June 12 (1 Kings 10:1–11:43; 2 Chronicles 1:14–17; 9:1–31)

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her. She said to the king. The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came, and my own eyes had seen it.

And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard. Happy are your men. Happy are your servants who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom. Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.

Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of Almog wood and precious stones. And the king made of the Albuchwood supports for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, also lyres and harps for the singers.

No such Almog wood has come or been seen to this day. And King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servant.

Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants. And from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land. King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. and he made three hundred shields of beaten gold. Three miners of gold went into each shield.

And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. The king also made a great ivory throne, and overlaid it with the finished gold. The throne had six steps. And the throne had a round top, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests. While twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the sixth step. The like of it was never made in any kingdom.

All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarsus at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year, And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone.

And he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephila. And Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Kiwi, and the king's traders received them from Kiwi at a price. A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. And so through the king's traitors they were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh. Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you. For surely they will turn away your heart after their God. Solomon clung to these in love. He had seven hundred wives who were princesses, and three hundred concubines.

And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Astareth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not wholly follow the Lord as David his father had done.

Then Solomon built a high place for Kemosh, the abomination of Moab, and for Molech, the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods, but he did not keep what the Lord commanded. Therefore, the Lord said to Solomon, Since this has been your practice, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father, I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David, my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.

And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the royal house in Edom. For when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, He struck down every male in Edom. But Joab and all Israel remained there six months until he had cut off every male in Edom. But Hadad fled to Egypt, together with certain Edomites of his father's servants, Hadad still being a little child. They set out from Midian and came to Peraan.

and took men with them from Pharan, and came to Egypt, the Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and assigned him an allowance of food, and gave him land, And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Topanes, the queen. And the sister of Topenes bore him Ganubath, his son, whom Topnes weaned in Pharaoh's house.

And Ganubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh. But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart that I may go to my own country. But Pharaoh said to him, What have you lacked with me that you are now seeking to go to your own country? And he said to him, Only let me depart.

God also raised up as an adversary to him Rezan, the son of Elida, who had fled from his master Hadad Ezar, King of Zobah. And he gathered men about him and became leader of a marauding band after the killing by David. And they went to Damascus and lived there, and made him king in Damascus. He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, doing harm as Hadad did, and he loathed Israel and reigned over Syria.

Jeroboam the son of Nebat an Ephraimite of Zaradah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zaruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built the Milo and closed up the breach of the city of David his father. The man Jerobam was very able, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.

And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah, the Shadow Knight, found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord the God of Israel. Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and will give you ten tribes.

But he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem. The city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, because they have forsaken me. And worship Astaroth. The goddess of the Sidonians. Kemosh, the god of Moab, and Milcom, the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight, and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did.

Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David, my servant, whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes. But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it to you, ten tribes. yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name.

And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes, by keeping my statutes and my commandments. As David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.

Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak, king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. Now the rest of the Acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the Acts of Solomon? And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father, and Reoboam his son reigned in his place.

A reading from the book of Second Chronicles. Solomon gathered together chariots and horses. He had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shepheli. And Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Kui, and the king's traders would buy them from Kui for a price.

They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty. Likewise through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria. The Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon. She came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. having a very great retinue, and camels bearing spices, and very much gold and precious stone,

And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind, and Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her. And when the Queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, The food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendants of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord.

there was no more breath in her. She said to the king, The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom. But I did not believe the reports until I came, and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You surpassed the report that I heard. Happy are your men. Happy are these your servants who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom.

Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God. Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness. Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. There were no spices such as those that the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. And the king made from the algam wood supports for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.

And King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty six talents of gold, besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.

King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of beaten gold went into each shield. And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold. Three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. The throne had six steps.

and a footstool of gold, which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were armrests, and two lions standing beside the armrests. while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom. All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.

For the king's ships went to Tarshus with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshus used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.

every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. And Solomon he had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.

And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephalah. And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands. Now the rest of the Acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shalonite? And in the visions of Ido, the seer, concerning Jerob, the son of Nebat.

Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Reoborn his son reigned in his place.