¶ Solomon's Kingdom and Officials
A reading from the book of First Kings. King Solomon was king over all Israel, and these were his high officials. Ahazariah, the son of Zadok was the priest. Elihorf and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries. Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder. Beniah, the son of Jehoida, was in command of the army. Zadok and Abathar were priests. Azariah, the son of Nathan, was over the officers. Zabud, the son of Nathan, was priest and king's friend. Ahishar was in charge of the palace.
And Adoniram, the son of Abda, was in charge of the forced labor. Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provisions for one month in the year. These were their names. Ben-Hur, in the hill country of Ephraim. Ben Decker in MACAD. Shealbim, Beshemesh, and Ilan Bethan, Ben Hazed in Arubat, to him belongs Soko and all the land of Hepha. Bin Abenadab, in all Nafath Dor, he had Tafath, the daughter of Solomon as his wife.
Begiddo, and all Bethshan, that is beside Zabathan, below Jezreel, and from Beshan to Abel Mehola, as far as the other side of Jochmiam. Ben Geber in Ramoth Gilead. He had the villages of Jair, the son of Manessah, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan. sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars. Ahinadab, the son of Ido, in Mahanaim. Ahimaaz in Naphtali. He had taken Basimoth, the daughter of Solomon, as his wife.
Bayanah, the son of Hushai, in Asher and Beelah. Jehoshaphat, the son of Parua, in Isakar. Geba, the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, King of Bashan. And there was one governor who was over the land.
¶ Solomon's Prosperity and Wisdom
Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cores of fine flour and sixty cores of meal. ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebux, and fattened fowls.
For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates, from Tipsa to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates, and he had peace on all sides around him. And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree all the days of Solomon. Solomon also had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
And those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon's table, each one in his month. They let nothing be lacking. Barley also and straw for the horses, and swift steeds they brought to the place where it was required, each according to his duty.
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite, and Hebon. Kalko, and Darter, the sons of Meho, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.
He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
¶ Alliance for Temple Construction (1 Kings)
Now Hiron, King of Tyre, sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father. For Hiron always loved David. And Solomon sent word to Hiram. You know that David, my father, could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God, because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune.
And so I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to David my father, your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place. shall build the house for my name. Now therefore command that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. And my servants will join your servants, and I will pay you for your servants such wages as you set, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonian.
As soon as Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said Blessed be the Lord this day, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people. And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard the message that you have sent to me. I am ready to do all you desire in the matter of cedar and cypress timber. My servants shall bring it down to the sea from Lebanon, and I will make it into rafts to go by sea to the place you direct.
And I will have them broken up there, and you shall receive it, and you shall meet my wishes by providing food for my household. So Hyron supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired, while Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cores of wheat as food for his household. And twenty thousand cores of beaten oil.
Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year, and the Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he promised him, and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty. King Solomon drafted forced labor out of all Israel, and the draught numbered thirty thousand men, and he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shift. They would be a month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adeniram was in charge of the draft. Solomon also had seventy thousand burden bearers.
and eighty thousand stone cutters in the hill country, besides Solomon's three thousand three hundred chief officers who were over the work, who had charge of the people who carried on the work. At the king's command they quarried out great costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dress stone. So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the men of Gibal did the cutting and prepared the timber and the stone to build the house.
¶ Temple Plans and Skilled Labor (2 Chronicles)
A reading from the book of Second Chronicles. Purpose to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself. And Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand to quarry in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them. And Solomon sent word to Hiram, the king of Tyre. As you dealt with David, my father, and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.
Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God. and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense, of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread. And for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons, and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him? Except as a place to make offerings before him? So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants, to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful. I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand cores of crushed wheat, twenty thousand cores of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine. And twenty thousand baths of oil.
Then Hiron, the king of Tyre, answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them. Haram also says Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth. Who has given King David a wise son? Who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself? Now I have sent a skilled man who has understanding, who rambi.
the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen. and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him with your craftsman, the craftsman of my Lord, David your father. Now therefore, the wheat and barley, oil and wine of which my Lord has spoken, let him send to his servants.
and we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon, and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem. Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the censors of them that David his father had taken, and there were found one hundred and fifty three thousand six hundred.
Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred as overseers to make the peace.