The Lord Appears to Solomon
1 jAs soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord kand the king’s house and lall that Solomon desired to build, 2 mthe Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 And the Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, nby putting my name there forever. oMy eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 4 And as for you, if you will pwalk before me, qas David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, 5 rthen I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6 sBut if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 tthen I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, uand the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, vand Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And this house will become a heap of ruins.1 Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, w‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will say, ‘Because xthey abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’”
Solomon’s Other Acts
10 yAt the end of ztwenty years, in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord and the king’s house, 11 and Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, King Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12 But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, they did not please him. 13 Therefore he said, “What kind of cities are these that you have given me, my brother?” So they are called the land of aCabul to this day. 14 Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents2 of gold.
15 And this is the account of bthe forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the Lord and his own house and cthe Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and dHazor and eMegiddo and Gezer 16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed fthe Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to ghis daughter, Solomon’s wife; 17 so Solomon rebuilt Gezer) and hLower Beth-horon 18 and Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah,3 19 and all the store cities that Solomon had, and ithe cities for his chariots, and the cities for jhis horsemen, and whatever Solomon kdesired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 20 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— 21 ltheir descendants who were left after them in the land, mwhom the people of Israel were unable to devote to destruction4—nthese Solomon drafted to be oslaves, and so they are to this day. 22 But pof the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves. They were the soldiers, they were his officials, his commanders, his captains, his chariot commanders and his horsemen.
23 These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work: q550 rwho had charge of the people who carried on the work.
24 But gPharaoh’s daughter went up from the city of David to sher own house that Solomon had built for her. tThen he built uthe Millo.
25 Three times a year Solomon used to offer up burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he built to the Lord, making offerings with it5 before the Lord. So he finished the house.
26 King Solomon built a fleet of ships at vEzion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27 And Hiram sent wwith the fleet his servants, seamen who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon. 28 And they went to xOphir and brought from there gold, 420 talents, and they brought it to King Solomon.
Solomon’s Accomplishments
1 nAt the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, 2 Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him, and settled the people of Israel in them.
3 And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and took it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath. 5 He also built oUpper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, pfortified cities pwith walls, gates, and bars, 6 and Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 7 qAll the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—these Solomon drafted ras forced labor, and so they are to this day. 9 But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves for his work; they were soldiers, and his officers, the commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen. 10 And these were the chief officers of King Solomon, 250, who exercised authority over the people.
11 sSolomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”
12 Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord tthat he had built before the vestibule, 13 uas the duty of each day required, offering vaccording to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the wthree annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. 14 According to the ruling of David his father, he appointed xthe divisions of the priests for their service, yand the Levites for their offices of praise and zministry before the priests uas the duty of each day required, and athe gatekeepers in their divisions at each gate, for so David bthe man of God had commanded. 15 And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded the priests and Levites concerning any matter and concerning the treasuries.
16 Thus was accomplished all the work of Solomon from1 the day the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.
17 Then Solomon went to cEzion-geber and dEloth on the shore of the sea, in the land of Edom. 18 And Hiram sent to him by the hand of his servants ships and servants familiar with the sea, and they went to Ophir together with the servants of Solomon and brought from there e450 talents2 of gold and brought it to King Solomon.
More Proverbs of Solomon
1 These also are mproverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.
2 It is the glory of God to nconceal things,
but the glory of kings is to osearch things out.
3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
so the heart of kings is punsearchable.
4 Take away qthe dross from the silver,
and rthe smith has material for a vessel;
5 take away sthe wicked from the presence of the king,
and his tthrone will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
or stand in the place of the great,
7 for uit is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
What your eyes have seen
8 wdo not hastily bring into court,1
for2 what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 xArgue your case with your neighbor himself,
and do not reveal another’s secret,
10 lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute have no end.
11 yA word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
12 Like za gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise reprover to aa listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is ba faithful messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like cclouds and wind without rain
is a man who dboasts of a gift he does not give.
15 With epatience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue will break a bone.
16 If you have ffound honey, eat gonly enough for you,
lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
18 A man who hbears false witness against his neighbor
is like a war club, or ia sword, or a sharp arrow.
19 Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
20 Whoever jsings songs to a heavy heart
is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
and like vinegar on soda.
21 kIf your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
22 for you will heap lburning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
24 mIt is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to na thirsty soul,
so is ogood news from a far country.
26 Like pa muddied spring or a polluted fountain
is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
27 It is qnot good to eat much honey,
nor is it glorious to rseek one’s own glory.3
28 A man swithout self-control
is like ta city broken into and left without walls.
1 Like snow in summer or urain in harvest,
so vhonor is wnot fitting for a fool.
2 Like xa sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
ya curse that is causeless does not alight.
3 zA whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and aa rod for the back of fools.
4 bAnswer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
5 cAnswer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be dwise in his own eyes.
6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
cuts off his own feet and edrinks violence.
7 Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like one who binds the stone in the sling
is fone who gives honor to a fool.
9 Like ga thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 Like an archer who wounds everyone
is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.4
11 Like ha dog that returns to his vomit
is ia fool who repeats his folly.
12 Do you see a man who is jwise in his own eyes?
kThere is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 lThe sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
There is a lion in the streets!”
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a sluggard on his bed.
15 mThe sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is jwiser in his own eyes
nthan seven men who can answer sensibly.
17 Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
18 Like a madman who throws ofirebrands, arrows, and death
19 is the man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I am only joking!”
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no pwhisperer, qquarreling ceases.
21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is ra quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22 sThe words of pa whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
23 tLike the uglaze5 covering an earthen vessel
are fervent lips with an evil heart.
24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
and harbors deceit in his heart;
25 vwhen he speaks graciously, believe him not,
for there are wseven abominations in his heart;
26 though his hatred be covered with deception,
his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 xWhoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.
