Solomon's Further Activities

81 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the house of Jehovah and his own house, 2 that the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them and caused the children of Israel to dwell there. 3 And Solomon went to Hamath-Zobah, and overcame it. 4 And he built Tadmor, in the wilderness, and all the store-cities, which he built in Hamath. 5 And he built upper Beth-Horon and lower Beth-Horon, fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars; 6 and Baalath, and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for chariots, and the cities for the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and on Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 7 All the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel had not destroyed, upon them did Solomon impose tribute-service until this day. 9 But of the children of Israel, of them did Solomon make no bondmen for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots and his horsemen. 10 And these were the chief of king Solomon's superintendents, two hundred and fifty, that ruled over the people. 11 And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David to the house which he had built for her; for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the [places] are holy to which the ark of Jehovah has come.

12 Then Solomon offered up burnt-offerings to Jehovah on the altar of Jehovah, which he had built before the porch; 13 even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and at the set feasts, three times in the year,—at the feast of unleavened bread, and at the feast of weeks, and at the feast of tabernacles. 14 And he appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their charges, to praise and serve before the priests, as the duty of every day required; and the doorkeepers by their divisions at every gate: for such was the commandment of David the man of God; 15 and they did not depart from the commandment of the king to the priests and the Levites concerning any matter, nor concerning the treasures. 16 And all the work of Solomon was prepared, to the day of the foundation of the house of Jehovah and to its completion. [So] the house of Jehovah was finished. 17 Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, on the seashore in the land of Edom. 18 And Huram sent him by his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and fetched thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon

91 And the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, and came to Jerusalem to prove Solomon with enigmas; with a very great train, and camels that bore spices and gold in great abundance, and precious stones; and she came to Solomon, and spoke with him of all that was in her heart. 2 And Solomon explained to her all she spoke of, and there was not a thing hidden from Solomon that he did not explain to her. 3 And when the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, 4 and the food of his table, and the deportment of his servants, and the order of service of his attendants and their apparel, and his cupbearers and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of Jehovah, there was no more spirit in her. 5 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine affairs and of thy wisdom; 6 but I gave no credit to their words, until I came and mine eyes had seen; and behold, the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: thou exceedest the report that I heard. 7 Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, who stand continually before thee and hear thy wisdom! 8 Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king to Jehovah thy God! Because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore did he make thee king over them, to do judgment and justice. 9 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in very great abundance, and precious stones; neither was there any such spice as that which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. 10 (And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought sandal-wood and precious stones. 11 And the king made of the sandal-wood stairs for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house, and harps and lutes for the singers. And there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.) 12 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides what she had brought to the king. And she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.

Solomon's Riches and Fame

13 And the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 14 besides [what] dealers and merchants brought, and [what] all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought of gold and silver to Solomon. 15 And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold,—he applied six hundred [shekels] of beaten gold to one target; 16 and three hundred shields of beaten gold,—he applied three hundred [shekels] of gold to one shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 17 And the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold; 18 and the throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold fastened to the throne; and there were arms on each side at the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the arms; 19 and twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom. 20 And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of precious gold: silver was not of the least account in the days of Solomon. 21 For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: once in three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 22 And king Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 24 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and clothing, armour, and spices, horses and mules, a rate year by year. 25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; and he placed them in the chariot-cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. 26 And he ruled over all the kings from the river as far as the land of the Philistines, and up to the border of Egypt. 27 And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he as the sycamores that are in the lowland for abundance. 28 And they brought to Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.

The Death of Solomon

29 And the rest of the acts of Solomon first and last, are they not written in the words of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David his father; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

Israel's Revolt

101 And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 And it came to pass when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (now he was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon) that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. 3 And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam saying, 4 Thy father made our yoke grievous; and now lighten the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee. 5 And he said to them, Come again to me after three days. And the people departed. 6 And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, How do ye advise to return answer to this people? 7 And they spoke to him saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever. 8 But he forsook the advice of the old men which they had given him, and consulted with the young men, who had grown up with him, that stood before him. 9 And he said to them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me saying, Lighten the yoke which thy father put upon us? 10 And the young men that had grown up with him spoke to him saying, Thus shalt thou say to the people who have spoken to thee saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, and lighten thou it for us,—thus shalt thou say to them: My little [finger] is thicker than my father's loins; 11 and whereas my father laid a heavy yoke upon you, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I [will chastise you] with scorpions.

12 And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed saying, Come again to me on the third day. 13 And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the advice of the old men, 14 and spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I [will chastise you] with scorpions. 15 So the king hearkened not to the people; for it was brought about by God, that Jehovah might give effect to his word, which he spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 And all Israel saw that the king hearkened not to them; and the people answered the king saying, What portion have we in David? and [we have] no inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel. Now see to thine own house, David! And all Israel went to their tents. 17 But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 And king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the levy; but the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. And king Rehoboam hastened to mount his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19 And Israel rebelled against the house of David, unto this day.