Study Desk

And it was told Solomon, saying, Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and lo! he has hold of the horns of the altar. And king Solomon sent to Joab, saying, What ails thee, that thou hast fled to the altar? and Joab said, Because I was afraid of thee, and fled for refuge to the Lord. And Solomon sent Banaeas son of Jodae, saying, Go and slay him, and bury him.

And Banaeas son of Jodae came to Joab to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him, Thus says the king, Come forth. And Joab said, I will not come forth, for I will die here. And Banaeas son of Jodae returned and spoke to the king, saying, Thus has Joab spoken, and thus has he answered me.

And their blood is returned upon his head, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but to David, and his seed, and his house, and his throne, may there be peace for ever from the Lord.

And the king appointed Banaeas son of Jodae in his place over the host; and the kingdom was established in Jerusalem; and as for Sadoc the priest, the king appointed him to be high priest in the room of Abiathar. And Solomon son of David reigned over Israel and Juda in Jerusalem: and the Lord gave understanding to Solomon, and very much wisdom, and largeness of heart, as the sand by the sea-shore.

And king Solomon is blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord for ever.

And he arose and went to Gabaon to sacrifice there, for that was the highest place, and great: Solomon offered a whole-burnt-offering of a thousand victims on the altar in Gabaon.

And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and the Lord said to Solomon, Ask some petition for thyself.

And Solomon said, Thou hast dealt very mercifully with thy servant David my father according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee, and thou hast kept for him this great mercy, to set his son upon his throne, as it is this day.

Thou shalt give therefore to thy servant a heart to hear and to judge thy people justly, and to discern between good and evil: for who will be able to judge this thy great people?

And the Lord said to him, Because thou hast asked this thing of me, and hast not asked for thyself long life, and hast not asked wealth, nor hast asked the lives of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to hear judgement;

And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream: and he arose and came to Jerusalem, and stood before the altar that was in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord in Sion: and he offered whole-burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings, and made a great banquet for himself and all his servants.

And the woman whose the living child was, answered and said to the king, (for her bowels yearned over her son) and she said, I pray thee, my lord, give her the child, and in nowise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor hers; divide it.

And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, to provide for the king and his household; each one�s turn came to supply for a month in the year.

And these were the requisite supplies for Solomon: in one day thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of fine pounded meal,

For he had dominion on this side the river, and he was at peace on all sides round about.

And thus the officers provided king Solomon: and they execute every one in his month all the orders for the table of the king, they omit nothing.

And they carried the barley and the straw for the horses and the chariots to the place where the king might be, each according to his charge.

And now command, and let men cut wood for me out of Libanus: and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants, and I will give thee the wages of thy service, according to all that thou shalt say, because thou knowest that we have no one skilled in cutting timber like the Sidonians.

And he sent to Solomon, saying, I have listened concerning all that thou hast sent to me for: I will do all thy will: as for timber of cedar and fir,

And Solomon gave to Chiram twenty thousand measures of wheat as food for his house, and twenty thousand baths of beaten oil thus Solomon gave to Chiram yearly.