God's New Bible

The First Book of the Kings

Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic

- Chapter 9 -

(2 Chronicles 7:11–22)
1
Now it happened that, when Solomon had perfected the building of the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all that he had desired and had willed to do,
2
the Lord appeared to him a second time, just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
3
And the Lord said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your petition, which you prayed before me. I have sanctified this house, which you have built, so that I may place my name there forever, and so that my eyes and my heart will be there for all days.
4
Also, if you will walk before me, just as your father walked, in simplicity of heart and in equity, and you do all that I have instructed to you, and you keep my laws and my judgments,(a)
5
then I will set the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised your father David, saying: ‘A man from your stock shall not be taken away from the throne of Israel.’
6
But if you and your sons, wandering, will have turned away, not following me, and not keeping my commandments and my ceremonies, which I have proposed to you, but instead you go away, and you serve strange gods and adore them,
7
then I will take away Israel from the face of the land, which I have given to them. And the temple, which I have sanctified to my name, I will cast out from my sight. And Israel will be a proverb and a parable among all the peoples.
8
And this house will become an example: anyone who passes by it will be stupefied, and he will hiss and say, ‘Why has the Lord acted in this way to this land and to this house?’
9
And they will respond: ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their fathers away from the land of Egypt, and they followed strange gods, and they adored them and served them. For this reason, the Lord led all this evil over them.’ ”

Solomon’s Additional Achievements

(2 Chronicles 8:1–18)
10
Then, when twenty years were fulfilled, after Solomon had built the two houses, that is, the house of the Lord, and the house of the king,
11
Hiram, the king of Tyre, having supplied Solomon with cedar wood, and spruce wood, and gold, in accord with all that he needed, then Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the land of Galilee.
12
And Hiram went out of Tyre, so that he might view the towns that Solomon had given to him. And they did not please him.
13
And he said, “Are these the cities that you have given to me, brother?” And he called them the land of Cabul, even to this day.(b)
14
And Hiram sent to king Solomon one hundred twenty talents of gold.
15
This is the sum of the expenses that king Solomon offered for the building of the house of the Lord, and his own house, and for Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
16
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, ascended and seized Gezer, and he burned it with fire. And he put to death the Canaanite who was living in the city, and he gave it as a dowry for his daughter, the wife of Solomon.
17
Therefore, Solomon built up Gezer, and lower Beth-horon,
18
and Baalath, and Palmira in the land of the wilderness.
19
And all the towns which belonged to him, and which were without walls, he walled, along with the cities of the chariots, and the cities of the horsemen, and whatever was pleasing to him that he might build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in the entire land of his dominion.
20
All the people who had remained of the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel,
21
their sons, who had remained in the land, namely, those whom the sons of Israel had not been able to destroy, Solomon made tributary, even to this day.
22
But from the sons of Israel, Solomon did not appoint anyone at all to serve, except the men of war, and his ministers, and leaders, and commanders, and the overseers of the chariots and the horses.
23
Now there were five hundred fifty leaders in the first place over all the works of Solomon, and they had people subject to them, and these were given orders for the appointed works.
24
And the daughter of Pharaoh went up from the city of David to her house, which Solomon had built for her. Then he built up Millo.
25
Also, three times each year, Solomon offered holocausts and victims of peace offerings, upon the altar that he had built to the Lord, and he burned incense before the Lord. And the temple was perfected.
26
And king Solomon made a navy at Ezion Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shores of the Red Sea, in the land of Idumea.
27
And Hiram sent his servants to that navy, the sailors and those knowledgeable about the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
28
And when they had gone to Ophir, taking from there four hundred twenty talents of gold, they brought it to king Solomon.

Footnotes

(a)9:4 As thy father walked, in simplicity of heart:That is, in the sincerity and integrity of a single heart, as opposite to all double dealing and deceit.(Challoner)
(b)9:13 Chabul:That is, dirty or displeasing.(Challoner)
(2 Chronicles 7:11–22)
1
When Solomon had finished the building of the LORD’s house, the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do,
2
The LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
3
The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before me. I have made this house holy, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.
4
As for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances,
5
then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, ‘There shall not fail from you a man on the throne of Israel.’
6
But if you turn away from following me, you or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them,
7
then I will cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have made holy for my name, out of my sight; and Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
8
Though this house is so high, yet everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss; and they will say, ‘Why has the LORD done this to this land and to this house?’
9
and they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them, and served them. Therefore the LORD has brought all this evil on them.’”

Solomon’s Additional Achievements

(2 Chronicles 8:1–18)
10
At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the two houses, the LORD’s house and the king’s house
11
(now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and cypress trees, and with gold, according to all his desire), King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
12
Hiram came out of Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they didn’t please him.
13
He said, “What cities are these which you have given me, my brother?” He called them the land of Cabul (a) to this day.
14
Hiram sent to the king one hundred twenty talents (b) of gold.
15
This is the reason of the forced labor which King Solomon conscripted: to build the LORD’s house, his own house, Millo, Jerusalem’s wall, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
16
Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, taken Gezer, burned it with fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it for a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.
17
Solomon built in the land Gezer, Beth Horon the lower,
18
Baalath, Tamar in the wilderness,
19
all the storage cities that Solomon had, the cities for his chariots, the cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
20
As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel
21
their children who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroyof them Solomon raised a levy of bondservants to this day.
22
But of the children of Israel Solomon made no bondservants; but they were the men of war, his servants, his princes, his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.
23
These were the five hundred fifty chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, who ruled over the people who labored in the work.
24
But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of David’s city to her house which Solomon had built for her. Then he built Millo.
25
Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he built to the LORD three times per year, burning incense with them on the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.
26
King Solomon made a fleet of ships in Ezion Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
27
Hiram sent in the fleet his servants, sailors who had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
28
They came to Ophir, and fetched from there gold, four hundred and twenty talents,(c) and brought it to King Solomon.

Footnotes

(a)9:13 “Cabul” sounds like Hebrew for “good-for-nothing”.
(b)9:14 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 120 talents is about 3.6 metric tons
(c)9:28 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 420 talents is about 12.6 metric tons