The Book of 1 Kings

Chapter 1
1 King David was now old and had come into his last days; though they covered him with cloaks, it was not warm enough for him.
2 So his servants said to him, Let them seek a maiden for my lord the king, a virgin; and let her stand before the king. Let her come to care for him, and let her lie down in your bosom, so that my lord the king will feel warm.
3 When they sought for a lovely maiden throughout the entire territory of Israel, they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.
4 The maiden was exceedingly lovely; she came to care for the king and ministered to him. As for the king, he did not know her.
5 Now Adonijah son of Haggith was lifting himself, saying, I myself shall be king. He provided for himself a chariot with horsemen and fifty men running before him.
6 Yet his father had not restrained him in his days, saying, For what reason have you done thus? Moreover, he was good-looking and very handsome; she had borne him after Absalom.
7 His planning was with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; they helped as followers of Adonijah.
8 Yet Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and his associates, the masters of war whom David had, they were not with Adonijah.
9 Then Adonijah sacrificed of the flock, oxen and fatlings at the stone of Zoheleth which is beside En-rogel. He had invited all his brothers, the king’s sons and all the men of Judah who were officials of the king.
10 As for Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the masters of war and his brother Solomon, he had not invited them.
11 Then Nathan spoke to Solomon’s mother Bathsheba, saying, Have you not heard that Haggith’s son Adonijah became king, and our lord David does not know it?
12 Now come, let me counsel you, I pray, with my counsel: Escape with your own soul and the soul of your son Solomon.
13 Go and enter to king David; and you will say to him, Was it not you, my lord the king? Did you not swear to your maidservant, saying that your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? Then for what reason has Adonijah become king?
14 And behold, while you will be speaking there with the king, I also shall enter, after you; and I will fully confirm your words.
15 So Bathsheba came to the king into the chamber. As for the king, he was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king.
16 Bathsheba bowed her head and prostrated herself before the king. Then the king asked, What have you to say?
17 She replied to him, My lord, you yourself swore by Yahweh your Elohim to your maidservant that your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.
18 Yet now, behold, it is Adonijah who became king; and you, my lord the king, you do not know of it.
19 He sacrificed bulls and fatlings and of the flock in abundance. He invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the chief of the military host; but Solomon your servant he has not invited.
20 On you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 Otherwise it will come to be, when my lord the king lies down with his fathers, I myself and my son Solomon will be counted sinners.
22 And behold, while she was speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet entered.
23 So they told the king, saying, Behold, Nathan the prophet. Then he came before the king; and he prostrated himself before the king, with his nostrils to the earth.
24 Now Nathan asked, My lord the king, have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne?
25 For he went down today and sacrificed bulls and fatlings and of the flock in abundance. He invited all the king’s sons and the chiefs of the military host and Abiathar the priest. And there they are eating and drinking before him; and they are shouting, Long live king Adonijah!
26 Yet me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and Solomon your servant, he has not invited.
27 Does this matter come from my lord the king, that you have not made known to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
28 King David answered and said, Call Bathsheba to me. So she came before the king and stood before the king.
29 Now the king swore, saying, As Yahweh lives Who has ransomed my soul from all distress,
30 indeed, just as I swore to you by Yahweh Elohim of Israel, saying that your son Solomon shall reign after me and that he shall sit on my throne in my stead, so indeed shall I do this day.
31 Then Bathsheba bowed her head with her nostrils to the earth. She prostrated herself before the king and said, May my lord king David live for the eon!
32 King David ordered, Call to me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada. When they came before the king,
33 the king said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord; you will have my son Solomon ride on the mule that is mine; and you will go down with him to Gihon.
34 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint him there as king over Israel. You will blow the trumpet, and you will shout, Long live king Solomon!
35 Then you will come up following him; and he will come and will sit on my throne. It is he who shall reign in my stead. I commission him to become governor over Israel and over Judah.
36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, Amen! May Yahweh Elohim of my lord the king do so!
37 Just as Yahweh came to be with my lord the king, so let Him be with Solomon. May He make his throne greater than the throne of my lord the king David.
38 So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet went down, also Benaiah son of Jehoiada with the Kerethite and the Pelethite. They had Solomon ride on the mule of king David, and they conducted him to Gihon.
39 There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet; and all the people shouted, Long live king Solomon!
40 All the people went up after him; the people were fluting with flutes and rejoicing with great rejoicing, so that the earth was split open with the sound of them.
41 Adonijah heard it and all those who had been invited by him, as they themselves had finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, For what reason is there the sound of clamor in the town?
42 While he was speaking, behold, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, Enter, for you are an able man and are bearing good tidings.
43 But Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Nevertheless, our lord king David, he has made Solomon king!
44 The king sent with him Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, also Benaiah son of Jehoiada with the Kerethite and the Pelethite; and they had him ride on the mule of the king.
45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him as king at Gihon. From there they came up rejoicing; and the town is clamoring. That is the sound which you have heard.
46 Moreover, Solomon is seated on the royal throne.
47 Besides, the king’s servants have come to bless our lord king David, saying, May your Elohim make the name of Solomon more famous than your name; and may He make his throne greater than your throne. The king bowed in worship on his bed.
48 Moreover the king said as this: Blessed be Yahweh Elohim of Israel Who today has given one of my seed to sit on my throne, with my own eyes seeing it.
49 Now all those who had been invited by Adonijah were trembling; they arose and each went his own way.
50 As for Adonijah, he feared to face Solomon; so he arose; he went and held fast the horns of the altar.
51 When Solomon was told, saying, Behold Adonijah, he fears king Solomon; and behold, he has taken hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear to me today, assuredly not shall he put his servant to death by the sword.
52 Solomon replied, If he should prove a son of valor, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth. Yet should evil be found in him, then he will die.
53 So king Solomon sent for him, and they brought him down from the altar. When he entered he prostrated himself before king Solomon. And Solomon said to him, Go to your house.

Chapter 2
1 When the days for David to die were approaching, he enjoined on his son Solomon, saying,
2 I am going in the way of all the earth. So you will be steadfast and become manly.
3 You will keep the charge of Yahweh your Elohim to walk in His ways, to observe His statutes and His instructions, His ordinances and His testimonies as written in the law of Moses, so that you may act intelligently in all that you do and everywhere that you turn around,
4 so that Yahweh may confirm His word that He spoke concerning me, saying, If your sons keep their way so as to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and with all their soul, saying, There shall not be cut off a man of yours from sitting on the throne of Israel.
5 Moreover, you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me: what he did to two chief officers of Israel’s military hosts, to Abner son of Ner and to Amasa son of Jether, when he killed them and avenged their blood in peacetime as if in battle and put innocent blood on his girdle that was on his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet.
6 So you will act according to your wisdom, and not let his grey hairs go down in peace to the unseen.
7 Yet you shall show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite; they will be among those eating at your table; for so they came near to me when I fled away from before your brother Absalom.
8 And behold, with you is Shimei son of Gera the Benjamite from Bahurim. He maledicted me with a painful malediction on the day when I was going to Mahanaim. When he himself came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, Assuredly not shall I put you to death with the sword.
9 But now you must not hold him innocent; for you are a wise man, and you will know what you should do to him and let his grey hairs go down to the unseen in blood.
10 Then David lay down with his fathers; and he was entombed in the city of David.
11 The days which David had reigned over Israel were forty years. In Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.
12 As for Solomon, he sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingship was firmly established.
13 But Adonijah son of Haggith came to Solomon’s mother Bathsheba. And she asked, Do you come in peace? He replied, In peace.
14 And he said, I would like to have a word with you. So she replied, Speak.
15 Now he said, You know that the kingship belonged to me and that all of Israel had set their faces on me to become king. But the kingship was turned about and came to be my brother’s; for from Yahweh it came to him.
16 Now I am asking one request from you. You must not discountenance me. She replied to him, Speak.
17 Then he said, I pray, speak to king Solomon, for he shall not discountenance you, that he should give to me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.
18 Bathsheba replied, Very well, I myself shall speak for you to the king.
19 When Bathsheba came to king Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king arose to meet her; and he bowed down to her. Then he sat down on his throne and had a throne set up for the king’s mother so that she might sit at his right.
20 Now she said, I am asking one small request from you. You must not discountenance me. The king replied to her, Ask, my mother, for I shall not discountenance you.
21 So she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.
22 King Solomon answered and said to his mother, Why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Request also the kingship for him since he is my brother and older than I am. Request it for him for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah.
23 Then king Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, Thus may Elohim do to me, and thus may He add, for against his own soul spoke Adonijah this word!
24 And now, as Yahweh lives, Who has established me and seated me on the throne of my father David, Who has made a house for me just as He had promised, today Adonijah shall be put to death!
25 So king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he came upon him, and he died.
26 Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, Go back to Anathoth to your fields, for a man worthy of death are you. Yet on this day I shall not put you to death, for you carried the coffer of the Lord Yahweh before my father David, and you humbled yourself in all that my father had to humble himself.
27 So Solomon drove out Abiathar from being a priest for Yahweh, to fulfill the word of Yahweh that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh.
28 When the report came to Joab (for Joab himself had turned aside following Adonijah, yet he had not turned aside following Absalom), then Joab fled to the tent of Yahweh and held fast the horns of the altar.
29 Now king Solomon was told: Joab has fled to the tent of Yahweh; and behold, he is beside the altar. Then Solomon sent for Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, come upon him.
30 So Benaiah came to the tent of Yahweh; he said to him, Thus says the king, Come forth! But he replied, No, for here I shall die. Benaiah brought this word back to the king, saying, Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me.
31 The king said to him, Do just as he spoke, and come upon him. You will entomb him and take away from me and from my father’s house the guilt for the blood which Joab had gratuitously shed.
32 Thus Yahweh will bring back on his head his bloodguilt because he came upon two men more righteous and better than he was, and he killed them with the sword when my father David had no knowledge about it: Abner son of Ner, chief of the military host of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, chief of the military host of Judah.
33 May the guilt for their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his seed for the eon. Yet for David and his seed, for his house and his throne, may there be peace unto the eon from Yahweh.
34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and came upon him; he put him to death, and he was entombed at his own house in the wilderness.
35 In his stead, the king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the military host; and the king put Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.
36 Then the king sent and called Shimei. He said to him, Build yourself a house in Jerusalem; you will dwell there, yet you shall not go forth from there whither or thither.
37 It will come to be, on the day you go forth and you cross Wadi Kidron, you should know and realize that you shall die, yea die; your blood shall be on your own head.
38 Shimei replied to the king, The word is good. Just as my lord the king has spoken, so shall your servant do. And Shimei dwelt many days in Jerusalem.
39 But it came to be at the end of three years that two of Shimei’s servants ran away to Achish son of Maacah king of Gath. When they told Shimei, saying, Behold, your servants are in Gath,
40 Shimei was rising and saddling his donkey and going toward Gath to Achish to seek his servants. So Shimei went and brought his servants back from Gath.
41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,
42 the king sent and called Shimei. He said to him, Did I not adjure you by Yahweh and testify to you, saying, On the day you go forth and you go whither or thither, you should know and realize that you shall die, yea die? And you said to me, The word is good; I will hearken.
43 Now for what reason did you not keep the oath to Yahweh and the instruction that I enjoined on you?
44 Then the king said to Shimei, You yourself know all the evil, which your heart well knows, that you did to my father David; now Yahweh will bring back your evil on your own head.
45 But king Solomon will be blessed, and the throne of David shall become established before Yahweh unto the eon.
46 Then the king instructed Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went forth and came upon him, so that he died. Thus the kingship was firmly established under the hand of Solomon.

Chapter 3
1 Then Solomon became a son-in-law to Pharaoh king of Egypt when he took a daughter of Pharaoh. He brought her to the city of David until he finished building his own house and the house of Yahweh and the wall around Jerusalem.
2 But the people were sacrificing on the high-places because unto those days no house had been built for the Name of Yahweh.
3 Solomon was loving Yahweh so as to walk in the statutes of his father David; but he was also sacrificing and fuming incense on the high-places.
4 So the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the greatest high-place. Solomon offered up a thousand ascent offerings on that altar.
5 At Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; Elohim said, Ask what I shall give to you.
6 Solomon replied, You have shown great benignity to Your servant, my father David, just as he walked before You in faithfulness and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with You. You kept toward him this great benignity, so that You gave him a son to sit on his throne as on this day.
7 And now, O Yahweh my Elohim, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David; yet I am a young lad, and I do not know how to go forth or to come in.
8 Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a people so numerous that it can neither be counted nor numbered for multitude.
9 Will You give to Your servant a hearkening heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil; for who can judge this burdensome people of Yours?
10 The word was well pleasing in the eyes of Yahweh because Solomon had requested this matter.
11 So Elohim replied to him, Because you requested this matter and have neither asked for yourself many days, nor asked for yourself riches, nor asked for the soul of your enemies, yet you have asked for yourself understanding to make out right judgment,
12 behold, I will do according to your word. Behold, I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that no one like you has been before you; and after you no one shall rise like you.
13 Moreover, what you have not asked, I will give you: both riches and glory all your days, so that there will be no man like you among kings.
14 Should you be walking in My ways so as to keep My statutes and My instructions, just as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days.
15 When Solomon awoke, behold, it had been a dream. He came back to Jerusalem and stood before the coffer of the covenant of Yahweh. And he offered up ascent offerings, made peace offerings and made a feast for all his servants.
16 Then two women, prostitutes, came to the king and stood before him.
17 The one woman said, O, my lord, I and this woman are dwelling in the same house. And I gave birth while she was in the house.
18 Now it was on the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. We were together; there was no outsider with us in the house; except us two, no one was in the house.
19 Then the son of this woman died at night, when she lay on him.
20 Yet she arose in the midst of the night and took my son from beside me while your maidservant was asleep. She laid him in her bosom, and she laid her dead son in my bosom.
21 When I arose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead. So I examined him closely in the morning, and behold, he was not my son whom I had borne.
22 Now the other woman said, No, for my son is the living one, and your son is the dead one. But this first woman was affirming, No, for your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one. Thus they argued before the king.
23 Then the king said to them, This one is saying, This is my son, the living one, and your son is the dead one, while that one is saying, No, for your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.
24 So the king ordered, Procure a sword for me. And they brought the sword before the king.
25 Now the king said, Sever the living boy into two, and give half to one and half to the other.
26 But the woman whose son was the living one, said to the king (for her compassions were fervid over her son so that she said), O, my lord, Give her the living boy; you must not put him to death, yea death. Yet that one was saying, He shall not become mine or even yours; sever him!
27 Now the king answered and said, Give the living boy to her. You shall not put him to death, yea death; she is his mother.
28 When all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had judged, they stood in fear before the face of the king, for they saw that the wisdom of Elohim was within him to execute right judgment.

Chapter 4
1 So king Solomon was king over all Israel.
2 These were the chief officials that he had: Azariah son of Zadok the priest,
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah sons of Shisha, scribes, Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, recorder;
4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the military host; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
5 Azariah son of Nathan was over the deputies; Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, was an associate of the king;
6 Ahishar was over the household, and Adoniram son of Abda over the tributary service.
7 Solomon had twelve deputies over all of Israel. They provided for the king and his household; it rested on each one to provide them with food for one month in the year.
8 These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
9 Ben-deker, in Makaz and in Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh and Elon-beth-hanan;
10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (he had Socoh and all the land of Hepher);
11 Ben-abinadab, in all of Naphoth-dor (Solomon’s daughter Taphath became his wife);
12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-shean, that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;
13 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh which are in Gilead; he had the district of Argob in Bashan and sixty large cities with wall and bronze bar);
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he too took a daughter of Solomon Basemath as a wife);
16 Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;
18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;
19 Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon king of the Amorite and Og king of Bashan; only one deputy in the land of Judah.
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand which is on the sea shore for multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.
21 As for Solomon, he came to be the ruler over all the kingdoms from the Stream as far as the land of the Philistines unto the boundary of Egypt; they brought close approach presents and were serving Solomon all the days of his life.
22 Solomon’s bread for one day was thirty cors of flour and sixty cors of meal,
23 ten plump oxen and twenty grazed oxen, a hundred of the flock, besides deer and gazelle, bubale and fattened fowl.
24 He was holding sway in all the land this side of the Stream, from Tiphsah as far as Gaza, over all the kings this side of the Stream; and peace came to him from all his sides round about.
25 Judah and Israel dwelt in serenity, each man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan unto Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.
26 Solomon came to have 4,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and 12,000 steeds.
27 Those deputies provided for king Solomon and all who came near to king Solomon’s table, each in his month; they let nothing be lacking.
28 They also brought, each his due, barley and crushed straw for the horses and stallions to wherever the place might be.
29 Elohim gave Solomon wisdom, exceedingly much understanding and wideness of heart, like the sand which is on the seashore.
30 The wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the sons of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 He was wiser than any other human, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman and Calcol and Darda the sons of Mahol. So his name became famous in all the nations round about.
32 He composed 3,000 proverbs, and his songs came to be 5,000.
33 He spoke about the trees, from the cedar of the Lebanon unto the hyssop which is coming forth in the sidewall. He spoke about the beast and the flyer, about the reptile and the fish.
34 They came from all the peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and he took approach presents from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Chapter 5
1 King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him as king in place of his father; for Hiram had been in friendship with David all his days.
2 Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3 You know of my father David that he was not able to build a house for the Name of Yahweh his Elohim in view of the warfare with which they surrounded him until Yahweh put them under the soles of his feet.
4 But now Yahweh my Elohim has given me rest from those round about; there is no adversary and there is no oncoming evil.
5 So here I am declaring to build a house for the Name of Yahweh my Elohim, just as Yahweh had spoken to my father David, saying, Your son whom I shall set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My Name.
6 Now give instruction that they cut for me cedars from the Lebanon. My servants, they shall be with your servants; I shall give the hire for your servants to you according to all that you might say; for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.
7 It came to be as Hiram heard the words of Solomon that he rejoiced exceedingly and said, Blessed be Yahweh today, Who has given David a wise son over this numerous people.
8 So Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard what you sent to me; as for me, I shall provide all your desire in regard to timber of cedars and timber of firs.
9 My servants themselves shall bring them down from the Lebanon to the sea; I shall bring them as log-rafts by sea to the place that you shall point out to me. I will have them scattered there, and you can take them up. As for you, you shall provide my desire by giving the bread for my household.
10 So it came to be that Hiram was providing Solomon with timber of cedars and timber of firs for all his desire.
11 As for Solomon, he gave Hiram 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household and 20,000 bath measures of pounded oil. Thus Solomon provided for Hiram year after year.
12 Yahweh, He gave Solomon wisdom just as He had spoken to him; there came to be peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them contracted a covenant.
13 Then king Solomon set up tributary service from all of Israel; the tributary service came to be 30,000 men.
14 He sent them to the Lebanon, 10,000 a month in relays. For a month they were in the Lebanon and two months at their homes. Adoniram was over the tributary service.
15 Solomon came to have 70,000 burden carriers and 80,000 stone hewers in the hill country.
16 Besides Solomon’s chief deputies over the work, there were 3,600 who were holding sway over the people doing the work.
17 The king gave instruction so that they quarried out large stones, blocks of quality stone, to provide a foundation of trimmed stones for the house.
18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites carved them and made the timbers and the stones ready during three years to build the house.

Chapter 6
1 It came to be in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel had come forth from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv (it is the second month), of Solomon’s reign over Israel, that he began to build the house for Yahweh.
2 The house that king Solomon built for Yahweh was sixty cubits in its length, twenty cubits in its width and thirty cubits in its rise.
3 The portico on the facade of the nave of the house was twenty cubits in its length, on the facade of the width of the house. It was ten cubits in its width on the facade of the house.
4 He also made shutters for the embrasures of the clerestory windows of the house.
5 Against the outside wall of the house he built a storied structure; around the sidewalls of the house, around to the nave and to the innermost sanctuary, he made stories round about.
6 The lower story was five cubits in its width, the middle six cubits in its width and the third seven cubits in its width; for he had provided offset ledges around the outside of the house, so as not to hold the rafters in the sidewalls of the house.
7 The house, when it was built, was built of blocks of stone made suitable at the quarry. So neither hammers nor an ax nor any iron implement were heard at the house while it was being built.
8 The portal of the lower story was at the right shoulder of the house; and winding stairs went up to the middle and from the middle to the third story.
9 Thus he was building the house that he might finish it; and he was ceiling the house with vaultbeams and roofing planks in cedar.
10 He was building the storied structure against the entire house, each story five cubits in its rise, so that it had a hold on the house with timbers of cedar.
11 Now the word of Yahweh came to Solomon, saying,
12 This house that you are building if you walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My instructions and walk in them, then I will confirm through you My word that I spoke to your father David.
13 I will tabernacle in the midst of the sons of Israel, and I shall not forsake My people Israel.
14 So Solomon was building the house that he might finish it.
15 He was building the sidewalls inside the house with angular wall panels of cedar. From the floor of the house unto the rafters of the ceiling he overlaid it with timber inside; and he overlaid the floor of the house with angular planks of fir.
16 Twenty cubits from the remote parts of the house, he was building a partition of angular cedar planks from the floor unto the rafters. Thus he was building inside from it the innermost sanctuary, the holy of holies.
17 Thus the length of the house before it, was forty cubits, that is the nave.
18 The cedar for the inside of the house had an embossing of colocynth gourds and open blossoms. It was all cedar; there was no stone to be seen.
19 As for the innermost sanctuary in the midst of the house, he prepared its inside to bestow there the coffer of the covenant of Yahweh.
20 The facade of the innermost sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width and twenty cubits in its rise. He overlaid it with plated gold. He also made an altar of cedar.
21 Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with plated gold; he extended gold chains across the facade of the innermost sanctuary and overlaid it with gold.
22 Thus he overlaid the whole inside of the house with gold, until all the house was finished; also the entire altar that was toward the innermost sanctuary, he had overlaid with gold.
23 In the innermost sanctuary he made two cherubim of oil-tree wood, each ten cubits in its rise.
24 Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub and five cubits the second wing of the cherub. It was ten cubits from the end of its wings unto the other end of its wings.
25 And ten cubits was the second cherub; the two cherubim had one measure and one fashion.
26 The rise of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the second cherub.
27 He bestowed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, so that they spread out the wings of the cherubim. The wing of the one touched the one sidewall, and the wing of the second cherub was touching the second sidewall, while their wings were toward the midst of the house and touching wing to wing.
28 And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 Over all the sidewalls in the house round about he embossed engraved embossings of cherubim, palm trees and open blossoms, on the inside and the outside of the sanctuary;
30 also the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, inside and outside;
31 and for the portal of the innermost sanctuary he made doors of oil-tree wood, the pillar jambs being pentagonal.
32 The two doors were of oil-tree wood; he embossed on them embossings of cherubim, palm trees and open blossoms; and he overlaid them with gold, hammering the gold down on the cherubim and on the palm trees.
33 So also he made for the portal of the nave jambs of oil-tree wood from squared logs.
34 The two doors were of fir-tree wood: The two leaves of the one door on pivots, and the two leaves of the second door on pivots.
35 He embossed on them cherubim, palm trees and open blossoms and overlaid them with gold evenly over the delineation.
36 He was also building the inner court with three rows of trimmed stone and a row of cedar beams.
37 In the fourth year the foundation was laid for the house of Yahweh in the month of Ziv;
38 in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul (it is the eighth month), he finished the house in all its details and according to all its specifications. So he had been building it for seven years.

Chapter 7
1 As for his own house, Solomon built it in thirteen years, and he finished his entire house:
2 He was building the Lebanon wildwood house, a hundred cubits in its length, fifty cubits in its width and thirty cubits in its rise, on four rows of cedar columns with cedar beams upon the columns.
3 It was ceiled with cedar above on the angular planks which rested on the forty-five columns, fifteen in a row.
4 There were three rows of clerestory windows, aperture facing aperture, in three tiers.
5 All the openings and the apertures had squared window-frames, aperture opposite to aperture, in three tiers.
6 He made the portico of columns fifty cubits in its length and thirty cubits in its width, the portico adjoining them with columns and a thick canopy adjoining them.
7 He made the portico of the throne where he would judge, the portico of judgment; it was ceiled with cedar from the floor unto the rafters.
8 His house where he dwelt, in the court back of the house adjoining to the portico, it was like this one in workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this portico for the daughter of Pharaoh whom he had taken as wife.
9 All these were built of quality blocks of stone, according to measures trimmed, sawed with the saw inside and outside, from the foundation unto the coping, and outside as far as the great court.
10 The foundation was of quality stones, blocks of large stone, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits.
11 Above were quality stones, trimmed according to measures, and cedar.
12 The great court had round about three rows of trimmed stone and a row of cedar beams. So had the inner court of the house of Yahweh and the portico of the house.
13 King Solomon sent and took Hiram from Tyre;
14 he was the son of a widowed woman from the stock of Naphtali; his father was a Tyrian man, an artificer in bronze. He was full of wisdom and understanding and knowledge for making all work in bronze. So he came to king Solomon and carried out all his work.
15 He cast the two columns of bronze; eighteen cubits in rise was the one column, and a thread of twelve cubits went around it. Its thickness was four fingers; it was hollow, and so was the second column.
16 He made two capitals to set on the heads of the columns, cast of bronze. Five cubits was the rise of the one capital, and five cubits was the rise of the second capital.
17 He then made two meshings of meshwork with festoons of braidwork for the capitals that were on top of the columns; seven for the one capital and seven for the second capital.
18 He also made the pomegranates, two rows round about on the one meshing to cover the capitals that were on top of the columns; and he did the same for the second capital.
19 The capitals that were on top of the columns at the portico, were of anemone workmanship, of four cubits;
20 so also the capitals upon the two columns extended above, to match the belly-shaped part that was next to the meshing. There were two hundred pomegranates in rows round about, on the doubled capital.
21 He set up the columns for the portico of the temple; he set up the right column and called its name Jachin, and he set up the left column and called its name Boaz.
22 On top of the columns there was anemone workmanship. Thus the work of the columns was being finished.
23 He made the sea of cast metal, ten cubits from its one lip unto its other lip, circular round about; five cubits was its rise, and a measuring tape of thirty-three cubits would surround it round about.
24 There were colocynth gourds beneath its lip round about, surrounding it, ten in a cubit, encompassing the sea round about, with two rows of colocynth gourds cast in its casting.
25 It was standing on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The sea was above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
26 Its thickness was a handbreadth; its lip was like the workmanship of the lip of a cup, like anemone petals. It contained two thousand bath measures.
27 He made the ten bases of bronze; four cubits was the length of each base, four cubits its width and three cubits its rise.
28 This was the workmanship of the bases: They had insets, and the insets were between the cross-pieces.
29 On the insets that were between the cross-pieces there were lions, oxen and cherubim. On the cross-pieces was a post. Above and beneath the lions and the oxen were wreaths of descending workmanship.
30 There were four wheels of bronze for each base, with axles of bronze and its four footings. They had shoulders beneath the laver, the shoulders having been cast with wreaths across from each.
31 Its mouth was inside the capital, and extended upward one cubit; its mouth was round, the workmanship of a post, a cubit and half a cubit; besides there were embossings around its mouth. Their insets were squared, not round.
32 The four wheels were beneath the insets; and the axletrees of the wheels were in the base. The rise of each wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.
33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axletrees and their rims, their spokes and their hubs, they were all cast.
34 There were four shoulders on the four faces of each base; its shoulders extended from the base.
35 On top of the base was a round piece, half a cubit in rise, round about. On top of the base were its axletrees and its insets extending from it.
36 He engraved on the planks of its sides and on its insets, cherubim, lions and palm trees according to the empty space of each, with wreaths round about.
37 After this manner he made the ten bases; all of them had one casting, one measure, one fashion.
38 He also made ten lavers of bronze. Each laver contained forty bath measures; each laver measured four cubits; there was one laver on each base, for the ten bases.
39 He put five bases on the right flank of the house and five on its left flank for the house; and he put the sea on the right flank of the house, eastward, toward the south.
40 Finally Hiram made the pots, the shovels and the sprinkling bowls. Thus Hiram finished doing all the work that he had undertaken for king Solomon on the house of Yahweh:
41 The two columns, the globes of the capitals that were on top of the two columns, and the two meshings for covering the two globes of the capitals that were on top of the columns;
42 the 400 pomegranates for the two meshings, two rows of pomegranates for each meshing to cover the two globes of the capitals that were overlooking the columns;
43 the ten bases and the ten lavers on the bases;
44 the one sea and the twelve oxen beneath the sea;
45 the pots, the shovels, the sprinkling bowls and all these utensils that Hiram made of burnished bronze for king Solomon for the house of Yahweh.
46 In the basin of the Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds of the ground between Succoth and Zarethan.
47 Solomon left all the utensils unweighed because of the very excess of their abundance. The weight of the copper was not investigated.
48 Solomon had all the utensils made for the house of Yahweh: The altar of gold and the table on which was the bread of the presence, of gold;
49 the lampstands of plated gold, five at the right side and five at the left, before the innermost sanctuary; and the petals and the lamps and the tongs, of gold;
50 the basins, the snippers, the sprinkling bowls, the spoons and the firepans, of plated gold; the hinge sockets for the doors of the inner house, for the holy of holies, for the double doors of the nave of the house, all of gold.
51 When all the work that king Solomon had done for the house of Yahweh, was accomplished, Solomon brought in the hallowed things of his father David; the silver and the gold and the utensils he put among the treasures of the house of Yahweh.

Chapter 8
1 Then Solomon assembled all the elders of Israel, all the heads of the stocks, the patriarchal princes of the sons of Israel to king Solomon at Jerusalem to bring up the coffer of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion.
2 All the men of Israel were assembled to king Solomon for the festival in the month of Ethanim, that is, the seventh month.
3 When all the elders of Israel had come, the priests carried the coffer,
4 and they brought up the coffer of Yahweh and the tent of appointment and all the hallowed utensils that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up,
5 while king Solomon and the whole congregation of Israel, all those congregated to him, were with him before the coffer, making sacrifices of the flock and of the herd that could not be numbered and not be counted for multitude.
6 Then the priests brought the coffer of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, to the innermost sanctuary of the house, the holy of holies, underneath the wings of the cherubim.
7 For the cherubim were spreading out their wings over the place of the coffer, so that the cherubim provided a screen over the coffer and over its poles from above.
8 Yet the poles stuck out, so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place adjoining the innermost sanctuary, but they were not seen from the outside. There they are unto this day.
9 There was nothing in the coffer but the two stone tablets that Moses had left to be there at Horeb when Yahweh had contracted with the sons of Israel at their coming forth from the land of Egypt.
10 It came to be when the priests came forth from the holy place, that the cloud itself filled the house of Yahweh.
11 The priests were unable to stay and minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh.
12 Then Solomon stated: Yahweh Himself has said He was to tabernacle in murkiness.
13 I have built, yea built a house, a residence for You, a site for You to dwell in for the eons.
14 Now the king turned his face around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel while the whole assembly of Israel was standing.
15 He said, Blessed be Yahweh Elohim of Israel, Who spoke with His mouth to my father David and fulfilled it with His hand, saying,
16 From the day on which I brought forth My people Israel from Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a house that My Name be there; but I chose Jerusalem that My Name be there, and I chose David that he be over My people Israel.
17 It came to be on the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel.
18 Yet Yahweh said to my father David, Inasmuch as it was on your heart to build a house for My Name, you did well that it came to be on your heart.
19 But you shall not build the house, but rather your son who is coming forth from your loins, he shall build the house for My Name.
20 Now Yahweh has carried out His word that He had spoken; for I have risen in place of my father David, and I am sitting on the throne of Israel, just as Yahweh had spoken; and I have built the house for the Name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel;
21 and there I have provided a place for the coffer wherein the covenant of Yahweh is that He contracted with our fathers when He brought them forth from the land of Egypt.
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in front of the whole assembly of Israel; he spread out his palms to the heavens
23 and said, O Yahweh Elohim of Israel, there is no elohim like You in the heavens above and on the earth beneath, keeping the covenant and the benignity toward Your servants who are walking before You with all their heart,
24 You Who have kept with your servant David, my father, what You spoke to him. You spoke with Your mouth, and You fulfilled with Your hand, as on this day.
25 And now, O Yahweh Elohim of Israel, keep with Your servant David, my father, what You spoke to him, saying, There shall not be cut off a man of yours from before Me, to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons should keep their way to walk before Me just as you have walked before Me.
26 And now, O Yahweh Elohim of Israel, I pray, let Your word come true that You have spoken to Your servant David, my father.
27 Will Elohim truly dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heavens of the heavens themselves cannot contain You; how much less, indeed, this house that I have built!
28 Yet You will turn toward the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O Yahweh my Elohim, to hearken to the appeal and to the prayer that Your servant is praying before You today.
29 O that Your eyes be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You promised: My Name shall be there, to hearken to the prayer that Your servant is praying toward this place.
30 You will hearken to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; and You Yourself shall hearken from Your dwelling place from the heavens; and when You hearken, You will pardon.
31 When a man sins against his associate who loads on him an oath of imprecation to imprecate him, and he comes with his oath of imprecation before Your altar in this house,
32 then may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, and You will act and judge Your servants, so as to condemn the wicked, to bring his way on his own head and to justify the just, to give to him according to his righteousness.
33 When Your people Israel are struck before an enemy, because they were sinning against You, and they return to You and acclaim Your Name and pray and supplicate to You in this house,
34 then may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, and You will pardon the sin of Your people Israel, and You will restore them to the ground that You gave to their fathers.
35 When the heavens are restrained and there is no rain because they were sinning against You, and they pray toward this place and acclaim Your Name and turn back from their sin because You made them humble,
36 then may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, and You will pardon the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel; for You are directing them to the good way in which they should walk; and You will give rain on Your land that You have given as an allotment to Your people.
37 In case a famine comes on the land, or a plague comes, or a blast or mildew, in case locusts and beetles come, in case their enemy is distressing them in the land of their gates any kind of contagion, any illness
38 in every prayer, every supplication that may occur by any human or by all of Your people Israel, for they know each one the contagion of his own heart, when he spreads out his palms toward this house,
39 then may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, the site of Your dwelling, and You will pardon and act, and You will give to each one according to all his ways since You know his heart for You Yourself, You alone, know the heart of all the sons of humanity
40 so that they may fear You all the days that they are alive on the surface of the ground that You gave to our fathers.
41 And also to the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, he who came from a far country on account of Your Name
42 for they shall hear of Your great Name and Your steadfast hand and Your outstretched arm when he comes and prays toward this house,
43 to him may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, the site of Your dwelling, and You will act according to all for which the foreigner calls to You; in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your Name so as to fear You as do Your own people Israel, and know that Your Name has been called over this house that I have built.
44 In case Your people go forth to a battle against their enemy, in the way that You send them, and they pray to Yahweh in the direction of the city that You have chosen and toward the house that I have built for Your Name,
45 then You will hearken from the heavens to their prayer and their supplication, and You will execute right judgment for them.
46 In case they are sinning against You for there is no human who does not sin and You are angry with them and give them up before the enemy, so that their captors capture them and bring them to the land of the enemy, far or near,
47 yet they turn back their heart in the land where they are captives, so that they return to You and supplicate in the land of their captors, saying, We have sinned, we are depraved, and we are wicked,
48 and they return to You with all their heart, and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who had captured them, and they pray to You in the direction of their land that You gave to their fathers, toward the city that You have chosen and the house that I have built for Your Name,
49 then You will hearken from the heavens, the site of Your dwelling, to their prayer and their supplication, and You will execute right judgment for them.
50 You will pardon Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions with which they transgressed against You; and You will grant them compassion before their captors, so that they have compassion on them
51 for they are Your people and Your allotment whom You brought forth from Egypt, from the midst of the iron crucible
52 so that Your eyes and Your ears be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel by hearkening to them in all their calling to You.
53 For You Yourself separated them to be Your allotment from all the peoples of the earth, just as You spoke by means of Moses Your servant, when You brought forth our fathers from Egypt, O my Lord Yahweh.
54 It came to be as Solomon finished praying to Yahweh with all this prayer and supplication, that he arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from bowing on his knees with his palms spread out to the heavens.
55 While he was standing, he blessed the whole assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying,
56 Blessed be Yahweh, Who has given rest to His people Israel according to all that He spoke. Not one thing has fallen short of all His good word which He spoke by means of Moses His servant.
57 May Yahweh our Elohim be with us just as He was with our fathers! He must not forsake us and not abandon us,
58 so as to cause our heart to stretch out to Him, to walk in all His ways and to keep His instructions, His statutes and His ordinances which He enjoined on our fathers.
59 And may these my words with which I have supplicated before Yahweh, be near to Yahweh our Elohim by day and night, so that He may execute right judgment for His servant and right judgment for His people Israel, each matter of a day in its day,
60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that He, Yahweh, is the One, Elohim; and there is no other.
61 Hence we must be wholehearted with Yahweh our Elohim by walking benignly in His statutes and by keeping His instructions as in this day.
62 Then the king and all Israel with him were offering sacrifices before Yahweh.
63 King Solomon offered the sacrifice of peace offerings that he had to sacrifice to Yahweh: 22,000 oxen and 120,000 of the flock. Thus the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of Yahweh.
64 On that day the king hallowed the middle part of the court before the house of Yahweh, for there he offered the ascent offering and the approach present and the fat pieces of the peace offerings, because the copper altar that is before Yahweh was too small to contain the ascent offering and the approach present and the fat pieces of the peace offerings.
65 Thus Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, coming from Lebo-hamath unto the Wadi of Egypt; they were before Yahweh our Elohim in the house that he had built, eating and drinking and rejoicing before Yahweh our Elohim seven days and seven days, fourteen days.
66 On the eighth day he dismissed the people; and they blessed the king as they went to their tents, rejoicing and cheerful of heart over all the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David His servant and to His people Israel.

Chapter 9
1 It came to be as soon as Solomon had finished building the house of Yahweh and the house of the king and all of Solomon’s attachments which he desired to make,
2 that Yahweh appeared to Solomon a second time, just as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
3 And Yahweh said to him: I have heard your prayer and your supplication with which you supplicated before Me. I have done for you according to all your prayer. I have sanctified this house that you have built by placing My Name there unto the eon; and My eyes and My heart will be there all the days.
4 As for you, if you should walk before Me, just as your father David walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness by doing according to all that I have instructed you, and if you should keep My statutes and My ordinances,
5 then I will confirm the throne of your kingship over Israel for the eon, just as I spoke to your father David, saying, There shall not be cut off a man of yours from being on the throne of Israel.
6 But if you should turn away, yea turn away from following Me, you or your sons, and should not keep My instructions and My statutes that I have set before you, so that you go and serve other elohim and bow down to them,
7 then I will cut Israel off the surface of the ground that I have given to them, and I shall cast out from My face this house that I have sanctified for My Name; and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all the peoples.
8 This house, it shall become rubbish heaps. Everyone passing by it shall be appalled, and they will hiss. When they ask, On what grounds did Yahweh thus to this land and to this house?
9 people will answer, Because they forsook Yahweh their Elohim Who brought their fathers forth from the land of Egypt, and they held fast on other elohim and worshiped them and served them. Therefore Yahweh brought all this evil on them.
10 It came to be at the end of twenty years when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Yahweh and the house of the king,
11 Hiram king of Tyre had assisted Solomon with timber of cedars and timber of firs and gold according to all his desire then king Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
12 Yet when Hiram came forth from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, they were not equitable in his eyes.
13 So he said, What sort of cities are these that you have given me, my brother? And one called them the Cabul area unto this day.
14 Hiram had been sending to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold.
15 This is the tally of the tributary service that king Solomon brought up to build the house of Yahweh and his own house, the Millo bulwark and the wall of Jerusalem, and to fortify Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer.
16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt, he had gone up and seized Gezer; he burned it with fire, killed the Canaanite dwelling in the city and gave it as a dismissal gift to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.)
17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and Lower Beth-horon,
18 Baalath and Tadmor in the wilderness, within the land,
19 also all the provision cities that had become Solomon’s, the chariot cities and the cities for horsemen and all Solomon’s attachments which he wished to build in Jerusalem, in the Lebanon and in all the land under his rule.
20 All the people left of the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, those who were not of the sons of Israel
21 their sons who had been left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel were not able to doom Solomon brought them up for tributary service unto this day.
22 Yet Solomon did not make conscript servants of the sons of Israel; for they were the men of military age and his officials, his chiefs, his adjutants and the chiefs of his chariotry and his horsemen.
23 These were the chiefs of the deputies who were holding sway over Solomon’s work: 550 over the people who were doing the work.
24 Then Solomon led up Pharaoh’s daughter from the city of David to her own house that he had built for her. It was then that he built the Millo bulwark.
25 Three times in a year, Solomon offered up ascent offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he had built for Yahweh, fuming incense along with it before Yahweh. Thus he finished up the house.
26 King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, near Elath on the ridge of the Sea of Weeds, in the land of Edom.
27 Hiram sent crews of his, seamen who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet together with Solomon’s servants.
28 They came to Ophir, procured from there 420 talents of gold and brought it to king Solomon.

Chapter 10
1 When the queen of Sheba was hearing of Solomon’s fame concerning the Name of Yahweh, she came to probe him with dark enigmas.
2 She came to Jerusalem with a very illustrious retinue, camels carrying aromatics, very much gold and precious stones. When she came to king Solomon, she spoke to him all that was on her mind,
3 while Solomon told her all her matters. There was no matter too obscure for the king that he could not tell her.
4 When the queen of Sheba had discerned all the wisdom of Solomon and had seen the house that he had built,
5 the food of his table, the seating of his officials, the standing of those ministering to him and their clothing, and his cupbearers, as well as his ascent offering that he was offering up in the house of Yahweh, then there was no more spirit in her.
6 So she said to the king, True was the word that I heard in my land about your affairs and about your wisdom.
7 Yet I did not believe the words until I came and my eyes had seen it; and behold, not half was told to me. You have added wisdom and well-being beyond the report that I heard.
8 Happy are your people; happy are these officials of yours who are continually standing before you and hearkening to your wisdom.
9 May Yahweh your Elohim be blessed, Who delights in you so as to put you on the throne of Israel. Because of Yahweh’s love for Israel to make it stand for the eon, He has constituted you as king over them to execute right judgment and justice.
10 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a very great quantity of aromatics and precious stones. At no time did an abundance of aromatics like these come in again which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
11 Hiram’s fleet which carried gold from Ophir, brought also almug wood in very great quantity from Ophir and precious stones.
12 The king used the almug wood for inlay work in the house of Yahweh and in the house of the king, also for harps and zithers for the singers. So much almug wood has not come into the land, nor has it been seen unto this day.
13 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire for which she asked, aside from what he had given her according to the open hand of king Solomon. Then she turned around and went to her own land, she and her servants.
14 The weight of the gold that came to Solomon in each year was 666 talents of gold,
15 besides that from the exploring men and the merchandise of traders, and all the kings of Arabia and the viceroys of the land.
16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of ductile gold 600 shekels of gold he brought up on each large shield
17 and 300 shields of ductile gold three minas of gold he brought up on each shield and the king put them in the Lebanon wildwood house.
18 The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with glittering gold.
19 The throne had six steps, and as a cover a rounded top on its back, also armrests on this side and on that side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.
20 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps, on this side and on that side; such a thing had not been made for any other kingdom.
21 All king Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the Lebanon wildwood house were plated gold. Nothing was of silver; it was not reckoned as anything in Solomon’s days.
22 For the king had a Tarshish fleet at sea, along with Hiram’s fleet. Once in three years the Tarshish fleet would come carrying gold, silver, elephant tusks, also apes and peacocks.
23 Thus king Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.
24 And all the kings of the earth were seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom that Elohim had bestowed in his heart.
25 They were bringing each his approach present, articles of silver and articles of gold and raiments, stacte and aromatics, also horses and mules, a rate year by year.
26 Solomon was gathering chariots and steeds; Solomon had 4,000 stalls of horses for his chariots; he came to have 1,400 chariots and 12,000 steeds. He had them stabled in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
27 The king made the silver in Jerusalem as common as stones, and he made the cedars as abundant as mulberry trees that are in the low foothills.
28 The horses that Solomon had were imports from Egypt and from Kue; and the royal merchants took them from Kue at a price.
29 A chariot coming up from Egypt was sold forth for 600 shekels of silver; a horse went for 150. So they brought them forth by their hand to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria.

Chapter 11
1 As for king Solomon, he loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian and Hittite women,
2 from the nations of which Yahweh had said to the sons of Israel, You shall not enter among them, and they shall not enter among you. Surely they will turn aside your heart after their elohim. To those women Solomon clung in love.
3 He came to have as wives 700 chief princesses, and 300 concubines; and his wives turned his heart aside.
4 It came to be at the time of Solomon’s old age that his wives turned his heart aside after other elohim; and he was not as wholehearted with Yahweh his Elohim as his father David had been in his heart.
5 Solomon went after Ashtoreth, elohim of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 Thus Solomon did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and did not fully follow after Yahweh like his father David.
7 Then Solomon built a high-place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain adjoining Jerusalem, and for Moloch, the abomination of the sons of Ammon.
8 Thus he did for all his foreign wives who were fuming incense and sacrificing to their elohim.
9 So Yahweh showed Himself angered with Solomon because he had turned aside his heart from Yahweh Elohim of Israel Who had appeared twice to him,
10 and had instructed him in this matter, so as not to go after other elohim; yet he did not keep what Yahweh had enjoined on him.
11 Hence Yahweh said to Solomon, Because this has occurred with you, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes that I enjoined on you, I shall tear, yea tear the kingdom away from your hand and will give it to your servant.
12 However, I shall not do it in your days on account of your father David. I shall tear it away from the hand of your son.
13 But I shall not tear away the entire kingdom; I shall give one tribe to your son on account of David My servant and on account of Jerusalem that I have chosen.
14 So Yahweh raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was from the seed of the king in Edom.
15 It came to be when David smote Edom, when Joab chief of the military host went up to entomb the slain, that he smote every male in Edom.
16 Joab and all Israel dwelt there for six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom.
17 Yet Hadad fled away and came to Egypt, he and some Edomite men of his father’s servants with him; Hadad was then a small lad.
18 They rose up out of Midian and came to Paran; then they took men from Paran with them and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. He gave him a house and assigned bread to him; he also gave him land.
19 Hadad found grace in Pharaoh’s eyes especially so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes, the queen-mother.
20 Then the sister of Tahpenes bore him his son, Genubath; and Tahpenes weaned him in the presence of Pharaoh’s sons. Thus Genubath came to be in the house of Pharaoh in the presence of Pharaoh’s sons.
21 As for Hadad, he heard in Egypt that David had lain down with his fathers and that Joab chief of the military host had died. So Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me go, that I may go to my land.
22 Pharaoh asked him, What indeed are you lacking with me that you are now seeking to go back to your land? And he replied, Nothing, but let me go, yea go!
23 Then Elohim raised up another adversary against him, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled away from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah.
24 Then he convened men about himself and became chief of a raiding party, when David killed the Syrians. Later they went to Damascus and dwelt in it and reigned over Damascus.
25 He came to be an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon; adding to the evil that Hadad did, he was irritating Israel, and he reigned over Syria.
26 Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah ( the name of his mother, a widowed woman, being Zeruah), was an official of Solomon; he too raised his hand against the king.
27 This was the reason why he raised his hand against the king: Solomon himself had built the Millo bulwark and had closed up the breach in the city of David his father.
28 Now the man Jeroboam was an able master. When Solomon saw the youth how well he was performing his work, he gave him supervision over the whole burden of the house of Joseph.
29 It occurred at that time when Jeroboam went forth from Jerusalem that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. He had covered himself with new raiment; and the two of them, they were alone in the field.
30 Ahijah grasped the new raiment that was on him, and tore it into twelve torn pieces.
31 Then he said to Jeroboam, Take for yourself ten torn pieces; for thus speaks Yahweh Elohim of Israel: Behold Me tearing the kingdom away from the hand of Solomon; I will give to you ten tribes
32 (yet the one tribe, it shall stay with him on account of My servant David and on account of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel)
33 because they have forsaken Me and are worshiping Ashtoreth, elohim of the Sidonians, Chemosh, elohim of Moab, and Milcom, elohim of the sons of Ammon. They have not walked in My ways so as to do what is upright in My eyes and My statutes and My ordinances as his father David did.
34 However, I shall not take the entire kingdom out of his hand, but shall set him as prince all the days of his life on account of David My servant whom I chose, who kept My instructions and My statutes.
35 Yet I will take the kingship out of the hand of his son and give it to you the ten tribes.
36 I shall give one tribe to his son, so that there may be a lamp for David My servant all the days before Me in Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen for Myself to place My Name there.
37 Now I shall take you, and you will reign over all for which your soul is yearning, and you will become king over Israel.
38 It will come to be, if you shall hearken to all that I instruct you, and you will walk in My ways and do what is upright in My eyes so as to keep My statutes and My instructions just as David My servant did, then I will be with you. I will build for you a sure house, just as I have built for David, and I will give you Israel.
39 Yet I shall humiliate the seed of David on account of this, though not all their days.
40 Solomon sought to put Jeroboam to death. But Jeroboam got up and fled away to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt. He stayed in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
41 As for the rest of the affairs of Solomon, all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of Solomon?
42 The days that Solomon had reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel were forty years.
43 Then Solomon lay down with his fathers and was entombed in the city of David, his father; his son Rehoboam reigned in his stead.

Chapter 12
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
2 It came to be as Jeroboam son of Nebat heard it, when he was still in Egypt to which he had fled away from the face of king Solomon, that Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
3 So they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
4 Your father, he made our yoke harsh. As for you now, lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke that he put on us, and we shall serve you.
5 He replied to them, Go away for three days, and then return to me. So the people went away.
6 Then king Rehoboam consulted the elders who had been standing before his father Solomon while he was alive, saying, How are you counseling to render a reply to this people?
7 They spoke to him, saying, Should you become a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will become your servants all their days.
8 But he forsook the counsel of the elders, with which they had counseled him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who were standing before him.
9 He asked them, What are you counseling we should render as a reply to this people who have spoken to me, saying, Lighten the yoke that your father put on us.
10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus you should answer this people who have spoken to you, saying, Your father, he made our yoke heavy. As for you, lighten it for us. Thus you should speak to them, My small finger, it is thicker than my father’s waist.
11 And now my father, he laded a heavy yoke on you; yet I, I shall add to your yoke. My father, he flogged you with whips; yet I, I shall flog you with scorpions.
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had spoken, saying, Return to me on the third day.
13 Yet the king answered the people obstinately and forsook the counsel of the elders who had counseled him.
14 He spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father, he made heavy your yoke; yet I, I shall add to your yoke. My father, he flogged you with whips; yet I, I shall flog you with scorpions.
15 The king did not hearken to the people, for the circumstance had come from Yahweh, that He might carry out His word that Yahweh had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat by means of Ahijah the Shilonite.
16 When all Israel saw that the king did not hearken to them, then the people rendered a reply to the king, saying, What portion do we have in David? We have no allotment in the son of Jesse! To your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David! So Israel went to their tents.
17 As for the sons of Israel who were dwelling in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam still reigned over them.
18 Then king Rehoboam sent out Adoram who was in charge of the tributary service; but all Israel pelted him with stones, so that he died. Yet king Rehoboam was resolute to get up on his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel transgressed against the house of David until this day.
20 It came to pass as all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned from Egypt, that they sent and called him to the congregation and made him king over all Israel. And none became a follower of the house of David except the tribe of Judah, it alone.
21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 choice men, practiced in battle, to fight against the house of Israel, in order to restore the kingship to Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22 But the word of Yahweh came to Shemiah, to the man of Elohim, saying,
23 Speak to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying,
24 Thus speaks Yahweh: You shall neither go up nor fight against your brothers, the sons of Israel. Return, each man to his house; for it was from Me that this thing has come about. So they hearkened to the word of Yahweh and turned back to go home according to the word of Yahweh.
25 Then Jeroboam rebuilt Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and dwelt in it. From there he went forth and rebuilt Penuel.
26 Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom may well return to the house of David.
27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem, the heart of this people will return to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah. Then they will kill me and will return to Rehoboam king of Judah.
28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold and said to the people, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your elohim, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
29 And he placed the one in Bethel and the other he set up in Dan.
30 This matter came to be a sin; the people went before the one as far as Dan.
31 He also built a house of the high-places and appointed priests from the whole number of the people who were not of the sons of Levi.
32 Jeroboam established a festival in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival that was in Judah, and he went up to the altar which he had built in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves that he had made. He also installed in Bethel the priests of the high-places which he had made.
33 He went up to the altar which he had built in Bethel, on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had invented in his heart; so he established a festival for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to fume incense.

Chapter 13
1 Behold, a man of Elohim, he came from Judah by the word of Yahweh to Bethel while Jeroboam was standing at the altar to fume incense.
2 He called out against the altar by the word of Yahweh and said, Altar, altar, thus speaks Yahweh: Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David; Josiah is his name. And he will sacrifice on you the priests of the high-places who are fuming incense on you; and he shall burn human bones on you.
3 Then he gave a miracle on that day, saying, This is the miracle of which Yahweh has spoken: Behold, the altar will be torn apart, and the greasy ash that is on it will be poured out.
4 Now this came to pass: As the king heard the word of the man of Elohim that he had called out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from above the altar, saying, Apprehend him! And his hand that he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not bring it back to himself.
5 As for the altar, it was torn apart, and the greasy ash was poured out from the altar, according to the miracle that the man of Elohim had given by the word of Yahweh.
6 Now the king responded and said to the man of Elohim, Beseech, I pray, the face of Yahweh your Elohim! Pray in my behalf that my hand may return to me. So the man of Elohim beseeched the face of Yahweh, so that the king’s hand may return to him, and it became as at first.
7 Then the king spoke to the man of Elohim, Do come with me to the house and brace yourself; and let me give you a gift.
8 But the man of Elohim said to the king, If you gave me half of your house, I would not come with you. And I would neither eat bread nor drink water in this place.
9 For so I was instructed by the word of Yahweh, saying, Neither shall you eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.
10 So he went by another way and did not return by the way by which he came to Bethel.
11 There was a certain old prophet dwelling in Bethel; now his sons came and related to him all the work that the man of Elohim had done that day in Bethel, with the words that he had spoken to the king; so they related them to their father.
12 Then their father spoke to them, Just where is the way he went? So his sons showed him the way that the man of Elohim had gone, who had come from Judah.
13 Then he said to his sons, Saddle the donkey for me. Now they saddled the donkey for him, and he rode on it.
14 Thus he went after the man of Elohim and found him sitting under a terebinth. He said to him, Are you the man of Elohim who came from Judah? And he replied, I am.
15 Then he said to him, Come with me to the house and eat bread.
16 Yet he replied, I can not return with you or come with you; and I may neither eat bread nor drink water with you in this place.
17 For the order for me came by a word of Yahweh: Neither shall you eat bread nor drink water there; and you shall not return to go by the way in which you came.
18 Then the other said to him, I too am a prophet like you; there was a messenger who spoke to me by a word of Yahweh, saying, Have him turn back with you to your house that he may eat bread and drink water. But he dissimulated to him.
19 So he returned with him; and he ate bread in his house and drank water.
20 Now it occurred while they were sitting at the table, that the word of Yahweh came to the prophet who had brought him back;
21 and he called out to the man of Elohim who had come from Judah, saying, Thus speaks Yahweh: Inasmuch as you rebelled against the bidding of Yahweh and did not observe the instruction that Yahweh your Elohim enjoined on you,
22 but returned and ate bread and drank water in this place of which He spoke to you, Do not eat bread and do not drink water, your carcass shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.
23 Then it came to pass after his eating bread and after his drinking water that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 So he went away; then a lion found him on the road and put him to death. His carcass came to be flung on the road; and the donkey was standing beside it, and the lion too standing beside the carcass.
25 And behold, men passing by saw the carcass flung on the road with the lion standing beside the carcass. They came and spoke of it in the city in which the old prophet was dwelling.
26 When the prophet who had him turn back from his way, heard of it, then he said, He is the man of Elohim who rebelled against the bidding of Yahweh; so Yahweh gave him to the lion that he might break him and put him to death according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken to him.
27 Then he spoke to his sons, saying, Saddle the donkey for me, and they saddled it.
28 He went out and found his carcass flung on the road. The donkey and the lion were standing beside the carcass; the lion had neither eaten the carcass nor broken the donkey.
29 So the prophet took up the carcass of the man of Elohim. He let him rest on the donkey and brought him back. Thus he came to the city of the old prophet to bewail and to entomb him.
30 Then he let his carcass rest in his own tomb; and they were wailing over him, Woe, my brother!
31 It came to pass after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, At my death you will entomb me also in the tomb in which the man of Elohim is entombed. Beside his bones let my bones rest.
32 For the word shall come to pass, yea come to pass that he called out by the word of Yahweh against the altar in Bethel and against all the high-place houses in the cities of Samaria.
33 After this incident Jeroboam did not turn back from his evil way, but he again appointed priests of the high-places from the outmost ranks of the people. For anyone who so desired, he ordained him, and he became one of the priests of the high-places.
34 This matter came to be a sin of the house of Jeroboam and led to suppress and to exterminate it off the face of the ground.

Chapter 14
1 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became ill.
2 So Jeroboam said to his wife, Now get up! Alter yourself so that they may not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam; then you will go to Shiloh. Behold, there is Ahijah the prophet; he is the one who spoke concerning me to become king over this people.
3 You must take in your hand ten loaves of bread, speckled cakes and a bottle of honey. When you come to him, he himself will tell you what shall become of the lad.
4 Jeroboam’s wife did so. She got up, went to Shiloh and entered Ahijah’s house. As for Ahijah, he was not able to see, for his eyes were fixed because of his greyhaired age.
5 But Yahweh had said to Ahijah, Behold, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to inquire of you in the matter of her son, for he is ill. This and that shall you speak to her. And it shall come to be, as she enters, that she makes herself unrecognizable.
6 Now it came to pass, as Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering into the portal, that he said, Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why is this that you made yourself unrecognizable? I have been consigned with a severe message for you.
7 Go and say to Jeroboam, Thus speaks Yahweh Elohim of Israel: Inasmuch as I exalted you from among the people and appointed you as governor over My people Israel
8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, yet you have not become like My servant David who kept My instructions and who walked after Me with all his heart to do but what is upright in My eyes;
9 you are doing more evil with your deeds than all who came before you; you went and made for yourself other elohim and molten images to provoke Me to vexation; yet Me have you flung behind your body;
10 wherefore behold, I am bringing evil over the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam any man-child, restrained or set free, in Israel. I will take out the last of the house of Jeroboam just as one takes out the ordure until it is completely removed.
11 The one dying of Jeroboam’s in the city shall the dogs eat; and the one dying in the field shall the flyers of the heavens eat; for Yahweh Himself has spoken.
12 As for you, get up, go to your house. When your feet come into the city, then the boy will die.
13 All Israel will bewail him. They will entomb him; for this one, he alone of Jeroboam’s shall come into a tomb, because something well-pleasing to Yahweh Elohim of Israel is found in him, in the house of Jeroboam.
14 Then Yahweh will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam. This today, and what indeed is next?
15 Yahweh will smite Israel just as the reed is shaking in the water; He will pluck up Israel off this good ground that He gave to their fathers, and He will toss them beyond the Stream, because they made their Asherah poles, thus provoking Yahweh to vexation.
16 He shall give Israel up owing to the sins of Jeroboam with which he sinned and with which he caused Israel to sin.
17 Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and went and came to Tirzah. As she was coming to the threshold of the house, the lad died.
18 They entombed him, and all Israel bewailed him, according to the word of Yahweh that He had spoken by means of His servant Ahijah the prophet.
19 The rest of the affairs of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he reigned, behold, they are written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Israel.
20 Now the days that Jeroboam reigned were twenty-two years; then he lay down with his fathers, and his son Nadab reigned in his stead.
21 As for Rehoboam son of Solomon, he reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that Yahweh had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to establish His Name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
22 Judah did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and they made Him jealous above all that their fathers had done by their sins with which they had sinned.
23 They too were building for themselves high-places, monuments and Asherah poles on every lofty hill and under every flourishing tree.
24 There were even cult-prostitutes in the land. They practiced all the abhorrences of the nations which Yahweh had evicted from before the sons of Israel.
25 It occurred in the fifth year of king Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt marched up against Jerusalem.
26 He took away the treasures of the house of Yahweh and the treasures of the house of the king; he took them all. He was also taking away all the golden shields that Solomon had made.
27 In place of them, king Rehoboam made shields of bronze and gave the supervision over them into the hand of the chiefs of the runners who were guarding the portal of the king’s house.
28 It came to be that, as often as the king came to the house of Yahweh, the runners carried them; and afterward they would bring them back to the anteroom of the runners.
29 The rest of the affairs of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Judah?
30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.
31 Then Rehoboam lay down with his fathers and was entombed with his fathers in the city of David; his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. His son Abijah reigned in his stead.

Chapter 15
1 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king over Judah.
2 Three years he reigned in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
3 He walked in all the sins of his father which he had done before him; and he was not as wholehearted with Yahweh his Elohim as his father David had been in his heart.
4 For on account of David, Yahweh his Elohim gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, so as to set up his sons after him and cause Jerusalem to persist.
5 For David did what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh, and he did not withdraw from anything that He had enjoined on him, all the days of his life, except, surely, in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
6 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
7 The rest of the affairs of Abijah, and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
8 Then Abijah lay down with his fathers; they entombed him in the city of David, and his son Asa reigned in his stead.
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah.
10 Forty-one years he reigned in Jerusalem; and his grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
11 Asa did what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh, like his father David.
12 He expelled the cult-prostitutes from the land and took away all the idol clods that his fathers had made.
13 As for his grandmother Maacah, he even made her withdraw from her rank of queen-mother, because she had made an obscene idol for Asherah. Asa cut down her obscene idol and burned it in Wadi Kidron.
14 Yet the high-places were not taken away. However, Asa’s heart was at peace with Yahweh all his days.
15 And he brought to the house of Yahweh the holy things of his father and his own holy things, silver and gold and vessels.
16 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
17 Baasha king of Israel marched up against Judah and rebuilt Ramah, so as to allow no one to go forth or come in to Asa king of Judah.
18 Now Asa took all the silver and the gold left among the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and among the treasuries of the house of the king and put them in the hand of his officials. Then king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion, the king of Syria who dwelt in Damascus, saying,
19 There is a covenant between me and you, between my father and your father. Behold, I send you a bribe of silver and gold; come, do annul your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, so that he may go up away from me.
20 Ben-hadad hearkened to king Asa and sent the chiefs of the armies that he had against the cities of Israel. He smote Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah and all Chinnereth as far as all the land of Naphtali.
21 Now it came to pass as Baasha heard of it, that he left off from rebuilding Ramah and dwelt in Tirzah.
22 As for king Asa, he summoned all of Judah no one was exempt and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers of it with which Baasha had rebuilt it. With them king Asa built up Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.
23 The rest of all the affairs of Asa and all his masterful deeds, all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Judah? But at the time of his old age he travailed in his feet.
24 Then Asa lay down with his fathers and was entombed with his fathers in the city of his father David; and his son Jehoshaphat reigned in his stead.
25 As for Nadab son of Jeroboam, he became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years.
26 He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh; and he walked in the way of his father and in his sin with which he had caused Israel to sin.
27 Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon of the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon.
28 So Baasha put him to death in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his stead.
29 It occurred as he became king, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam. He did not let any breath remain to Jeroboam until he had exterminated him according to the word of Yahweh that He had spoken by means of His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,
30 because of the sins of Jeroboam with which he had sinned and with which he had caused Israel to sin, by his vexation with which he provoked Yahweh Elohim of Israel to vexation.
31 The rest of the affairs of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Israel?
32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah for twenty-four years.
34 He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh; and he walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin with which he had caused Israel to sin.

Chapter 16
1 The word of Yahweh came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,
2 Inasmuch as, when I exalted you from the dust and appointed you as governor over My people Israel, you walked in the way of Jeroboam and caused My people Israel to sin by provoking Me to vexation with their sins,
3 behold, I am wiping out the last of Baasha, the last of his house, and I will make his house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat.
4 Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city shall the dogs eat; and anyone belonging to him who dies in the field shall the fowl of the heavens eat.
5 The rest of the affairs of Baasha, what he did, and his masterful deeds, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Israel?
6 Baasha lay down with his fathers and was entombed in Tirzah; and his son Elah reigned in his stead.
7 Moreover by means of the prophet Jehu son of Hanani, the word of Yahweh had come to Baasha and to his house, because of all the evil that he had done in the eyes of Yahweh by provoking Him to vexation with the work of his hands, that it would become like the house of Jeroboam, and because he had smitten it.
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king over Israel in Tirzah for two years.
9 His official Zimri, chief of half the chariots, conspired against him, while he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza who was over the household at Tirzah.
10 Zimri came in, smote him and put him to death in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah; and he reigned in his stead.
11 It occurred as he became king and as he sat on his throne that he smote all the house of Baasha; he let remain to him neither a man-child nor his kinsman redeemers nor his associates.
12 Thus Zimri exterminated all the house of Baasha according to the word of Yahweh that He had spoken against Baasha by means of Jehu the prophet,
13 because of all the sins of Baasha and the sins of his son Elah with which they had sinned and with which they had caused Israel to sin by provoking Yahweh Elohim of Israel to vexation with their idols of vanity.
14 The rest of the affairs of Elah and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Israel?
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri became king for seven days in Tirzah, while the soldiers were encamping against Gibbethon of the Philistines.
16 When the soldiers in the camp heard it said, Zimri has conspired and also smitten the king, then all Israel made the chief of the military host, Omri, king over Israel on that day in the camp.
17 Now Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah.
18 It came to pass when Zimri saw that the city was seized, that he entered the citadel of the king’s house, burned the king’s house with fire over himself so that he died
19 because of his sins with which he had sinned by doing what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, by walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he had done by causing Israel to sin.
20 The rest of the affairs of Zimri and his conspiracy with which he conspired, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Israel?
21 Then the people of Israel were apportioned in two halves. There was one half of the people following Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and the other half following Omri.
22 But the people following Omri held fast against the people following Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died, and Omri became king.
23 In the year thirty-one of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel for twelve years; in Tirzah he reigned six years.
24 Then he bought Mount Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and built up the mount. He called the name of the city that he built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the lord of the mount.
25 Omri did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and he caused more evil than all who had been before him.
26 He walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin with which he caused Israel to sin by provoking Yahweh Elohim of Israel to vexation with their idols of vanity.
27 The rest of the affairs of Omri, what he did, and his masterful deeds which he performed, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Israel?
28 Omri lay down with his fathers and was entombed in Samaria; and his son Ahab reigned in his stead.
29 As for Ahab son of Omri, he became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah; and Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years.
30 Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, worse than all who had been before him.
31 So it came to pass (as if it was lightly esteemed by him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat) that he took as wife Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. Then he went to serve Baal and worshiped him.
32 He set up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal that he built in Samaria.
33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab proceeded to do more to provoke Yahweh Elohim of Israel to vexation than all the kings of Israel who had been before him.
34 In his days Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. At the cost of Abiram, his firstborn, he laid its foundation; and at the cost of Segub, his junior son, he set up its double doors, according to the word of Yahweh that He spoke by means of Joshua son of Nun.

Chapter 17
1 Elijah the Tishbite, the prophet from Tishbe of Gilead, said to Ahab, As Yahweh Elohim of Israel lives, before Whom I stand, there shall not come in these years night mist or rain, except at the bidding of my word.
2 Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying,
3 Go away from this place, and you will turn yourself around, eastward. You will conceal yourself by Wadi Cherith that is adjoining the Jordan.
4 It will come to pass that you shall drink from the wadi, and I have enjoined on the ravens to sustain you there.
5 So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh; he went and dwelt by Wadi Cherith that is adjoining the Jordan.
6 And the ravens were bringing him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening; and he was drinking from the wadi.
7 Yet it came to pass at the end of some days that the wadi dried up because no downpour had come on the land.
8 Now the word of Yahweh came to him, saying,
9 Arise, go to Zarephath of Sidon; and you will dwell there. Behold, I enjoined on a widowed woman there to sustain you.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. When he came to the portal of the city, behold, there was a widowed woman gathering sticks together. He called out to her and said, Oh, procure a little water for me in a vessel that I may drink.
11 When she was going to procure it, he called out to her and said, Oh procure a morsel of bread for me in your hand.
12 She replied, As Yahweh your Elohim lives, I have no ember cake, save a palm-full of meal in the jar and a little oil in the cruse; and behold, I am gathering a couple sticks together. When I come home, I will prepare it for me and for my son; we will eat it, and then we will die.
13 Elijah said to her, Do not fear. Go, do according to your word. However first prepare for me a small ember cake from what you have there; and you will bring it forth to me. Yet for yourself and for your son you shall make it afterward.
14 For thus says Yahweh Elohim of Israel, The jar of meal, it shall not be exhausted, and the cruse of oil, it shall not abate until the day that Yahweh shall give a downpour on the surface of the ground.
15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah. She ate, she and he and her household for many days.
16 The jar of meal, it was not exhausted, and the cruse of oil, it did not abate, according to the word of Yahweh that He had spoken by means of Elijah.
17 It came to pass after these things that the son of the woman, the possessor of the house, became ill; and his illness came to be exceedingly unyielding, until no breath was left in him.
18 So she said to Elijah, What have you against me, O man of the One, Elohim, that you came to me to remind me of my depravity and to put my son to death?
19 He replied to her, Give me your son; and he took him from her bosom, brought him up to the upper chamber where he was dwelling, and laid him on his couch.
20 Then he called to Yahweh and said, O Yahweh my Elohim, will You also bring evil on the widow with whom I am sojourning, by putting her son to death?
21 He measured himself on the boy three times and called to Yahweh and said, O Yahweh my Elohim, I pray, let the soul of this boy turn back within him.
22 Yahweh hearkened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the boy turned back within him, and he revived.
23 Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and gave him to his mother. Then Elijah said, See, your son is alive.
24 And the woman replied to Elijah, Now by this I know that you are a man of Elohim and that the word of Yahweh is truly in your mouth.

Chapter 18
1 It occurred after many days, in the third year, that a word of Yahweh came to Elijah, saying, Go, appear before Ahab, for I shall indeed give rain upon the surface of the ground.
2 So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Now the famine was unyielding in Samaria,
3 and Ahab had called Obadiah who was over the household. As for Obadiah, he had come to fear Yahweh exceedingly.
4 It occurred when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Yahweh that Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them by fifties each in caves, and had provided them with bread and water.
5 Now Ahab said to Obadiah, Come and let us pass through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis. Perhaps we shall find some grass and keep horses and mules alive so that we may not have more of the beasts cut off.
6 So they apportioned the land between them to pass through it. Ahab, he went by himself alone in one direction; and Obadiah, he went by himself alone in another direction.
7 Obadiah was on the road, and there was Elijah to meet him. Obadiah recognized him, fell on his face and said, Is this you, my lord Elijah?
8 He replied to him, It is I. Go, say to your lord, Elijah is here.
9 Yet he asked, In what am I at fault that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death?
10 As Yahweh your Elohim lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. When they said, He is not here, then he adjured that kingdom and that nation that it could not find you.
11 And now you are saying, Go, say to your lord, Elijah is here.
12 It will come to pass when I shall go away from you, then the spirit of Yahweh itself may carry you to a land that I do not know. When I come to tell Ahab, and he should not find you, then he will kill me. As for your servant, he has feared Yahweh from his youth.
13 Has not my lord been told what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh? I hid some of the prophets of Yahweh, a hundred men, fifty by fifty men in caves; and I provided them with bread and water.
14 And now you are saying, Go, say to your lord, Elijah is here. Then he will kill me!
15 Yet Elijah replied, As Yahweh of hosts lives, before Whom I stand, today I shall indeed appear before him.
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab ran to meet Elijah.
17 It came to pass as Ahab saw Elijah that Ahab said to him, Is this you, the troubler of Israel?
18 Elijah replied, I have not brought trouble on Israel, but rather you have, and the house of your father, because you have forsaken the instructions of Yahweh, and you went after the Baalim.
19 Now send and convene to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are eating at the table of Jezebel.
20 Then Ahab sent word among all the sons of Israel, and he convened the prophets at Mount Carmel.
21 Elijah came close to all the people and said, How long will you go on skipping to and fro between the two opinions? If Yahweh is the One, Elohim, go after Him. If Baal is, go after him. Yet the people answered him not a word.
22 Then Elijah said to the people, I am left as a prophet of Yahweh, I by myself alone, while the prophets of Baal are 450 men.
23 Now let them give us two young bulls; and let them choose for themselves one young bull, cut it in pieces and place it on the sticks; but they should not apply fire. I myself shall prepare the other young bull; I will put it on the sticks; but I shall not apply fire.
24 Then you will call your elohim by name, and I myself shall call Yahweh by name. And it will come to be: The One, Elohim Who shall respond with fire, He is the One, Elohim. All the people answered and said, Good is the word which you have spoken.
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose for yourselves one young bull and prepare yours first, since you are so many. Then call your elohim by name, but do not apply fire.
26 So they took the young bull which one had given to them, and they prepared it. Then they called Baal by name from morning until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us! But there was no voice, and there was no one answering. Yet they were skipping about the altar that one had made.
27 It came to pass at noon that Elijah trifled with them and said, Call with a loud voice (for he is an elohim) in case he is in meditation, or in case he had to turn away, or in case he has been on the road; perhaps he is sleeping and shall awake.
28 So they were calling with a loud voice; and they slashed themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until blood poured out over them.
29 It came to be as noon passed that they feigned themselves prophets until the time to offer up the approach present. But there was no voice, there was no one answering, and there was no attention.
30 Now Elijah said to all the people, Come close to me! When all the people came close to him, he mended the demolished altar of Yahweh.
31 Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob to whom had come the word of Yahweh, saying, Israel shall be your name.
32 With the stones he built an altar in the Name of Yahweh, and he made a trench round about the altar, enough for housing two seahs of seed.
33 He arranged the sticks, cut the young bull in pieces and placed it on the sticks.
34 Then he said, Fill four jars with water and pour it on the ascent offering and on the sticks. Now he said, Repeat it. And they repeated it. Yet he said, Do it a third time. So they did it a third time.
35 Thus the water ran round about the altar, and even the trench, it filled with water.
36 When it was time to offer up the approach present Elijah the prophet came close and said, O Yahweh Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that You are Elohim in Israel and I am Your servant and that by Your words I have done all these things.
37 Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me! Thus this people may know that You, Yahweh, are the One, Elohim, and that You Yourself will turn their heart around back again.
38 Now the fire of Yahweh fell and devoured the ascent offering and the sticks, the stones and the soil, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell on their faces and said, Yahweh, He is the One, Elohim, Yahweh, He is the One, Elohim.
40 Then Elijah said to them, Grab the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. So they grabbed them, and Elijah brought them down to Wadi Kishon; there he slew them.
41 Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of the rumble of a downpour.
42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. As for Elijah, he ascended to the summit of Mount Carmel and crouched prone to the earth and placed his face between his knees.
43 And he said to his lad, Now go up and look in the direction of the sea. He went up and looked and said, There is nothing whatsoever. Yet Elijah replied, Turn back, seven times.
44 It came to pass at the seventh time that he said, Behold, a thick cloud, small as a man’s palm, is ascending from the sea. So he replied, Rise up; say to Ahab, Hitch up your chariot, and go down that the downpour may not restrain you.
45 It came to pass then and there that the heavens sombered themselves with thick clouds; and with the wind came a great downpour while Ahab rode off and went to Jezreel.
46 The hand of Yahweh, it came on Elijah, so that he tightened his waist and ran ahead, before Ahab, until you come to Jezreel.

Chapter 19
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and all about how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, Thus shall the elohim do, and thus they may add: At this time tomorrow I shall make your soul like the soul of one of them.
3 Then Elijah feared, arose and ran for his soul. When he came to Beer-sheba in Judah he left his lad there.
4 Yet he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came to sit under a certain broom bush. He begged for his soul to die and said, It is enough now! O Yahweh, take my soul from me, for I am no better than my fathers.
5 Then he lay down and slept under the same broom bush. And behold this, a messenger was touching him and said to him, Arise and eat.
6 When he looked, behold, beside his headrest was an ember cake, baked on glowing stones, and a cruse of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.
7 The messenger of Yahweh returned a second time; he touched him and said, Arise and eat, for the journey is too much for you.
8 So he arose and ate and drank; and in the vigor of that food he walked forty days and forty nights as far as the mount of Elohim at Horeb.
9 There he came to a cave that he might lodge there for the night. And behold, the word of Yahweh came to him and said to him, What have you to do here, Elijah?
10 He replied, I have been zealous, yea zealous for Yahweh Elohim of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant; they have demolished Your altars, and they have killed Your prophets with the sword, so that I am left, I by myself alone. And they are seeking for my soul to take it.
11 The voice said, Go forth, and you will stand on the mount before Yahweh. And behold, Yahweh was passing by, and a great and steadfast wind was ripping apart the mountains and was breaking up the crags before Yahweh; yet Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind was an earthquake; yet Yahweh was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake was a fire; yet Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire was the sound of a gentle stillness.
13 It came to pass as Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went forth and stood at the opening of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, What have you to do here, Elijah?
14 He replied, I have been zealous, yea zealous for Yahweh Elohim of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant; they have demolished Your altars, and they have killed Your prophets with the sword, so that I am left, I by myself alone. And they are seeking for my soul to take it.
15 Now Yahweh said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you enter there, then you will anoint Hazael as king over Syria.
16 And Jehu son of Nimshi shall you anoint as king over Israel. And Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah shall you anoint as prophet in your stead.
17 It will occur to the one escaping from Hazael’s sword that Jehu shall put him to death, and to the one escaping from Jehu’s sword that Elisha shall put him to death.
18 Yet I will let remain in Israel 7,000, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.
19 So he went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat while he was plowing; there were twelve teams of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah came over to him and flung his mantle around him.
20 Elisha forsook the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, I pray, let me kiss my father and my mother good-bye, and then let me go after you. Elijah replied to him, Go, return; but realize what I have done to you.
21 Then he returned from going after him and took the team of oxen and sacrificed them. With the gear of the oxen he cooked the flesh of them and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, went after Elijah and ministered to him.

Chapter 20
1 Ben-hadad king of Syria convened his whole army; thirtytwo kings were with him, also horses and chariots. Then he went up, besieged Samaria and fought against it.
2 He sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel inside the city
3 to say to him, Thus speaks Ben-hadad: Your silver and your gold, they are mine; your wives and your sons, those who are well favored, they are mine.
4 The king of Israel answered and said, According to your word, my lord the king, I and all I have are yours.
5 Then the messengers returned and said, Thus speaks Ben-hadad, saying: Indeed I sent to you to demand that you give to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your sons.
6 But I shall rather send my officials to you at this time tomorrow. They will search your house and the houses of your officials. And it will come to be if they should lay their hand on anything coveted in their eyes, then they will take it away.
7 Now Israel’s king called all the elders of his land and said, Realize now and see that this fellow is seeking evil, for he sent to me for my wives and my sons, for my silver and my gold; and I withheld nothing from him.
8 All the elders and all the people said to him, Do not hearken, and you should not comply.
9 So he replied to the messengers of Ben-hadad, Say to my lord the king: All for which you sent to your servant first, I shall do. But this matter I am not able to do. So the messengers went off and brought word back to him.
10 Now Ben-hadad sent to him and said: Thus shall the elohim do to me and thus they may add, if the soil of Samaria shall be adequate for handfuls to all the people who are in my footsteps.
11 Israel’s king answered and said, Tell him: The one girding on his armor must not boast himself like the one unloosing it.
12 It came to be when he heard this word while he himself and the kings were drinking in the booths, that he said to his officials, Take your positions. So they established their positions against the city.
13 And behold, a certain prophet came close to Ahab king of Israel and said, Thus speaks Yahweh: Do you see all this great throng? Behold, I am giving it into your hand today; then you will know that I am Yahweh.
14 Ahab asked, By whom? And he replied, Thus speaks Yahweh: By the lads of the chief officials of the provinces. Ahab asked, Who shall open the battle engagement? And he replied, You.
15 So Ahab mustered the lads of the chief officials of the provinces; they came to be two hundred thirty-two. After them he mustered all the people, all the sons of Israel, 7,000.
16 They went forth at noon while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he with the kings, the thirty-two kings who were helping him.
17 When the lads of the chief officials of the provinces came forth first, Ben-hadad sent out scouts; they told him, saying, Men have come forth from Samaria.
18 He replied, If they come forth for peace, apprehend them alive; and if they come forth for battle, apprehend them alive.
19 Those had come forth from the city, the lads of the chief officials of the provinces, and the army that was behind them.
20 Each of them smote his man; then the Syrians fled while Israel pursued them. But Ben-hadad king of Syria escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen.
21 Now Israel’s king went forth and took all the horses and the chariots. Thus he smote Syria with a great blow.
22 Then the prophet came close to Israel’s king and said to him, Go, reinforce yourself; realize and see what you should do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will be coming up against you.
23 As for the officials of Syria’s king, they said to him, An Elohim of mountains is Israel’s Elohim and not an Elohim of vales. Therefore they were more courageous than we. Nevertheless, if we should fight against them on level ground, we shall assuredly be more courageous than they.
24 Now execute this program: Cause the kings to withdraw, each man from his place, and appoint viceroys in their stead.
25 You should assign for yourself another army like the army that fell from your side, with horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then let us fight against them on level ground, and we shall assuredly be more courageous than they. Now he hearkened to their voice and did so.
26 It came to pass at the return of the year that Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek for the battle against Israel.
27 As for the sons of Israel, they presented themselves to be mustered. They were supplied and went out to meet them. Then the sons of Israel encamped in front of them like two small flocks of goats; the Syrians however filled the countryside.
28 Then the man of Elohim came close and spoke to the king of Israel; he said, Thus speaks Yahweh: Because the Syrians have said, An Elohim of mountains is Yahweh, and He is not an Elohim of vales, I will give all this great throng into your hand so that you will acknowledge that I am Yahweh.
29 So they encamped, these over against those, for seven days. Now it came to pass on the seventh day that the battle was waged; and the sons of Israel smote the Syrians, 100,000 men on foot, in one day.
30 The rest of them fled toward Aphek, into the city; yet the wall fell on 27,000 men of the rest. As for Ben-hadad, he fled and came into the city and hid in the chamber inside a chamber.
31 His officials said to him, Behold now, we have heard about the kings of the house of Israel that they are kings of kindness. Now let us put sackcloth around our waists and lines of rope around our heads and go forth to the king of Israel. Perhaps he shall keep your soul alive.
32 So they girded sackcloth around their waists, and with lines of rope around their heads they came to the king of Israel and said, Your servant Ben-hadad says: I pray, let my soul live. He replied, Is he still alive? He is my brother.
33 The men, they augured and quickly took it as decided by him and said, Ben-hadad is your brother. He replied, Go, take him. When Ben-hadad came forth to him, he had him get up into the chariot.
34 The Syrian promised him, The cities that my father took from your father, I shall return. And you may establish street markets for yourself in Damascus, just as my father established them in Samaria. Ahab replied, As for me, under a covenant I shall let you go. Then he contracted a covenant with him and let him go.
35 There was a certain man of the sons of the prophets; he said to his associate by the word of Yahweh, Smite me, I pray. Yet the man refused to smite him.
36 So he said to him, Because you did not hearken to the voice of Yahweh, behold, when you are going away from me, a lion will smite you. Then he went away from beside him; and a lion found him and smote him.
37 Now he found another man and said, Smite me, I pray. So this man smote him, and in smiting injured him.
38 Then the prophet went off and stood by the road waiting for the king; he had disguised himself with a head-bandage over his eyes.
39 Now it came to be as the king was passing by that he cried out to the king and said, Your servant himself went forth right within the battle, and behold, a man withdrew and brought a man to me and said, Guard this man. If he should be missing, yea missing, then your soul will come to be for his soul; or you shall weigh out a talent of silver for him.
40 Now it came to pass as your servant was busy going hither and thither, that he was not there. The king of Israel replied to him, So be your judgment; you yourself have decided.
41 Quickly he took away the head-bandage from over his eyes; now the king of Israel recognized him that he was one of the prophets.
42 Then the prophet said to him, Thus speaks Yahweh: Because you let go out of your hand the man under My doom, your soul will be for his soul, and your people for his people.
43 Then the king of Israel went to his house, sullen and turbulent, and came to Samaria.

Chapter 21
1 It occurred after these incidents: Naboth the Jezreelite came to have a vineyard that was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
2 Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, Do give me your vineyard, so that it may become a garden of greens for me, since it is near, beside my house. Let me give you in its stead another vineyard, better than it. Or if it is good in your eyes, let me give you silver as the price of this one.
3 Yet Naboth replied to Ahab, Far be it from me, by Yahweh, that I should give up the allotment of my fathers to you.
4 So Ahab went to his house, sullen and turbulent over the word that Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him when he said, I shall not give you the allotment of my fathers. Then he lay down on his couch, turned his face about and would not eat bread.
5 Now Jezebel his wife came to him and spoke to him, Why is this that your spirit is sullen and you are not eating bread?
6 He told her, Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, Do give me your vineyard for silver, or if it is your desire, let me give you another vineyard in its stead. Yet he replied, I shall not give you my vineyard.
7 Then Jezebel his wife said to him, You should now exercise the kingship over Israel. Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be well pleased. I myself shall give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
8 So she wrote scrolls in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal. She sent the scrolls to the elders and the notables who were dwelling with Naboth in his city.
9 She had written in the scrolls, saying, Proclaim a fast, and have Naboth sit at the head of the people.
10 Yet seat two men, sons of decadence, opposite him. They should testify against him, saying, You have scorned Elohim and the king. Then take him forth and stone him that he may die.
11 So the men of his city, the elders and the notables dwelling in his city, did just as Jezebel had sent to them, just as it was written in the scrolls that she had sent to them.
12 They proclaimed a fast and had Naboth sit at the head of the people.
13 Then the two men, sons of decadence, came and sat down opposite him. The men of decadence testified against him, Naboth, in front of the people, saying, Naboth has scorned Elohim and the king. Then they brought him forth outside the city and stoned him with stones so that he died.
14 Now they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth was stoned and is dead.
15 It occurred as soon as Jezebel heard Naboth was stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take over the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to give you for silver; for Naboth is no longer alive; he is dead.
16 So it came to pass, when Ahab heard Naboth was dead, that Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to take it over.
17 A word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel in Samaria. Behold, he is in Naboth’s vineyard where he went down to take it over.
19 You will speak to him, saying, Thus speaks Yahweh: Have you murdered and also taken over? Then you will speak to him, saying, Thus speaks Yahweh: In the place where the dogs lapped Naboth’s blood, the dogs shall lap your blood, yea, yours too.
20 Ahab said to Elijah, Have you found me, my enemy? He replied, I have found you, because you sold yourself to do what is evil in the eyes of Yahweh to provoke Him to vexation. Thus speaks Yahweh:
21 Behold, I am bringing evil on you. I will wipe out those after you; I will cut off from Ahab any man-child, restrained or set free, in Israel.
22 I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, for the vexation with which you provoked Me to vexation and caused Israel to sin.
23 Also regarding Jezebel Yahweh has spoken, saying: The dogs, they shall devour Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel.
24 The one of Ahab dying in the city shall the dogs eat; and the one dying in the field shall the flyers of the heavens eat.
25 But none came to be like Ahab, who sold himself to do what is evil in the eyes of Yahweh, whom Jezebel his wife incited.
26 He committed very abhorrent acts by going after the idol clods, the same as all the Amorite had done, whom Yahweh had evicted from before the sons of Israel.
27 It occurred as soon as Ahab heard these words, that he tore his garments and put sackcloth on his flesh. He fasted, lay down in sackcloth and walked about gently.
28 Then a word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 Have you seen that Ahab is submissive before Me? Inasmuch as he is submissive before Me, I shall not bring the evil in his days. I shall bring the evil on his house in the days of his son.

Chapter 22
1 They dwelt for three years without war between Syria and Israel.
2 It came to pass in the third year that Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to the king of Israel.
3 Now the king of Israel said to his officials, Do you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours? Yet we are inactive and refrain from taking it out of the hand of the king of Syria.
4 So he said to Jehoshaphat, Are you going with me to the battle at Ramoth-gilead? Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, I likewise, such as you; my people likewise, such as your people; my horses likewise, such as your horses.
5 Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, I pray, inquire today for the word of Yahweh.
6 So the king of Israel convened the prophets, about 400 men, and he said to them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead for battle, or should I forbear? They replied, Go up; Yahweh shall give it into the king’s hand.
7 Yet Jehoshaphat said, Is there no other prophet of Yahweh here that we may inquire through him?
8 The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, There is one more man through whom to inquire of Yahweh; yet I hate him, for at no time has he prophesied good for me, but rather evil: Micaiah son of Imlah. Jehoshaphat answered, The king must not speak thus.
9 Then the king of Israel called a certain court official and said, Do bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.
10 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, being clothed in their royal-robes, were sitting each one on his throne, at the threshing site by the portal of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets before them feigned themselves prophets.
11 Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, Thus speaks Yahweh: With these you shall gore Syria unto their finish.
12 All the prophets were prophesying so, saying, March up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper. Yahweh will give it into the king’s hand.
13 The messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold, I pray, the words of the prophets, with one mouth, are well pleasing to the king. I pray, let your word become like one word with them, and you will speak good things.
14 Yet Micaiah replied, As Yahweh lives, what Yahweh should say to me, this is it that I shall speak.
15 When he came to the king then the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we forbear? He replied to him, March up and prosper. Yahweh will give it into the king’s hand.
16 Now the king said to him, How many times have I been adjuring you, that you should speak to me nothing but the truth in the Name of Yahweh?
17 Then he replied, I saw all Israel scattered over the mountains, like a flock of sheep that have no shepherd; and Yahweh said: These have no lord. Let each man return to his home in peace.
18 At this the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you that at no time he prophesied good for me, but rather evil?
19 Micaiah replied, Not so! Hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on His throne and all the host of the heavens standing by Him, to His right and to His left.
20 Yahweh said, Who shall entice Ahab, so that he may march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? Now this one said thus, and another was saying thus.
21 Then a spirit came forth, stood before Yahweh and said, I myself shall entice him. Yahweh asked him, By what means?
22 He replied, I shall go forth, and I will become a false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. Then He said, You shall entice, and, moreover, you shall prevail. Go forth and do so.
23 And now behold, Yahweh has bestowed a false spirit into the mouth of all these, your prophets, for Yahweh Himself has decreed evil concerning you.
24 Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came close, smote Micaiah on the cheek and said, Just where is the way that the spirit of Yahweh passed from me to speak with you?
25 Micaiah replied, Behold, you shall be seeing it on that day when you come to hide in the chamber inside a chamber.
26 Then the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and turn him back to Amon chief of the city and to Joash son of the king.
27 And you will say, Thus said the king: Put this one in the house of detention, and feed him with bread of oppression and water of oppression until I come back in peace.
28 Micaiah replied, Should you return, yea return in peace, then Yahweh has not spoken through me. And he added, Hear, ye peoples, all of them!
29 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah marched up to Ramoth-gilead.
30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and enter into the battle; yet you, put on my garments. So the king of Israel disguised himself and entered into the battle.
31 As for the king of Syria, he instructed the thirty-two chief chariot officers that he had, saying, You shall not fight with the small or the great, but rather with the king of Israel, with him alone.
32 Then it came to be as the chief chariot officers saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely, he is the king of Israel. When they turned around to fight against him, Jehoshaphat cried out.
33 Now it came to be as the chief chariot officers saw he was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from following him.
34 Someone drew his bow at random and smote the king of Israel between the scale-armor and the body-armor, so that he said to his charioteer, Turn your hand around and bring me forth from the fighting force, for I have been wounded.
35 While the battle ascended in violence on that day, the king himself remained standing in the chariot over against the Syrians, until he died in the evening, and the blood from the blow poured out into the interior of the chariot.
36 At sunset a ringing cry passed through the fighting force, saying, Each man to his city and each man to his land.
37 So the king died. When they came to Samaria, they entombed the king in Samaria.
38 Then they flushed out the chariot at the reservoir of Samaria; and the dogs lapped his blood; and the prostitutes, they bathed in it; according to the word of Yahweh that He had spoken.
39 The rest of the affairs of Ahab, and all that he did, the house of ivory that he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Israel?
40 Ahab lay down with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
41 As for Jehoshaphat son of Asa, he became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king; he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
43 He walked in all the way of his father Asa and did not withdraw from it, doing what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh. However they did not take away the high-places; the people were still sacrificing and fuming incense on the high-places.
44 Also Jehoshaphat had made peace with the king of Israel.
45 As for the rest of the affairs of Jehoshaphat and his masterful deeds that he did and how he fought, are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the days of the kings of Judah?
46 The rest of the cult-prostitutes that had remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out from the land.
47 There was no king in Edom; a deputy of Jehoshaphat was king.
48 As for Jehoshaphat, he built Tarshish ships to go to Ophir for gold; but he did not go, for the ships were broken up at Ezion-geber.
49 Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with your servants in the ships; yet Jehoshaphat did not comply.
50 Jehoshaphat lay down with his fathers and was entombed with his fathers in the city of his father David; and his son Jehoram reigned in his stead.
51 As for Ahaziah son of Ahab, he became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years.
52 He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.
53 He served Baal and worshiped him; he provoked Yahweh Elohim of Israel to vexation according to all that his father had done.