The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And Solomon kept the solemnity at that time seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entrance of Emath to the torrent of Egypt.

And he made on the eighth day a solemn assembly, because he had kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and had celebrated the solemnity seven days.

So on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent away the people to their dwellings, joyful and glad for the good that the Lord had done to David, and to Solomon, and to all Israel his people.

And Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all that he had designed in his heart to do, in the house of the Lord, and in his own house, and he prospered.

And the Lord appeared to him by night, and said: I have heard thy prayer, and I have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.

If I shut up heaven, and there fall no rain, or if I give orders, and command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people:

And my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.

My eyes also shall be open, and my ears attentive to the prayer of him that shall pray in this place.

For I have chosen, and have sanctified this place, that my name may be there for ever, and my eyes and my heart may remain there perpetually.

And as for thee, if thou walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and keep my justices and my judgments:

I will raise up the throne of thy kingdom, as I promised to David thy father, saying: There shall not fail thee a man of thy stock to be ruler in Israel.

But if you turn away, and forsake my justices, and my commandments which I have set before you, and shall go and serve strange gods, and adore them,

I will pluck you up by the root out of my land which I have given you: and this house which I have sanctified to my name, I will cast away from before my face, and will make it a byword, and an example among all nations.

And this house shall be for a proverb to all that pass by, and they shall be astonished and say: Why hath the Lord done thus to this land, and to this house?

And they shall answer: Because they forsook the Lord the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on strange gods, and adored them, and worshipped them: therefore all these evils are come upon them.

And at the end of twenty years after Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house:

He built the cities which Hiram had given to Solomon, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

He went also into Emath Suba, and possessed it.

And he built Palmira in the desert, and he built other strong cities in Emath.

And he built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether, walled cities with gates and bars and locks.

Balaath also and all the strong cities that were Solomon's, and all the cities of the chariots, and the cities of the horsemen. All that Solomon had a mind, and designed, he built in Jerusalem and in Libanus, and in all the land of his dominion.

All the people that were left of the Hethites, and the Amorrhites, and the Pherezites, and the Hevites, and the Jebusites, that were not of the stock of Israel:

Of their children, and of the posterity, whom the children of Israel had not slain, Solomon made to be the tributaries, unto this day.

But of the children of Israel he set none to serve in the king's works: for they were men of war, and chief captains, and rulers of his chariots and horsemen.

And all the chief captains of king Solomon's army were two hundred and fifty, who taught the people.

And he removed the daughter of Pharao from the city of David, to the house which he had built for her. For the king said: My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, for it is sanctified: because the ark of the Lord came into it.

Then Solomon offered holocausts to the Lord upon the altar of the Lord which he had built before the porch,

That every day an offering might be made on it according to the ordinance of Moses, in the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the festival days three times a year, that is to say, in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.

And he appointed according to the order of David his father the offices of the priests in their ministries: and the Levites in their order to give praise, and minister before the priests according to the duty of every day: and the porters in their divisions by gate and gate: for so David the man of God had commanded.

And the priests and Levites departed not from the king's commandments, as to any thing that he had commanded, and as to the keeping of the treasures.

Solomon had all charges prepared, from the day that he founded the house of the Lord, until the day wherein he finished it.

Then Solomon went to Asiongaber, and to Ailath, on the coast of the Red Sea, which is in the land of Edom.

And Hiram sent him ships by the hands of his servants, and skilful mariners, and they went with Solomon's servants to Ophir, and they took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought it to king Solomon.

And when the queen of Saba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to try him with hard questions at Jerusalem, with great riches, and camels, which carried spices, and abundance of gold, and precious stones. And when she was come to Solomon, she proposed to him all that was in her heart.

And Solomon explained to her all that she proposed: and there was not any thing that he did not make clear unto her.

And when she had seen these things, to wit, the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had built,

And the meats of his table, and the dwelling places of his servants, and the attendance of his officers, and their apparel, his cupbearers also, and their garments, and the victims which he offered in the house of the Lord: there was no more spirit in her, she was so astonished.

And she said to the king: The word is true which I heard in my country of thy virtues and wisdom.

I did not believe them that told it, until I came, and my eyes had seen, and I had proved that scarce one half of thy wisdom had been told me: thou hast exceeded the same with thy virtues.

Happy are thy men, and happy are thy servants, who stand always before thee, and hear thy wisdom.

Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath been pleased to set thee on his throne, king of the Lord thy God. Because God loveth Israel, and will preserve them forever: therefore hath he made thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.

And she gave to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and most precious stones: there were no such spices as these which the queen of Saba gave to king Solomon.

And the servants also of Hiram, with the servants of Solomon, brought gold from Ophir, and thyine trees, and most precious stones:

And the king made of the thyine trees stairs in the house of the Lord, and in the king's house, and harps and psalteries for the singing men: never were there seen such trees in the land of Juda.

And king Solomon gave to the queen of Saba all that she desired, and that she asked, and many more things than she brought to him: so she returned, and went to her own country with her servants.

And the weight of the gold, that was brought to Solomon every year, was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold:

Beside the sum which the deputies of divers nations, and the merchants were accustomed to bring, and all the kings of Arabia, and the lords of the lands, who brought gold and silver to Solomon.

And king Solomon made two hundred golden spears, of the sum of six hundred pieces of gold, which went to every spear:

And three hundred golden shields of three hundred pieces of gold, which went to the covering of every shield: and the king put them in the armoury, which was compassed with a wood.

The king also made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.

And six steps to go up to the throne, and a footstool of gold, and two arms one on either side, and two lions standing by the arms:

Moreover twelve other little lions standing upon the steps on both sides: there was not such a throne in any kingdom.

And all the vessels of the king's table were of gold, and the vessels of the house of the forest of Libanus were of the purest gold. For no account was made of silver in those days.

For the king's ships went to Tharsis with the servants of Hiram, once in three years: and they brought thence gold and silver, and ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

And Solomon was magnified above all the kings of the earth for riches and glory.

And all the kings of the earth desired to see the face of Solomon, that they might hear the wisdom which God had given in his heart.

And every year they brought him presents, vessels of silver and of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, and horses, and mules.

And Solomon had forty thousand horses in the stables, and twelve thousand chariots, and horsemen, and he placed them in the cities of the chariots and where the king was in Jerusalem.

And he exercised authority over all the kings from the river Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, and to the borders of Egypt.

And he made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones: and cedars as common as the sycamores, which grow in the plains.

And horses were brought to him out of Egypt, and out of all countries.

Now the rest of the acts of Solomon first and last are written in the words of Nathan the prophet, and in the books of Ahias the Silonite, and in the vision of Addo the seer, against Jeroboam the son of Nabat.

And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

And he slept with his fathers: and they buried him in the city of David: and Roboam his son reigned in his stead.

And Roboam went to Sichem: for thither all Israel were assembled, to make him king.

And when Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who was in Egypt, (for he was fled thither from Solomon,) heard it, forthwith he returned.

And they sent for him, and he came with all Israel, and they spoke to Roboam, saying:

Thy father oppressed with a most grievous yoke, do thou govern us with a lighter hand than thy father, who laid upon us a heavy servitude, and ease some thing of the burden, that we may serve thee.

And he said to them: Come to me again after three days. And when the people were gone,

He took counsel with the ancients, who had stood before his father Solomon, while he yet lived, saying: What counsel give you to me, that I may answer the people?

And they said to him: If thou please this people, and soothe them with kind words, they will be thy servants for ever.

But he forsook the counsel of the ancients, and began to treat with the young men, that had been brought up with him, and were in his train.

And he said to them: What seemeth good to you? or what shall I answer this people, who have said to me: Ease the yoke which thy father laid upon us?

But they answered as young men, and brought up with him in pleasures, and said: Thus shalt thou speak to the people, that said to thee: Thy father made our yoke heavy, do thou ease it: thus shalt thou answer them: My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father.

My father laid upon you a heavy yoke, and I will add more weight to it: my father beat you with scourges, but I will beat you with scorpions.

So Jeroboam, and all the people came to Roboam the third day, as he commanded them.

And the king answered roughly, leaving the counsel of the ancients.

And he spoke according to the advice of the young men: My father laid upon you a heavy yoke, which I will make heavier: my father beat you with scourges, but I will beat you with scorpions.

And he condescended not to the people's requests: for it was the will of God, that his word might be fulfilled which he had spoken by the hand of Ahias the Silonite to Jeroboam the son of Nabat.

And all the people upon the king's speaking roughly, said thus unto him: We have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Isai. Return to thy dwellings, O Israel, and do thou, O David feed thy own house. And Israel went away to their dwellings.

But Roboam reigned over the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Juda.

And king Roboam sent Aduram, who was over the tributes, and the children of Israel stoned him, and he died: and king Roboam made haste to get up into his chariot, and fled into Jerusalem.

And Israel revolted from the house of David unto this day.

And Roboam came to Jerusalem, and called together all the house of Juda and of Benjamin, a hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men and warriors, to fight against Israel, and to bring back his kingdom to him.

And the word of the Lord came to Semeias the man of God, saying:

Speak to Roboam the son of Solomon the king of Juda, and to all Israel, in Juda and Benjamin:

Thus saith the Lord: You shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: let every man return to his own house, for by my will this thing has been done. And when they heard the word of the Lord, they returned, and did not go against Jeroboam,

And Roboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built walled cities in Juda.

And he built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Thecue,

And Bethsur, and Socho, and Odollam,

And Geth, and Maresa, and Ziph,

And Aduram, and Lachis, and Azecha,

Saraa also, and Aialon, and Hebron, which are in Juda and Benjamin, well fenced cities.

And when he had enclosed them with walls, he put in them governors and storehouses of provisions, that is, of oil and of wine.

Moreover in every city he made an armoury of shields and spears, and he fortified them with great diligence, and he reigned over Juda, and Benjamin,

And the priests and Levites, that were in all Israel, came to him out of all their seats,

Leaving their suburbs, and their possessions, and passing over to Juda, and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off, from executing the priestly office to the Lord.

And he made to himself priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.

Moreover out of all the tribes of Israel, whosoever gave their heart to seek the Lord the God of Israel, came into Jerusalem to sacrifice their victims before the Lord the God of their fathers.

And they strengthened the kingdom of Juda, and established Roboam the son of Solomon for three years: for they walked in the ways of David and of Solomon, only three years.