Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 King David grew old, the years took their toll, and he couldn’t get warm even when they covered him with bedclothes.

2 His servants said to him, “Let us try to find a young virgin for my lord the king. She can wait on the king and be a companion for him, and she can lie next to you, so that my lord the king will get some heat.”

3 After looking through all of Isra’el’s territory for a beautiful girl, they found Avishag the Shunamit and brought her to the king.

4 The girl was very beautiful and became a companion for the king. She took care of him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her.

5 Adoniyah the son of Haggit was beginning to claim that he would be king; to this end he organized chariots and horsemen, with fifty men to run ahead of him.

6 (His father had never in his life confronted him by asking, “Why are you behaving this way?” Moreover, he was a very handsome man; he was born next after Avshalom.)

7 He conferred with Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah and Evyatar thecohen; and they both supported Adoniyah.

8 But Tzadok thecohen, B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada, Natan the prophet, Shim‘i, Re‘i and David’s elite guard were not on Adoniyah’s side.

9 One day Adoniyah killed sheep, oxen and fattened calves at the Stone of Zochelet, by ‘Ein-Rogel. He summoned all his brothers the king’s sons, and all the men of Y’hudah the king’s servants;

10 but he did not summon Natan the prophet, B’nayah, the elite guard or Shlomo his brother.

11 Natan went to Bat-Sheva the mother of Shlomo and said, “Haven’t you heard that Adoniyah the son of Haggit has become king without the knowledge of David our lord?

12 Now, come, please let me give you advice, so that you can save both your own life and that of your son Shlomo.

13 Go, get in to see King David, and say to him, ‘My lord, king, didn’t you swear to your servant, “Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne”? So why is Adoniyah king?’

14 Right then, while you are still talking with the king, I will also come in after you and confirm what you are saying.”

15 Bat-Sheva went in to the king in his room. (The king was very old; Avishag the Shunamit was in attendance on the king.)

16 Bat-Sheva bowed, prostrating herself to the king. The king asked, “What do you want?”

17 She answered him, “My lord, you swore byAdonaiyour God to your servant, ‘Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne.’

18 But now, here is Adoniyah ruling as king; and you, my lord the king, don’t know anything about it.

19 He has killed oxen, fattened calves and sheep in great numbers; and he has summoned all the sons of the king, Evyatar thecohenand Yo’av the commander of the army; but he didn’t summon Shlomo your servant.

20 As for you, my lord the king, all Isra’el is watching you; they are waiting for you to tell them who is to sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

21 If you don’t, then, when my lord the king sleeps with his ancestors, I and my son Shlomo will be considered criminals.”

22 Right then, while she was still talking with the king, Natan the prophet entered.

23 They told the king, “Natan the prophet is here.” After coming into the king’s presence, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground.

24 Natan said, “My lord king, did you say, ‘Adoniyah is to be king after me; he will sit on my throne’?

25 For he has gone down today and killed oxen, fattened calves and sheep in great numbers; and he has summoned all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Evyatar thecohen; right now they are eating and drinking in his presence and proclaiming, ‘Long live King Adoniyah!’

26 But he didn’t summon me your servant, or Tzadok thecohen, or B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada or your servant Shlomo.

27 Is this authorized by my lord the king without your having told your servant who would sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

28 King David answered by saying, “Summon Bat-Sheva to me.” She entered the king’s presence and stood before the king.

29 Then the king swore an oath: “AsAdonailives, who has delivered me from all adversity,

30 as I swore to you byAdonaithe God of Isra’el, ‘Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne in my place,’ so will I do today.”

31 Bat-Sheva bowed with her face to the ground, prostrating herself to the king, and said, “Let my lord King David live forever.”

32 King David said, “Summon Tzadok thecohen, Natan the prophet and B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada.” They came before the king.

33 The king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, have Shlomo my son ride on my own mule and bring him down to Gichon.

34 There Tzadok thecohenand Natan the prophet are to anoint him king over Isra’el. Sound theshofarand say, “Long live King Shlomo!”

35 Then escort him back; he is to come and sit on my throne; for he is to take my place as king. I have appointed him to rule over Isra’el and Y’hudah.”

36 B’nayah responded to the king by saying, “Amen! MayAdonai, the God of my lord the king, confirm it!

37 Just asAdonaihas been with my lord the king, so may he be with Shlomo and make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!”

38 So Tzadok thecohen, Natan the prophet, B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada and the K’reti and P’leti went down, had Shlomo ride on King David’s mule and brought him to Gichon.

39 Tzadok thecohentook the horn of olive oil out of the tent and anointed Shlomo. They sounded theshofar, and all the people shouted, “Long live King Shlomo!”

40 All the people escorted him back, playing flutes and rejoicing greatly, so that the earth shook with the sound.

41 Adoniyah and all his guests heard it while they were finishing their meal; but it was Yo’av who, when he heard the blast on theshofar, asked, “That noise — what’s the meaning of this uproar in the city?”

42 While he was still speaking, there came Yonatan the son of Evyatar thecohen. Adoniyah said, “Come in! You’re a worthy man, so you must be bringing good news!”

43 Yonatan answered Adoniyah, “The truth is, our lord King David has made Shlomo king.

44 Moreover, the king sent with him Tzadok thecohen, Natan the prophet, B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada and the K’reti and P’leti; they had him ride on the king’s mule;

45 and Tzadok thecohenand Natan the prophet anointed him king in Gichon. Then they escorted him back from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar; this is the noise you’ve been hearing.

46 Moreover, Shlomo is now sitting on the throne of the kingdom.

47 More than that, the king’s servants came and blessed our lord King David with these words: ‘May God make the name of Shlomo better than your name and his throne greater than your throne,’ after which the king bowed down on the bed.

48 Finally, the king said, ‘Blessed beAdonaithe God of Isra’el, who has given someone to sit on my throne today, when my own eyes can see it.’”

49 At this all Adoniyah’s guests grew frightened; they got up, everyone going his own way.

50 Adoniyah too was afraid because of Shlomo; he got up, went and took hold of the horns of the altar.

51 Shlomo was told, “Here, Adoniyah is terrified of King Shlomo; he has grabbed hold of the horns of the altar and is saying, ‘First let King Shlomo swear to me that he will not have his servant executed.’”

52 Shlomo said, “If he will demonstrate that he is a worthy man, not a hair of his will fall to the earth. But if he is found making trouble, he will die.”

53 So King Shlomo sent, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and prostrated himself before King Shlomo; and Shlomo said to him, ‘Go on home.’”

1 The time came near for David to die; so he commissioned Shlomo his son as follows:

2 “I am going the way of all the earth. Therefore, be strong; show yourself a man.

3 Observe the charge ofAdonaiyour God to go in his ways and keep his regulations,mitzvot, rulings and instructions in accordance with what is written in theTorahof Moshe; so that you will succeed in all you do and wherever you go.

4 If you do,Adonaiwill fulfill what he promised me when he said, ‘If your children pay attention to how they live, conducting themselves before me honestly with all their heart and being, you will never lack a man on the throne of Isra’el.’

5 “Moreover, you are aware of what Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah did to me, that is, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Isra’el, Avner the son of Ner and ‘Amasa the son of Yeter — he killed them, shedding the blood of war in peacetime, putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet.

6 Therefore, act according to your wisdom; don’t let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

7 “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gil‘adi. Include them with those who eat at your table, because they came and stood with me when I was fleeing from Avshalom your brother.

8 “Finally, you have with you Shim‘i the son of Gera the Binyamini, from Bachurim. He laid a terrible curse on me when I was on my way to Machanayim; but he came down to meet me at the Yarden; so I swore to him byAdonaithat I would not have him put to death with the sword.

9 Now, however, you should not let him go unpunished. You are a wise man, and you will know what you should do to him — you will bring his gray head down to the grave with blood.”

10 Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.

11 David had ruled Isra’el for forty years — seven years in Hevron and thirty-three years in Yerushalayim.

12 Shlomo sat on the throne of David his father; and his rule had become firmly established,

13 when Adoniyah the son of Haggit came to Bat-Sheva the mother of Shlomo. She asked, “Have you come as a friend?” He answered, “Yes, as a friend.”

14 Then he continued, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Go on.”

15 He said, “You know that the kingdom should have been mine, that all Isra’el was looking to me to be their ruler. No matter; the kingdom has turned around and become my brother’s, becauseAdonaigave it to him.

16 But now I ask one favor of you; don’t deny me.” “Go on,” she said.

17 He said, “Please speak to Shlomo the king — for he won’t say ‘No’ to you — and ask him to give me Avishag the Shunamit as my wife.”

18 Bat-Sheva said, “All right, I will speak to the king on your behalf.”

19 So Bat-Sheva went to King Shlomo to speak to him on behalf of Adoniyah. The king rose to meet her and 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 sat at his right.

20 She said, “I am asking one small favor of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask, mother; I won’t deny you.”

21 She said, “Let Avishag the Shunamit be given to Adoniyah your brother as his wife.”

22 King Shlomo answered his mother, “Why are you asking Avishag the Shunamit for Adoniyah? Ask the kingdom for him too! After all, he’s my older brother! Yes, for him, and for Evyatar thecohenand for Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah!”

23 Then King Shlomo swore byAdonai, “May God do terrible things to me and worse if Adoniyah hasn’t condemned himself to death with this request!

24 Now therefore, asAdonailives, who has established me, put me on the throne of David my father and set up a dynasty for me, as he promised, Adoniyah will certainly be put to death today.”

25 King Shlomo commissioned B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada, and he struck him down, so that he died.

26 To Evyatar thecohenthe king said, “You, get yourself to ‘Anatot, to your own fields. You deserve to die; but I won’t put you to death just now; since you did carry the ark ofadonaiElohimbefore David my father; and you suffered together with my father in everything he suffered.”

27 So Shlomo forced Evyatar out of his task ascohentoAdonai, so that whatAdonaihad said in Shiloh about the family of ‘Eli might be fulfilled.

28 When the news came to Yo’av, he fled to the tent ofAdonaiand took hold of the horns of the altar; for Yo’av had given his support to Adoniyah, even though he had not supported Avshalom.

29 King Shlomo was told, “Yo’av has fled to the tent ofAdonai; he’s there by the altar.” Shlomo sent B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada with the order, “Go, strike him down.”

30 B’nayah came to the tent ofAdonaiand said to him, “The king says: leave!” He answered, “No, I’d rather die here.” B’nayah brought the message back to the king, “This is what Yo’av said to me.”

31 The king answered him, “Do what he said — strike him down, and bury him. In this way you will take away from me and my father’s family the blood which Yo’av shed for no reason.

32 Adonaiwill bring his blood back on his own head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he — he killed them with the sword without my father David’s awareness: Avner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Isra’el, and ‘Amasa the son of Yeter, commander of the army of Y’hudah.

33 In this way their blood will return on the head of Yo’av and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his family and his throne there will be peace forever fromAdonai.”

34 So B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada went up, struck him down and killed him; he was buried in his own house in the desert.

35 The king put B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada in charge of the army instead of him, and the king replaced Evyatar with Tzadok thecohen.

36 The king summoned Shim‘i and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Yerushalayim, and live there; don’t go outside the city walls.

37 Know for a fact that on the day you go out and crossVadiKidron, you will certainly die; your blood will be on your own head.”

38 Shim‘i answered the king, “What you have said is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shim‘i lived in Yerushalayim for a long time.

39 But after three years, two of Shim‘i’s slaves ran away and went to Akhish son of Ma‘akhah, king of Gat. They told Shim‘i, “Your slaves are in Gat.”

40 So Shim‘i set out, saddled his donkey and went to Akhish in Gat to look for his slaves; then Shim‘i returned, bringing his slaves from Gat.

41 Shlomo was told that Shim‘i had gone from Yerushalayim to Gat and back.

42 The king summoned Shim‘i and said to him, “Didn’t I have you swear byAdonaiand forewarn you by telling you, ‘Know for a fact that on the day you leave and go anywhere outside the city, you will certainly die’? and you answered me, ‘What you’re saying is good; I hear it.’

43 Why, then, haven’t you kept the oath ofAdonaiand themitzvahI charged you with?”

44 Moreover, the king said to Shim‘i, “You know in your own heart all the terrible things you did to David my father; thereforeAdonaiwill bring back your wickedness on your own head.

45 But King Shlomo will be blessed, and the throne of David will be established beforeAdonaiforever.”

46 So the king gave the order to B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada, and he went out and struck him down, so that he died.

Thus the kingdom was established in Shlomo’s hands.

1 Shlomo formed an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her into the City of David, [where she lived] until he had finished building his own palace, the house ofAdonaiand the wall around Yerushalayim.

2 The people, however, were still sacrificing on the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name ofAdonai.

3 Shlomo lovedAdonai, living according to the regulations set forth by David his father; nevertheless, he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.

4 One time the king went to Giv‘on to sacrifice there, because that was the main high place. Shlomo offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.

5 At Giv‘onAdonaiappeared to Shlomo in a dream at night; God said, “Tell me what I should give you.”

6 Shlomo said, “You showed your servant David my father much grace, as he lived before you honestly and righteously, having an upright heart with you. You preserved this great grace for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as is the case today.

7 So now,Adonaimy God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father; but I am a mere child — I don’t know how to lead!

8 Moreover your servant is among your people, whom you chose, a great people so numerous that they cannot be counted.

9 Therefore, give your servant an understanding heart able to administer justice to your people, so that I can discern between good and bad — for who is equal to judging this great people of yours?”

10 What Shlomo had said in making this request pleasedAdonai.

11 God said to him, “Because you have made this request instead of asking long life or riches for yourself, or your enemies’ death, but rather asked for yourself understanding to discern justice;

12 I am doing what you requested. I am giving you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you, nor will there ever again be anyone like you.

13 I am also giving you what you didn’t ask for, riches and honor greater than that of any other king throughout your life.

14 More than that, if you will live according to my ways, obeying my laws andmitzvotlike your father David, I will give you a long life.”

15 Shlomo awoke and found it had been a dream. But he went to Yerushalayim, stood before the ark for the covenant ofAdonaiand offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings. He also made a feast for all his servants.

16 After this, there came to the king two women who were prostitutes. After presenting themselves to him,

17 one of the women said, “My lord, I and this woman live in the same house; and when she was in the house, I gave birth to a baby.

18 Three days after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were there together; there was no one else with us in the house except the two of us.

19 During the night this woman’s child died, because she rolled over on top of it.

20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from next to me, while your servant was sleeping, and put it in her arms; and she laid her dead child in my arms.

21 When I awoke in the morning to feed my child from my breast, there it was, dead. But when I took a closer look later in the morning, why, it wasn’t my son at all — not the one I gave birth to!”

22 The other woman broke in, “No! The living one is my son, and the dead one is your son!” The first one said, “No! The dead one is your son and the living one is my son!” This is how they spoke in the presence of the king.

23 Then the king said, “This woman says, ‘The living one is my son; your son is the dead one’; while the other says, ‘No, the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.’

24 Bring me a sword,” said the king. They brought a sword to the king.

25 The king said, “Cut the living child in two; give half to the one and half to the other.”

26 At this, the woman to whom the living child belonged addressed the king, because she felt so strongly toward her son: “Oh, my lord, give her the living child; you mustn’t kill it!” But the other one said, “It will be neither yours nor mine. Divide it up!”

27 Then the king answered, “Give the living child to the first woman, don’t kill it, because she is its mother.”

28 All Isra’el heard of the decision the king had made and held the king in awe, for they saw that God’s wisdom was in him, enabling him to render justice properly.

1 King Shlomo was king over all Isra’el,

2 and these were his high officials:

‘Azaryah the son of Tzadok, thecohen;

3 Elichoref and Achiyah the sons of Shisha, secretaries;

Y’hoshafat the son of Achilud, secretary of state;

4 B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada, commander of the army;

Tzadok and Evyatar,cohanim;

5 ‘Azaryah the son of Natan, chief administrator;

Zavud the son of Natan, the king’s trusted counselor;

6 Achishar, in charge of the palace;

Adoniram the son of ‘Avda, in charge of forced labor.

7 Shlomo had twelve officers over all Isra’el who were in charge of providing food and supplies for the king and his household; each one was in charge of provisions for one month out of the year.

8 They were:

the son of Hur, in the hills of Efrayim;

9 the son of Deker, in Makatz, Sha‘albim, Beit-Shemesh and Eilon-Beit-Hanan;

10 the son of Hesed, in Arubot; he also had charge of Sokhoh and all the territory of Hefer;

11 the son of Avinadav, in all the area of Dor; he had Tafat the daughter of Shlomo as his wife;

12 Ba‘ana the son of Achilud, in Ta‘anakh, Megiddo, and all Beit-Sh’an by Tzartan below Yizre‘el, from Beit-Sh’an to Avel-M’cholah, as far as beyond Yokme‘am;

13 the son of Gever, in Ramot-Gil‘ad; he was in charge of the villages of Ya’ir the son of M’nasheh in Gil‘ad and in charge of the region of Argov in Bashan, sixty large cities with walls and bronze bars;

14 Achinadav the son of ‘Iddo, in Machanayim;

15 Achima‘atz, in Naftali; he also took Basmat the daughter of Shlomo as his wife;

16 Ba‘ana the son of Hushai, in Asher and in Alot;

17 Y’hoshafat the son of Paruach, in Yissakhar;

18 Shim‘i the son of Ela, in Binyamin; and

19 Gever the son of Uri, in the land of Gil‘ad, the country of Sichon king of the Emori and ‘Og king of Bashan.

Over all these, there was one administrator in the land.

20 Y’hudah and Isra’el were as numerous as sand grains on the seashore; they ate, drank and enjoyed themselves.

1 Shlomo ruled over all the kingdoms from the [Euphrates] River through the land of the P’lishtim to the border of Egypt; they paid tribute and served Shlomo as long as he lived.

2 Shlomo’s provisions for one day consisted of 150 bushels of fine flour, 310 bushels of meal,

3 ten fattened oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen and one hundred sheep, in addition to deer, gazelles, roebucks and fattened poultry.

4 For he ruled all the area this side of the [Euphrates] River, from Tifsach to ‘Azah. He was over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace all around him, on every side.

5 From Dan to Be’er-Sheva, Y’hudah and Isra’el lived securely, every man under his vine and fig tree, throughout the lifetime of Shlomo.

6 Shlomo also had 40,000 stalls for the horses used with his chariots and 12,000 horsemen.

7 Those officers [named above] supplied food and other materials for King Shlomo and for everyone for whom Shlomo provided. Each was responsible for his month’s supplies; they saw to it that nothing was lacking.

8 They also made sure there was barley and straw where it was needed for the horses and draft animals; each filled his quota.

9 God gave Shlomo exceptional wisdom and understanding, as well as a heart as vast as the sandy beach by the sea.

10 Shlomo’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of the people from the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

11 For he was wiser than everyone — wiser than Eitan the Ezrachi and wiser than Heiman, Kalkol and Darda the sons of Machol; so that his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.

12 He composed 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs.

13 He could discuss trees, from the cedar in the L’vanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall; he could discuss wild animals, poultry, reptiles and fish.

14 People from all nations came to hear the wisdom of Shlomo, including kings from all over the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

15 Hiram king of Tzor sent his servants to Shlomo, because he had heard that they had anointed him king in his father’s place, and Hiram had always loved David.

16 Shlomo returned this message to Hiram:

17 “You know that David my father wasn’t able to build a house for the name ofAdonaihis God, because of the wars that beset him from every side, untilAdonaiput his enemies under the soles of my feet.

18 But nowAdonaimy God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor calamity.

19 So now I intend to build a house for the name ofAdonaimy God, in keeping with whatAdonaisaid to David my father, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, will be the one to build the house for my name.’

20 Therefore, order your people to cut down cedar trees from the L’vanon for me. My servants will be with your servants. I will pay your servants according to everything you say; for you know that we have no one among us as skilled in felling trees as the Tzidonim.”

21 When Hiram heard Shlomo’s message, he was very happy and said, “Blessed beAdonaitoday, who has given David a wise son to rule this great people.”

22 Then Hiram sent Shlomo this message: “I have heard the message you sent me, and I will do everything you want concerning cedar logs and cypress logs.

23 My servants will bring them down from the L’vanon to the sea. I will make them into rafts to go by sea to whatever place you tell me and will have them broken up there, and you will receive them. You will compensate me by providing food for my household.”

24 So Hiram gave Shlomo all the cedar logs and cypress logs he wanted;

25 and Shlomo gave Hiram 100,000 bushels of wheat as food for his household and a thousand gallons of oil from pressed olives — this is what Shlomo gave Hiram each year.

26 Adonaigave Shlomo wisdom, as he had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Shlomo — the two of them formed an alliance together.

27 King Shlomo conscripted 30,000 men from all Isra’el for forced labor.

28 He sent them to the L’vanon in monthly relays of 10,000; they would stay a month in the L’vanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

29 Shlomo had 70,000 men to carry loads and another 80,000 stonecutters in the hills,

30 besides Shlomo’s 3,300 supervisors who were in charge of the people doing the work.

31 The king gave orders; and they quarried large stones, expensive stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stone.

32 Shlomo’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the men from G’val, worked the stones and prepared the timber and stones for building the house.

1 It was in the 480th year after the people of Isra’el had left the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Shlomo’s reign over Isra’el, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house ofAdonai.

2 The house which King Shlomo built forAdonaiwas 105 feet long, thirty-five feet wide and fifty-two-and-a-half feet high.

3 The hall fronting the temple of the house was thirty-five feet long, the same as the width of the house itself, so that its seventeen-and-a-half-foot width extended frontward from the house.

4 The windows he made for the house were wide on the inside and narrow on the outside.

5 Against the wall of the house he built an annex all the way around; it went all the way around the walls of the house, including both the temple and the sanctuary.

6 The lowest floor of the annex was eight-and-three-quarters feet wide, the middle floor ten-and-a-half feet wide and the third floor twelve-and-a-quarter feet wide; for he had made the outer part of the wall of the house step-shaped, so that the beams of the annex would not have to be attached to the house walls.

7 For the house, when under construction, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; so that no hammer, chisel or iron tool of any kind was heard in the house while it was being built.

8 The entrance to the lowest floor was on the south side of the house; a spiral staircase went up to the middle floor and on to the third.

9 So he built the house, and after finishing it, he put its roof on — cedar planks over beams.

10 Each floor of the annex surrounding the house was eight-and-three-quarters feet high and was attached to the house with beams of cedar.

11 Then this word ofAdonaicame to Shlomo:

12 “Concerning this house which you are building: if you will live according to my regulations, follow my rulings and observe all mymitzvotand live by them, then I will establish with you my promise that I made to David your father —

13 I will live in it among the people of Isra’el, and I will not abandon my people Isra’el.”

14 So Shlomo finished building the house.

15 The insides of the walls of the house he built with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house to the joists of the ceiling he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress.

16 The thirty-five-foot back portion of the house he built with boards of cedar from the floor to the joists and reserved this part of the house to be a sanctuary, the Especially Holy Place;

17 while the rest of the house, that is, the temple in front, was seventy feet long.

18 The cedar covering the house was carved with gourds and open flowers; all was cedar; no stone was visible.

19 In the inner part of the house he set up the sanctuary, so that the ark for the covenant ofAdonaicould be placed there.

20 This sanctuary was thirty-five feet long, wide and high; and it was overlaid with pure gold. In front of it he set an altar, which he covered with cedar.

21 Shlomo overlaid the interior of the house with pure gold and had chains of gold placed before the sanctuary, which itself he overlaid with gold.

22 The entire house he overlaid with gold until it was completely covered with it. He also overlaid with gold the entire altar that belonged to the sanctuary.

23 Inside the sanctuary he made twok’ruvimof olive-wood, each seventeen-and-a-half feet high.

24 Each of the two wings of one of thek’ruvimwas eight-and-three quarters feet long, so that the distance from the end of one wing to the end of the other was seventeen-and-a-half feet.

25 Likewise the [wingspread of the] otherkeruvwas seventeen-and-a-half feet; bothk’ruvimwere identical in shape and size.

26 The height of the onekeruvwas seventeen-and-a-half feet, likewise that of the other.

27 He set thek’ruvimin the inner house; the wings of thek’ruvimwere stretched out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the otherkeruvtouched the other wall; their wings touched each other in the middle of the house.

28 He overlaid thek’ruvimwith gold.

29 All around the walls of the house, both inside the sanctuary and outside it, he carved figures ofk’ruvim, palm trees and open flowers.

30 He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, both inside the sanctuary and outside it.

31 For the entrance to the sanctuary he made doors of olive-wood, set within a five-sided door-frame.

32 On the two olive-wood doors he carved figures ofk’ruvim, palm trees and open flowers. He overlaid the doors with gold, forcing the gold into the shapes of thek’ruvimand palm trees as well.

33 For the entrance to the temple he also made doorposts of olive-wood, set within a rectangular door-frame,

34 and two doors of cypress-wood; the two leaves of the one door were folding, as were the two leaves of the other.

35 On them he carvedk’ruvim, palm trees and open flowers, overlaying them with gold fitted to the carved work.

36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

37 The foundation of the house ofAdonaiwas laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv.

38 In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, all parts of the house were completed exactly as designed. Thus he was seven years building it.

1 Shlomo built a palace for himself, taking thirteen years to finish it.

2 For he built the House of the L’vanon Forest 175 feet long, eighty-seven-and-a-half feet wide and fifty-two-and-a-half feet high, on four rows of cedar posts, with cedar beams on the posts.

3 It had a roof made of cedar and supported by beams lying on forty-five posts, fifteen in a row.

4 There were three rows of window openings, placed so that the windows on facing walls were opposite each other at all three levels.

5 All the doors and doorways were rectangular and opposite each other at all three levels.

6 He made the columned hall eighty-seven-and-a-half feet long and fifty-two-and-a-half feet wide, with a columned, corniced porch in front of it.

7 He made the Hall of the Throne his place for dispensing justice, that is, the Hall of Judgment; it was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.

8 His own living quarters, in the other courtyard, set back from the Hall, were similarly designed. He also made a house like this Hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Shlomo had taken as his wife.

9 All these buildings were made of expensive stone blocks, cut to measure and finished by saws on the inner surfaces as well as the outer ones. These stones were used from the foundation to the eaves and outward from the buildings all the way to the Great Courtyard.

10 The foundation was of expensive stone blocks, very large ones — stones fourteen to eighteen feet long.

11 Above these were costly stones, cut to measure, and cedar-wood.

12 The surrounding Great Courtyard had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams like the inner courtyard of the house ofAdonaiand the courtyard by the hall of the house.

13 King Shlomo sent for Hiram and brought him from Tzor.

14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naftali, but his father was from Tzor, a bronze-worker filled with wisdom, understanding and skill for all kinds of bronze craftsmanship. He came to King Shlomo and did all his bronzework.

15 He made the two bronze columns, each one thirty-one-and-a-half feet high and twenty-one feet in circumference.

16 He made two capitals of melted bronze to set on the tops of the columns; each capital was eight-and-three-quarters feet high;

17 he also made checker-work nets and chained wreaths, seven for the top of each capital.

18 When he made the columns, he made two rows of pomegranates to put at the top of each column around the netting covering its capital.

19 The capitals on the columns in the hall had shapes like lilies and were seven feet high.

20 As for the capitals on the two columns, there were 200 pomegranates in rows around each capital near the molding by the netting.

21 He erected the columns in the hall of the temple; on erecting the right column he gave it the name “Yakhin,” and on erecting the left column he named it “Bo‘az.”

22 On the tops of the columns were shapes like lilies; thus the work of the columns was finished.

23 He made the cast metal “Sea” circular, seventeen-and-a-half feet from rim to rim, eight-and-three quarter feet high and fifty-two-and-a-half feet in circumference.

24 Under its rim, three hundred gourds encircled it in two rows; they were cast when the Sea was cast.

25 It rested on twelve oxen, three looking north, three looking west, three looking south and three looking east, all with their hindquarters toward the center. The Sea was set on top of them.

26 It was a handbreadth thick, its rim was made like the rim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; and its capacity was 11,000 gallons.

27 He made ten bronze trolleys, each one seven feet long, seven feet wide, and five-and-a-quarter feet high.

28 They were designed with panels that were set between the corner-posts,

29 and on the panels between the corner-posts were lions, oxen andk’ruvim.The corner-posts above were similarly designed. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of hammered work.

30 Every trolley had four bronze wheels and bronze axles, and its four legs each had cast supports which were under the basin, with wreaths next to each.

31 The opening of the stand into which the basin was inserted was eighteen inches high; the stand was round, resembling a pedestal, and it was two-and-a-half feet in diameter. On the stand were carvings, and the outside was square, not round.

32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles for the wheels were attached to the trolleys; each wheel was two-and-a-half feet.

33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all cast metal.

34 There were four supports at the four corners of each trolley; the supports were attached to the trolley itself.

35 In the top of the trolley was a circular support ten-and-a-half inches high, and the trolley’s corner-posts and panels were attached to its top.

36 On the sides of the panels and on its corners he carvedk’ruvim, lions and palm trees, according to the amount of space each required, with wreaths surrounding.

37 According to this design he made the ten trolleys; all of them were cast from a single mold, so that they had the same size and shape.

38 He made ten bronze basins; each basin’s capacity was 220 gallons and had a diameter of seven feet; there was a basin for each of the ten trolleys.

39 He arranged five of the trolleys on the right side of the house and five on the left side. The Sea he placed on the right side of the house, toward the southeast.

40 Hiram made the ash pots, shovels and sprinkling basins. With that, Hiram completed all the work he had done for King Shlomo in the house ofAdonai—

41 the two columns, the two moldings of the capitals on top of the columns, the two nettings covering the two moldings of the capitals atop the columns,

42 the 400 pomegranates for the two nettings, two rows of pomegranates for each netting, to cover the two moldings of the capitals atop the columns,

43 the ten trolleys, the ten basins on the trolleys,

44 the one Sea, the twelve oxen under the Sea,

45 the ash pots, the shovels and the sprinkling basins. All these articles that Hiram made for King Shlomo in the house ofAdonaiwere of burnished bronze.

46 The king cast them in the plain of the Yarden, in the clay ground between Sukkot and Tzartan.

47 Shlomo did not weigh any of these objects, because there were so many of them; thus the total weight of the bronze could not be determined.

48 Shlomo made all the objects that were inside the house ofAdonai: the gold altar; the table of gold on which the showbread was displayed;

49 themenorahs — five on the right and five on the left in front of the sanctuary — of pure gold; the flowers, lamps and tongs of gold;

50 the cups, snuffers, basins, incense pans and fire pans of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both those for the doors of the inner house, the Especially Holy Place, and those for the doors of the house, that is, of the temple.

51 Thus all the work that King Shlomo did in the house ofAdonaiwas finished. After this, Shlomo brought in the gifts which David his father had dedicated — the silver, the gold and the utensils — and put them in the treasuries of the house ofAdonai.

1 Then Shlomo assembled all the leaders of Isra’el, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the paternal clans of the people of Isra’el, to King Shlomo in Yerushalayim, to bring the ark for the covenant ofAdonaiout of the City of David, also known as Tziyon.

2 All the men of Isra’el assembled before King Shlomo at the festival in the month of Etanim, the seventh month.

3 All the leaders of Isra’el came. Thecohanimtook the ark

4 and brought up the ark ofAdonai, the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils that were in the tent; these are what thecohanimandL’vi’imbrought up.

5 King Shlomo and the whole community of Isra’el assembled in his presence were with him in front of the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen in numbers beyond counting or recording.

6 Thecohanimbrought the ark for the covenant ofAdonaiin to its place inside the sanctuary of the house, to the Especially Holy Place, under the wings of thek’ruvim.

7 For thek’ruvimspread out their wings over the place for the ark, covering the ark and its poles from above.

8 The poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside; they are there to this day.

9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moshe put there at Horev, whenAdonaimade the covenant with the people of Isra’el at the time of their leaving the land of Egypt.

10 When thecohanimcame out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house ofAdonai,

11 so that, because of the cloud, thecohanimcould not stand up to perform their service; for the glory ofAdonaifilled the house ofAdonai.

12 Shlomo said, “Adonaisaid he would live in thick darkness.

13 But I have built you a magnificent house, a place where you can live forever.”

14 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole community of Isra’el. The whole community of Isra’el stood

15 as he said: “Blessed beAdonai, the God of Isra’el, who spoke to my father David with his mouth and fulfilled his promise with his hand. He said,

16 ‘Since the day I brought my people Isra’el out of Egypt, I chose no city from any of the tribes of Isra’el in which to build a house, so that my name might be there; but I did choose David to be over my people Isra’el.’

17 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name ofAdonaithe God of Isra’el;

18 butAdonaisaid to David my father, ‘Although it was in your heart to build a house for my name, and you did well that it was in your heart,

19 nevertheless you will not build the house. Rather, you will father a son, and it will be he who will build the house for my name.’

20 NowAdonaihas fulfilled this spoken word of his; for I have succeeded my father and sit on the throne of Isra’el, asAdonaipromised; and I have built the house for the name ofAdonaithe God of Isra’el.

21 And there I have made a place for the ark containing the covenant ofAdonai, which he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

22 Then Shlomo stood before the altar ofAdonaiin the presence of the whole community of Isra’el, spread out his hands toward heaven,

23 and said, “Adonai, God of Isra’el, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep covenant with your servants and show them grace, provided they live in your presence with all their heart.

24 You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father; you spoke with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand; so it is today.

25 Now therefore,Adonai, God of Isra’el, keep what you promised to your servant David, my father, when you said, ‘You will never lack a man in my presence to sit on the throne of Isra’el, if only your children are careful about what they do, so that they live in my presence, just as you have lived in my presence.’

26 Now therefore, God of Isra’el, please let your word, which you spoke to your servant David, my father, be confirmed.

27 “But can God actually live on the earth? Why, heaven itself, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain you; so how much less this house I have built?

28 Even so,Adonaimy God, pay attention to your servant’s prayer and plea, listen to the cry and prayer that your servant is praying before you today,

29 that your eyes will be open toward this house night and day — toward the place concerning which you said, ‘My name will be there’ — to listen to the prayer your servant will pray toward this place.

30 Yes, listen to the plea of your servant, and also that of your people Isra’el when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven where you live; and when you hear, forgive!

31 “If a person sins against a fellow member of the community, and he is made to swear under oath, and he comes and swears before your altar in this house;

32 then hear in heaven, act, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, so that his way of life devolves on his own head, and vindicating the one who is right, giving him what his righteousness deserves.

33 “When your people Isra’el sin against you and in consequence are defeated by an enemy; then if they turn back to you, acknowledge your name, and pray and make their plea to you in this house;

34 hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Isra’el, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

35 “When they sin against you, and in consequence the sky is shut, so that there is no rain; then, if they pray toward this place, acknowledge your name and turn from their sin when you have brought them low;

36 hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Isra’el — since you keep teaching them the good way by which they should live — and send down rain on your land, which you have given your people as their inheritance.

37 “If there is famine in the land, or blight, windstorm, mildew, locusts or shearer-worms; or if their enemy comes to the land and besieges them in any of their cities — no matter what kind of plague or sickness it is;

38 then, regardless of what prayer or plea anyone among all your people Isra’el makes — for each individual will know what is plagueing his own conscience — and the person spreads out his hands toward this house;

39 hear in heaven where you live, and forgive, and act, and, since you know what is in each one’s heart, give each person what his conduct deserves (because you, and only you, know all human hearts),

40 so that they will fear you throughout the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.

41 “Also the foreigner who does not belong to your people Isra’el — when he comes from a distant country because of your reputation

42 (for they will hear of your great reputation, your mighty hand and your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house;

43 then hear in heaven where you live, and act in accordance with everything about which the foreigner is calling to you; so that all the peoples of the earth will know your name and fear you, as does your people Isra’el, and so that they will know that this house which I have built bears your name.

44 “If your people go out to fight against their enemy, no matter by which way you send them, and they pray toAdonaitoward the city you chose, toward the house I built for your name;

45 then, in heaven, hear their prayer and plea, and uphold their cause.

46 “If they sin against you — for there is no one who doesn’t sin — and you are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy, so that they carry them off captive to the land of their enemy, whether far away or nearby;

47 then, if they come to their senses in the land where they have been carried away captive, turn back and make their plea to you in the land of those who carried them off captive, saying, ‘We sinned, we acted wrongly, we behaved wickedly,’

48 if, in the land of their enemies who carried them off captive, they return to you with all their heart and being and pray to you toward their own land, which you gave to their ancestors, toward the city you chose and toward the house I have built for your name;

49 then, in heaven where you live, hear their prayer and plea, uphold their cause,

50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you — forgive their transgressions which they have committed against you, and give them compassion in the sight of their captors, so that they will show compassion toward them;

51 for they are your people, your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of the flames of the iron furnace.

52 “May your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Isra’el, so that you will hear them whenever they cry out to you.

53 For you made a distinction between them and all the peoples of the earth by making them your inheritance, as you said through Moshe your servant when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt,AdonaiElohim.”

54 When Shlomo had finished praying all this prayer and plea toAdonai, he got up from in front of the altar ofAdonai, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven,

55 stood up, and raised his voice to bless the whole community of Isra’el. He said,

56 “Blessed beAdonai, who has given rest to his people Isra’el, in accordance with everything he promised. Not one word has failed of his good promise, which he made through Moshe his servant.

57 MayAdonaiour God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us.

58 In this way he will incline our hearts toward him, so that we will live according to his ways and observe hismitzvot, laws and rulings which he ordered our fathers to obey.

59 May these words of mine, which I have used in my plea beforeAdonai, be present withAdonaiour God day and night, so that he will uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Isra’el day by day.

60 Then all the peoples of the earth will know thatAdonaiis God; there is no other.

61 So be wholehearted withAdonaiour God, living by his laws and observing hismitzvot, as you are doing today.”

62 Then the king, together with all Isra’el, offered sacrifices beforeAdonai.

63 For the sacrifice of peace offerings which Shlomo offered toAdonai, he offered 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. Thus the king and all the people of Isra’el dedicated the house ofAdonai.

64 The same day, the king consecrated the center of the courtyard in front of the house ofAdonai, because he had to offer the burnt offering, the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings there. For the bronze altar beforeAdonaiwas too small to receive the burnt offering, the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings.

65 So Shlomo celebrated the festival at that time. All Isra’el, a huge gathering [that had come all the way] from the entrance of Hamat to theVadi[of Egypt], celebrated with him beforeAdonaiour God for seven days and then for seven more days — fourteen days in all.

66 On the eighth day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and returned to their tents full of joy and glad of heart for all the goodnessAdonaihad shown to David his servant and to Isra’el his people.

1 After Shlomo had finished building the house ofAdonai, the royal palace and everything else he wanted to build for himself,

2 Adonaiappeared to Shlomo a second time, as he had appeared to him in Giv‘on.

3 Adonaisaid to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea that you made before me: I am consecrating this house which you built and placing my name there forever; my eyes and heart will always be there.

4 As for you, if you will live in my presence, as did David your father, in pureness of heart and uprightness, doing everything I have ordered you to do, and observing my laws and rulings;

5 then I will establish the throne of your rulership over Isra’el forever, just as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You will never lack a man on the throne of Isra’el.’

6 But if you turn away from following me, you or your children, and do not observe mymitzvotand regulations which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, worshipping them;

7 then I will cut off Isra’el from the land I have given them. This house, which I consecrated for my name, I will eject from my sight; and Isra’el will become an example to avoid and an object of scorn among all peoples.

8 This house, now so exalted — everyone passing by will gasp in shock at the sight of it and will ask, ‘Why hasAdonaidone this to this land and to this house?’

9 But the answer will be, ‘It’s because they abandonedAdonaitheir God, who brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and took hold of other gods, worshipping and serving them; this is whyAdonaibrought all these calamities on them.’”

10 At the end of twenty years, during which time Shlomo had built the two buildings, the house ofAdonaiand the royal palace,

11 King Shlomo gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of the Galil (recall that Hiram the king of Tzor had supplied Shlomo with cedar and cypress logs and with all the gold Shlomo wanted).

12 Hiram came over from Tzor to see the cities Shlomo had given him, but he was not satisfied with them.

13 He said, “What kind of cities are these which you have given me, my brother?” So they have been called the land of Kabul [good for nothing] till this day.

14 (Hiram had sent the king four tons of gold.)

15 Following is the account of the forced labor levied by King Shlomo for building the house ofAdonai, his own palace, the Millo, the wall of Yerushalayim, and the cities of Hatzor, Megiddo and Gezer.

16 Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, taken Gezer, burned it to the ground and killed the Kena‘ani living in the city; then he had given it as a dowry for his daughter, Shlomo’s wife.

17 So Shlomo rebuilt Gezer; he also built Lower Beit-Horon,

18 Ba‘alat, Tadmor in the desert, in the land,

19 as well as all the cities that Shlomo had for storing supplies, the cities for his chariots, the cities for his horsemen, and the other buildings Shlomo wanted to build for himself in Yerushalayim, in the L’vanon and throughout the land he ruled.

20 All the people still left from the Emori, Hitti, P’rizi, Hivi, and Y’vusi, who were not part of the people of Isra’el,

21 that is, their descendants remaining after them in the land, whom the people of Isra’el were not able to destroy completely — from them Shlomo levied his forced laborers; as it is to this day.

22 But Shlomo did not raise any of his forced labor from the people of Isra’el; rather, they were the soldiers, his servants, administrators and commanders, and the officials in charge of his chariots and horsemen.

23 There were 550 chief officers over Shlomo’s work, in charge of the workers.

24 Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the City of David to her house, which Shlomo had built for her. After that he built the Millo.

25 Three times a year Shlomo offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he had built forAdonai, offering incense with them on the altar beforeAdonai. So he finished the house.

26 King Shlomo built a fleet of ships in ‘Etzyon-Gever, by Elot on the shore of the Sea of Suf in the land of Edom.

27 Hiram sent some of his own servants, experienced sailors who understood the sea, to serve with Shlomo’s servants.

28 They went to Ofir and took from there gold, fourteen tons of it, which they brought back to King Shlomo.

1 When the queen of Sh’va heard what was being said about Shlomo because of the name ofAdonai, she came to test him with difficult questions.

2 She arrived in Yerushalayim accompanied by a very great retinue, including camels bearing spices and gold in great abundance, and precious stones. When she appeared before Shlomo she spoke with him about everything on her heart,

3 and Shlomo answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.

4 After the queen of Sh’va had seen all Shlomo’s wisdom, the palace he had built,

5 the food at his table, the manner of seating his officials, the manner in which his staff served him, how they were dressed, his personal servants and his burnt offering which he offered in the house ofAdonai, it left her breathless.

6 She said to the king, “What I heard in my own country about your deeds and your wisdom is true,

7 but I couldn’t believe the report until I came and saw for myself. Actually, they didn’t tell me even the half of it — your wisdom and prosperity surpass the reports I heard.

8 How happy your people must be, how happy these servants of yours who are always here attending you and get to hear your wisdom!

9 Blessed beAdonaiyour God, who took pleasure in you to put you on the throne of Isra’el. Because ofAdonai’s eternal love for Isra’el, he has made you king, to administer judgment and justice fairly.”

10 Then she gave the king four tons of gold, a huge amount of spices, and precious stones; never again did there arrive such an abundance of spices as those the queen of Sh’va gave to King Shlomo.

11 Hiram’s fleet which had brought gold from Ofir now brought in from Ofir a large quantity of sandalwood and precious stones.

12 The king used the sandalwood to make columns for the house ofAdonaiand for the royal palace, and also lyres and lutes for the singers. No sandalwood like it has come or been seen to this day.

13 King Shlomo gave the queen of Sh’va everything she wanted, whatever she asked, in addition to the presents he gave her on his own initiative. After this, she returned and went back to her own country, she and her servants.

14 The weight of the gold Shlomo received annually came to twenty-two tons of gold,

15 besides that which came from sales taxes, customs duties and assessments collected by all the kings of the mixed peoples and by the district governors.

16 King Shlomo made 200 large shields of hammered gold; fifteen pounds of gold went into one shield.

17 He made 300 more shields of hammered gold, with three-and-three-quarters pounds going into one shield; the king put these in the House of the L’vanon Forest.

18 The king also made a large throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold.

19 The throne had six steps, a back with a rounded top, arms on either side of the seat, two lions standing beside the arms,

20 and twelve more lions standing on each side of the six steps. Nothing like it had ever been made in any kingdom.

21 All King Shlomo’s drinking vessels were of gold; and all the utensils in the House of the L’vanon Forest were of pure gold; none was of silver, for in Shlomo’s time it was regarded as having little value.

22 The king had a fleet of large “Tarshish” ships along with Hiram’s fleet; once every three years the “Tarshish” fleet came in, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks.

23 So King Shlomo surpassed all the kings on earth in both wealth and wisdom.

24 All the earth sought to have an audience with Shlomo, in order to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

25 Each one brought his present — articles of silver, articles of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses and mules; and this continued year after year.

26 Shlomo amassed chariots and horsemen; he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen; he assigned them to the chariot cities and to the king in Yerushalayim.

27 The king made silver in Yerushalayim as common as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as sycamore-fig trees are in the Sh’felah.

28 Shlomo’s horses had been brought from Egypt and from Keveh, with the king’s agents having bought them from the dealers in Keveh at the going price.

29 A chariot from Egypt cost fifteen pounds of silvershekels and a horse three-and-three quarters pounds [ofshekels]; all the kings of the Hittim and the kings of Aram purchased them at these prices through Shlomo’s agents.