Study Desk

They will truly turn back to you in the land where they are captives. They will pray, facing this land you gave their ancestors, this city you have chosen, and the Temple I have built for you.

Lord God, do not reject your appointed one. Remember your love for your servant David."

The priests stood ready to do their work. The Levites also stood with the instruments of the Lord 's music that King David had made for praising the Lord . The priests and Levites were saying, "His love continues forever." The priests, who stood across from the Levites, blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

Solomon and all the Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days. There were many people, and they came from as far away as Lebo Hamath and the brook of Egypt.

For seven days they celebrated giving the altar for the worship of God. Then they celebrated the festival for seven days. On the eighth day they had a meeting.

Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself to be a Temple for sacrifices.

Solomon also built the town of Tadmor in the desert, and he built all the towns in Hamath as towns for storing grain and supplies.

He also rebuilt the town of Baalath. And he built all the other towns for storage and all the cities for his chariots and horses. He built all he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and everywhere he ruled.

Solomon brought the daughter of the king of Egypt from the older part of Jerusalem to the palace he had built for her. Solomon said, "My wife must not live in King David's palace, because the places where the Ark of the Agreement has been are holy."

Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar he had built for the Lord in front of the Temple porch.

Solomon followed his father David's instructions and chose the groups of priests for their service and the Levites to lead the praise and to help the priests do their daily work. And he chose the gatekeepers by their groups to serve at each gate, as David, the man of God, had commanded.

and Solomon answered all her questions. Nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.

Praise the Lord your God who was pleased to make you king. He has put you on his throne to rule for the Lord your God, because your God loves the people of Israel and supports them forever. He has made you king over them to keep justice and to rule fairly."

King Solomon used the juniper wood to build steps for the Temple of the Lord and the palace and to make lyres and harps for the musicians. No one in Judah had ever seen such beautiful things as these.

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for, even more than she had brought to him. Then she and her servants returned to her own country.

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

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 he did. Then we will serve you."