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CHAPTER VII. And at Solomon's finishing to pray, Then the fire hath come down from the heavens, and consumeth the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the honour of Jehovah hath filled the house. And the priests have not been able to go in unto the house of Jehovah, because the honour of Jehovah hath filled the house of Jehovah. And all the sons of Israel are looking on the descending of the fire, and the honour of Jehovah on the house,

and they bow, faces to the earth on the pavement, and do obeisance, and give thanks to Jehovah for good, for to the age is his kindness. And the king and all the people are sacrificing a sacrifice before Jehovah, and king Solomon sacrificeth the sacrifice of the herd twenty and two thousand, and of the flock a hundred and twenty thousand, and the king and all the people dedicate the house of God. And the priests over their charges are standing, and the Levites with instruments of the song of Jehovah, that David the king made, to give thanks to Jehovah, for to the age is his kindness in David's praising by their hand.

And the priests are blowing trumpets over against them, and all Israel are standing. And Solomon sanctifieth the middle of the court that is before the house of Jehovah, for he hath made there the burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings. For the altar of brass that Solomon made hath not been able to contain the burnt offering, and the present, and the fat. And Solomon maketh the feast at that time seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entering in of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt. And they make on the eighth day a restraint, because the dedication of the altar they have made seven days, and the feast seven days.

And on the twenty and third day of the seventh month he hath sent the people to their tents, rejoicing and glad in heart, for the goodness that Jehovah hath done to David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people. And Solomon finisheth the house of Jehovah, and the house of the king, and all that hath come on the heart of Solomon to do in the house of Jehovah, and in his own house he hath caused to prosper. And Jehovah appeareth unto Solomon by night, and saith to him,

I have heard thy prayer, and have fixed on this place to me for a house of sacrifice. If I restrain the heavens, and there is no rain, and if I lay charge on the locust to consume the land, and if I send pestilence among my people, and my people on whom my name is called be humbled, and pray, and seek my face, and turn back from their evil ways, then I, I hear from the heavens, and forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Now mine eyes are open, and mine ears attentive to the prayer of this place. And now I have chosen and sanctified this house for my name being there unto the age. Yea, mine eyes and my heart have been there all the days. And thou, if thou dost walk before me as David thy father walked, even to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and my statutes and my judgments dost keep,

then I have established the throne of thy kingdom, as I covenanted with David thy father, saying, There is not cut off a man to thee, a ruler in Israel. And if ye turn back, ye, and have forsaken my statutes and my commands that I have placed before you, and have gone and served other gods, and bow yourselves to them, then I have plucked them from off my ground that I have given to them.

And this house that I have sanctified for my name I cast from before my face, and make it for a proverb and for a byword among all the peoples. And this house that hath been high, to everyone passing by it is an astonishment. And he hath said, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus to this land and to this house? And they have said, Because that they have forsaken Jehovah God of their fathers,

who brought them out from the land of Egypt, and lay hold on other gods, and bowed themselves to them, and served them. Therefore he hath brought upon them all this evil. Chapter 8 And it cometh to pass, at the end of twenty years,

that Solomon hath built the house of Jehovah, and his own house. As to the cities that Huram hath given to Solomon, Solomon hath built them, and there he causeth the sons of Israel to dwell. And Solomon goeth to Hamath-Zobah, and layeth hold upon it. And he buildeth Tadmor in the wilderness,

and all the cities of store that he hath built in Hamath. And he buildeth Beth-Horon the upper, and Beth-Horon the lower, cities of defense, with walls, two-leaved doors, and bar. And Baalath, and all the cities of store that Solomon had, and all the cities of the chariot, and the cities of the horsemen,

and all the desire of Solomon that he desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. All the people who are left of the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, who are not of Israel,

of their sons who have been left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel consumed not, doth Solomon lift up a tribute unto this day. And none of the sons of Israel hath Solomon made servants for his work, but they are men of war, and heads of his captains,

and heads of his charioteers, and of his horsemen. And these are heads of the officers whom King Solomon hath, two hundred and fifty who are rulers among the people. And the daughter of Pharaoh hath Solomon brought up from the city of David to the house that he built for her.

For he said, My wife doth not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, for they are holy unto whom hath come the ark of Jehovah. Then hath Solomon caused to ascend burnt offerings to Jehovah on the altar of Jehovah that he built before the porch,

even by the matter of a day in its day, to cause to ascend according to the command of Moses on sabbaths, and on new moons, and on appointed seasons, three times in a year, in the feast of unleavened things,

and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths. And he establisheth, according to the ordinance of David his father, the courses of the priests over their service,

and of the Levites over their charges, to praise and to minister over against the priests, according to the matter of a day in its day, and the gatekeepers in their courses at gate and gate, for so is the command of David, the man of God.

And they have not turned aside from the command of the king concerning the priests and the Levites, in reference to any matter, and to the treasures. And all the work of Solomon is prepared till the day of the foundation of the house of Jehovah,

and till its completion. Perfect is the house of Jehovah. Then hath Solomon gone to Ision-Geber, and unto Elath, on the border of the sea,

in the land of Edom. And Huram sendeth to him by the hand of his servants, ships, and servants knowing the sea, and they go with servants of Solomon to Ophir, and take thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold,

and bring in unto king Solomon. Chapter 9 And the queen of Sheba hath heard of the fame of Solomon, and cometh in to try Solomon with acute sayings, to Jerusalem with a very great company,

and camels bearing spices and gold in abundance, and precious stone. And she cometh in unto Solomon, and speaketh with him all that hath been with her heart. And Solomon declareth to her all her matters,

and there hath not been hid a thing from Solomon that he hath not declared to her. And the queen of Sheba seeth the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he hath built, and the food of his table,

and the sitting of his servants, and the standing of his ministers, and their clothing, and his stewards, and their clothing, and his burnt offering that he offered up in the house of Jehovah.

And there hath not been any more spirit in her. And she saith unto the king, True is the word that I heard in my land concerning thy matters, and concerning thy wisdom.

And I have given no credence to their words, till that I have come, and mine eyes see, and lo, there hath not been declared to me

the half of the abundance of thy wisdom. Thou hast added unto the report that I heard. All the happiness of thy men, and the happiness of thy servants, these,

who are standing before thee continually, and hearing thy wisdom. Let Jehovah thy God be blessed, who hath delighted in thee, to put thee on his throne for king,

for Jehovah thy God, in the love of thy God to Israel, to establish it to the age. He hath put thee over them for king, to do judgment and righteousness.

And she giveth to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stone. And there hath not been any such spice

as the queen of Sheba hath given to king Solomon. And also servants of Huram, and servants of Solomon, who brought in gold from Ophir, have brought in algam trees,

and precious stone. And the king maketh the algam trees staircases for the house of Jehovah, and for the house of the king, and harps and psalteries for singers,

and there hath been none seen like these before in the land of Judah. And king Solomon hath given to the queen of Sheba all her desire that she asked, apart from that which she had brought unto the king.

And she turneth and goeth to her land, she and her servants. And the weight of the gold that is coming to Solomon in one year is six hundred and sixty and six talents of gold,

apart from what the tourists and the merchants are bringing in. And all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land, are bringing in gold and silver to Solomon.

And king Solomon maketh two hundred targets of alloyed gold, six hundred shekels of alloyed gold, he causeth to go up on the one target. And three hundred shekels of alloyed gold,

three hundred shekels of gold, he causeth to go up on the one shield. And the king putteth them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. And the king maketh a great throne of ivory,

and overlayeth it with pure gold. And six steps are to the throne, and a footstool of gold, to the throne they are fastened. And hands are on this side,

and on that on the place of the sitting. And two lions are standing near the hands. And twelve lions are standing there on the six steps on this side, and on that.

It hath not been made so for any kingdom. And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon are of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon

are of refined gold. Silver is not reckoned in the days of Solomon for anything. For ships of the king are going to Tarshish with servants of Huram.

Once in three years come do the ships of Tarshish bearing gold and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. And king Solomon becometh greater than any of the kings of the earth

for riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the earth are seeking the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom that God hath put in his heart.

And they are bringing in each his present, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments, harnesses and spices, horses and mules, a rate year by year.

And there are to Solomon four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And he placed them in cities of the chariot, and with the king in Jerusalem.

And he is ruling over all the kings from the river, even unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt. And the king maketh the silver in Jerusalem as stones, and the cedars he hath made as sycamores,

that are in the low country for abundance. And they are bringing out horses from Egypt to Solomon, and from all the lands. And the rest of the matters of Solomon, the first and the last,

are they not written beside the matters of Nathan the prophet, and beside the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and with the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat? And Solomon reigneth in Jerusalem

over all Israel forty years. And Solomon lieth with his fathers, and they bury him in the city of David his father, and reign doth Rehoboam his son in his stead. Chapter 10

And Rehoboam goeth to Shechem, for to Shechem have all Israel come to cause him to reign. And it cometh to pass at Jeroboam son of Nebats, who is in Egypt, because he hath fled from the face of Solomon the king,

hearing that Jeroboam turneth back out of Egypt. And they send and call for him, and Jeroboam cometh in, and all Israel, and speak unto Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke sharp,

and now make light somewhat of the sharp service of thy father, and of his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we serve thee. And he saith unto them, Yet three days,

then return ye unto me. And the people go. And king Rehoboam consulteth with the aged men who have been standing before Solomon his father in his being alive, saying,

How are ye counselling to answer this people? And they speak unto him, saying, If thou dost become good to this people, and hast been pleased with them, and spoken unto them good words,

then they have been to thee servants all the days. And he forsaketh the counsel of the aged men that they counseled him, and consulteth with the lads who have grown up with him, those standing before him.

And he saith unto them, What are ye counselling? And we answer this people that have spoken unto me, saying, Make light somewhat of the yoke that thy father put upon us.

And the lads who have grown up with him speak with him, saying, Thus dost thou say to the people who have spoken unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy,

and thou make light somewhat of our yoke. Thus dost thou say unto them, My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father, and now my father laid on you a heavy yoke, and I,

I add unto your yoke, my father chastised you with whips, and I with scorpions. And Jeroboam cometh in, and all the people unto Rehoboam on the third day,

as the king spake, saying, Return unto me on the third day. And the king answereth them sharply, and king Rehoboam forsaketh the counsel of the aged men,

and speaketh unto them according to the counsel of the lads, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I, I add unto it,

my father chastised you with whips, and I with scorpions. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! And the king hath not hearkened unto the people, for the revolution hath been from God,

for the sake of Jehovah's establishing his word that he spake by the hand of Abijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam son of Nebat. And all Israel had seen that the king hath not hearkened to them, and the people sent back to the king, saying,

What portion have we in David? Yea, there is no inheritance in a son of Jesse. Each to thy tents, O Israel. Now see thy house,

David. And all Israel go to their tents. As to the sons of Israel who are dwelling in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigneth over them, and king Rehoboam sendeth Hadoram,

who was over the tribute, and the sons of Israel cast at him stones, and he dieth. And king Rehoboam hath strengthened himself to go up into a chariot to flee to Jerusalem,

and Israel transgress against the house of David unto this day. Chapter 11 And Rehoboam cometh into Jerusalem, and assembleth the house of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors,

to fight with Israel, to bring back the kingdom to Rehoboam. And a word of Jehovah is unto Shemaiah, a man of God, saying,

Speak unto Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, and unto all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, Thus said Jehovah, Ye do not go up nor fight with your brethren,

turn back each to his house, for from me hath this thing been. And they hear the words of Jehovah, and turn back from going against Jeroboam. And Rehoboam dwelleth in Jerusalem,

and buildeth cities for a bulwark in Judah. Yea, he buildeth Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, and Bethzur, and Shoko,

and Adulam, and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph, and Adoraim,

and Lachish, and Azekah, and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron,

that are in Judah and in Benjamin, cities of bulwarks. And he strengtheneth the bulwarks, and putteth in them leaders, and treasures of food,

and oil, and wine. And in every city and city, targets and spears, and strengtheneth them very greatly,

and he hath Judah and Benjamin. And the priests and the Levites, that are in all Israel, have stationed themselves by him, out of all their border.

For the Levites have left their suburbs, and their possession, and they come to Judah and to Jerusalem. For Jeroboam and his sons have cast them off, from acting as priests,

to Jehovah. And he establisheth to them priests, for high places, and for goats, and for calves,

that he made. And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those giving their heart to seek Jehovah, God of Israel,

have come into Jerusalem, to sacrifice to Jehovah, God of their father. And they strengthen the kingdom of Judah, and strengthen Rehoboam,

son of Solomon, for three years, because they walked in the way of David, and Solomon, for three years.

And Rehoboam taketh to him a wife, Mahaloth, child of Jeromoth, son of David, and Abigail,

daughter of Eliab, son of Jesse. And she beareth to him sons, Jeush, and Shamariah,

and Zaham. And after her, he hath taken Maaka, daughter of Absalom, and she beareth to him,

Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelometh. And Rehoboam loveth Maaka,

daughter of Absalom, above all his wives, and his concubines. For eighteen wives he hath taken, and sixty concubines.

And he begetteth twenty and eight sons, and sixty daughters. And Rehoboam appointeth for head, Abijah, son of Maaka,

for leader among his brethren, for to cause him to reign. And he hath understanding, and spreadeth out of all his sons, to all lands of Judah and Benjamin,

to all cities of the bulwarks, and giveth to them provision in abundance. And he asketh a multitude of wives. Chapter 12 And it cometh to pass,

at the establishing of the kingdom of Rehoboam, and at his strengthening himself, he hath forsaken the law of Jehovah, and all Israel with him. And it cometh to pass,

in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, come up hath Shishak, king of Egypt, against Jerusalem, because they trespassed against Jehovah,

with a thousand and two hundred chariots, and with sixty thousand horsemen, and there is no number to the people who have come with him out of Egypt, Lubim,

Sukiim, and Cushim. And he captureth the cities of the bulwarks that are to Judah, and cometh in unto Jerusalem.

And Shemaiah the prophet hath come in unto Rehoboam, and the heads of Judah, who have been gathered unto Jerusalem, from the presence of Shishak, and saith to them,

Thus said Jehovah, Ye have forsaken me, and also I have left you in the hand of Shishak. And the heads of Israel are humbled, and the king,

and they say, Righteous is Jehovah. And when Jehovah seeth that they have been humbled, a word of Jehovah hath been unto Shemaiah, saying,

They have been humbled, I do not destroy them, and I have given to them as a little thing for an escape, and I pour not out my fury in Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

But they become servants to him, and they know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the lands. And Shishak king of Egypt cometh up against Jerusalem, and taketh the treasures of the house of Jehovah,

and the treasures of the house of the king, the whole he hath taken. And he taketh the shields of gold that Solomon had made. And king Rehoboam maketh in their stead shields of brass, and hath given them a charge

on the hand of the heads of the runners, who are keeping the opening of the house of the king. And it cometh to pass, from the time of the going in of the king to the house of Jehovah,

the runners have come in and lifted them up, and brought them back unto the chamber of the runners. And in his being humbled, turned back from him hath the wrath of Jehovah, so as not to destroy to completion.

And also in Judah there have been good things. And king Rehoboam strengtheneth himself in Jerusalem, and reigneth. For a son of forty and two years is Rehoboam in his reigning, and seventeen years he hath reigned in Jerusalem,

the city that Jehovah hath chosen to put his name there out of all the tribes of Israel. And the name of his mother is Naamah the Ammonitess. And he doth the evil thing, for he hath not prepared his heart to seek Jehovah.

And the matters of Rehoboam, the first and the last, are they not written among the matters of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogy? And the wars of Rehoboam and Jeroboam are all the days. And Rehoboam lieth with his fathers,

and is buried in the city of David, and reign doth Abijah his son in his stead.