1 Kings 9
9
The LORD Answers Solomon’s Prayer
(2 Chronicles 7:11–22)
1Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and everything ⌞else⌟ he wanted to build. 2Then the Lord appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him in Gibeon. 3The Lord said to him,
“I have heard your prayer for mercy that you made to me.
I have declared that this temple which you have built is holy
so that my name may be placed there forever.
My eyes and my heart will always be there.
4“If you will be faithful to me as your father David was
(with a sincere and upright heart),
do everything I command,
and keep my laws and rules,
5then I will establish your royal dynasty over Israel forever
as I promised your father David when I said,
‘You will never fail to have an heir on the throne of Israel.’
6But if you and your descendants dare to turn away from me
and do not keep my commands and laws that I gave to you,
and follow and serve other gods and worship them,
7then I will cut Israel out of the land I gave them.
I will reject this temple that I declared holy for my name.
Israel will be an example
and an object of ridicule for all the people of the world.
8Everyone passing by this temple, as impressive as it is, will be appalled.
They will gasp and ask,
‘Why did the Lord do these things to this land and this temple?’
9They will answer ⌞themselves⌟,
‘They abandoned the Lord their God,
who brought their ancestors out of Egypt.
They adopted other gods, worshiped, and served them.
That is why the Lord brought this disaster on them.’ ”
Solomon Completes His Construction
(2 Chronicles 8:1–18)
10It took Solomon 20 years to build the two houses (the Lord’s house and the royal palace). 11⌞When King Solomon had finished,⌟ he gave King Hiram of Tyre 20 cities in Galilee. (Hiram had supplied Solomon with as much cedar and cypress lumber and gold as he wanted.) 12Hiram left Tyre to see the cities Solomon gave him. However, they didn’t please him. 13“What kind of cities have you given me, brother?” he asked. So he named it the region of Cabul [Good for Nothing]. (⌞They’re⌟ still ⌞called⌟ that today.) 14Hiram had sent the king 9,000 pounds of gold.
15This is the record of the forced laborers whom King Solomon drafted to build the Lord’s house, his own house, the Millo,#9:15 The exact place referred to as “the Millo” is unknown. the walls of Jerusalem, and ⌞the cities of⌟ Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16(The king of Egypt captured Gezer, burned it down, and killed the Canaanites living there. Then he gave it to his daughter, Solomon’s wife, as a wedding present.) 17So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth Horon, 18Baalath, Tadmor in the desert (inside the country), and 19all the storage cities that he owned. He also built cities for his chariots, cities for his war horses, and whatever ⌞else⌟ he wanted to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, or the entire territory that he governed.
20The Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites had been left ⌞in the land⌟ because the Israelites had not been able to claim them for God by destroying them.#9:20 “because the Israelites….” This clause from verse 21 (in Hebrew) has been placed in verse 20 to express the complex Hebrew paragraph structure more clearly in English. They were not Israelites, 21but they had descendants who were still in the land. Solomon drafted them for slave labor. (They are still ⌞slaves⌟ today.) 22But Solomon didn’t make any of the Israelites slaves. Instead, they were soldiers, officials, officers, generals, and commanders of his chariot and cavalry units.
23These were the officers in charge of Solomon’s projects: 550 foremen for the people who did the work.
24Pharaoh’s daughter moved from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.
25Three times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he built for the Lord. He burnt them on the altar that was in the Lord’s presence. And he finished the temple.
26King Solomon also built a fleet near the Red Sea coast at Ezion Geber by Elath in Edom. 27Hiram sent his own servants ⌞who were⌟ experienced seamen with the fleet. Along with Solomon’s servants 28they went to Ophir, got 31,500 pounds of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.
Currently Selected:
1 Kings 9: GW
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
1 Kings 9
9
Yahweh’s Challenge to Solomon
1It happened that as Solomon finished the building of the house of Yahweh, the king’s house, and all the things Solomon desired to do, 2Yahweh appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him in Gibeon. 3Yahweh said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house which you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. 4As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, with integrity of heart#Literally “in blamelessness of heart” and with uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep my ordinances and my judgments, 5then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘A man will not be cut off for you from upon the throne of Israel.’
6“If ever you or any of your descendants#Or “children” turn from following me and do not keep my commandments and my ordinances that I have set before you and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, 7then I will cut Israel off from the face of the land that I have given to them, even the house which I have consecrated for my name I will cast away from my face; and Israel shall become a proverb and an object of taunting among all the peoples. 8This house shall become a heap of ruins; all those passing by will be appalled by it and hiss, and they will say, ‘On what account did Yahweh do this to this land and to this house?’ 9And they will say, ‘Because they have forsaken Yahweh their God who brought their ancestors#Or “fathers” out from the land of Egypt and they embraced other gods and bowed down to them and served them. Therefore, Yahweh brought on them all of this disaster.’ ”
Solomon and Hiram Complete Their Agreement
10It happened at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, 11since Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with wood of cedar and with wood of cypresses and with the gold according to all his desire, then King Solomon gave twenty cities in the land of the Galilee to Hiram. 12So Hiram went out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, but they were not right in his eyes. 13So he said, “What are these cities that you have given to me, my brother?” So they are called the land of Cabul until this day.#Literally “So he called them the land of Cabul up to this day” 14Then Hiram sent to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold.
Solomon’s Accomplishments
15This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon conscripted to build the house of Yahweh and his house, the Millo, the walls of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had gone up and captured Gezer and burnt it with fire. He had also killed the Canaanites who were living in the city and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, the wife of Solomon. 17Solomon rebuilt Gezer and Lower Beth-Horon, 18as well as Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness in the land; 19and he also built all of the storage cities which were Solomon’s, the cities for the chariots, the cities for the cavalry, and all of Solomon’s desire that he wanted#Or “desired” to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his dominion.
20All of the people who were remaining from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites who were not of the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” 21their children who remained after them in the land, whom the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” were not able to completely destroy, Solomon conscripted them for forced labor, until this very day. 22But from the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” Solomon did not make a slave, but they were the men of war, his officers, his commanders, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and his cavalry. 23These were the commanders of the overseers who were over the work for Solomon, five hundred and fifty, ruling over the people doing the work.
24As soon as the daughter of Pharaoh went up from the city of David to her house which he#That is, Solomon built for her, then he built the Millo.
25Solomon sacrificed three times a year: burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar that he had built to Yahweh, and he offered incense with it before Yahweh; and so he completed the house.
26King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion-Geber which is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea#Literally “sea of reed” in the land of Edom. 27Hiram sent his servants with the fleet of ships, sailors#Literally “men of ships” who knew the sea, with the servants of Solomon. 28They went to Ophir and imported from there four hundred and twenty talents of gold, and they brought it to King Solomon.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software