1 Kings 9
9
1-2After Solomon had completed building The Temple of God and his own palace, all the projects he had set his heart on doing, God appeared to Solomon again, just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
3-5And God said to him, “I’ve listened to and received all your prayers, your ever-so-passionate prayers. I’ve sanctified this Temple that you have built: My Name is stamped on it forever; my eyes are on it and my heart in it always. As for you, if you live in my presence as your father David lived, pure in heart and action, living the life I’ve set out for you, attentively obedient to my guidance and judgments, then I’ll back your kingly rule over Israel, make it a sure thing on a solid foundation. The same guarantee I gave David your father I’m giving you: ‘You can count on always having a descendant on Israel’s throne.’
6-9“But if you or your sons betray me, ignoring my guidance and judgments, taking up with alien gods by serving and worshiping them, then the guarantee is off: I’ll wipe Israel right off the map and repudiate this Temple I’ve just sanctified to honor my Name. And Israel will become nothing but a bad joke among the peoples of the world. And this Temple, splendid as it now is, will become an object of contempt; visitors will shake their heads, saying, ‘Whatever happened here? What’s the story behind these ruins?’ Then they’ll be told, ‘The people who used to live here betrayed their God, the very God who rescued their ancestors from Egypt; they took up with alien gods, worshiping and serving them. That’s what’s behind this God-visited devastation.’”
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10-12At the end of twenty years, having built the two buildings, The Temple of God and his personal palace, Solomon rewarded Hiram king of Tyre with a gift of twenty villages in the district of Galilee. Hiram had provided him with all the cedar and cypress and gold that he had wanted. But when Hiram left Tyre to look over the villages that Solomon had given him, he didn’t like what he saw.
13-14He said, “What kind of reward is this, my friend? Twenty backwoods hick towns!” People still refer to them that way. This is all Hiram got from Solomon in exchange for four and a half tons of gold!
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15This is the work record of the labor force that King Solomon raised to build The Temple of God, his palace, the defense complex (the Millo), the Jerusalem wall, and the fortified cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
16-17a Pharaoh king of Egypt had come up and captured Gezer, torched it, and killed all the Canaanites who lived there. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. So Solomon rebuilt Gezer.
17b-19 He also built Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tamar in the desert, back-country storehouse villages, and villages for chariots and horses. Solomon built widely and extravagantly in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and wherever he fancied.
20-23The remnants from the original inhabitants of the land (Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—all non-Israelites), survivors of the holy wars, were rounded up by Solomon for his gangs of slave labor, a policy still in effect. But true Israelites were not treated this way; they were used in his army and administration—government leaders and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. They were also the project managers responsible for Solomon’s building operations—550 of them in charge of the workforce.
24It was after Pharaoh’s daughter ceremonially ascended from the City of David and took up residence in the house built especially for her that Solomon built the defense complex (the Millo).
25Three times a year Solomon worshiped at the Altar of God, sacrificing Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings, and burning incense in the presence of God. Everything that had to do with The Temple he did generously and well; he didn’t skimp.
26-28And ships! King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, located near Elath in Edom on the Red Sea. Hiram sent seaworthy sailors to assist Solomon’s men with the fleet. They embarked for Ophir, brought back sixteen tons of gold, and presented it to King Solomon.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
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.
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