2 Chronicles 1; 2 Chronicles 2; 2 Chronicles 3; John 10:1-23

1 Solomon, David's son, was securely established over his kingdom because the LORD his God was with him and made him very great.

2 Solomon summoned all Israel, including the officers of the army, the judges, and every Israelite leader who was the head of a family.

3 Then Solomon, accompanied by the whole assembly, went to the shrine at Gibeon because that is where God's meeting tent was, the tent that the LORD's servant Moses had made in the wilderness.

4 Now David had already brought God's chest from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it because he had pitched a tent for the chest in Jerusalem.

5 But the bronze altar that Bezalel, Uri's son and Hur's grandson, had made was there in front of the LORD's dwelling, so that is where Solomon and the assembly worshipped.

6 Solomon went there to the bronze altar in the LORD's presence at the meeting tent and offered a thousand entirely burned offerings upon it.

7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said, "Ask whatever you wish, and I will give it to you."

8 "You showed so much kindness to my father David," Solomon replied to God,"and you have made me king in his place.

9 Now, LORD God, let your promise to my father David be fulfilled because you have made me king over a people as numerous as the earth's dust.

10 Give me wisdom and knowledge so I can lead this people, because no one can govern this great people of yours without your help."

11 God said to Solomon, "Since this is what you wish, and because you've asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I've made you king—rather than asking for wealth, riches, fame, victory over those who hate you, or even a long life—

12 your request for wisdom and knowledge is granted. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame beyond that of any king before you or after you."

13 Then Solomon went from the shrine in Gibeon, from the meeting tent to Jerusalem where he ruled over Israel.

14 Solomon acquired more and more chariots and horses until he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he stationed in chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

15 In Jerusalem, the king made silver and gold as common as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore trees that grow in the foothills.

16 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and Kue, purchased from Kue by the king's agents at the going price.

17 They would import a chariot from Egypt for six hundred pieces of silver and a horse for one hundred fifty, and then export them to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.

1 Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the LORD's name and to build a royal palace for himself.

2 To work in the highlands, Solomon drafted 70,000 laborers, 80,000 stonecutters, and 3,600 supervisors.

3 Solomon sent the following message to King Huram of Tyre: When my father David was building his palace, you sent him cedar logs.

4 Now as his son I am about to build a temple in the name of the LORD my God. I will dedicate it to him to burn fragrant incense before him, to set out the bread that is regularly displayed, and to offer entirely burned offerings every morning and evening, on the sabbaths, the first of every month, and the festivals of the LORD our God, as Israel has been commanded to do forever.

5 The temple I am about to build must be magnificent, because our God is greater than all other gods.

6 But who is able to build such a temple when even the highest heaven can't contain God? And who am I that I should build this temple for God, except as a place to burn incense in his presence?

7 So now send me a craftsman skilled in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as in purple, crimson, and violet yarn—someone also experienced as an engraver. He will work with my craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem who were provided by my father David.

8 Also send me cedar, cypress, and sandalwood logs from Lebanon. I know your servants know how to cut Lebanese timber, so my servants will work with your servants

9 to prepare plenty of timber for me, because the temple that I am about to build will be magnificent and amazing.

10 I will pay the woodcutters twenty thousand kors of crushed wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.

11 Tyre's King Huram replied in a letter that he sent to Solomon: The LORD must love his people Israel because he has made you their king!

12 Bless the LORD, Israel's God, who made heaven and earth. He gave King David a wise son who possesses the knowledge and understanding to build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

13 I'm sending you a skilled and experienced craftsman, Huram-abi,

14 whose mother is from the tribe of Dan and whose father is from Tyre. He's skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, as well as purple, violet, and crimson yarn, and fine linen. He can do any kind of engraving and make any design given to him with the assistance of your craftsmen and the craftsmen of my master, your father David.

15 So once my master sends the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine he has promised,

16 we will cut as much timber as you need from Lebanon and bring it by raft on the sea to you at Joppa, where you can take it up to Jerusalem.

17 Then Solomon counted all the immigrants in the land of Israel, as his father David had done, and the total was 153,600.

18 He made 70,000 of these immigrants laborers, 80,000 of them stonecutters in the highlands, and 3,600 of them supervisors to keep the people working.

1 Solomon began to build the LORD's temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, on the place David had prepared at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

2 He began building in the second month of the fourth year of his rule.

3 Solomon laid the foundations for these structures in order to build the temple of God. The length according to the old standard of measurement was ninety feet and the width thirty feet.

4 Across the front of the temple was a porch as long as the temple was and thirty feet wide, and thirty feet high. He covered the inside walls with pure gold.

5 He paneled the walls of the main room with pine, covered them with fine gold, and decorated them with palm trees and chains.

6 He studded the room with precious stones for beauty; the gold was from Parvaim.

7 He covered the room, its beams, doorframes, walls, and doors with gold, and carved images of winged creatures on the walls.

8 Then he made the most holy place. It was as long as the temple was wide, thirty feet long and thirty feet wide. He covered it with six hundred kikkars of fine gold.

9 The gold nails weighed fifty shekels. He also covered the upper rooms with gold.

10 In the most holy place he formed two statues of winged creatures and covered them with gold.

11 Together the wingspan of these creatures was thirty feet. One of the first creature's wings was seven and a half feet long and touched the temple wall, while the other wing was seven and a half feet long, touching the wing of the other creature.

12 Similarly, one wing of the other creature was seven and a half feet long and touched the temple wall, while the other wing was seven and a half feet long and touched the other creature.

13 The wings of these creatures extended thirty feet. They stood on their feet facing the main room.

14 Then he made the curtain out of fine linen and violet, purple, and crimson yarn, weaving winged creatures into it.

15 Then he made two columns in front of the temple, fifty-two and a half feet high, with a seven and a half foot cap on top of each.

16 Then he made chains like a necklace and placed them on the tops of the columns. He made a hundred pomegranates and placed them into the chains.

17 Then he set up the pillars in front of the sanctuary, one on the south, the other on the north. The one on the south he named Jachin, and the one on the north he named Boaz.

1 I assure you that whoever doesn't enter into the sheep pen through the gate but climbs over the wall is a thief and an outlaw.

2 The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 The guard at the gate opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4 Whenever he has gathered all of his sheep, he goes before them and they follow him, because they know his voice.

5 They won't follow a stranger but will run away because they don't know the stranger's voice."

6 Those who heard Jesus use this analogy didn't understand what he was saying.

7 So Jesus spoke again, “I assure you that I am the gate of the sheep.

8 All who came before me were thieves and outlaws, but the sheep didn't listen to them.

9 I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture.

10 The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

12 When the hired hand sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away. That's because he isn't the shepherd; the sheep aren't really his. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them.

13 He's only a hired hand and the sheep don't matter to him.

14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me,

15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I give up my life for the sheep.

16 I have other sheep that don't belong to this sheep pen. I must lead them too. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock, with one shepherd.

17 "This is why the Father loves me: I give up my life so that I can take it up again.

18 No one takes it from me, but I give it up because I want to. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it up again. I received this commandment from my Father."

19 There was another division among the Jews because of Jesus' words.

20 Many of them said, "He has a demon and has lost his mind. Why listen to him?"

21 Others said, "These aren't the words of someone who has a demon. Can a demon heal the eyes of people who are blind?"

22 The time came for the Festival of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter,

23 and Jesus was in the temple, walking in the covered porch named for Solomon.