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2 Chronicles
| And it came to pass at the end of twenty years,
wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD, and his own house, |
| That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon,
Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there. |
| And Solomon went to Hamathzobah, and prevailed
against it. |
| And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the
store cities, which he built in Hamath. |
| Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the
nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars; |
| And Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon
had, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and all
that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and
throughout all the land of his dominion. |
| As for all the people that were left of the
Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the
Jebusites, which were not of Israel, |
| But of their children, who were left after them in
the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, them did Solomon
make to pay tribute until this day. |
| But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no
servants for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his
captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen. |
| And these were the chief of king Solomon's officers,
even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people. |
| And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out
of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he
said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel,
because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come. |
| Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD
on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch, |
| Even after a certain rate every day, offering
according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new
moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the
feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast
of tabernacles. |
| And he appointed, according to the order of David
his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites
to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty
of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate:
for so had David the man of God commanded. |
| And they departed not from the commandment of the
king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning
the treasures. |
| Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the
day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was
finished. So the house of the LORD was perfected. |
| Then went Solomon to Eziongeber, and to Eloth, at
the sea side in the land of Edom. |
| And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants
ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with
the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and fifty
talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon. |
| And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of
Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with
a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance,
and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with
him of all that was in her heart. |
| And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was
nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not. |
| And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of
Solomon, and the house that he had built, |
| And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his
servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his
cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up
into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. |
| And she said to the king, It was a true report which I
heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom: |
| Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and
mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy
wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard. |
| Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants,
which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. |
| Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee
to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy
God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king
over them, to do judgment and justice. |
| And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of
gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was
there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon. |
| And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of
Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious
stones. |
| And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the
house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for
singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. |
| And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her
desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the
king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants. |
| Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one
year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold; |
| Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And
all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and
silver to Solomon. |
| And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten
gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target. |
| And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold:
three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in
the house of the forest of Lebanon. |
| Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and
overlaid it with pure gold. |
| And there were six steps to the throne, with a
footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each
side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays: |
| And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on
the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom. |
| And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of
gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of
pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the
days of Solomon. |
| For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the
servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish
bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. |
| And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in
riches and wisdom. |
| And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of
Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart. |
| And they brought every man his present, vessels of
silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and
mules, a rate year by year. |
| And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and
chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot
cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. |
| And he reigned over all the kings from the river even
unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. |
| And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and
cedar trees made he as the sycamore trees that are in the low plains in
abundance. |
| And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and
out of all lands. |
| Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last,
are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the
prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer
against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? |
| And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty
years. |
| And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried
in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his
stead. |
| And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were
all Israel come to make him king. |
| And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
who was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of Solomon the
king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. |
| And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all
Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying, |
| Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore
ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy
yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee. |
| And he said unto them, Come again unto me after
three days. And the people departed. |
| And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that
had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What
counsel give ye me to return answer to this people? |
| And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to
this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be
thy servants for ever. |
| But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave
him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him,
that stood before him. |
| And he said unto them, What advice give ye that we
may return answer to this people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease
somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us? |
| And the young men that were brought up with him
spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spake
unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it
somewhat lighter for us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger
shall be thicker than my father's loins. |
| For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I
will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I
will chastise you with scorpions. |
| So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on
the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third
day. |
| And the king answered them roughly; and king
Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men, |
| And answered them after the advice of the young men,
saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my
father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. |
| So the king hearkened not unto the people: for the
cause was of God, that the LORD might perform his word, which he spake
by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. |
| And when all Israel saw that the king would not
hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion
have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse:
every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own
house. So all Israel went to their tents. |
| But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the
cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. |
| Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the
tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he
died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee
to Jerusalem. |
| And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto
this day. |
| And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered
of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand
chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might
bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam. |
| But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of
God, saying, |
| Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of
Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, |
| Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight
against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is
done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from
going against Jeroboam. |
| And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities
for defence in Judah. |
| He built even Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, |
| And Bethzur, and Shoco, and Adullam, |
| And Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph, |
| And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, |
| And Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in
Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities. |
| And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains
in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine. |
| And in every several city he put shields and spears,
and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side. |
| And the priests and the Levites that were in all
Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts. |
| For the Levites left their suburbs and their
possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons
had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD: |
| And he ordained him priests for the high places, and
for the devils, and for the calves which he had made. |
| And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such
as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to
sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers. |
| So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made
Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they
walked in the way of David and Solomon. |
| And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of
Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the
son of Jesse; |
| Which bare him children; Jeush, and Shamariah, and
Zaham. |
| And after her he took Maachah the daughter of
Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. |
| And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom
above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and
threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore
daughters.) |
| And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the
chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king. |
| And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his
children throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, unto every
fenced city: and he gave them victual in abundance. And he desired many
wives. |
| And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established
the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the
LORD, and all Israel with him. |
| And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king
Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they
had transgressed against the LORD, |
| With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore
thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him
out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians. |
| And he took the fenced cities which pertained to
Judah, and came to Jerusalem. |
| Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to
the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because
of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken
me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. |
| Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled
themselves; and they said, The LORD is righteous. |
| And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves,
the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled
themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them
some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by
the hand of Shishak. |
| Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they
may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. |
| So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,
and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures
of the king's house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of
gold which Solomon had made. |
| Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of
brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that
kept the entrance of the king's house. |
| And when the king entered into the house of the
LORD, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the
guard chamber. |
| And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD
turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in
Judah things went well. |
| So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem,
and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to
reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the
LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there.
And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess. |
| And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart
to seek the LORD. |
| Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they
not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer
concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and
Jeroboam continually. |
| And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried
in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead. |
| Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began
Abijah to reign over Judah. |
| He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's
name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was
war between Abijah and Jeroboam. |
| And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of
valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also
set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen
men, being mighty men of valour. |
| And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in
mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel; |
| Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel
gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his
sons by a covenant of salt? |
| Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of
Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his
lord. |
| And there are gathered unto him vain men, the
children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam
the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could
not withstand them. |
| And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the
LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and
there are with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods. |
| Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the
sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the
manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to
consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be
a priest of them that are no gods. |
| But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not
forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the
sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business: |
| And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every
evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the showbread also set they
in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps
thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our
God; but ye have forsaken him. |
| And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain,
and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O
children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers;
for ye shall not prosper. |
| But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about
behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind
them. |
| And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was
before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded
with the trumpets. |
| Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men
of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all
Israel before Abijah and Judah. |
| And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and
God delivered them into their hand. |
| And Abijah and his people slew them with a great
slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand
chosen men. |
| Thus the children of Israel were brought under at
that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon
the LORD God of their fathers. |
| And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities
from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns
thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof. |
| Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the
days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died. |
| But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives,
and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters. |
| And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways,
and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo. |
| So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried
him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his
days the land was quiet ten years. |
| And Asa did that which was good and right in the
eyes of the LORD his God: |
| For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and
the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: |
| And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their
fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. |
| Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the
high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. |
| And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land
had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given
him rest. |
| Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these
cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while
the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we
have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built
and prospered. |
| And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and
spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that
bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all
these were mighty men of valour. |
| And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian
with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and
came unto Mareshah. |
| Then Asa went out against him, and they set the
battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. |
| And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD,
it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that
have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy
name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man
prevail against thee. |
| So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and
before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. |
| And Asa and the people that were with him pursued
them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not
recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before
his host; and they carried away very much spoil. |
| And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for
the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities;
for there was exceeding much spoil in them. |
| They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried
away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem. |
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