Study Desk

"And now the Lord has fulfilled the promise he made, for I have become king in my father's place, and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised. I have built this Temple to honor the name of the Lord , the God of Israel.

And I have prepared a place there for the Ark, which contains the covenant that the Lord made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt."

"And now, O Lord , God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, ‘If your descendants guard their behavior and faithfully follow me as you have done, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.'

then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive. Give your people what their actions deserve, for you alone know each human heart.

for they will hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple,

for they are your people—your special possession—whom you brought out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt.

For when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, O Sovereign Lord , you told your servant Moses that you had set Israel apart from all the nations of the earth to be your own special possession."

Then Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters in the presence of the Lord our God. A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north and the Brook of Egypt in the south. The celebration went on for fourteen days in all—seven days for the dedication of the altar and seven days for the Festival of Shelters.

The Lord said to him, "I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy—this place you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.

"As for you, if you will follow me with integrity and godliness, as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations,

then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. For I made this promise to your father, David: ‘One of your descendants will always sit on the throne of Israel.'

But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for forced labor. Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, government officials, officers and captains in his army, commanders of his chariots, and charioteers.

Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh's daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. Then he constructed the supporting terraces.

Three times each year Solomon presented burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord . He also burned incense to the Lord . And so he finished the work of building the Temple.

Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her.

How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom!

Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord 's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness."

The king used the sandalwood to make railings for the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before or since has there been such a supply of sandalwood.)

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for, besides all the customary gifts he had so generously given. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.

All of King Solomon's drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon's day!