Study Desk

So Benaiah entered the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, "The king says, ‘Come out!'" But he answered, "No, I will die here." Benaiah reported to the king, "This is how Joab answered me."

Then the king commanded Benaiah, "Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed.

So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country.

At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.

So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice,

I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.

So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.

The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours." But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine." And so they argued before the king.

Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king.

So King Solomon ruled over all Israel.

"So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians."

So Hiram sent word to Solomon: "I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and juniper logs.

He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

The lowest floor was five cubits wide, the middle floor six cubits and the third floor seven. He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks.

So Solomon built the temple and completed it.

So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars was completed.