{I}35_{/}The king put Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, over the army in 
place of Joab; and Zadok the priest, in place of Abiathar.
{R}_{I}36_{/}Then the king sent for Shimei and told him, "Build yourself 
a house in Jerusalem and stay there, and do not leave the place to 
go anywhere. {R}_{I}37_{/}On the day you leave and cross the brook 
Kidron, you shall surely die and you shall be responsible for your 
own death." {R}_{I}38_{/}Shimei answered the king, "What you say is good. 
Your servant will do as my lord the king has commanded." So Shimei 
stayed in Jerusalem for many days.
{R}_{I}39_{/}Three years later, two of Shimei's slaves ran away to 
Achish, son of Maacha, king of Gath. When it was reported to 
Shimei that his slaves were in Gath, {I}40_{/}he saddled an ass and 
went to Achish in Gath in search of his slaves. {R}_{I}41_{/}When Solomon 
was informed that Shimei had left Jerusalem for Gath and returned, 
{R}_{I}42_{/}the king sent for Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make 
you swear by Yahweh and warned you severely that, on the day you 
left to go anywhere you would surely die? And you answered me: 
'What you say is good; I shall obey!' {I}43_{/}Why then did you not 
keep your oath to Yahweh and obey the command I gave you?" 
{R}_{I}44_{/}The king told Shimei, "Remember the evil you did to David my 
father. Now Yahweh will repay you for what you did. {R}_{I}45_{/}But King 
Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall stand firm 
before Yahweh forever." {R}_{I}46_{/}Then the king commanded Benaiah, son 
of Jehoiada, who went out and struck Shimei and killed him.
In this manner, Solomon firmly established his reign.

{1}3{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Solomon entered into a marriage alliance with Pharaoh, 
king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her to the 
city of David until he had finished building his own palace, 
Yahweh's House and the wall around Jerusalem. {I}2_{/}Meantime, the 
people were sacrificing at the high places because the house for 
the Name of Yahweh had not yet been built.
[=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}This is why Solomon also sacrificed and burnt incense at 
the high place, although he loved Yahweh and followed the commands 
of David his father.

{N}SOLOMON'S DREAM{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}4_{/}The king used to sacrifice at Gibeon, the great high 
place; on the altar there he had offered a thousand burnt 
offerings. {R}_{I}5_{/}It was in Gibeon, during the night, that Yahweh 
appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, "Ask what you want me to 
give you."
{R}_{I}6_{/}Solomon answered, "You have shown your servant David my 
father a great and steadfast love because he served you faithfully 
and was righteous and sincere towards you. You have given him 
proof of your steadfast love in making a son of his sit on his 
throne this day. {R}_{I}7_{/}And now, O Yahweh my God, you have made your 
servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a 
young boy who does not know how to undertake anything. 
[=]_{I}8_{/}Meantime, your servant is in the midst of your people whom 
you have chosen - a people so great that they can neither be 
numbered nor counted. 
[=]_{I}9_{/}Give me, therefore, an understanding mind in governing 
your people that I may discern between good and evil. For who is 
able to govern this multitude of people of yours?"
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}Yahweh was pleased that Solomon had made this request. 
{I}11_{/}And he told him, "Because you have requested this rather than 
long life or wealth or even vengeance on your enemies; indeed, 
because you have asked for yourself understanding to discern what 
is right, [=]_{I}12_{/}I shall grant you your request. I now give you 
a wise and discerning mind such as no one has had before you nor 
anyone after you shall ever have. 
{R}_{I}13_{/}"I will also give you what you have not asked for, both 
wealth and fame; and no king shall be your equal during your 
lifetime. [=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}Moreover, if you will walk in my ways, keeping 
my statutes and commands, as your father David did, I shall give 
you long life."
{R}_{I}15_{/}Solomon awoke and knew that this was a dream. So he went to 
Jerusalem and, standing before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, 
he offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and gave a 
feast for all his servants.

{N}THE JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}16_{/}Then two harlots came to the king and stood before him. 
{I}17_{/}One of the two women said, "Oh, my lord, this woman and I 
live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was 
there with me. {I}18_{/}Three days after my child was born, this woman 
also gave birth. We were alone, and there was no one in the house 
but the two of us. {I}19_{/}Then this woman's son died during the 
night because she lay on him. {R}_{I}20_{/}So during the night, she got 
up, took my son from my side while I slept, laid it beside her and 
her dead son beside me. {R}_{I}21_{/}When I got up in the morning to 
nurse my child, I saw it was dead. But when I looked at it closely 
in the morning, I saw that it was not my child."
{R}_{I}22_{/}The other woman said, "No, the living child is mine; the 
dead child is yours." To this, the first replied, "Not so, the 
dead child is yours; the living child is mine." And they quarreled 
this way in the king's presence.
{R}_{I}23_{/}Then the king said, "One says: 'This is my son who is alive; 
your son is dead'; the other says: 'That is not so, your son is 
dead; my son is the live one'." {R}_{I}24_{/}And the king said, "Bring me 
a sword." When they brought the king a sword, {I}25_{/}he gave this 
order, "Divide the child in two and give half to one, half to the 
other." {R}_{I}26_{/}Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king 
out of pity for her son, "Oh, my lord, give her the living child 
but spare its life." The other woman, however, said, "It shall be 
neither mine nor yours. Divide it!"
{R}_{I}27_{/}Then the king spoke, "Give the living child to the first 
woman and spare its life. She is its mother." {R}_{I}28_{/}When all 
Israel heard of the judgment which the king had given, they 
revered at him, seeing that God's wisdom was in him to render 
justice.

{N}SOLOMON'S GRANDEUR{/}

{1}4{/}

{R}_{I}1_{/}King Solomon was king over all Israel [=]_{I}2_{/}and had the 
following for his high officials: Azariah, son of Zadok, was the 
priest; {I}3_{/}Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, were 
secretaries; Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was recorder; 
{R}_{I}4_{/}Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was general of the army; Zadok and 
Abiathar were priests; {R}_{I}5_{/}Azariah, son of Nathan, was head of 
the officers; Zabud, son of Nathan, was priest and the king's 
personal adviser; {I}6_{/}Abishar was in charge of the palace; and 
Adoniram, son of Abda was in charge of forced labor.
{R}_{I}7_{/}Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel who provided 
food for the king and his household; each one of them making 
provisions for one month during the year. {R}_{I}8_{/}These were their 
names: Benhur, in the hill country of Ephraim; {I}9_{/}Bendeker, in 
Makaz; Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan; {I}10_{/}Benhesed, 
in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher); 
{R}_{I}11_{/}Ben-abinadab, in all of Naphath-dor (he had Taphath, 
daughter of Solomon, for his wife); {R}_{I}12_{/}Baana, son of Ahilud, in 
Taanach; Megiddo and all of Beth-shean beside Zarethan below 
Jezreel, and from Beth-shean to Abelmeholah, as far as Jokmeam and 
beyond; {R}_{I}13_{/}Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of 
Jair, son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, as also the region of 
Argob in Bashan, sixty big towns, walled and barred with brazen 
bars); {I}14_{/}Ahinadab, son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; {R}_{I}15_{/}Ahimaaz, in 
Naphtali (he had taken Basemath, daughter of Solomon, for his 
wife); {I}16_{/}Baana, son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 
{I}17_{/}Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, in Issachar; {I}18_{/}Shimei, son of 
Ela, in Benjamin; {R}_{I}19_{/}Geber, son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, 
the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of 
Bashan. And there was also an attendant in the land of Judah.
[=]_{R}_{I}20_{/}Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the 
seashore, eating and drinking, and making merry. {R}_{I}21_{/}Solomon 
ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the 
Philistines and on to the frontiers of Egypt. All these paid 
tribute and served Solomon during his lifetime. 
{R}_{I}22_{/}Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors of fine 
flour, sixty cors of meal, {I}23_{/}ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed 
cattle, a hundred sheep, besides harts, gazelles, roebucks, and 
fattened fowl. {R}_{I}24_{/}He ruled over all the region west of the 
Euphrates, from Tipshah to Gaza and over all its kings, and he had 
peace on all frontiers. {R}_{I}25_{/}Judah and Israel lived in security, 
from Dan to Beersheba, and everyone was safe under his vine and 
under his fig tree, for as long as Solomon lived.
{R}_{I}26_{/}Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots 
and twelve thousand horsemen.
{R}_{I}27_{/}All these governors supplied provisions for King Solomon and 
for all his guests at table, each one providing during his 
assigned month and seeing that nothing was lacking. {R}_{I}28_{/}They 
also brought barley and straw for the horses and swift studs 
wherever the king stayed, each one doing this during his appointed 
month.
[=]_{R}_{I}29_{/}God gave Solomon great wisdom and understanding, and 
knowledge as vast as the sand on the shore, {I}30_{/}so that his 
wisdom surpassed that of all the people of the east and of the 
Egyptians. {R}_{I}31_{/}He was wiser than any man; wiser than Ethan, the 
Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcot and Darda, sons of Mahol; and his fame 
spread among all the surrounding nations. {I}32_{/}He composed three 
thousand proverbs and knew a thousand and five songs. {I}33_{/}He took 
his examples from all the trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the 
hyssop that grows out of the wall; he spoke also of the beasts and 
birds, and reptiles and fish.
{R}_{I}34_{/}People from all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon; 
all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom sent 
messengers to listen to him.

{1}5{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Now, Hiram King of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when 
he heard that he had been anointed king in place of his father. 
For David had always been Hiram's friend. {R}_{I}2_{/}Solomon then sent 
this message to Hiram, {R}_{I}3_{/}"You know that David my father could 
not build a temple for Yahweh his God because his enemies were at 
war with him until the time when Yahweh gave him victory over 
them. {R}_{I}4_{/}But now Yahweh my God has given me peace on all sides 
and there is no enemy or calamity that afflicts us. {R}_{I}5_{/}And so I 
intend to build a temple for Yahweh my God as Yahweh told David my 
father, 'Your son, whom I will set upon your throne, shall build 
the House for my Name. {I}6_{/}Now, therefore, give orders to have 
cedars of Lebanon cut for me. My servants will join yours and I 
will pay your servants the wages you set, for you know that none 
of us can cut timber like the Sidonians."
{R}_{I}7_{/}When Hiram heard the answer of Solomon, he was exceedingly 
glad and said, "Blessed be Yahweh this day who has given David a 
wise son to rule over this great people." {R}_{I}8_{/}Then Hiram sent a 
messenger to Solomon with these words, "I have heard the message 
you sent me and I am ready to do whatever you want concerning the 
cedar and cypress timber. {R}_{I}9_{/}My servants shall have it sent down 
to the sea from Lebanon. I will make it into rafts and deliver 
them by sea to the place you choose. I will have the rafts broken 
up there and you can take the timber away. You, for your part, 
will provide food for my household." [=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}So Hiram supplied 
Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber that he wanted, 
{R}_{I}11_{/}while Solomon gave Hiram every year twenty thousand cors of 
wheat as food for his household, and twenty thousand cors of pure 
oil. {R}_{I}12_{/}Yahweh gave wisdom to Solomon as he had promised him, 
and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon who bound themselves 
by a treaty.
[=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}King Solomon conscripted thirty thousand men from all 
Israel for forced labor. {I}14_{/}He sent them to Lebanon in relays of 
ten thousand a month, so that they would be in Lebanon for a month 
and at home for two months. Adoniram was in charge of the draft of 
laborers. {R}_{I}15_{/}Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty 
thousand stone cutters in the hill country, {I}16_{/}in addition to 
three thousand three hundred overseers in charge of the people 
engaged in the work. {R}_{I}17_{/}By order of the king, they quarried 
large and expensive stones to give the temple a foundation of hewn 
stones. {R}_{I}18_{/}Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders, along with 
the Gebalites did the hewing and prepared both timber and stone to 
build the temple.

{N}SOLOMON BUILDS THE TEMPLE{/}

{1}6{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}In the four hundred and eightieth year after the 
Israelites left the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's 
reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, 
Solomon began to build the temple of Yahweh. {R}_{I}2_{/}The House which 
King Solomon built for Yahweh was sixty cubits long, twenty wide, 
and thirty high. {I}3_{/}The vestibule fronting the Sanctuary was 
twenty cubits long from side to side, the width of the temple, and 
ten cubits deep in front of the House. {I}4_{/}He made windows with 
recessed frames for the House.
{R}_{I}5_{/}Solomon had a structure built adjoining the walls all around 
the House and enclosing both Sanctuary and Inner Sanctuary. He 
also made lateral rooms all around. {I}6_{/}The lowest story was five 
cubits wide; the middle, six cubits wide; and the third, seven 
cubits wide. Around the exterior of the temple, he made offsets on 
the wall so that the supporting beams need not be inserted into 
walls of the temple.
{I}7_{/}The House was built with stones prepared at the quarry so that 
no hammer, or axe, or any iron implement was heard in the temple 
during the construction.
{I}8_{/}The entrance to the lowest story was on the right side of the 
House. A staircase led up to the middle story; and from the middle 
story, to the third. {R}_{I}9_{/}So, Solomon built the House and finished 
it, making the ceiling of the House from cedar beams and planks. 
{I}10_{/}Each story of the structure which he built surrounding the 
House was five cubits high joined to the House with cedar timber.
{R}_{I}11_{/}The word of Yahweh was directed to Solomon, {R}_{I}12_{/}"If you 
observe my statutes, obey my ordinances, keep all my commands and 
follow them, I will fulfill everything I said to David your father 
regarding this House. {I}13_{/}There I will be in the midst of the 
Israelites and not forsake my people Israel."
[\u0095]_{R}_{I}14_{/}So, Solomon built the House and finished it. [=]_{I}15_{/}He 
covered the interior walls of the temple with cedar boards; so 
that in the interior from the floor of the House to the rafters of 
the ceiling only wood could be seen. The floor also was covered 
with cypress boards. {R}_{I}16_{/}Solomon covered twenty cubits of the 
rear of the House with cedar boards from floor to rafter to serve 
as an inner sanctuary - the Most Holy Place. {I}17_{/}The front of the 
house, that is the Sanctuary, was forty cubits long. {I}18_{/}In all 
the interior of the House, the cedar was carved in the form of 
gourds and open flowers; all was of cedar and no stone was to be 
seen.
{R}_{I}19_{/}The inner sanctuary in the innermost part of the building 
had been destined to house the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. 
{R}_{I}20_{/}It was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty 
cubits high, overlaid with pure gold. He also made an altar of 
cedar. {R}_{I}21_{/}Solomon overlaid the interior of the House with pure 
gold. He closed the inner sanctuary with golden chains and 
overlaid it with gold. {R}_{I}22_{/}Solomon overlaid the entire House 
with gold. He also overlaid with gold the whole altar in the inner 
sanctuary.
{R}_{I}23_{/}In the inner sanctuary, Solomon made two cherubim of olive 
wood, each ten cubits high. {I}24_{/}The length of the wings of each 
cherub was five cubits each, hence, ten cubits from tip to tip. 
{I}25_{/}Both cherubim had the same measurement and the same form, 
{I}26_{/}both being ten cubits high. {I}27_{/}When the cherubim were put 
in the innermost part of the House their wings were so spread out 
that a wing of one touched one wall, while a wing of the other 
touched the other wall. Their other wings touched each other at 
the center of the House. {I}28_{/}The cherubim were also overlaid with 
gold.
{R}_{I}29_{/}Solomon had all the surrounding walls of the House carved 
with figures of cherubim, palm trees and open flowers both in the 
interior and exterior rooms. {I}30_{/}He also had the floor of the 
House, in both the interior and exterior rooms, overlaid with 
gold.
{R}_{I}31_{/}Solomon had doors made of olive wood for the entrance to the 
inner sanctuary of which the lintel and doorposts formed the fifth 
part. {I}32_{/}He covered the two olive wood doors with carvings of 
cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. He then overlaid them with 
gold and spread gold on the cherubim and the palm trees.
{I}33_{/}He did the same for the olive wood doorposts at the entrance 
to the sanctuary, which formed the fourth part of the door. 
{I}34_{/}Both the right and left side of the door had two folding 
panels of cypress wood. [=]_{I}35_{/}He had cherubim, palm trees and 
open flowers carved on them and overlaid the carvings with gold 
evenly applied.
{R}_{I}36_{/}As for the interior court, Solomon had it built with three 
courses of hewn stone and one course of cedar beams.
{I}37_{/}In the month of Ziv of the fourth year, the foundation of 
Yahweh's House was laid. {R}_{I}38_{/}In the month of Bul, the eighth 
month of the eleventh year, the House was finished, complete and 
according to all specifications. It took Solomon seven years to 
build it.

{N}THE PALACE AND THE TEMPLE{/}

{1}7{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Solomon took thirteen years to build his own palace. 
{I}2_{/}He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon which measured one 
hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. It 
was built on three rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the 
pillars. {I}3_{/}It had a cedar ceiling above the beams that were on 
the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. {I}4_{/}There were three 
window frames at either end, each window corresponding to another 
opposite it. {I}5_{/}All the doorways and windows had square frames 
and each window corresponded to the one opposite it.
{I}6_{/}The Hall of Pillars measured fifty cubits long and thirty 
cubits wide. It had a porch in front with pillars and a canopy 
over them. {R}_{I}7_{/}The Hall of the Throne where Solomon was to 
pronounce judgment, that is, the Hall of Judgment, was finished 
with cedar from floor to rafters.
{R}_{I}8_{/}His own house, where he was to live, and which was in the 
other court behind the hall, was built in like manner. Solomon 
also made a house similar to this for Pharaoh's daughter whom he 
had taken in marriage.
{I}9_{/}All these were made of costly stones, hewn according to 
measure, sawn on their inner and outer faces even from the 
foundation to the coping, and from the court of Yahweh's House to 
the big court.
{I}10_{/}The foundation was of huge, costly stones of eighty and ten 
cubits. {I}11_{/}Above were costly stones, hewn according to measure, 
and cedar wood. {I}12_{/}The great court was surrounded by a wall of 
hewn stones and a course of cedar beams, like the interior court 
of Yahweh's House and its vestibule.
{R}_{I}13_{/}King Solomon sent for and brought from Tyre, Hiram, 
{R}_{I}14_{/}who was the son of a widow of Naphtali's tribe. His father 
was from Tyre and an artisan in bronze-work, and he himself was 
very knowledgeable and skilled in all kinds of bronze-work. Hiram 
came and did all the work that Solomon asked of him.
{I}15_{/}He cast two brazen pillars, both of which measured eighteen 
cubits high and had a circumference of twelve cubits. Both were 
hollow and measured four fingers in thickness. {I}16_{/}He also made 
two capitals of molten bronze to set on the tops of the pillars, 
both measuring five cubits high. {I}17_{/}He also made two pieces of 
network with a chainlike mesh for each of the capitals on top of 
the pillars. {I}18_{/}Likewise, he made pomegranates arranged in two 
rows encircling each piece of network to cover each capital on top 
of the pillars. {I}19_{/}The capitals on top of the pillars in the 
vestibule had a lotus design measuring four cubits. {I}20_{/}They were 
on the two pillars above the nodes and beside the network, 
encircled by two hundred pomegranates arranged in two rows.
[\u0095]_{I}21_{/}Hiram set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple; 
one to the right called Yakin, and one to the left called Boaz. 
{I}22_{/}In this way the work on the pillars was completed.
{R}_{I}23_{/}Hiram then cast the great round bowl called the "Sea," 
measuring ten cubits from one brim to the opposite; it was five 
cubits high and had a circumference of thirty cubits. {R}_{I}24_{/}Under 
its brim, it was encircled with gourds, ten for each cubit, 
arranged in two rows and cast along with the Sea. {I}25_{/}This rested 
on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three 
facing south, and three facing east, with their haunches towards 
the center. {I}26_{/}It was a handbreadth in thickness, its brim 
resembling a cup or a lily flower, and had a capacity of two 
thousand baths.
{I}27_{/}Hiram also made ten brazen stands, each measuring four cubits 
long, four cubits wide and three cubits high; {I}28_{/}and this was 
how the stands were constructed: they had framed panels {I}29_{/}on 
which were lions, oxen and cherubim. On the frames above and below 
the lions and oxen were wreaths in relief. {I}30_{/}Each stand had 
four brazen wheels and axles; its four feet had shoulderings under 
the basin. {I}31_{/}Its mouth measured one and a half cubits from 
where the shoulderings met the top; its mouth was round like a 
rest for a vessel; and on the mouth there were engravings, too. 
The crosspieces, however, were rectangular, not round. {I}32_{/}The 
four wheels were below the panels; their axles being one piece 
with the stands. Each wheel was a cubit and a half high. {I}33_{/}The 
wheels were made like chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes 
and hubs were all of cast metal.
The four legs of each stand had cast braces supporting a basin and 
had wreaths on each side. {I}34_{/}These four braces, extending to the 
corners of each stand, were of one piece with the stand.
{I}35_{/}On top of the stand was a round band half a cubit high, with 
supports and panels which were of one piece with the stand. This 
was topped by a crown one cubit high within which was a rounded 
opening, the way a pedestal is made, a cubit and a half deep. Its 
opening had carvings and its panels were square and not round. 
{I}36_{/}On the surface of its supports, as also on its panels, and 
wherever there was space, were carvings of cherubim, lions and 
palm trees, with wreaths all around. {I}37_{/}This was how the ten 
stands were made - all of them with the same cast, same 
measurement, and same form.
[=]_{I}38_{/}Hiram also made ten brazen basins, each holding forty 
baths and measuring four cubits. There was a basin for each of the 
ten stands. {R}_{I}39_{/}He placed five of the stands on the south side 
of the House, and five on the north side. The Sea he placed at the 
southeast corner of the temple.
[=]_{R}_{I}40_{/}Hiram also made the bowls, shovels and basins, and 
thereby finished all the work that he had undertaken for King 
Solomon on Yahweh's House. {I}41_{/}Hence, two pillars, two bowls on 
the capitals at the top of the pillars, {I}42_{/}four hundred 
pomegranates for two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each 
network to cover the two bowls of the capitals at the top of the 
pillars, {I}43_{/}ten stands, ten basins on the stands, {R}_{I}44_{/}the Sea, 
and twelve oxen underneath the Sea.
{R}_{I}45_{/}Now the bowls, shovels and basins - all these vessels which 
Hiram made in Yahweh's House for King Solomon - were of burnished 
bronze. {R}_{I}46_{/}The king had them cast in the plain of Jordan, in 
the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. {R}_{I}47_{/}Solomon left 
all the vessels unweighed since there were so many of them. And so 
the weight of the bronze was not known.
[=]_{R}_{I}48_{/}So Solomon made all the vessels that were in Yahweh's 
House: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of 
Presence, {I}49_{/}the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side 
and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary; the flowers, 
lamps and tongs of gold; {I}50_{/}the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes 
for incense, and firepans of pure gold; and the golden hinges for 
both the doors of the innermost part of the House, the Most Holy 
Place, and the doors of the Sanctuary of the House.
[=]_{R}_{I}51_{/}When all the work that King Solomon did on Yahweh's 
House was completed, he brought in the things which David his 
father had dedicated - the silver, the gold, and the vessels - and 
stored them in the treasures of Yahweh's House.

{1}8{/}

{R}_{I}1_{/}Then Solomon assembled before him in Jerusalem the elders of 
Israel and all the heads of the tribes, as well as the leaders of 
the ancestral houses of the Israelites, to bring up the ark of the 
covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, which is Zion.

{N}THE ARK ASSEMBLED NEAR KING SOLOMON{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}2_{/}All the Israelites assembled near King Solomon in the 
month of Ethanim, the seventh month. [=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}When all the elders 
of Israel arrived, the priests carried the ark of Yahweh {R}_{I}4_{/}and 
brought it up together with the Tent of Meeting and all the holy 
vessels that were in the tent. After the priests and Levites had 
brought them up, {R}_{I}5_{/}King Solomon with the entire congregation of 
Israel that had assembled before him and were with him before the 
Ark, sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could neither be 
counted nor numbered. {R}_{I}6_{/}Then the priests laid the ark of the 
covenant of Yahweh in its place in the inner sanctuary of the 
House - the Most Holy Place - underneath the wings of the 
cherubim. {R}_{I}7_{/}The cherubim had their wings spread out over the 
place of the ark, providing a covering above the ark and its 
poles. 
[=]_{I}8_{/}The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the 
Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary but not from the 
outside; and they remain there to this day. [=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}There was 
nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone which Moses 
placed there at Horeb, where Yahweh made a covenant with the 
Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt. [=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}And 
when the priests came out of the Holy Place, such a cloud filled 
Yahweh's House [=]_{R}_{I}11_{/}that the priests could not continue to 
minister. Indeed, the glory of Yahweh filled his House.
[=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}Then Solomon said, "Yahweh has said that he would dwell 
in thick darkness. [=]_{I}13_{/}So the House I have built you will be 
your House, a place for you to dwell in forever."
{R}_{I}14_{/}The king turned and blessed the entire assembly of Israel, 
as they stood, {R}_{I}15_{/}saying, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of 
Israel, who has fulfilled by his hand what he promised personally 
to David my father when he said, {R}_{I}16_{/}'Since the day I brought my 
people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city in all the tribes of 
Israel in which to build a resting place for my Name, but now I 
have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there, as I chose David to 
be the king of my people Israel.' {R}_{I}17_{/}Now David my father wanted 
to build a House for the Name of Yahweh, the God of Israel; 
{R}_{I}18_{/}but Yahweh told David my father, 'You meant well to build a 
House for my Name. {I}19_{/}Nevertheless, not you but your son who 
shall be born to you shall build this House for my Name'."
{R}_{I}20_{/}Yahweh has fulfilled his promise, for I have succeeded David 
my father and am sitting on the throne of Israel; and, as Yahweh 
promised, I have built this House for the Name of Yahweh, the God 
of Israel. {R}_{I}21_{/}There I have provided a place for the ark with 
the covenant which Yahweh made with our fathers when he brought 
them out of the land of Egypt."

{N}SOLOMON'S PRAYER{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}22_{/}Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the 
presence of all the assembly of Israel. He raised his hands 
towards heaven {R}_{I}23_{/}and said, "O Yahweh, God of Israel, there is 
no God like you either in heaven or on earth! You keep your 
covenant and show loving- kindness to your servants who walk 
before you wholeheartedly. {R}_{I}24_{/}You have foretold this day to 
your servant David, my father, and this day you have fulfilled 
your promise. {R}_{I}25_{/}Now, O Yahweh, God of Israel, keep this other 
promise you made to David when you said, 'You shall always have 
someone from your family on the throne of Israel, provided that 
your sons are careful to serve me as you have done.' {R}_{I}26_{/}Now, 
therefore, O God of Israel, confirm the promise you have given to 
David my father.
[=]_{R}_{I}27_{/}But will God really live among men on earth? If neither 
heavens nor the highest heavens can contain you, how much less can 
this House which I have built! {R}_{I}28_{/}Yet, listen to the prayer and 
supplication of your servant, O Yahweh my God; hearken to the 
cries and pleas which your servant directs to you this day. 
[=]_{I}29_{/}Watch over this House of which you have said, 'My name 
shall rest there.' Hear the prayer of your servant in this place.
[\u0095]_{R}_{I}30_{/}Listen to the supplication of your servant and your 
people Israel when they pray in this direction; listen from your 
dwelling place in Heaven and, on listening, forgive.
{R}_{I}31_{/}When people charged with a crime against their neighbor come 
and take their oath before your altar in this temple, {I}32_{/}then 
hear from Heaven and do justice. Condemn the guilty and let his 
evildoing fall upon him, but vindicate the righteous and reward 
him according to his righteousness.
[=]_{R}_{I}33_{/}When your people Israel are defeated by the enemy for 
having sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and 
acknowledge their sins, praying and making supplications to you in 
this House; {R}_{I}34_{/}then listen from heaven and forgive your people 
Israel. Bring them back to the land which you gave to their 
fathers.
[=]_{I}35_{/}When the heavens are shut and no rain falls because they 
have sinned against you, and they pray in this place, 
acknowledging and repenting of their sin because you have 
afflicted them, {R}_{I}36_{/}then listen from Heaven and forgive your 
servants, your people Israel, and teach them the way to live; and 
send rain on your land which you have given to your people as an 
inheritance.
[=]_{I}37_{/}If there is famine in the land, or pestilence such as 
blight or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy attacks 
them in any of their cities; if they suffer from any plague or 
sickness; {I}38_{/}whatever be the prayer or supplication of anyone 
showing repentance and raising his hands in the direction of this 
House, {I}39_{/}then listen from Heaven, your dwelling place, and 
forgive. Do to each, whose heart you know, according to his 
conduct (for you alone know the hearts of all) {I}40_{/}so that they 
may fear you as long as they live in the land which you gave our 
fathers. 
{R}_{I}41_{/}Likewise, when a foreigner who is not from your people 
Israel, comes from a far country because of your Name {I}42_{/}(for 
they shall hear of your great Name, your mighty hand and 
outstretched arm), and prays in this House, {R}_{I}43_{/}listen from the 
heavens, your dwelling place, and do for the foreigner whatever he 
asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your 
Name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and may know that 
your name rests on this House which I have built.
{I}44_{/}If your people go to war wherever you send them, and they 
pray to Yahweh in the direction of the city which you have chosen 
and the House which I have built for your Name, {I}45_{/}then from 
Heaven listen to their prayers and supplications and defend their 
cause. 
[=]_{I}46_{/}If they sin against you (and there is no one who does not 
sin), and, in your anger, you deliver them to an enemy who takes 
them captive into enemy territory, whether near or far off; 
{I}47_{/}and if, in the land where they have been carried captive, 
they sincerely repent and plead with you and say, 'We have sinned 
and have acted wrongly and wickedly'; {I}48_{/}if they do repent with 
sincerity while in the land of their captors and pray to you, 
turning towards the land which you gave to their fathers, the city 
which you have chosen, and the House which I have built for your 
Name; {I}49_{/}then listen from heaven, your dwelling place, their 
prayer and supplication and defend their cause. {I}50_{/}Forgive your 
people who have sinned against you; forgive all their offenses, 
and make their captors have compassion on them. [=]_{R}_{I}51_{/}(For 
they are your people - your heritage which you brought out of 
Egypt from the heart of the iron furnace).
{R}_{I}52_{/}Open your eyes to the pleadings of your servant and to those 
of your people Israel, and listen to them whenever they call on 
you. [=]_{R}_{I}53_{/}For you took them from among all the peoples of the 
earth to be your heritage, as you declared through Moses your 
servant when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Yahweh God."
{R}_{I}54_{/}When Solomon finished offering all this prayer and entreaty 
to Yahweh, he rose from before the altar of Yahweh where he had 
knelt with hands raised towards heaven and, {R}_{I}55_{/}standing, 
blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, 
[=]_{R}_{I}56_{/}"Blessed be Yahweh who has given rest to his people 
Israel as he promised; for not one of his promises, given to Moses 
his servant, has been broken. {R}_{I}57_{/}May Yahweh our God be with us 
as he was with our fathers. May he not leave or forsake us; 
{I}58_{/}may he incline our hearts towards him and make us walk in all 
his ways keeping his commands, his statutes and regulations which 
he commanded our fathers. {R}_{I}59_{/}Let my prayer to Yahweh be with 
our God day and night. May he defend my cause and the cause of his 
people Israel in their daily life; [=]_{R}_{I}60_{/}in this way all the 
peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh is God and there is no 
other. {R}_{I}61_{/}As for you, let your heart be wholly true to Yahweh 
our God, following his laws and keeping his commands as at this 
time."
{R}_{I}62_{/}Then the king and all the Israelites with him offered 
sacrifices before Yahweh. [=]_{R}_{I}63_{/}Solomon offered twenty-two 
thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep as peace 
offerings to Yahweh. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated 
Yahweh's House. {R}_{I}64_{/}That same day, the king consecrated the 
middle of the court in front of Yah-weh's House, for it was there 
that he offered the burnt offerings, the cereal offerings and the 
fat of the peace offerings since the bronze altar that was before 
Yahweh was too small to receive the burnt offering, the cereal 
offering and the fat of the peace offerings.
{R}_{I}65_{/}So at this time Solomon, together with a large assembly of 
Israelites that gathered from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook 
of Egypt, celebrated the festival before Yahweh for seven days. 
{R}_{I}66_{/}On the eighth day, Solomon dismissed the people.
After bidding farewell to the king, they went home rejoicing and 
happy because of all the kindness that Yahweh had shown to his 
servant David and to his people Israel.

{N}SOLOMON'S ACTIVITIES{/}

{1}9{/}

{R}_{I}1_{/}After Solomon had finished building Yahweh's House, the royal 
palace, and everything he wanted to build, {R}_{I}2_{/}Yahweh appeared to 
him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 
[=]_{I}3_{/}Yahweh said to him, "I have heard the prayer and 
supplication you made before me. I have consecrated this House you 
have built, that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my 
heart will be there forever. {R}_{I}4_{/}As for you, if you will live in 
my presence, the way your father David did, with sincerity and 
uprightness, doing all that I have commanded you and keeping my 
decrees and laws, {R}_{I}5_{/}I will affirm your kingship in Israel 
forever, as I promised your father David when I said, 'You shall 
always have someone from your family on the throne of Israel.'
[=]_{I}6_{/}But if you or your children refuse to follow me, and 
disobey my commands and laws which I have set before you; if they 
serve and worship other gods, [=]_{R}_{I}7_{/}then I will cut off Israel 
from the land which I have given them and I will remove from my 
sight this House I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will 
become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. {I}8_{/}This House 
will be reduced to a heap of stones and everyone passing by will 
be astonished and jeer: 'Why has Yahweh done such a thing to this 
land and to this House?' {R}_{I}9_{/}Then people will answer: 'Because 
they abandoned Yahweh their God who brought their fathers out of 
the land of Egypt, and they followed other gods, worshiping and 
serving them. That is why Yahweh has brought all this evil on 
them'."
{R}_{I}10_{/}During these twenty years, in which Solomon had built the 
two houses - Yahweh's House and the royal house - {R}_{I}11_{/}Hiram king 
of Tyre had supplied Solomon with as much cedar, cypress, timber 
and gold as he wanted. Then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities 
in the land of Galilee. {R}_{I}12_{/}But when Hiram left Tyre to visit 
the cities which Solomon had given him, he was displeased {I}13_{/}and 
said, "What kind of cities have you given me, my brother?" And 
that is why, to this day, they are called the land of Cabul. 
{R}_{I}14_{/}Hiram, however, had sent the king one hundred and twenty 
talents of gold.
{R}_{I}15_{/}This is the account of the forced labor imposed by King 
Solomon for the building of Yahweh's House and his own palace, the 
Millo as well as the wall of Jerusalem; the cities of Hazor, 
Megiddo and Gezer. {R}_{I}16_{/}(Pharaoh king of Egypt had captured and 
burned Gezer, putting to death the Canaanites who dwelt there. 
Then he had given the city as dowry to his daughter, Solomon's 
wife.) {R}_{I}17_{/}So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon, 
{R}_{I}18_{/}Baalath and Tamar in the desert, in the land of Judah, 
{R}_{I}19_{/}all the store-cities that Solomon had, the cities for his 
chariots and those for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon wanted 
to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and in all the land of his 
dominion.
{R}_{I}20_{/}On all the people who were left of the Amorites, the 
Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were 
not of the people of Israel - {R}_{I}21_{/}their descendants who were 
left in the land and whom the Israelites were unable to completely 
destroy - on all of these Solomon imposed forced labor and it 
remains so to this day. {R}_{I}22_{/}Of the people of Israel, however, 
Solomon made no slaves. They were the soldiers, his officials, his 
commanders, his captains, his chariot commanders and horsemen.
{R}_{I}23_{/}The overseers of Solomon's work, in charge of those who were 
working, were five hundred and fifty. {R}_{I}24_{/}When Pharaoh's 
daughter went up from the city of David to her own house that 
Solomon had built for her, he began building the Millo.
{R}_{I}25_{/}After Solomon had finished the House, he came three times a 
year to offer up burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar 
which he had built to Yahweh, burning incense before Yahweh. 
{R}_{I}26_{/}King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, near 
Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 
{R}_{I}27_{/}Hiram sent his servants, seamen who were familiar with the 
sea, to serve in the fleet together with the servants of Solomon. 
{R}_{I}28_{/}They sailed for Ophir and brought back to King Solomon gold 
amounting to four hundred and twenty talents.

{N}THE QUEEN OF SHEBA VISITS SOLOMON{/}

{1}10{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's fame, and came 
to test him with difficult questions. {R}_{I}2_{/}She arrived in 
Jerusalem with a vast retinue and with camels loaded with spices, 
an abundance of gold and precious stones. When she came to 
Solomon, she told him all that she had on her mind {R}_{I}3_{/}and 
Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing that the 
king could not explain to her. {R}_{I}4_{/}And when the queen of Sheba 
had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, 
{I}5_{/}the food on his table, the residence of his officials, the 
attendance of his servants and their clothing, his cupbearers, and 
the burnt offerings which he offered at Yahweh's House, it left 
her breathless.
{R}_{I}6_{/}Then she said to the king, "All that I heard in my own land 
concerning you and your wisdom was true. {I}7_{/}But I did not believe 
the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. And what did I 
see! I was told only half the story; for your wisdom and wealth 
surpass the report I heard.
{I}8_{/}Fortunate are your wives! Fortunate are your servants who are 
ever in your presence and hear your wisdom! {R}_{I}9_{/}Blessed be Yahweh 
your God, who has looked kindly on you and has put you on the 
throne of Israel! Because of Yahweh's eternal love for Israel, he 
has made you king so that you may dispense justice and 
righteousness."
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}Then she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of 
gold, spices in abundance, and precious stones. Such an abundance 
of spices as those which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon 
was never again seen.
{I}11_{/}Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, 
also brought from Ophir a huge amount of almug wood and precious 
stones. {R}_{I}12_{/}The king used the almug wood to make supports for 
Yahweh's House and the royal palace, and also to make lyres and 
harps for the singers. Such almug wood has never again been 
brought or seen to the present day.
{R}_{I}13_{/}King Solomon, in turn, gave the queen of Sheba all that she 
desired and all that he in his generosity wanted to give her. Then 
she went back to her own land together with her servants.
{R}_{I}14_{/}Now the weight of gold that Solomon received in one year was 
six hundred and sixty-six gold talents, {R}_{I}15_{/}not counting that 
brought by traders, merchants, the kings of Arabia and the 
governors of the land. {R}_{I}16_{/}King Solomon made two hundred large 
shields of beaten gold, six hundred shekels of gold going into 
each shield. {R}_{I}17_{/}And he made three hundred shields of beaten 
gold with three minas of gold in each shield. And the king put 
them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. {R}_{I}18_{/}The king also 
made a huge ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. 
{I}19_{/}The throne had six steps, a rounded back, and on each side of 
the seat were arm rests with two lions standing beside the arm 
rests. {R}_{I}20_{/}The six steps had twelve lions, one on each end of a 
step. Nothing like this was ever made in any kingdom. {R}_{I}21_{/}All of 
King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels 
of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold and none 
of silver, for silver was not considered of much value in the days 
of Solomon.
[=]_{R}_{I}22_{/}The king had a fleet of Tarshish ships at sea with 
Hiram's fleet, and once every three years the fleet of Tarshish 
ships would bring gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks.
[\u0095]_{R}_{I}23_{/}King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in 
wealth and wisdom. {R}_{I}24_{/}And the whole world sought audience with 
Solomon to hear the wisdom which God had put into his mind. 
{I}25_{/}Everyone who came brought a present: articles of silver and 
gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses and mules, so much every 
year.
[=]_{R}_{I}26_{/}Solomon gathered together chariots and horses - fourteen 
hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses which he stationed in 
the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. {R}_{I}27_{/}The king 
made silver as common as stone in Jerusalem, and cedar as 
plentiful as sycamore in the lowland. {R}_{I}28_{/}Solomon imported his 
horses from Musri and Kue and the king's traders got them from Kue 
for a fixed price. {R}_{I}29_{/}A chariot could be imported from Musri 
for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and 
fifty. They were exported in the same way to all the kings of the 
Hittites and the kings of Syria. 

{N}SOLOMON'S WIVES{/}

{1}11{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}King Solomon loved many foreign women besides the 
daughter of Pharaoh. There were Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, 
Sidonian and Hittite women {R}_{I}2_{/}from nations about which Yahweh 
had commanded the Israelites, "You shall not marry them; nor shall 
they marry you, lest they win over your heart to their gods." 
Solomon, however, imitated these peoples because of his love. 
{I}3_{/}He had seven hundred wives of royal birth, and three hundred 
concubines, and they won his heart.
{R}_{I}4_{/}In Solomon's old age, his wives led him astray to serve other 
gods and, unlike his father David, his heart was no longer wholly 
given to Yahweh his God. [=]_{I}5_{/}For he served Astarte the goddess 
of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites. {R}_{I}6_{/}He 
did what displeased Yahweh and, unlike his father David, was 
unfaithful to him. {R}_{I}7_{/}Solomon even built a high place for 
Chemosh, the idol of Moab, on the mountain east of Jerusalem and 
also for Molech, the idol of the Ammonites. {I}8_{/}He did the same 
for all his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to 
their gods.
[=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}Yahweh became angry with Solomon because his heart had 
turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel. [=]_{I}10_{/}Yahweh 
appeared to him twice and commanded him not to follow other gods. 
But he did not obey Yahweh's command. {R}_{I}11_{/}Therefore, Yahweh said 
to Solomon, "Since this has been your choice and you have kept 
neither my Covenant nor the statutes I commanded you, I will take 
the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. 
{R}_{I}12_{/}Nevertheless, I will not do this during your lifetime for 
the sake of your father David; I will take it from your son. 
{R}_{I}13_{/}But I will not take it all; I will reserve one tribe for 
your son for the sake of David my servant, and for the sake of 
Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen."

{N}SOLOMON'S ENEMIES{/}

{R}_{I}14_{/}And Yahweh raised up an adversary against Solomon. This was 
Hadad, the Edomite of the royal house in Edom. [=]_{R}_{I}15_{/}Indeed, 
when David had defeated Edom, and Joab the commander of the army 
went up to bury the slain, he slew every male in Edom. {R}_{I}16_{/}Joab 
and the Israelites remained in the place for six months until he 
had destroyed every male in Edom. {R}_{I}17_{/}However Hadad, then still 
only a boy, fled to Egypt together with some Edomites, his 
father's servants. {R}_{I}18_{/}They left Midian for Paran and, taking 
along with them some of the men from Paran, they went on to Egypt 
to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house, promised him 
food and gave him land. {I}19_{/}Hadad pleased Pharaoh, who gave him 
as wife the sister of Queen Tahpenes, his own wife. {I}20_{/}The 
sister of Tahpenes bore him a son, Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned 
in Pharaoh's house, and who lived there together with Pharaoh's 
sons.
{R}_{I}21_{/}And so when Hadad heard in Egypt that David had slept with 
his fathers, and that Joab the commander of the army was also 
dead, he said to Pharaoh, "Let me go back to my own country." 
{R}_{I}22_{/}Pharaoh asked him, "What have I not done that you want to 
leave for your own country?" But he answered him, "Please, let me 
go." And he came back to his land. He ruled over Edom and hated 
Israel. 
{R}_{I}23_{/}God raised up another adversary in the person of Rezon son 
of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah. 
{R}_{I}24_{/}Rezon gathered men around him and became the leader of a 
marauding band. After David fought them and killed some of them, 
they went to live in Damascus where they made him king. {R}_{I}25_{/}He 
was an adversary of Israel during Solomon's lifetime.

{N}AHIJAH FORETELLS THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}26_{/}Jeroboam also rebelled against the king. He was the son 
of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah; his mother, Zeruah, had been 
left a widow. He was one of Solomon's officials. {R}_{I}27_{/}This was 
the reason for his rebellion. Solomon was building the Millo and 
was closing up the breach of the City of David his father; 
{R}_{I}28_{/}when he noticed that Jeroboam was a man of great personal 
worth and an able worker, he put him in charge of all the forced 
labor of the tribes of Joseph.
{R}_{I}29_{/}Once, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet 
Ahijah of Shiloh found him on the road. The two of them were alone 
in the open country {I}30_{/}when Ahijah, who had a new garment on, 
clutched and tore it into twelve pieces. {R}_{I}31_{/}He then said to 
Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself for this is the word of 
Yahweh, the God of Israel:
'I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon's hands {R}_{I}32_{/}to give 
you ten tribes. Only one tribe shall be left to him for the sake 
of my servant David and Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen 
out of all the tribes of Israel. {R}_{I}33_{/}For Solomon has forsaken me 
and worshiped Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the 
god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. Unlike his 
father David, he has not walked in my ways to do what is right 
before me and to keep my commandments and decisions.
{R}_{I}34_{/}Nevertheless, it is not from him that I will take the 
kingdom. I will let him reign during his lifetime for the sake of 
David my servant, whom I chose and who kept my commandments and 
statutes. {R}_{I}35_{/}But I will take the kingship from his son's hand 
and make you king over ten tribes. [=]_{R}_{I}36_{/}One tribe will be 
left for his son so that my servant David may always have a lamp 
before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my 
Name. {R}_{I}37_{/}I will let you reign over all you wish; you shall be 
king of Israel. {R}_{I}38_{/}Now, if you obey all that I command you, 
follow me and do what is right in my eyes, if you keep my 
commandments and my statutes, as my servant David did, I will be 
with you and establish your family for a long time, as I did for 
David. I will entrust Israel to you. [=]_{R}_{I}39_{/}In this way I will 
humble the family of David for a time'."
{R}_{I}40_{/}Solomon wanted to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam took refuge in 
Egypt with Shishak king of Egypt, where he remained until the 
death of Solomon.
{R}_{I}41_{/}Now the rest of the events of Solomon's reign, his deeds and 
his wisdom, are written in the book of the acts of Solomon. 
{R}_{I}42_{/}Solomon reigned over all Israel in Jerusalem for forty 
years. {R}_{I}43_{/}Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the 
city of David; Rehoboam his son reigned in his place. 

{N}THE POLITICAL SCHISM{/}

{1}12{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Rehoboam went to Shechem because all Israel had gathered 
there to make him king. {R}_{I}2_{/}When Jeroboam, son of Nebat, heard of 
this in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon and where he 
still remained, he returned from Egypt. {R}_{I}3_{/}They called for him, 
and he came with all the assembly of Israel.
The people of Israel went to Rehoboam with this demand, 
[=]_{I}4_{/}"Your father made our yoke heavy. So now lighten the heavy 
yoke and the hard labor your father imposed on us and we will 
serve you." {R}_{I}5_{/}Rehoboam answered them, "Leave now but come back 
on the third day." And so the people went their way.
{R}_{I}6_{/}King Rehoboam sought advice from the elderly counselors who 
served his father Solomon while he was still alive, and he asked 
them, "How would you advise me to answer this people?" {I}7_{/}To this 
they replied, "If you attend to this people today making yourself 
their servant and speak to them with good words, they will serve 
you forever." {R}_{I}8_{/}But Rehoboam disregarded the advice of the old 
counselors and asked the opinion of the greenhorns who had grown 
up with him and were in his service. {I}9_{/}He asked them, "What do 
you say we should answer this people who tell me: 'Lighten the 
yoke which your father imposed on us'?" {I}10_{/}The greenhorns who 
had grown up with him answered, "Since these people said to you, 
'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you should now lighten it 
for us,' tell them this: 'My little finger is thicker than my 
father's waist. {I}11_{/}My father laid a heavy yoke on you, but I 
will make it heavier yet. My father chastised you with whips, but 
I will fix iron points to the lashes."
{R}_{I}12_{/}On the third day, Jeroboam together with the people went 
back to Rehoboam just as the king said, for he had said to them, 
"Come back on the third day." {I}13_{/}Ignoring the advice given him 
by the elderly counselors, {R}_{I}14_{/}the king answered the people 
harshly in the way the greenhorns had advised him. He said, "My 
father made your yoke heavy, but I will make it even heavier. My 
father chastised you with whips, but I will fix iron points to the 
lashes." [=]_{R}_{I}15_{/}The king did not listen to the people. It was, 
indeed, Yahweh who brought about this fateful event, fulfilling 
the word he had spoken to Jeroboam, son of Nebat, through Ahijah 
the Shilonite. 
{R}_{I}16_{/}All Israel realized that the king refused to listen to them, 
and they answered the same way, "What have we to do with David? Is 
the son of Jesse from our tribes? Let the son of David deal with 
his own and you, people of Israel, go back to your homes!" And so 
the Israelites left for their homes. {R}_{I}17_{/}Only the Israelites who 
dwelt in the cities of Judah let Rehoboam reign over them.
{R}_{I}18_{/}Rehoboam sent Adoram, task-master of the forced labor, but 
the Israelites stoned him to death and King Rehoboam had to mount 
his chariot and flee to Jerusalem. {R}_{I}19_{/}So Israel has been in 
rebellion against the house of David to the present time.
{R}_{I}20_{/}As Jeroboam had returned and was with them at the assembly, 
having been called by them, they made him king of Israel. And so, 
with the exception of the tribe of Judah, no one followed the 
house of David.
{R}_{I}21_{/}When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he called together all the 
people of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, numbering a hundred and 
eighty thousand select warriors, to fight against the people of 
Israel in a bid to restore the kingship of Rehoboam, son of 
Solomon. {R}_{I}22_{/}But the word of God was directed to Shemaiah, the 
man of God, {R}_{I}23_{/}"Give Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, 
and all the people of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the 
people, this message from Yahweh: [=]_{R}_{I}24_{/}You shall not go up to 
fight against your kinsmen, the Israelites. Let everyone return to 
his home for I am the author of this." When they heard this word 
they went back home according to what Yahweh had ordered.
{R}_{I}25_{/}Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim 
and lived there. Then, he set out to fortify Penuel.

{N}THE RELIGIOUS DIVISION{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}26_{/}Jeroboam thought, "The kingdom could return to the house 
of David. {R}_{I}27_{/}Should this people go up to offer sacrifices in 
Yahweh's House in Jerusalem, their heart would turn again to their 
master, Rehoboam king of Judah. They would kill me and go back to 
him."
{R}_{I}28_{/}And so the king sought advice and made two golden calves. 
Then he said to the people, "You have been going up to Jerusalem 
long enough. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out 
of the land of Egypt." {R}_{I}29_{/}He put one of these in Bethel, the 
other in Dan. {R}_{I}30_{/}And so Jeroboam made the people sin; the 
people went as far as Dan to accompany one of them.
{R}_{I}31_{/}Jeroboam also built temples on high places, appointing 
priests who were not from the Levites. {R}_{I}32_{/}Jeroboam also 
appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in 
imitation of the feast in Judah, and he himself offered sacrifices 
on the altar. This he did in Bethel and sacrificed to the calves 
that he had made; there he placed priests for the high places he 
had made. {R}_{I}33_{/}On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the 
month which he had arbitrarily chosen, he ordained a feast for the 
Israelites and went up to the altar to burn incense.

{N}THE STORY OF JUDAH'S MAN OF GOD{/}

{1}13{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}A man of God came out of Judah following a command of 
Yahweh, and he arrived at Bethel while Jeroboam was standing by 
the altar to burn incense. [=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}The man shouted, cursing the 
altar, "O altar, altar, thus says Yahweh: There shall be born to 
the family of David a son by the name of Josiah. He shall 
sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who burn incense 
on you; and human bones shall be burned on you."
{R}_{I}3_{/}And at once the man gave a sign. He said, "This is the proof 
that Yahweh has spoken. The altar shall be torn down and the ashes 
on it shall be scattered."
{R}_{I}4_{/}When the king heard the man of God shouting and cursing the 
altar of Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and 
said, "Arrest him!" {R}_{I}5_{/}Immediately the hand which he pointed out 
against the man dried up and he could not draw it back. The altar 
itself crumbled and the ashes on it were scattered, according to 
the sign that had been given.
[=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}And so the king said to the man of God, "Entreat the 
favor of Yahweh your God and pray for me so that my hand may be 
restored." The man of God entreated Yahweh and the king's hand was 
restored as it had been before.
{R}_{I}7_{/}The king then said to the man of God, "Come home with me and 
refresh yourself. I will give you a reward." {R}_{I}8_{/}But the man of 
God answered the king, "Even if you give me half your house, I 
will not go in with you; nor will I eat or drink in this place, 
for this was commanded me by Yahweh. {R}_{I}9_{/}He precisely said to me: 
You shall neither eat bread nor drink water, nor return by the way 
you came." {R}_{I}10_{/}And the man did not return by the way he had come 
to Bethel, but he went another way.
{R}_{I}11_{/}Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons 
came to tell him what the man of God had done on that day in 
Bethel, and everything he had said to the king. {R}_{I}12_{/}Their father 
then asked them, "Which way did he go?" and they told him which 
way the man of God from Judah had taken. {I}13_{/}He then said to his 
sons, "Saddle the ass for me", and they did so. {R}_{I}14_{/}He mounted 
the ass and went after the man of God whom he found sitting under 
the Oak.
He asked him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah? 
{I}15_{/}Come home with me and eat bread." {R}_{I}16_{/}The prophet from 
Judah answered, "I may neither return nor go in with you; nor will 
I eat or drink with you, {R}_{I}17_{/}for this was the command of Yahweh: 
You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor shall you 
return by the way you came." {R}_{I}18_{/}But the old prophet from Bethel 
said to him: "I am also a prophet as you are; and an angel told me 
on behalf of Yahweh: Bring him back with you into your house that 
he may eat bread and drink water." {R}_{I}19_{/}The old prophet in fact, 
was lying. And so the man of God went back with him and ate and 
drank in his house.
{R}_{I}20_{/}As they sat at table, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet 
who had brought him back. [=]_{R}_{I}21_{/}And he said in a loud voice to 
the man of God who came from Judah, "Thus says Yahweh: You have 
disobeyed me and have not observed the command I gave you. 
{R}_{I}22_{/}Instead, you have come back and eaten and drunk although I 
told you not to eat bread or drink water. Because of this, your 
body shall not be laid in the tomb of your fathers."
{R}_{I}23_{/}After he had eaten and drunk, the old prophet who had 
brought him back saddled the ass for him and the prophet from 
Judah went away. [=]_{I}24_{/}But a lion met him on the road and 
killed him. His body was thrown on the road with the lion beside 
it. {R}_{I}25_{/}People who passed by saw the body thrown on the road 
with the lion standing by; and they reported this in the city 
where the old prophet lived.
{R}_{I}26_{/}When the prophet heard of this, he said, "It is the man of 
God who disobeyed the word of Yahweh. Yahweh has delivered him to 
the lion which has torn and slain him just as Yahweh had told 
him." {I}27_{/}Then he said to his sons, "Saddle the ass for me." 
{I}28_{/}They saddled it and he went and found the body thrown on the 
road with the ass and the lion standing beside it. {R}_{I}29_{/}The lion 
had neither eaten the body nor torn the ass. And so the prophet 
took up the body of the man of God, laid it on the ass and brought 
it back to the city to mourn and to bury him. {I}30_{/}He laid the 
body in his own grave and they mourned over him with the lament, 
"Alas, my brother!"
{R}_{I}31_{/}After that the old prophet said to his sons, "When I die, 
bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried and lay my 
bones beside his bones. {R}_{I}32_{/}For everything he said at Yahweh's 
command, cursing the altar in Bethel and all the sanctuaries of 
the high places in the cities of Samaria, will be fulfilled."
[=]_{R}_{I}33_{/}After this, however, Jeroboam did not abstain from doing 
evil. Instead he made priests for the high places from among the 
people; he consecrated anyone who wanted to be a priest for the 
high places. {R}_{I}34_{/}And this became the sin of the family of 
Jeroboam for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the 
face of the earth.

{N}AHIJAH'S PROPHECY AGAINST JEROBOAM{/}

{1}14{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}At that time, Abijah, son of Jeroboam, fell ill. 
[=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}So the king told his wife. "Go, disguise yourself so that 
no one may recognize you as Jeroboam's wife. Go to Shiloh where 
you will find Ahijah the prophet who foretold that I would be king 
over this people. [=]_{I}3_{/}Take with you ten loaves, a few cakes, 
and a jar of honey. Enter his house and he will tell you what 
shall happen to the child."
{R}_{I}4_{/}Jeroboam's wife did as she was told and left for Shiloh. She 
entered the house of Ahijah who was now so old that he could not 
see.
{R}_{I}5_{/}But Yahweh had told Ahijah, "Jeroboam's wife is coming to 
consult you about her sick son, and this is what you must tell 
her. She will be coming in disguise." {R}_{I}6_{/}And so when Ahijah 
heard the sound of her footsteps, as she entered the door, he 
said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why have you disguised yourself? 
I have been told to give you unpleasant news. {R}_{I}7_{/}Go, therefore; 
bring Jeroboam this message of Yahweh, the God of Israel: {R}_{I}8_{/}I 
made you rise from the midst of the people and established you as 
the leader of Israel. I took the kingdom from David's family to 
give it to you. Yet you have not been like my servant David, who 
kept my commands and followed me with his whole heart, doing only 
what was pleasing to me. {I}9_{/}You have done worse than anyone 
before you. You have made me angry with your strange gods and the 
images you have made; and you have forsaken me.
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}Now, I shall bring disaster on the family of Jeroboam. I 
will cut off every male in Jeroboam's line, whether slave or 
freeman in Israel, and I will wipe out the descendants of Jeroboam 
just as they wipe out the dung till all is gone. [=]_{I}11_{/}He who 
dies in the city will be devoured by dogs; he who dies in the 
field, by the birds of the sky. So Yahweh has spoken! {I}12_{/}Leave 
now, and go back home! As soon as you enter the city, the child 
will die. {R}_{I}13_{/}All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He 
alone of Jeroboam's line will be buried, for in him alone has 
Yahweh, the God of Israel, found something good. {R}_{I}14_{/}Yahweh 
himself will raise up for himself a king of Israel; it is he who 
will destroy Jeroboam's family.
{R}_{I}15_{/}Yahweh will strike Israel like a reed tossed about in the 
water and root them out from this good land which he gave to their 
ancestors. He will scatter them beyond the river Euphrates because 
they made him angry with the sacred poles they set up. 
{R}_{I}16_{/}Yahweh will scatter Israel because of the sins Jeroboam has 
committed and by which he dragged Israel into sin."
{R}_{I}17_{/}So Jeroboam's wife went home. On her arrival at Tirzah, and 
as soon as she crossed the threshold of her house, the child died. 
{R}_{I}18_{/}The child was buried and all Israel mourned over him just as 
Yahweh had prophesied through his servant the prophet Ahijah.

{N}REHOBOAM, KING OF JUDAH{/}

{R}_{I}19_{/}The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, his achievements in war 
and his reign, are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings 
of Israel. {R}_{I}20_{/}Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years. When he 
rested with his fathers, his son Nadab succeeded him as king.
{R}_{I}21_{/}As for Rehoboam, son of Solomon, he was forty-one when he 
began to reign over Judah. He reigned for seventeen years in 
Jerusalem, the city which Yahweh chose out of all the tribes of 
Israel to put his Name there. His mother Naamah was an Ammonite.
{R}_{I}22_{/}The people of Judah did what displeased Yahweh and, by their 
sins, angered him even more than their ancestors had done. 
[=]_{I}23_{/}They also built for themselves high places, pillars and 
sacred poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 
{R}_{I}24_{/}They even had male cult prostitutes in their land. Judah 
followed all the abominable practices of the nations whom Yahweh 
had driven out before the Israelites.
{R}_{I}25_{/}In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, 
attacked Jerusalem [=]_{R}_{I}26_{/}and looted everything, including the 
treasures of Yahweh's house and of the royal palace. As he had 
taken the golden shields made under Solomon, {R}_{I}27_{/}Rehoboam 
replaced them with brazen shields and entrusted them to the 
officers of the guard who watched at the door of the king's 
palace. {R}_{I}28_{/}Every time the king went into Yahweh's House, the 
guards took them out and then brought them back to the guardroom.
{R}_{I}29_{/}The rest of the events of Rehoboam's reign, including his 
deeds, are all written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings 
of Judah. {R}_{I}30_{/}There was incessant war between Rehoboam and 
Jeroboam. {R}_{I}31_{/}Then Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was 
buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His mother Naamah 
was an Ammonite. His son Abijam succeeded him as king.

{N}ABIJAM, KING OF JUDAH{/}

{1}15{/}

{R}_{I}1_{/}In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, son of Nebat, Abijam 
became king of Judah {R}_{I}2_{/}and reigned for three years in 
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah, daughter of Abishalom. 
{R}_{I}3_{/}He imitated all the sins his father had committed before him 
and, unlike his ancestor David, was not wholly faithful to Yahweh, 
his God. [=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}Yet Yahweh had promised David that he would keep 
his lamp burning in Jerusalem; he would raise his descendants 
after him and establish Jerusalem. {R}_{I}5_{/}This was because David had 
pleased Yahweh and did not disobey any of his commands as long as 
he lived, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. {I}6{/}-{R}_{I}7_{/}The 
rest of the events of Abijam's reign and everything he did are 
written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. There 
was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. {R}_{I}8_{/}When Abijam rested with 
his fathers, he was buried in the city of David, and his son Asa 
reigned in his place.

{N}ASA, KING OF JUDAH{/}

{R}_{I}9_{/}In the twentieth year of Jeroboam, king of Israel, Asa, king 
of Judah, began to reign and {R}_{I}10_{/}was king for forty-one years, 
ruling in Jerusalem. His grandmother was Maacah, daughter of 
Abishalom. {R}_{I}11_{/}Asa did what was right before Yahweh, just as his 
ancestor David had done. [=]_{I}12_{/}He rid the land of male cult 
prostitutes and removed all the idols his ancestors had made. 
{R}_{I}13_{/}He also deposed his grandmother Maacah as queen mother, for 
having made an abominable image for Asherah. Asa destroyed 
Asherah's image and burned it at the brook Kidron; [=]_{I}14_{/}he did 
not, however, close down the high places. Nevertheless, Asa 
remained faithful to Yahweh for the rest of his life. {I}15_{/}He 
brought into Yahweh's house both the votive gifts of his father 
and his own: silver, gold and vessels.
{R}_{I}16_{/}Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, were at war during their 
reigns. {R}_{I}17_{/}Baasha, king of Israel, attacked Judah and fortified 
Ramah to cut off all communication with Asa, king of Judah. 
{R}_{I}18_{/}Asa, in the meantime, collecting all the silver and gold 
remaining in the treasuries of the temple of Yahweh and the royal 
palace, entrusted them to his servants whom he sent to Ben-hadad, 
son of Tabrimmon, son of Hezion, king of Syria who reigned in 
Damascus. {R}_{I}19_{/}He sent him this message, "Let us together make a 
treaty just as my father and yours did. I am sending you silver 
and gold, so please break your treaty with Baasha, king of Israel 
that he may withdraw from my territory."
{R}_{I}20_{/}Ben-hadad acceded to King Asa's request and sent his 
officers to harass the cities of Israel, capturing Ijon, Dan, 
Abel-beth-maacah, all the land of Chinneroth and the region of 
Naphtali. {R}_{I}21_{/}On hearing this, Baasha stopped the fortification 
of Ramah and moved to Tirzah where he lived. {R}_{I}22_{/}Then King Asa 
issued an order to all of Judah, excluding no one, to take away 
the stones and timber which Baasha had been using to fortify 
Ramah. With these materials, King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and 
Mizpah. {R}_{I}23_{/}The rest of Asa's reign, his bravery, his deeds and 
the cities which he built are written in the Book of the 
Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. In his old age, Asa suffered 
from a foot disease. {R}_{I}24_{/}Asa then rested with his fathers and 
was buried in the City of David his ancestor. His son Jehoshaphat 
reigned in his place.

{N}NADAB AND BAASHA, KINGS OF ISRAEL{/}

{R}_{I}25_{/}Nadab, son of Jeroboam, began to reign over Israel in the 
second year of Asa, king of Judah. {R}_{I}26_{/}He reigned over Israel 
for two years, doing what displeased Yahweh and dragging Israel 
into sin as his father had done.
{R}_{I}27_{/}Baasha, son of Ahijah of the family of Issachar, plotted 
against him and struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines 
when Nadab and the Israelites were laying siege to this city. 
{R}_{I}28_{/}Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah 
and reigned in his place. {R}_{I}29_{/}As soon as he was king, he killed 
off the entire family of Jeroboam, leaving him no one alive but 
wiping them out according to the word which Yahweh had spoken 
through his servant Ahijah, the Shilonite. {R}_{I}30_{/}This happened 
because of Jeroboam who aroused the anger of Yahweh, the God of 
Israel, by sinning and dragging Israel into sin.
{R}_{I}31_{/}The rest of the events of Nadab's reign and his achievements 
are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 
{I}32_{/}Asa and Baasha were at war during their reigns.
{R}_{I}33_{/}In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha, son of 
Ahijah, began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah where he reigned 
for twenty-four years. [=]_{R}_{I}34_{/}He did what displeased Yahweh and 
sinned just as Jeroboam, who dragged Israel into sin, had done.

{1}16{/}

{I}1_{/}Yahweh spoke to Jehu, son of Hanani, to condemn Baasha. He 
said, {R}_{I}2_{/}"I have raised you from the dust to make you rule over 
my people Israel, but you have made me angry by going the way of 
Jeroboam and dragging my people Israel into sin. {R}_{I}3_{/}I will 
therefore sweep away Baasha and his family and deal with them as I 
did with Jeroboam, son of Nebat. {I}4_{/}Dogs will devour those of 
Baasha's line who die in the City, the birds of the air will feed 
on those who die in the country."
{R}_{I}5_{/}The rest of the events of Baasha's reign, his deeds and 
achievements are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the 
Kings of Israel.[*]_{R}_{I}6_{/}Baasha rested with his fathers and was 
buried at Tirzah, while Elah his son reigned in his place. 
{R}_{I}7_{/}Yahweh indeed spoke through the prophet Jehu, son of Hanani, 
to condemn Baasha and his family, not only for doing what 
displeased Yahweh, making him angry as Jeroboam had done, but also 
because he murdered the family of Jeroboam.

{N}ELAH, KING OF ISRAEL{/}

{R}_{I}8_{/}In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah, son of 
Baasha, began to reign over Israel in Tirzah and was king for two 
years. {R}_{I}9_{/}But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, 
plotted against him. While Elah was getting himself drunk in the 
house of Arza, governor of Tirzah, {R}_{I}10_{/}Zimri came in, struck him 
down and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of 
Asa, king of Judah. Then Zimri reigned in his place.
{I}11_{/}As soon as Zimri began to reign, he had the entire family of 
Baasha killed, leaving him not a single male relative or friend. 
[=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}Zimri wiped out the entire house of Baasha according to 
Yahweh's pronouncement against him as spoken by Jehu, the prophet. 
{R}_{I}13_{/}And this happened because of the sins which Baasha and his 
son had committed, dragging Israel into sin and making Yahweh 
angry with their idols. {R}_{I}14_{/}Now the rest of the events of Elah's 
reign and all his deeds are written in the Book of the Chronicles 
of the Kings of Israel.

{N}OMRI, KING OF ISRAEL{/}

{R}_{I}15_{/}It happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa, king of 
Judah, that Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. {R}_{I}16_{/}For the army 
was besieging Gibbethon of the Philistines when Zimri plotted 
against Elah, and, on hearing that he had killed the king, they 
proclaimed Omri, commander of the army, king of Israel. {R}_{I}17_{/}Omri 
went up with the Israelites from Gibbethon and attacked 
Tirzah.{I}_18_{/}When Zimri saw that the city was to be captured, he 
went into the citadel of the royal palace; he set the royal palace 
on fire, and he died. {I}19_{/}He died thus because of the sins he had 
committed, doing what displeased Yahweh and going the way of 
Jeroboam by dragging Israel into sin. {R}_{I}20_{/}The rest of the acts 
of Zimri and his plot are written in the Book of the Chronicles of 
the Kings of Israel.
{R}_{I}21_{/}The Israelites were then divided; half of them followed 
Tibni, son of Ginath to make him king; the other half followed 
Omri. {R}_{I}22_{/}Those who followed Omri overcame those who followed 
Tibni, son of Ginath. And so, Tibni died and Omri became king. 
{R}_{I}23_{/}In the thirty-first year of Asa, king of Judah, Omri began 
to reign over Israel. He reigned for twelve years, six years of 
which he reigned in Tirzah. {R}_{I}24_{/}Then he bought the hill of 
Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. He built a city on 
the hill and called it Samaria, after Shemer, the owner of the 
hill.
{R}_{I}25_{/}Omri did what displeased Yahweh, even more than all those 
who preceded him. [=]_{R}_{I}26_{/}He went the way of Jeroboam, son of 
Nebat, and dragged Israel into sin, thereby provoking the anger of 
Yahweh, the God of Israel, by their idols. {R}_{I}27_{/}The rest of the 
acts of Omri and his bravery are written in the Book of the 
Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. {R}_{I}28_{/}Then Omri rested with his 
fathers and was buried in Samaria while Ahab, his son, reigned in 
his place.

{N}AHAB, KING OF ISRAEL{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}29_{/}Ahab, son of Omri became king in the thirty-eighth year 
of Asa, king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel in Samaria for 
twenty-two years. {R}_{I}30_{/}Ahab, son of Omri did what displeased 
Yahweh, even more than all those who preceded him. 
{R}_{I}31_{/}Apparently the example and the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat 
were not enough for him; he even married Jezebel, daughter of 
Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. So he served Baal and worshiped 
him. {R}_{I}32_{/}He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal which 
he built in Samaria {R}_{I}33_{/}and proceeded to make an Asherah. So 
Ahab did everything that could make Yahweh angry, even more than 
any of the kings of Israel who ruled before him.
[=]_{R}_{I}34_{/}During his reign, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. On 
laying its foundation he sacrificed Abirma, his firstborn. And 
when he set up the gates of the city, he sacrificed his youngest 
son, Segub, in accordance with the word of Yahweh spoken through 
Joshua, son of Nun.

{N}THE PROPHET ELIJAH{/}

{1}17{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Now Elijah, the prophet from Tishbe in Gilead, said 
to Ahab, "As Yahweh, the God of Israel whom I serve lives, neither 
dew shall drop nor rain fall except at my command."
{R}_{I}2_{/}Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah, {R}_{I}3_{/}"Leave this 
place and go eastward. Hide yourself by the brook Cherith, east of 
the Jordan. {I}4_{/}You shall drink from the brook and, for your food, 
I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." {R}_{I}5_{/}So Elijah 
obeyed the word of Yahweh and went to live by the brook Cherith, 
east of the Jordan. [=]_{I}6_{/}There the ravens brought him bread in 
the morning and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.

{N}THE WIDOW OF ZAREPHATH{/}

[\u0095]_{I}7_{/}After a while, the brook dried up because no rain had 
fallen in the land. {R}_{I}8_{/}Then Yahweh spoke to Elijah, [=]_{I}9_{/}"Go 
to Zarephath of the Sidonites and stay there. I have given word to 
a widow there to give you food." [=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}So Elijah went to 
Zarephath. On reaching the gate of the town, he saw a widow 
gathering sticks. He called to her and said, "Bring me a little 
water in a vessel that I may drink."
{I}11_{/}As she was going to bring it, he called after her and said, 
"Bring me also a piece of bread." {R}_{I}12_{/}But she answered, "As 
Yahweh your God lives, I have no bread left but only a handful of 
flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am just now gathering 
some sticks so that I may go in and prepare something for myself 
and my son to eat - and die."
{R}_{I}13_{/}Elijah then said to her, "Do not be afraid. Go and do as you 
have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to 
me; then make some for yourself and your son. {R}_{I}14_{/}For this is 
the word of Yahweh, the God of Israel, 'The jar of meal shall not 
be emptied nor shall the jug of oil fail, until the day when 
Yahweh sends rain to the earth."
{R}_{I}15_{/}So she went and did as Elijah told her; and she had food for 
herself, Elijah and her son from that day on. {R}_{I}16_{/}The jar of 
flour was not emptied nor did the jug of oil fail, in accordance 
with what Yahweh had said through Elijah.

{N}THE WIDOW'S SON RAISED TO LIFE{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}17_{/}After this, the son of this housewife became ill. And 
such was his illness that he stopped breathing. {R}_{I}18_{/}She then 
said to Elijah, "What did you do, O man of God? Have you come to 
uncover past sins and cause my son's death?" {I}19_{/}He answered, 
"Give me your son."
Taking him from her lap, he carried him up to the upper room where 
he was staying and laid him on his own bed. {R}_{I}20_{/}Then he called 
on Yahweh, "O Yahweh, my God, will you afflict even the widow with 
whom I am residing by letting her son die?" {R}_{I}21_{/}Then he 
stretched himself on the child three times and called on Yahweh, 
"O Yahweh, my God, let this child's breath return to him." 
{R}_{I}22_{/}Yahweh listened to the pleading of Elijah and the child's 
breath returned to him, and he lived. {R}_{I}23_{/}Elijah then took the 
child and brought him down from the upper room. He gave him to his 
mother and said, "See, your son is alive."
{R}_{I}24_{/}Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I am certain that you 
are a man of God, and that your words really came from Yahweh."

{1}18{/}

[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}After several days (in the third year) Yahweh spoke to 
Elijah and said, "Go, show yourself to Ahab that I may let it rain 
on the earth." {R}_{I}2_{/}So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab.
{R}_{I}3_{/}Now the famine in Samaria was severe. Ahab therefore called 
Obadiah, who was in charge of the household. {R}_{I}4_{/}(Obadiah was a 
faithful servant of Yahweh and when Jezebel slew the prophets of 
Yahweh he himself took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties 
in caves, feeding them with bread and water.) {I}5_{/}Then Ahab told 
Obadiah, "Let's go and check all the watersprings and the valleys 
through the land, looking for grass so that the horses and mules 
may be kept alive and not perish." {I}6_{/}So Ahab and Obadiah divided 
the land between them and each of them went his own way. 
{R}_{I}7_{/}As Obadiah was going his way, Elijah met him. Recognizing 
Elijah, Obadiah fell on his face and said, "Is that you, my master 
Elijah?" {I}8_{/}He answered him, "It is I. Go tell your master that I 
am here." {I}9_{/}But Obadiah replied, "What evil have I done that you 
expose me to Ahab's anger? Surely you want me to die. {R}_{I}10_{/}By 
Yahweh, your God, there is no people or nation where my master has 
not searched for you and if they said, 'Elijah is not here,' he 
would make them take an oath that they had not found you. {I}11_{/}Yet 
now as soon as I leave to inform Ahab of your presence, 
[=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}the Spirit of Yahweh will transport your goodness 
elsewhere, and when Ahab fails to find you, he will kill me. But I 
have served Yahweh from my youth. {R}_{I}13_{/}Do you not know that when 
Jezebel had the prophets of Yahweh killed, I hid a hundred of them 
in two caves and fed them with bread and water? {I}14_{/}Now if I 
notify Ahab of your presence, as you want me to do, he will surely 
kill me!"
{R}_{I}15_{/}But Elijah said to him, "By Yahweh of hosts whom I serve, I 
will show myself to him today." {R}_{I}16_{/}So Obadiah went to give Ahab 
this message and Ahab came to meet Elijah.

{N}THE SACRIFICE AT CARMEL{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}17_{/}On seeing Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is it you, the 
plague of Israel?" {R}_{I}18_{/}Elijah replied, "Who is troubling Israel? 
Isn't it you and your family who have disobeyed the commands of 
Yahweh and followed instead the Baals? {R}_{I}19_{/}Now, therefore, give 
an order for the Israelites to gather before me at Mount Carmel, 
together with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal who are 
sustained by Jezebel."
{R}_{I}20_{/}So Ahab sent for all the people of Israel and gathered the 
prophets at Mount Carmel. {R}_{I}21_{/}Then Elijah ad-dressed the people 
and asked, "How long will you follow two ways at the same time? If 
Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal is God then follow him." 
The people remained silent.
{R}_{I}22_{/}So Elijah continued, "I am the only prophet of Yahweh left 
here to face Baal's four hundred and fifty prophets. {I}23_{/}Get us 
two bulls. Let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it into 
pieces and lay it on the wood and I will do the same with the 
other bull. But we will not set it on fire. {R}_{I}24_{/}Then you shall 
call on the name of your god while I shall call on the name of 
Yahweh. The God who answers with fire is the true one." Then the 
people answered, "That is right."
{R}_{I}25_{/}Then Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose for 
yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many. Then 
call on the name of your god lest you are left without fire!" 
{R}_{I}26_{/}So they took the bull and prepared it, and they called on 
the name of Baal, "Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice and no 
one answered them while they went on dancing on one foot around 
the altar they had built.
{R}_{I}27_{/}By noontime, Elijah began to mock them, "Shout out louder. 
Baal is a busy god; or he may have gone out or perhaps he has gone 
on a trip, or he is sleeping and must be wakened." {I}28_{/}So they 
shouted louder gashing their skin with knives, as they are used to 
doing, until they bled. [=]_{I}29_{/}It was already past noon and they 
were still raving on until the time of the evening offering. But 
still there was no voice; no one answered or gave a sign of life.
{R}_{I}30_{/}Then Elijah said to the people, "Draw closer to me," and the 
people drew closer to him. He then repaired the altar of Yahweh 
which had been thrown down. [=]_{R}_{I}31_{/}He took twelve stones 
corresponding to the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob whom 
Yahweh had addressed saying, "Israel shall be your name." 
{R}_{I}32_{/}With these stones, he built an altar to the Name of Yahweh 
and dug a trench around it that would contain about thirty liters. 
{R}_{I}33_{/}He then arranged the firewood, cut the bull in pieces and 
laid them on the wood. Then, he said, "Fill four jars with water 
and pour it on the burnt offering and on the firewood." {I}34_{/}He 
said, "Do it again"; and they did it again; "one more time," and 
they did it a third time. {R}_{I}35_{/}The water ran around the altar and 
filled the trench.
[=]_{R}_{I}36_{/}When the time of the evening offering came, Elijah the 
prophet came near and said, "O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac and 
Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that 
I am your servant, doing all these things at your command. 
{R}_{I}37_{/}Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me so that this people may know 
that you, O Yahweh, are God and that you are turning back their 
hearts to you." {R}_{I}38_{/}Then the fire of Yahweh fell and consumed 
the burnt offering, together with the wood, the stones also, and 
the dust; the water also dried up in the trench. 
{R}_{I}39_{/}All the people witnessed this. Then they fell on their faces 
and said, "Yahweh is God! Yahweh is God!" {R}_{I}40_{/}Then Elijah 
commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal and let none of them 
escape." And so they seized them. Then Elijah brought them down to 
the brook Kidron and had them slaughtered there.
{R}_{I}41_{/}Elijah then said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for the 
sound of rain is rushing in." {R}_{I}42_{/}So Ahab went up to eat and 
drink. Elijah, in the meantime, went to the top of Carmel, bowed 
to the ground and put his face between his knees. {R}_{I}43_{/}Then he 
said to his servant, "Go up and look in the direction of the sea." 
The man went up, looked, and said, "There is nothing." Then Elijah 
said, "Go again" and seven times he went. {R}_{I}44_{/}At the seventh 
time, he perceived a little cloud, the size of a man's hand, 
rising out of the sea. Elijah told him, "Go, tell Ahab: Prepare 
your chariot and go down before the rain stops you." {I}45_{/}A little 
later the sky grew dark with clouds and wind and a strong rain 
fell. Ahab was riding on his way to Jezreel; [=]_{R}_{I}46_{/}as for 
Elijah, the hand of Yahweh was on him, and tucking his cloak in 
his belt, he ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

{N}ELIJAH FLEES TO HOREB{/}

{1}19{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how 
he had slain all the prophets with the sword. {R}_{I}2_{/}Jezebel then 
sent word to Elijah, "May I be cursed if by this time tomorrow I 
have not dealt with you as you dealt with them."
{R}_{I}3_{/}Elijah was scared and fled for his life. He reached Beer-
sheba of Judah and left his servant there. {R}_{I}4_{/}He himself 
disappeared into the desert going on a day's journey. Then he sat 
down under a broom tree and prayed to die, "That is enough, 
Yahweh, take away my life for I am dying."
{I}5_{/}He lay down and went to sleep under the broom tree. Then an 
angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." {R}_{I}6_{/}Elijah looked 
and saw, at his head, a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of 
water. He ate and drank and went back to sleep. {I}7_{/}The angel of 
Yahweh came a second time to him, saying, "Get up and eat, for the 
journey is too long for you." [=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}He got up, ate and drank, 
and on the strength of that food, he traveled for forty days and 
forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

{N}THE ENCOUNTER WITH GOD{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}On reaching the place, he came to the cave and stayed 
in it. Then the word of Yahweh came to him,"What are you doing 
here, Elijah?" [=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}He answered, "I am burning with jealous 
love for Yahweh, the God of Hosts, because the Israelites have 
forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your 
prophets with the sword. No one is left but myself and they are 
still trying to kill me as well." {R}_{I}11_{/}Then Yahweh said, "Go up 
and stand on the mount, waiting for Yahweh." And Yahweh passed by.
There was first a windstorm, wild wind which rent the mountains 
and broke the rocks into pieces before Yahweh, but Yahweh was not 
in the wind. After the storm, an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in 
the earthquake. [=]_{I}12_{/}After the earthquake, a fire, but Yahweh 
was not in the fire. After the fire, the murmur of a gentle 
breeze. [=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}When Elijah perceived it, he covered his face 
with his cloak, went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. 
Then he heard a voice addressing him again, "What are you doing 
here, Elijah?" [=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}He answered, "I am burning with jealous 
love for Yahweh, the God of hosts, because the Israelites have 
forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars and slain your 
prophets with the sword. No one is left but myself, yet they still 
seek my life to take it away."
[=]_{R}_{I}15_{/}Yahweh said to him, "Take the road back through the 
desert and go to Damascus for you must anoint Hazael as king of 
Syria; [=]_{R}_{I}16_{/}you shall also anoint Jehu, son of Minshi, as 
king over Israel; and Elisha, son of Shaphat, from Abelmehrah, you 
shall anoint as prophet in your place. {R}_{I}17_{/}Whoever escapes from 
the sword of Hazael will be slain by Jehu and whoever escapes from 
the sword of Jehu, Elisha will let him die. {R}_{I}18_{/}Yet I will spare 
seven thousand in Israel who have not knelt before Baal and whose 
lips have not kissed him."
[\u0095]_[=]_[*]_{R}_{I}19_{/}So Elijah left. He found Elisha, son of Shaphat, 
who was plowing a field of twelve acres and was at the end of the 
twelfth acre. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak over him. 
{R}_{I}20_{/}Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah and said, "Let me say 
goodbye to my father and mother; then I will follow you." Elijah 
said to him, "Return if you want, don't worry about what I did." 
{R}_{I}21_{/}However, Elisha turned back, took the yoke of oxen and slew 
them. He roasted their meat on the pieces of the yoke and gave it 
to his people who ate of it. After this, he followed Elijah and 
began ministering to him.

{N}THE SIEGE OF SAMARIA{/}

{1}20{/}

{R}_{I}1_{/}Ben-hadad, king of Aram, gathered together his entire army. 
With him were thirty-two kings. With horses and chariots, he went 
to Samaria and besieged it. {R}_{I}2_{/}He then sent messengers into the 
city to Ahab, king of Israel, and said to him, "Thus says Ben-
hadad: {I}3_{/}Your silver and gold are mine and so are your fairest 
wives and children." {R}_{I}4_{/}The king of Israel answered, "As you 
say, my master, O king, I am yours with all that I possess." 
{I}5_{/}Again Ben-hadad sent messengers to say, "I sent this message 
to you: 'Hand over to me your silver and gold, along with your 
wives and children,' {I}6_{/}but now I will send my servants to you 
tomorrow about this time. They shall search your house and those 
of your officials and take with them whatever they want to take."
{R}_{I}7_{/}Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land 
and said, "Look now and see how this man acts with evil 
intentions. He will send his officers to take my wives and 
children, and my silver and gold, although I agreed to deliver all 
to him." {I}8_{/}The elders and the people said to him, "Pay no 
attention to him and do not agree to what he asks." {R}_{I}9_{/}So the 
king of Israel told Ben-hadad's messengers, "Tell my master, the 
king, I will do everything you first demanded of me, but now it is 
too much." The messengers left and reported this to {R}_{I}10_{/}Ben-
hadad who then answered, "May I be cursed if enough dust remains 
of Samaria to give a handful to all the people who follow me." 
{R}_{I}11_{/}But the king of Israel answered, "Let not he who puts on his 
armor boast like one who takes it off." {R}_{I}12_{/}Ben-hadad was 
drinking with the kings in the booths when he heard this message. 
So he said to his officers, "Take your positions." And they took 
their positions against the city.
{R}_{I}13_{/}Then a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, 
"Have you seen this immense crowd? This is the word of Yahweh: I 
will deliver it into your hands today and you shall know that I am 
Yahweh." {R}_{I}14_{/}Ahab asked, "Who is to win over him?" The prophet 
replied, "The guards of the governors of the districts, for this 
is Yahweh's order." Again the king asked, "Who shall begin the 
battle?" He replied, "You!"
{R}_{I}15_{/}And so the king of Israel mustered the guards of the 
governors of the districts, numbering two hundred and thirty-two. 
After that, he mustered all the Israelites, numbering seven 
thousand.
{R}_{I}16_{/}They set out at noon while Ben-hadad was drinking himself 
drunk in the booths, together with the thirty-two kings who helped 
him. {R}_{I}17_{/}The guards of the governors of the districts went out 
first. Someone reported to Ben-hadad, "People are coming out from 
Samaria." {I}18_{/}He said, "If they have come out for peace, take 
them alive; if for war, take them alive as well."
{I}19_{/}So the guards of the governors of the city went out, and the 
army followed them, {R}_{I}20_{/}and each one began to kill his man. The 
Arameans fled, with the Israelites pursuing them. Ben-hadad, king 
of Aram was able to escape on a horse with horsemen, {R}_{I}21_{/}but the 
king of Israel captured horses and chariots and utterly defeated 
the Arameans. 
{R}_{I}22_{/}Then the prophet came again to the king of Israel and said 
to him,"Courage, be on your guard and ponder well your next 
action, for next year the king of Aram will come up against you."
{R}_{I}23_{/}The officers of the king of Aram said to him, "Their gods 
are gods of the hills; that is why they were stronger than us. 
{I}24_{/}Let us fight against them on the plain and we shall overcome 
them. But you must also replace the princes with officers 
appointed by you. {I}25_{/}When you have gathered an army like the one 
you have lost, with the same amount of horses and chariots, we 
will fight on the plain, then we shall see who is stronger." Ben-
hadad listened to their advice and did just that.

{N}VICTORY OVER THE ARAMEANS{/}

{R}_{I}26_{/}In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and set out 
for Aphek to fight against Israel. {I}27_{/}The Israelites were also 
mustered and they set out against the Arameans. As they encamped, 
the Israelites looked like two little herds of goats, whereas the 
Arameans filled the countryside. {R}_{I}28_{/}A man of God approached the 
king of Israel and said to him, "Thus says Yahweh: Because the 
Arameans have said: 'Yahweh is a god of the hills but not of the 
valleys,' therefore I will deliver this immense crowd into your 
hands and you shall know that I am Yahweh." {I}29_{/}And they encamped 
facing each other for seven days.
On the seventh day, the battle was engaged and that day the 
Israelites killed a hundred thousand Aramean foot soldiers. 
{R}_{I}30_{/}As the rest fled into the city of Aphek, the wall fell on 
the twenty-seven thousand men that were left. Ben-hadad himself 
fled and entered an inner room in the city. {R}_{I}31_{/}His officers 
said to him, "People say that the kings of Israel are merciful 
kings. Let us put sackcloth around our waists; perhaps he will 
spare your life."
{R}_{I}32_{/}So, putting sackcloth around their waists and ropes around 
their necks, they went to the king of Israel and said, "Your 
servant, Ben-hadad, pleads, 'Please, let me live." He then asked, 
"Is he still alive? He is my brother." {R}_{I}33_{/}They quickly took up 
his word and said, "Yes, Ben-hadad is your brother." The king of 
Israel then said, "Go, bring him here."
Ben-hadad came to him and he let Ben-hadad get into his chariot. 
{R}_{I}34_{/}Ben-hadad then said to him, "I will give back the cities 
which my father took from your father, and you may put up business 
establishments for yourself in Damascus just as my father did in 
Samaria." He then made an agreement with Ben-hadad and let him go.
{R}_{I}35_{/}Now the word of Yahweh was directed to one of the fellow 
prophets, so he said to his companion, "Strike me, please." But 
his companion refused to strike him. {I}36_{/}So he said to him, 
"Since you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, once you leave me, 
a lion shall kill you." And, indeed, as soon as he had left, a 
lion found him and killed him.
{R}_{I}37_{/}Then the fellow prophet found another man to whom he said, 
"Please, strike me." This man struck him, wounding him. {R}_{I}38_{/}Then 
this prophet left, disguising himself with a bandage over his 
eyes, and waited for the king along the road. {R}_{I}39_{/}When the king 
passed, he called to him and said, "O King! I, your servant, went 
into the thick of the battle when a soldier left the line and 
brought me a man, saying: 'Guard this man. Should he escape, your 
life shall be in exchange for his, or else you shall pay a talent 
of silver.' {R}_{I}40_{/}While I was busy running around, my prisoner 
disappeared." The king of Israel said to him, "You yourself have 
said what your sentence shall be."
[=]_{R}_{I}41_{/}At once the man removed the bandage from his eyes and 
the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 
{R}_{I}42_{/}Then the prophet told him, "Because you have released the 
man whom I have decreed to die, your life shall be in exchange for 
his and your people for his people." {R}_{I}43_{/}And the king of Israel 
went back home to Samaria, resentful and sad.

{N}NABOTH'S VINEYARD{/}

{1}21{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Now Naboth, a man from Jezreel, owned a vineyard just 
beside the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. {I}2_{/}Ahab asked Naboth, 
"Give me your vineyard which is near my house that I may use it 
for a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in 
exchange. Or, if you prefer, I will pay you its price."
[=]_{I}3_{/}But Naboth said to Ahab, "Yahweh forbid that I should give 
you the inheritance of my fathers."
{I}4_{/}So Ahab went home angry and sad because of what Naboth had 
told him, that he would not give him the inheritance of his 
fathers. So he lay down on his bed with his face turned toward the 
wall and refused to eat.
{I}5_{/}His wife Jezebel came to him and said, "Why are you so angry 
that you refuse to eat?" {I}6_{/}He answered, "I spoke to Naboth the 
Jezreelite and asked him to sell me his vineyard or to exchange it 
for another better one but he answered: I will not give you my 
vineyard."
{R}_{I}7_{/}His wife Jezebel said to him, "Are you not king of Israel? 
Get up and eat and be joyful, for I will give you the vineyard of 
Naboth of Jezreel."
[=]_{I}8_{/}So Jezebel wrote letters using Ahab's name and sealed them 
with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and important 
persons living near Naboth. {I}9_{/}This is what she wrote in the 
letters, "Declare a fast and put Naboth on trial. [=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}Get 
two worthless fellows to accuse him in this way: 'You have cursed 
God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death."
{I}11_{/}The people, the elders and the important persons who lived in 
his city did as Jezebel had instructed them in the letters she 
sent to them. {I}12_{/}They declared a fast and put Naboth on trial. 
[=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}The two worthless fellows came in and sat facing him, 
accusing Naboth before the people, "Naboth cursed God and the 
king!" So the people took him outside the city and stoned him to 
death. {R}_{I}14_{/}They then sent word to Jezebel that Naboth had been 
stoned and was dead.
{R}_{I}15_{/}As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was 
dead, she told Ahab, "Now take possession of the vineyard of 
Naboth, the man of Jezreel who refused to sell it to you, for 
Naboth is now dead." [=]_{R}_{I}16_{/}As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth 
was dead, he went down to the vineyard of Naboth and took 
possession of it.
{R}_{I}17_{/}Then Yahweh spoke to Elijah of Tishbe, {R}_{I}18_{/}"Go down to 
meet Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria. He is taking possession of 
the vineyard of Naboth. {I}19_{/}Say to him: 'Have you killed and have 
taken possession at the same time?' Then give him this word of 
mine: 'Dogs shall lick your blood in the very place where the dogs 
licked the blood of Naboth.'"
{R}_{I}20_{/}Ahab then said to Elijah, "Who, better than my enemy, could 
find me here and now!" Elijah answered, "I have come to you 
because you have done what Yahweh abhors. [=]_{I}21_{/}This is 
Yahweh's word: I will bring disgrace on you. I will sweep you away 
and cut off every male of your family, from the lowliest to the 
greatest. [=]_{R}_{I}22_{/}Your family will disappear like the families 
of Jeroboam and Baasa, because you have offended me and have 
dragged Israel into sin. [=]_{I}23_{/}There is another word of Yahweh 
to Jezebel: 'The dogs shall devour Jezebel within the territory of 
Jezreel.' {I}24_{/}If anyone of Ahab's line dies in the city, he shall 
be devoured by dogs; if in the green country, the birds of the air 
shall feed on him."
{I}25_{/}There was no one like Ahab, urged by his wife Jezebel, in 
doing what Yahweh abhorred. {R}_{I}26_{/}He did horrible things and ran 
after unclean idols just as the Amorites had done, from whom 
Yahweh had taken the land to give it to Israel.
{I}27_{/}On hearing these words, Ahab tore his clothes and put on 
sackcloth. He fasted as he lay in sackcloth and moved around 
despondently. [=]_{R}_{I}28_{/}Then Yahweh said to Elijah the Tishbite, 
"Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself? {I}29_{/}Because of this 
I will not bring about the disaster during his reign; during his 
son's reign disgrace will fall on his family."

{1}22{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}There was no war between Aram and Israel for three years. 
{R}_{I}2_{/}But in the third year, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, came down 
to the king of Israel. {R}_{I}3_{/}The king of Israel then talked to his 
officers, "Have you forgotten that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us? 
Yet we do nothing to take it back from the Arameans." {R}_{I}4_{/}So he 
asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you come with me to conquer Ramoth-
gilead?" Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, "I am with you, 
my people are with your people, and my horses with yours."

{N}MICAIAH AND THE FALSE PROPHETS{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}5_{/}Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, said to the king of Israel, 
"Let us consult Yahweh before setting out for war." [=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}So 
the king of Israel gathered all the prophets, numbering about four 
hundred men, and asked them, "Shall I go to conquer Ramoth-gilead, 
or shall I hold back?" They replied, "Go, for Yahweh will deliver 
the city into your hands."
{R}_{I}7_{/}Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no other prophet of Yahweh 
around here whom we might ask?" {R}_{I}8_{/}The king of Israel answered, 
"There is still one through whom we may ask for Yahweh's counsel; 
but I hate him, for he never prophesies good about me but only 
evil. It is Micaiah, son of Imlah." Then Jehoshaphat said, "Don't 
speak in this manner." {R}_{I}9_{/}So the king of Israel called an 
official and told him, "Bring quickly Micaiah, son of Imlah."
{R}_{I}10_{/}Meantime, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, 
were seated on their thrones, fully robed. They were both at the 
threshing floor by the entrance gate of Samaria where the prophets 
continued to prophesy before them. {I}11_{/}There was Zedekiah, son of 
Chenaanah who made for himself horns from iron and said, "Thus 
says Yahweh: 'With these horns you shall strike the Arameans until 
they are destroyed." 
{R}_{I}12_{/}All the prophets said the same, "Go to Ramoth-gilead and 
triumph. Yahweh will deliver it into the hands of the king."
[=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}The official who went to summon Micaiah said to him, 
"Look here, all the prophets agree to foretell a happy end to the 
king. You too agree to speak favorably." [=]_{I}14_{/}But Micaiah 
replied, "As Yahweh lives, I will speak what Yahweh tells me to." 
{R}_{I}15_{/}When he had come, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go 
to conquer Ramoth-gilead or shall we hold back?" Then Micaiah 
answered, "Go and triumph! Yahweh will give the city into the 
hands of the king!" {R}_{I}16_{/}But the king said to him, "How many 
times shall I ask you to speak seriously to me and tell me the 
truth in the name of Yahweh?" [=]_{R}_{I}17_{/}Then Micaiah said, "I saw 
all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a 
shepherd. Then Yahweh said: These have no master; so let each 
return to his home in peace." 
{R}_{I}18_{/}So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell 
you that he would not prophesy good about me, but only evil?" 
[=]_{I}19_{/}Micaiah replied, "Listen again to this word of Yahweh. I 
saw Yahweh sitting on his throne with the entire host of Heaven 
standing beside him on his right and on his left. {R}_{I}20_{/}Then 
Yahweh asked: 'Who will deceive the king of Israel that he may go 
and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' One said one thing and another, 
another thing. {R}_{I}21_{/}Then a spirit came forward and stood before 
Yahweh, saying: 'I will deceive him.' [=]_{R}_{I}22_{/}Yahweh then asked 
him, 'What will you do?' To this he replied: 'I will go and make 
myself a lying spirit on the lips of all his prophets.' Then 
Yahweh said, 'You shall succeed. Go and do just that.'
{R}_{I}23_{/}You must know that Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the 
mouths of all these prophets of yours because he willed to bring 
evil on you."
{R}_{I}24_{/}Then Zedekiah, son of Chena-anah, approached Micaiah, struck 
him, and said, "Has the Spirit of Yahweh left me to speak to you?" 
{I}25_{/}Micaiah replied, "You shall discover for yourself on the day 
you flee from house to house to hide."
{R}_{I}26_{/}Then the king of Israel ordered, "Seize Micaiah and take him 
back to Amon, governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son. 
[=]_{R}_{I}27_{/}Give them this order: 'Throw this man in prison and feed 
him with scant fare of bread and water until I come in peace."
[=]_{R}_{I}28_{/}Then Micaiah said, "If you return in peace, then Yahweh 
has not spoken through me."

{N}DEATH OF THE KING OF ISRAEL{/}

{R}_{I}29_{/}So the king of Israel went up to Ramoth-gilead together with 
the king of Judah. {R}_{I}30_{/}The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, "I 
will disguise myself before the battle, but you wear your robes." 
So the king of Israel disguised himself before the battle. 
{R}_{I}31_{/}Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains 
of his chariots, "Attack no one, big or small, but only the king 
of Israel." {R}_{I}32_{/}When the captains of the chariots saw 
Jehoshaphat, they thought, "That surely is the king of Israel." So 
they turned to attack him. But when Jehoshaphat shouted his cry of 
war, {R}_{I}33_{/}the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the 
king of Israel and they no longer pursued him.
{R}_{I}34_{/}In the meantime one of the Arameans drew his bow, without 
knowing at whom he aimed, and hit the king of Israel between the 
scale armor and the breastplate. The king then ordered the driver 
of his chariot, "Turn around and carry me out of the battle for I 
am wounded." {R}_{I}35_{/}The battle raged fiercely on that day. 
Meanwhile, the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the 
Arameans, until the evening when he died. The blood from his wound 
flowed down into the bottom of the chariot. {I}36_{/}At about sunset, 
a cry went through the camp, "Everyone to his city, and everyone 
to his country! {R}_{I}37_{/}The king has died!"
The king was brought to Samaria and was buried there. {R}_{I}38_{/}But 
they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria. So the dogs licked 
up his blood, while the harlots bathed in it in accordance with 
the word spoken by Yahweh.
[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}39_{/}The rest of the acts of Ahab, his deeds, the ivory 
house he built, and the cities he restored are all written in the 
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. {I}40_{/}So Ahab rested 
with his fathers and his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.
{R}_{I}41_{/}Jehoshaphat, son of Asa, began to reign over Judah in the 
fourth year of Ahab, king of Israel. {R}_{I}42_{/}He was thirty-five 
years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-five 
years in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi. 
{R}_{I}43_{/}He conducted himself like his father Asa, and did what 
pleased Yahweh without hesitation. Yet, he did not remove the high 
places where the people continued to sacrifice and burn incense. 
{R}_{I}44_{/}Jehoshaphat had peace with the king of Israel.
[=]_{R}_{I}45_{/}The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, his bravery and his 
war exploits are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the 
Kings of Judah. {I}46_{/}He also removed from the land the remaining 
male cult prostitutes, completing the work of his father Asa.
{R}_{I}47_{/}There was no king in Edom but a governor ruled over it. 
{I}48_{/}Jehoshaphat had Tarshish ships go to Ophir for gold, but the 
venture failed when_the ships were wrecked at Eziongeber. 
{I}49_{/}Then Ahaziah, son of Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my 
servants go in the ships with your servants." Jehoshaphat, 
however, refused. {R}_{I}50_{/}When Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, 
he was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David and his 
son Jehoram reigned in his place.

