The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And Benaiah came to the Tabernacle of the Lord, and sayd vnto him, Thus sayth the King, Come out. And he sayde, Nay, but I will die here. Then Benaiah brought the King worde againe, saying, Thus sayd Ioab, and thus he answered me.

And the King sayde vnto him, Doe as he hath sayd, and smite him, and bury him, that thou mayest take away the blood, which Ioab shed causelesse, from me and from the house of my father.

And the Lord shall bring his blood vpon his owne head: for he smote two men more righteous and better then he, and slew them with the sword, and my father Dauid knew not: to wit, Abner the sonne of Ner, captaine of the hoste of Israel, and Amasa the sonne of Iether captaine of the hoste of Iudah.

Their blood shall therefore returne vpon the head of Ioab, and on the head of his seede for euer: but vpon Dauid, and vpon his seede, and vpon his house, and vpon his throne shall there be peace for euer from the Lord.

So Benaiah the sonne of Iehoiada went vp, and smote him, and slewe him, and he was buryed in his owne house in the wildernesse.

And the King put Benaiah the sonne of Iehoiada in his roume ouer the hoste: and the King set Zadok the Priest in the roume of Abiathar.

Afterwarde the King sent, and called Shimei, and sayde vnto him, Buylde thee an house in Ierusalem, and dwell there, and depart not thence any whither.

For that day that thou goest out, and passest ouer the riuer of Kidron, knowe assuredly, that thou shalt dye the death: thy blood shall be vpon thine owne head.

And Shimei sayd vnto the King, The thing is good: as my lord the King hath sayd, so wil thy seruant doe. So Shimei dwelt in Ierusalem many dayes.

And after three yeres two of the seruants of Shimei fled away vnto Achish sonne of Maachah King of Gath: and they tolde Shimei, saying, Behold, thy seruants be in Gath.

And Shimei arose, and sadled his asse, and went to Gath to Achish, to seeke his seruantes: and Shimei went, and brought his seruants from Gath.

And it was tolde Salomon, that Shimei had gone from Ierusalem to Gath, and was come againe.

And the King sent and called Shimei, and sayde vnto him, Did I not make thee to sweare by the Lord, and protested vnto thee, saying, That day that thou goest out, and walkest any whither, knowe assuredly that thou shalt dye the death? And thou saydest vnto mee, The thing is good, that I haue heard.

Why then hast thou not kept the othe of the Lord, and the commandement wherewith I charged thee?

The King sayde also to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickednes whereunto thine heart is priuie, that thou diddest to Dauid my father: the Lord therefore shall bring thy wickednesse vpon thine owne head.

And let King Salomon be blessed, and the throne of Dauid stablished before the Lord for euer.

So the King comanded Benaiah the sonne of Iehoiada: who went out and smote him that he dyed. And the kingdome was established in the hand of Salomon.

Salomon then made affinitie with Pharaoh King of Egypt, and tooke Pharaohs daughter, and brought her into the citie of Dauid, vntill hee had made an ende of buylding his owne house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Ierusalem round about.

Only the people sacrificed in the hie places, because there was no house buylt vnto the name of the Lord, vntill those dayes.

And Salomon loued the Lord, walking in the ordinances of Dauid his father: onely he sacrificed and offred incense in the hie places.

And the King went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the chiefe hie place: a thousand burnt offrings did Salomon offer vpon that altar.

In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Salomon in a dreame by night: and God sayd, Aske what I shall giue thee.

And Salomon sayd, Thou hast shewed vnto thy seruant Dauid my father great mercie, when hee walked before thee in trueth, and in righteousnesse, and in vprightnes of heart with thee: and thou hast kept for him this great mercie, and hast giuen him a sonne, to sit on his throne, as appeareth this day.

And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy seruant King in steade of Dauid my father: and I am but a yong childe, and know not howe to go out and in.

And thy seruant is in the mids of thy people, which thou hast chosen, euen a great people which cannot be told nor nobred for multitude.

Giue therefore vnto thy seruant an vnderstanding heart, to iudge thy people, that I may discerne betweene good and bad: for who is able to iudge this thy mightie people?

And this pleased the Lord well, that Salomon had desired this thing.

And God sayde vnto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thy selfe long life, neyther hast asked riches for thy selfe, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thy selfe vnderstanding to heare iudgement,

Beholde, I haue done according to thy wordes: lo, I haue giuen thee a wise and an vnderstanding heart, so that there hath bene none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall arise the like vnto thee.

And I haue also giuen thee that, which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour, so that among the Kings there shall be none like vnto thee all thy dayes.

And if thou wilt walke in my wayes, to keepe mine ordinances and my commandements, as thy father Dauid did walke, I will prolong thy dayes.

And when Salomon awoke, behold, it was a dreame, and he came to Ierusalem, and stoode before the Arke of the couenant of the Lord, and offred burnt offrings and made peace offrings, and made a feast to all his seruants.

Then came two harlots vnto the King, and stoode before him.

And the one woman sayd, Oh my lorde, I and this woman dwell in one house, and I was deliuered of a childe with her in the house.

And the third day after that I was deliuered, this woman was deliuered also: and we were in the house together: no stranger was with vs in the house, saue we twaine.

And this womans sonne died in the night: for she ouerlay him.

And she rose at midnight, and tooke my sonne from my side, while thine handmaide slept, and layde him in her bosome, and layde her dead sonne in my bosome.

And when I rose in the morning to giue my sonne sucke, beholde, he was dead: and when I had well considered him in the morning, beholde, it was not my sonne, whom I had borne.

Then the other woman sayd, Nay, but my sonne liueth, and thy sonne is dead. Againe she sayde, No, but thy sonne is dead, and mine aliue: thus they spake before the King.

Then sayde the King, She sayth, This that liueth is my sonne, and the dead is thy sonne: and the other sayth, Nay, but the dead is thy sonne, and the liuing is my sonne.

Then the King said, Bring me a sworde: and they brought out a sworde before the King.

And the King sayde, Deuide ye the liuing child in twaine, and giue the one halfe to the one, and the other halfe to the other.

Then spake the woman, whose the liuing child was, vnto the King, for her compassion was kindled toward her sonne, and she sayde, Oh my lorde, giue her the liuing childe, and slay him not: but the other sayde, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but deuide it.

Then the King answered, and sayde, Giue her the liuing childe, and slay him not: this is his mother.

And all Israel heard the iudgement, which the King had iudged, and they feared the King: for they sawe that the wisedome of God was in him to doe iustice.

And King Salomon was King ouer all Israel.

And these were his princes, Azariah the sonne of Zadok the Priest,

Elihoreph and Ahiah the sonnes of Shisha scribes, Iehoshaphat the sonne of Ahilud, the recorder,

And Benaiah the sonne of Iehoiada was ouer the hoste, and Zadok and Abiathar Priests,

And Azariah the sonne of Nathan was ouer the officers, and Zabud the sonne of Nathan Priest was the Kings friend,

And Ahishar was ouer the houshold: and Adoniram the sonne of Abda was ouer the tribute.

And Salomon had twelue officers ouer all Israel, which prouided vitailes for the King and his housholde: eche man had a moneth in the yeere to prouide vitailes.

And these are their names: the sonne of Hur in mount Ephraim:

The sonne of Dekar in Makaz, and in Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh, and Elon and Beth-hanan:

The sonne of Hesed in Aruboth, to whom perteined Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher:

The sonne of Abinadab in all the region of Dor, which had Taphath the daughter of Salomon to wife.

Baana the sonne of Ahilud in Taanach, and Megiddo, and in all Beth-shean, which is by Zartanah beneath Izreel, from Beth-shean to Abelmeholah, eue til beyond ouer against Iokmeam:

The sonne of Geber in Ramoth Gilead, and his were the townes of Iair, the sonne of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and vnder him was the region of Argob, which is in Bashan: threescore great cities with walles and barres of brasse.

Ahinadab the sonne of Iddo had to Mahanaim:

Ahimaaz in Naphtali, and he tooke Basmath the daughter of Salomon to wife:

Baanah the sonne of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth:

Iehoshaphat the sonne of Paruah in Issachar.

Shimei the sonne of Elah in Beniamin:

Geber the sonne of Vri in the countrey of Gilead, the land of Sihon King of the Amorites, and of Og King of Bashan, and was officer alone in the land.

Iudah and Israel were many, as the sand of the sea in number, eating, drinking, and making merry.

And Salomon reigned ouer all kingdomes, from the Riuer vnto the lande of the Philistims, and vnto the border of Egypt, and they brought presents, and serued Salomon all the dayes of his life.

And Salomons vitailes for one day were thirtie measures of fine floure, and threescore measures of meale:

Ten fat oxen, and twentie oxen of the pastures, and an hundreth sheepe, beside hartes, and buckes, and bugles, and fat foule.

For he ruled in all the region on the other side of the Riuer, from Tiphsah euen vnto Azzah, ouer all the Kings on the other side the Riuer: and he had peace round about him on euery side.

And Iudah and Israel dwelt without feare, euery man vnder his vine, and vnder his fig tree, from Dan, euen to Beer-sheba, all the dayes of Salomon.

And Salomon had fourtie thousande stalles of horses for his charets, and twelue thousand horsemen.

And these officers prouided vitaile for king Salomon, and for all that came to King Salomons table, euery man his moneth, and they suffred to lacke nothing.

Barley also and strawe for the horses and mules brought they vnto the place where the officers were, euery man according to his charge.

And God gaue Salomon wisdome and vnderstanding exceeding much, and a large heart, euen as the sand that is on the sea shore,

And Salomons wisdome excelled the wisedome of all the children of the East and all the wisedome of Egypt.

For he was wiser then any man: yea, then were Ethan the Ezrahite, the Heman, then Chalcol, then Darda the sonnes of Mahol: and he was famous throughout all nations round about.

And Salomon spake three thousand prouerbs: and his songs were a thousand and fiue.

And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, euen vnto the hyssope that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of foules, and of creeping thinges, and of fishes.

And there came of all people to heare the wisedome of Salomon, from all Kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisedome.

And Hiram King of Tyrus sent his seruants vnto Salomon, (for he had heard, that they had anoynted him King in the roume of his father) because Hiram had euer loued Dauid.

Also Salomon sent to Hiram, saying,

Thou knowest that Dauid my father could not build an house vnto the Name of the Lord his God, for the warres which were about him on euery side, vntill the Lord had put them vnder the soles of his feete.

But now the Lord my God hath giuen me rest on euery side, so that there is neither aduersarie, nor euill to resist.

And beholde, I purpose to build an house vnto ye Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake vnto Dauid my father, saying, Thy sonne, whom I wil set vpon thy throne for thee, he shall build an house vnto my Name.

Now therefore commaund, that they hewe me cedar trees out of Lebanon, and my seruants shall be with thy seruants, and vnto thee will I giue the hire for thy seruants, according to all that thou shalt appoynt: for thou knowest that there are none among vs, that can hewe timber like vnto the Sidonians.

And when Hiram heard the wordes of Salomon, he reioyced greatly, and sayde, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath giuen vnto Dauid a wise sonne ouer this mightie people.

And Hiram sent to Salomon, saying, I haue considered the things, for the which thou sentest vnto me, and will accomplish all thy desire, concerning the cedar trees and firre trees.

My seruants shall bring them downe from Lebanon to the sea: and I will conuey them by sea in raftes vnto the place that thou shalt shew me, and wil cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receiue them: nowe thou shalt doe mee a pleasure to minister foode for my familie.

So Hiram gaue Salomon cedar trees and firre trees, euen his full desire.

And Salomon gaue Hiram twentie thousand measures of wheate for foode to his householde, and twentie measures of beaten oyle. Thus much gaue Salomon to Hiram yere by yere.

And the Lord gaue Salomon wisedome as he promised him. And there was peace betweene Hiram and Salomon, and they two made a couenant.

And King Salomon raised a summe out of all Israel, and the summe was thirtie thousand men:

Whome he sent to Lebanon, ten thousand a moneth by course: they were a moneth in Lebanon, and two moneths at home. And Adoniram was ouer the summe.

And Salomon had seuentie thousand that bare burdens, and fourescore thousand masons in the mountaine,

Besides the princes, whome Salomon appoynted ouer the worke, euen three thousande and three hundreth, which ruled the people that wrought in the worke.

And the King commanded them, and they brought great stones and costly stones to make the foundation of the house, euen hewed stones.

And Salomons workemen, and the workemen of Hiram, and the masons hewed and prepared timber and stones for the buylding of the house.

And in the foure hundreth and foure score yeere (after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt) and in the fourth yere of the reigne of Salomon ouer Israel, in the moneth Zif, (which is the second moneth) he built the house of the Lord.

And the house which King Salomon built for the Lord, was three score cubites long, and twentie broade, and thirtie cubites hie.

And the porch before the Temple of the house was twentie cubites long according to the breadth of the house, and ten cubites broade before the house.