Study Desk

Solomon had twelve men over all Israel, who brought food for the king and those of his house. Each man had to bring food for one month in the year.

and Ben-abinadab in all Naphath-Dor (Solomon's daughter Taphath was his wife).

There was Bengeber in Ramoth-gilead. (The towns of Manasseh's son Jair which are in Gilead were his. And he had the land of Argob in Bashan, where there were sixty big cities with walls and locks of brass.)

Solomon ruled over all the nations from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and to the land of Egypt. They brought taxes and worked for Solomon all the days of his life.

So Judah and Israel were safe. Every man was safe under his vine and fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

Solomon had 40,000 rooms for his war-wagon horses, and 12,000 horsemen.

Those leaders brought food for King Solomon and all who came to his table, each during his month. They made sure nothing was missing.

He was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol, Darda, and the sons of Mahol. His name was known in all the nations around him.

Men came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon. They came from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Now Hiram the king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had set him apart to be king in place of his father. Hiram had always loved David.

"You know that my father David was not able to build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars all around him. The Lord had not yet put those who hated him under his feet.

Then Solomon gave Hiram 200,000 baskets of grain as food for those of his house, and 200 jars of beaten oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram each year.

He built the three floors against the outside wall of the house. Each one was as high as a man could raise his hand. They were joined to the house with big pieces of cedar wood.

Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all of it.

His own house where he was to live, in the place behind the throne room, was built the same way. Solomon made a house like this room for Pharaoh's daughter also, whom he had married.

Hiram was the son of a woman whose husband had died, from the family of Naphtali. His father was a man of Tyre, who worked with brass. He was filled with wisdom and understanding and much learning for doing any work with brass. So he came to King Solomon, and did all his work.

He made two top pieces of melted brass to set on the tops of the pillars. One piece to go on top was as tall as a man can raise his hand. And the other piece to go on top was as tall as a man can raise his hand.

Now he made a large brass water pool. It was round, and as wide as five long steps. It was as tall as a man can raise his hand. And the length around it was as far as fifteen long steps.

So all the work that King Solomon did in the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which had been set apart by his father David, the silver and the gold and the holy things. He put them in the store-houses of the house of the Lord.

He said, "Thanks be to the Lord, the God of Israel. He spoke with His mouth to my father David. And He has kept His promise with His hand, saying,