The Greatest Commandment^(A)

²⁸ One of the teachers of the law^(B) came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^{[a] 30} Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^{[b](C) 31} The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[c](D) There is no commandment greater than these.”

³² “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.^{(E) 33} To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^(F)

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”^(G) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.^(H)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?^(I)(J)

³⁵ While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,^(K) he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?^{(L) 36} David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,^(M) declared:

³⁷ David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd^(O) listened to him with delight.

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

³⁸ As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, ³⁹ and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.^{(P) 40} They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering^(Q)

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put^(R) and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”^(S)

Solomon’s Officials and Governors

4 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. ² And these were his chief officials:^(A)

⁷ Solomon had twelve district governors^(J) over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. ⁸ These are their names:

Solomon’s Daily Provisions

²⁰ The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand^(AD) on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.^{(AE) 21} And Solomon ruled^(AF) over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River^(AG) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.^(AH) These countries brought tribute^(AI) and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

²² Solomon’s daily provisions^(AJ) were thirty cors^[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors^[b] of meal, ²³ ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.^{(AK) 24} For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah^(AL) to Gaza, and had peace^(AM) on all sides. ²⁵ During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,^(AN) lived in safety,^(AO) everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.^(AP)

²⁶ Solomon had four^[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses,^(AQ) and twelve thousand horses.^[d]

²⁷ The district governors,^(AR) each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. ²⁸ They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom^(AS) and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand^(AT) on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,^(AU) and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.^{(AV) 31} He was wiser^(AW) than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. ³² He spoke three thousand proverbs^(AX) and his songs^(AY) numbered a thousand and five. ³³ He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop^(AZ) that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. ³⁴ From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings^(BA) of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.^[e]

Preparations for Building the Temple^(BB)

5 ^[f]When Hiram^(BC) king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. ² Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:

⁷ When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the Lord^(BL) today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.”

⁸ So Hiram sent word to Solomon:

¹⁰ In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, ¹¹ and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors^[g] of wheat as food^(BO) for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths^[h][i] of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. ¹² The Lord gave Solomon wisdom,^(BP) just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.^(BQ)

¹³ King Solomon conscripted laborers^(BR) from all Israel—thirty thousand men. ¹⁴ He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram^(BS) was in charge of the forced labor. ¹⁵ Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, ¹⁶ as well as thirty-three hundred^[j] foremen^(BT) who supervised the project and directed the workers. ¹⁷ At the king’s command they removed from the quarry^(BU) large blocks of high-grade stone^(BV) to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. ¹⁸ The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram^(BW) and workers from Byblos^(BX) cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.