Study Desk

Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any other kingdom.

Solomon had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses. He kept some in special cities for the chariots, and others he kept with him in Jerusalem.

On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built two places for worship. One was a place to worship Chemosh, the hated god of the Moabites, and the other was a place to worship Molech, the hated god of the Ammonites.

Solomon did the same thing for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their gods.

But I will not take it away while you are alive because of my love for your father David. I will tear it away from your son when he becomes king.

Joab and all the Israelites stayed in Edom for six months and killed every male in Edom.

Rezon ruled Aram, and he hated Israel. So he was an enemy of Israel all the time Solomon was alive. Both Rezon and Hadad made trouble for Israel.

Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces of this coat for yourself. The Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘I will tear the kingdom away from Solomon and give you ten tribes.

But I will allow him to control one tribe. I will do this for the sake of my servant David and for Jerusalem, the city I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel.

and I will always be with you if you do what I say is right. You must obey all my commands. If you obey my laws and commands as David did, I will be with you. I will make your family a lasting family of kings, as I did for David, and give Israel to you.

Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

After the people sent for him, he and the people went to Rehoboam and said to him,

"Your father forced us to work very hard. Now, make it easier for us, and don't make us work as hard as he did. Then we will serve you."

Rehoboam answered, "Go away for three days, and then come back to me." So the people left.

King Jeroboam asked for advice. Then he made two golden calves. "It is too long a journey for you to go to Jerusalem to worship," he said to the people. "Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt."

So Jeroboam chose his own time for a festival for the Israelites—the fifteenth day of the eighth month. During that time he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built in Bethel. He set up a festival for the Israelites and offered sacrifices on the altar.

The Lord had commanded the man of God to speak against the altar. The man said, "Altar, altar, the Lord says to you: ‘David's family will have a son named Josiah. The priests for the places of worship now make their sacrifices on you, but Josiah will sacrifice those priests on you. Human bones will be burned on you.'"

Then the king said to the man of God, "Please pray to the Lord your God for me, and ask him to heal my arm." So the man of God prayed to the Lord , and the king's arm was healed, becoming as it was before.

After the man of God finished eating and drinking, the prophet put a saddle on his donkey for him, and the man left.

The prophet put the body on his donkey and carried it back to the city to have a time of sadness for him and to bury him.