Add parallel Print Page Options

God Comes to Solomon Again

So Solomon finished building the Lord’s Temple and his own palace. Solomon built everything that he wanted to build. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon again, just as he did at Gibeon. The Lord said to him,

“I heard your prayer and what you asked me to do. You built this Temple, and I have made it a holy place. So I will be honored there forever. I will watch over it and think of it always. You must serve me with a pure and honest heart, just as your father David did. You must obey my laws and do everything that I commanded you. If you do, I will make sure that your family will always rule Israel, just as I promised your father David when I told him that Israel would always be ruled by one of his descendants.

6-7 “But if you or your children stop following me, and don’t obey the laws and commands that I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, I will force Israel to leave the land that I have given to them. Israel will be an example to other people. Other people will make jokes about Israel. I made the Temple holy. It is the place where people honor me. But I will tear it down. This Temple will be destroyed. Everyone who sees it will be amazed. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this terrible thing to this land and to this temple?’ People will say, ‘This happened because they left the Lord their God. He brought their ancestors out of Egypt, but they decided to follow other gods. They worshiped and served those gods. That is why the Lord caused all these bad things to happen to them.’”

10 It took 20 years for King Solomon to build the Lord’s Temple and the king’s palace. 11 Hiram supplied Solomon with all the cedar, pine and gold that he wanted, so Solomon gave him 20 cities in Galilee. 12 So Hiram traveled from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him. But Hiram was not pleased when he saw them. 13 King Hiram said, “What are these towns that you have given me, my brother?” King Hiram named that land the Land of Cabul.[a] And that area is still called Cabul today. 14 Hiram had sent King Solomon about 9000 pounds[b] of gold to use in building the Temple.

15 King Solomon forced slaves to work for him to build the Temple and his palace. Then he used these slaves to build many other things. He built the Millo and the city wall around Jerusalem. Then he rebuilt the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

16 In the past the king of Egypt had fought against the city of Gezer and burned it. He killed the Canaanites who lived there. When Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter, Pharaoh gave him that city as a wedding present. 17 Solomon rebuilt Gezer and the city of Lower Beth Horon. 18 He also built the cities of Baalath and Tamar in the Judean desert. 19 He also built cities where he could store grain, and he built places for his chariots and his horses. King Solomon also built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and all the places he ruled.

20 There were people left in the land who were not Israelites. There were Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 21 The Israelites had not been able to destroy them, but Solomon forced them to work for him as slaves. They are still slaves today. 22 Solomon did not force any Israelites to be his slaves. The Israelites were soldiers, government officials, officers, captains, and chariot commanders and drivers. 23 There were 550 supervisors over Solomon’s projects. They supervised the men who did the work.

24 Pharaoh’s daughter moved from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.

25 Three times each year Solomon offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar that he built for the Lord. King Solomon also burned incense before the Lord and supplied what was needed for the Temple.

26 King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber. This town is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27 King Hiram had some skilled sailors who knew the sea well. He sent them to serve in Solomon’s navy and work with Solomon’s men. 28 Solomon’s ships went to Ophir and brought back about 16 tons[c] of gold for him.

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon

10 The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, so she came to test him with hard questions. She traveled to Jerusalem with a very large group of servants. There were many camels carrying spices, jewels, and a lot of gold. She met Solomon and asked him all the questions that she could think of. Solomon answered all the questions. None of her questions was too hard for him to explain. The queen of Sheba saw that Solomon was very wise. She also saw the beautiful palace he had built. She saw the food at the king’s table. She saw his officials meeting together. She saw the servants in the palace and the good clothes they wore. She saw his parties and the sacrifices that he offered in the Lord’s Temple. She was so amazed, she could hardly breathe!

Then she said to King Solomon, “The stories I heard in my country about your great works and your wisdom are true. I did not believe it until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Now I see that it is even greater than what I heard. Your wealth and wisdom are much greater than people told me. Your wives[d] and officers are very fortunate, because they serve you and hear your wisdom every day. Praise the Lord your God! He was pleased to make you king of Israel. Because of the Lord’s unending love for Israel, he has made you king to rule with justice and fairness.”

10 Then the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon 4 1/2 tons[e] of gold, a huge amount of spices, and precious stones. She gave him more spices than anyone has ever brought into Israel.

11 Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir. They also brought jewels and a special kind of wood.[f] 12 Solomon used this special wood to build supports in the Temple and the palace as well as harps and lyres for the singers. That was the last time such a large shipment of that kind of wood was brought to Israel. There hasn’t been any seen around here since then.[g]

13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she asked for. He gave her more than she brought to give him. Then the queen of Sheba and her servants left and went back to their own country.

Solomon’s Great Wealth

14 Every year King Solomon received almost 25 tons[h] of gold. 15 In addition to the gold brought in by the traveling merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold. He used about 15 pounds[i] of gold for each shield. 17 He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold. He used almost 4 pounds[j] of gold for each shield. The king put them in the Forest-of-Lebanon House.[k]

18 King Solomon also built a large throne with ivory decorations. It was covered with pure gold. 19 There were six steps leading up to the throne. The back of the throne was round at the top. There were armrests on both sides of the throne, and there were lions in the sides of the throne under the armrests. 20 There were also two lions on each of the six steps, one at each end. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.

21 All of Solomon’s cups and glasses were made of gold, and all the dishes[l] in the building called the Forest of Lebanon were made from pure gold. Nothing in the palace was made from silver. There was so much gold that in Solomon’s time people did not think silver was important.

22 The king also had many cargo ships[m] that he sent out to trade things with other countries. These were Hiram’s ships. Every three years the ships would come back with a new load of gold, silver, ivory, and apes and baboons.

23 King Solomon became greater in riches and wisdom than any other king on earth. 24 People everywhere wanted to see King Solomon and listen to the great wisdom that God had given him. 25 Every year people came to see the king and brought gifts made from gold and silver, clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

26 Solomon had a great number of chariots and horses. He had 1400 chariots and 12,000 horse soldiers. He built special cities for these chariots. So the chariots were kept in these cities. King Solomon also kept some of the chariots with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made Israel very rich. In the city of Jerusalem, silver was as common as rocks and cedar wood was as common as the many fig trees growing on the hills. 28 Solomon brought horses from Egypt and Kue. His traders bought them in Kue and brought them to Israel. 29 A chariot from Egypt cost about 15 pounds of silver, and a horse cost almost 4 pounds[n] of silver. Solomon sold horses and chariots to the kings of the Hittites and the Arameans.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 9:13 Cabul This name is like the Hebrew word meaning “worthless.”
  2. 1 Kings 9:14 9000 pounds Literally, “120 talents” (4140 kg).
  3. 1 Kings 9:28 16 tons Literally, “420 talents” (14,490 kg).
  4. 1 Kings 10:8 wives This is from the ancient Greek version. The Hebrew text has “men.”
  5. 1 Kings 10:10 4 1/2 tons Literally, “120 talents” (4140 kg).
  6. 1 Kings 10:11 special … wood Literally, “almug.” No one knows exactly what type of wood this was, but it might have been sandalwood.
  7. 1 Kings 10:12 since then Literally, “to this day,” that is, when the book of Kings was written.
  8. 1 Kings 10:14 almost 25 tons Literally, “666 talents” (22,977 kg).
  9. 1 Kings 10:16 about 15 pounds Literally, “600 shekels” (6.9 kg). Also in verse 29.
  10. 1 Kings 10:17 almost 4 pounds Literally, “3 minas” (1.7kg).
  11. 1 Kings 10:17 Forest-of-Lebanon House The largest of king Solomon’s palace buildings. See 1 Kings 7:2-5.
  12. 1 Kings 10:21 dishes The Hebrew word can mean “dishes,” “tools,” or “weapons.”
  13. 1 Kings 10:22 cargo ships Literally, “ships of Tarshish.”
  14. 1 Kings 10:29 almost 4 pounds Literally, “150 shekels” (1.725 kg).

Bible Gateway Recommends

Swahili New Testament Easy to Read Version (ERV) case of 40
Swahili New Testament Easy to Read Version (ERV) case of 40
Retail: $200.00
Our Price: $148.99
Save: $51.01 (26%)
ERV Duotone Bible, Burgundy/Tan
ERV Duotone Bible, Burgundy/Tan
Retail: $18.99
Our Price: $13.99
Save: $5.00 (26%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
ERV Children's Softcover Bible
ERV Children's Softcover Bible
Retail: $9.99
Our Price: $7.99
Save: $2.00 (20%)
4.0 of 5.0 stars
ERV Flexcover Bible, Case of 28
ERV Flexcover Bible, Case of 28
Retail: $223.72
Our Price: $167.72
Save: $56.00 (25%)
ERV Paperback Bible, Case of 28
ERV Paperback Bible, Case of 28
Retail: $195.72
Our Price: $139.72
Save: $56.00 (29%)
Holy Bible Easy to Read Version (ERV) English Green/Tan (Duotone)
Holy Bible Easy to Read Version (ERV) English Green/Tan (Duotone)
Retail: $18.99
Our Price: $13.99
Save: $5.00 (26%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars