1 Kings 3; 1 Kings 4; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalms 72

1 Kings 3

1 And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon, and he made affinity with Pharao, the king of Egypt: for he took his daughter, and brought her into the city of David: until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.

2 But yet the people sacrificed in the high places: for there was no temple built to the name of the Lord until that day.

3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the precepts of David, his father; only he sacrificed in the high places, and burnt incense.

4 He went therefore to Gabaon, to sacrifice there: for that was the great high place: a thousand victims for holocausts, did Solomon offer upon that altar, in Gabaon.

5 And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, saying: Ask what thou wilt that I should give thee.

6 And Solomon said: Thou hast shewed great mercy to thy servant David, my father, even as he walked before thee in truth, and justice, and an upright heart with thee: and thou hast kept thy great mercy for him, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

7 And now, O Lord God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David, my father: and I am but a child, and know not how to go out and come in;

8 And thy servant is in the midst of the people which thou hast chosen, an immense people, which cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

9 Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people, and discern between good and evil. For who shall be able to judge this people, thy people, which is so numerous?

10 And the word was pleasing to the Lord, that Solomon had asked such a thing.

11 And the Lord said to Solomon: Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life nor riches, nor the lives of thy enemies, but hast asked for thyself wisdom to discern judgment;

12 Behold I have done for thee according to thy words, and have given thee a wise and understanding heart, in so much that there hath been no one like thee before thee, nor shall arise after thee.

13 Yea, and the things also which thou didst not ask, I have given thee; to wit, riches and glory: so that no one hath been like thee among the kings in all days heretofore.

14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, and keep my precepts and my commandments, as thy father walked, I will lengthen thy days.

15 And Solomon awaked, and perceived that it was a dream: and when he was come to Jerusalem, he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered holocausts, and sacrificed victims of peace offerings, and made a great feast for all his servants.

16 Then there came two women that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him.

17 And one of them said: I beseech thee, my lord, I and this woman dwelt in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the chamber.

18 And the third day after I was delivered, she also was delivered; and we were together, and no other person with us in the house; only we two.

19 And this woman’s child died in the night: for in her sleep she overlaid him.

20 And rising in the dead time of the night, she took my child from my side, while I, thy handmaid, was asleep, and laid it in her bosom: and laid her dead child in my bosom.

21 And when I arose in the morning, to give my child suck, behold it was dead: but considering him more diligently, when it was clear day, I found that it was not mine which I bore.

22 And the other woman answered: It is not so as thou sayst, but thy child is dead, and mine is alive. On the contrary, she said; Thou liest: for my child liveth, and thy child is dead. And in this manner they strove before the king.

23 Then said the king: The one saith, My child is alive, and thy child is dead. And the other answereth: Nay; but thy child is dead, and mine liveth.

24 The king therefore said: Bring me a sword. And when they had brought a sword before the king,

25 Divide, said he, the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.

26 But the woman, whose child was alive, said to the king; (for her bowels were moved upon her child) I beseech thee, my lord, give her the child alive, and do not kill it. But the other said: Let it be neither mine nor thine; but divide it.

27 The king answered, and said: Give the living child to this woman, and let it not be killed; for she is the mother thereof.

28 And all Israel heard the judgment which the king had judged, and they feared the king, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment.

1 Kings 4

1 And king Solomon reigned over all Israel:

2 And these were the princes which he had: Azarias, the son of Sadoc, the priest:

3 Elihoreph, and Ahia, the sons of Sisa, scribes: Josaphat, the son of Ahilud, recorder:

4 Banaias, the son of Joiada, over the army: and Sadoc, and Abiathar, priests.

5 Azarias, the son of Nathan, over them that were about the king: Zabud, the son of Nathan, the priest, the king’s friend:

6 And Ahisar, governor of the house: and Adoniram, the son of Abda, over the tribute.

7 And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and for his house hold: for every one provided necessaries, each man his month in the year.

8 And these are their names: Benhur, in mount Ephraim.

9 Bendecar, in Macces, and in Salebim, and in Bethsames, and in Elon, and in Bethanan.

10 Benhesed, in Aruboth: his was Socho, and all the land of Epher.

11 Benabinadab, to whom belonged all Nephath-Dor: he had Tapheth, the daughter of Solomon, to wife.

12 Bana, the son of Ahilud, who governed Thanac, and Mageddo, and all Bethsan, which is by Sarthana, beneath Jezrael, from Bethsan unto Abelmehula, over against Jecmaan.

13 Bengaber, in Ramoth Galaad: he had the town of Jair, the son of Manasses, in Galaad: he was chief in all the country of Argob, which is in Basan, threescore great cities with walls, and brazen bolts.

14 Ahinadab, the son of Addo, was chief in Manaim.

15 Achimaas, in Nephthali: he also had Basemath, the daughter of Solomon, to wife.

16 Baana, the son of Husi, in Aser, and in Baloth.

17 Josaphat, the son of Pharue, in Issachar.

18 Semei, the son of Ela, in Benjamin.

19 Gaber, the son of Uri, in the land of Galaad, in the land of Sehon, the king of the Amorrhites, and of Og, the king of Basan, over all that were in that land.

20 Juda and Israel were innumerable, as the sand of the sea in multitude; eating and drinking, and rejoicing.

21 And Solomon had under him all the kingdoms, from the river to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt: and they brought him presents, and served him all the days of his life.

22 And the provision of Solomon, for each day, was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal;

23 Ten fat oxen, and twenty out of the pastures, and a hundred rams; besides venison of harts, roes, and buffles, and fatted fowls.

24 For he had all the country which was beyond the river, from Thaphsa to Gazan, and all the kings of those countries: and he had peace on every side round about.

25 And Juda, and Israel, dwelt without any fear, every one under his vine, and under his fig tree, from Dan to Bersabee, all the days of Solomon.

26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of chariot horses, and twelve thousand for the saddle.

27 And the foresaid governors of the king fed them; and they furnished the necessaries also for king Solomon’s table, with great care, in their time.

28 They brought barley also, and straw for the horses and beasts, to the place where the king was, according as it was appointed them.

29 And God gave to Solomon wisdom, and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, as the sand that is on the sea shore.

30 And the wisdom of Solomon surpassed the wisdom of all the Orientals, and of the Egyptians;

31 And he was wiser than all men: wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Dorda, the sons of Mahol, and he was renowned in all nations round about.

32 Solomon also spoke three thousand parables: and his poems were a thousand and five.

33 And he treated about trees, from the cedar that is in Libanus, unto the hyssop that cometh out of the wall: and he discoursed of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

34 And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who heard of his wisdom.

2 Chronicles 1

1 And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him to a high degree.

2 And Solomon gave orders to all Israel, to the captains of thousands, and of hundreds, and to the rulers, and to the judges of all Israel, and the heads of the families:

3 And he went with all the multitude to the high place of Gabaon, where was the tabernacle of the covenant of the Lord, which Moses the servant of God made, in the wilderness.

4 For David had brought the ark of God from Cariathiarim to the place, which he had prepared for it, and where he had pitched a tabernacle for it, that is, in Jerusalem.

5 And the altar of brass, which Beseleel the son of Uri the son of Hur had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord: and Solomon and all the assembly sought it:

6 And Solomon went up thither to the brazen altar, before the tabernacle of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up on it a thousand victims.

7 And behold that night God appeared to him, saying: Ask what thou wilt that I should give thee.

8 And Solomon said to God: Thou hast shewn great kindness to my father David: and hast made me king in his stead.

9 Now therefore, O Lord God, let thy word be fulfilled, which thou hast promised to David my father: for thou hast made me king over thy great people, which is as innumerable as the dust of the earth.

10 Give me wisdom and knowledge that I may come in and go out before thy people: for who can worthily judge this thy people, which is so great?

11 And God said to Solomon: Because this choice hath pleased thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches, and wealth, and glory, nor the lives of them that hate thee, nor many days of life: but hast asked wisdom and knowledge, to be able to judge my people, over which I have made thee king,

12 Wisdom and knowledge are granted to thee: and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and glory, so that none of the kings before thee, nor after thee, shall be like thee.

13 Then Solomon came from the high place of Gabaon to Jerusalem before the tabernacle of the covenant, and reigned over Israel.

14 And he gathered to himself chariots and horsemen, and he had a thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen: and he placed them in the cities of the chariots, and with the king in Jerusalem.

15 And the king made silver and gold to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees as sycamores, which grow in the plains in great multitude.

16 And there were horses brought him from Egypt, and from Coa by the king’s merchants, who went, and bought at a price,

17 A chariot of four horses for six hundred pieces of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty: in like manner market was made in all the kingdoms of the Hethites, and of the kings of Syria.

Psalms 72

1 (71-1) <A psalm on Solomon.> (71-2) Give to the king thy judgment, O God, and to the king’s son thy justice:

2 (71-2) To judge thy people with justice, and thy poor with judgment.

3 (71-3) Let the mountains receive peace for the people: and the hills justice.

4 (71-4) He shall judge the poor of the people, and he shall save the children of the poor: and he shall humble the oppressor.

5 (71-5) And he shall continue with the sun and before the moon, throughout all generations.

6 (71-6) He shall come down like rain upon the fleece; and as showers falling gently upon the earth.

7 (71-7) In his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken away.

8 (71-8) And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

9 (71-9) Before him the Ethiopians shall fall down: and his enemies shall lick the ground.

10 (71-10) The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents: the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts:

11 (71-11) And all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him.

12 (71-12) For he shall deliver the poor from the mighty: and the needy that had no helper.

13 (71-13) He shall spare the poor and needy: and he shall save the souls of the poor.

14 (71-14) He shall redeem their souls from usuries and iniquity: and their names shall be honourable in his sight.

15 (71-15) And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, for him they shall always adore: they shall bless him all the day.

16 (71-16) And there shall be a firmament on the earth on the tops of mountains, above Libanus shall the fruit thereof be exalted: and they of the city shall flourish like the grass of the earth.

17 (71-17) Let his name be blessed for evermore: his name continueth before the sun. And in him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed: all nations shall magnify him.

18 (71-18) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone doth wonderful things.

19 (71-19) And blessed be the name of his majesty for ever: and the whole earth shall be filled with his majesty. So be it. So be it.

20 (71-20) The praises of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.