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

1 Solomon, David's son, became a powerful king, because the Lord his God was with him and made him very great.

2 Solomon spoke to all the people of Israel -- the commanders of a hundred men and of a thousand men, the judges, every leader in all Israel, and the leaders of the families.

3 Then Solomon and all the people with him went to the place of worship at the town of Gibeon. God's Meeting Tent, which Moses the Lord's servant had made in the desert, was there.

4 David had brought the Ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem, where he had made a place for it and had set up a tent for it.

5 The bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, who was the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the Holy Tent. So Solomon and the people worshiped there.

6 Solomon went up to the bronze altar in the presence of the Lord at the Meeting Tent and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."

8 Solomon answered, "You have been very kind to my father David, and you have made me king in his place.

9 Now, Lord God, may your promise to my father David come true. You have made me king of a people who are as many as the dust of the earth.

10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge so I can lead these people in the right way, because no one can rule them without your help."

11 God said to Solomon, "You have not asked for wealth or riches or honor, or for the death of your enemies, or for a long life. But since you have asked for wisdom and knowledge to lead my people, over whom I have made you king,

12 I will give you wisdom and knowledge. I will also give you more wealth, riches, and honor than any king who has lived before you or any who will live after you."

13 Then Solomon left the place of worship, the Meeting Tent, at Gibeon and went back to Jerusalem. There King Solomon ruled over Israel.

14 Solomon had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses. He kept some in special cities for the chariots, and others he kept with him in Jerusalem.

15 In Jerusalem Solomon made silver and gold as plentiful as stones and cedar trees as plentiful as the fig trees on the western hills.

16 He imported horses from Egypt and Kue; his traders bought them in Kue.

17 They imported chariots from Egypt for about fifteen pounds of silver apiece, and horses cost nearly four pounds of silver apiece. Then they sold the horses and chariots to all the kings of the Hittites and the Arameans.

1 Solomon decided to build a temple as a place to worship the Lord and also a palace for himself.

2 He chose seventy thousand men to carry loads, eighty thousand men to cut stone in the hill country, and thirty-six hundred men to direct the workers.

3 Solomon sent this message to Hiram king of the city of Tyre: "Help me as you helped my father David by sending him cedar logs so he could build himself a palace to live in.

4 I will build a temple for worshiping the Lord my God, and I will give this temple to him. There we will burn sweet-smelling spices in his presence. We will continually set out the holy bread in God's presence. And we will burn sacrifices every morning and evening, on Sabbath days and New Moons, and on the other feast days commanded by the Lord our God. This is a rule for Israel to obey forever.

5 "The temple I build will be great, because our God is greater than all gods.

6 But no one can really build a house for our God. Not even the highest of heavens can hold him. How then can I build a temple for him except as a place to burn sacrifices to him?

7 "Now send me a man skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, red, and blue thread. He must also know how to make engravings. He will work with my skilled craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David chose.

8 "Also send me cedar, pine, and juniper logs from Lebanon. I know your servants are experienced at cutting down the trees in Lebanon, and my servants will help them.

9 Send me a lot of wood, because the temple I am going to build will be large and wonderful.

10 I will give your servants who cut the wood one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat, one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of barley, one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of wine, and one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of oil."

11 Then Hiram king of Tyre answered Solomon with this letter: "Solomon, because the Lord loves his people, he chose you to be their king."

12 Hiram also said: "Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, one with wisdom and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

13 "I will send you a skilled and wise man named Huram-Abi.

14 His mother was from the people of Dan, and his father was from Tyre. Huram-Abi is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and with purple, blue, and red thread, and expensive linen. He is skilled in making engravings and can make any design you show him. He will help your craftsmen and the craftsmen of your father David.

15 "Now send my servants the wheat, barley, oil, and wine you promised.

16 We will cut as much wood from Lebanon as you need and will bring it on rafts by sea to Joppa. Then you may carry it to Jerusalem."

17 Solomon counted all the foreigners living in Israel. (This was after the time his father David had counted the people.) There were one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred foreigners in the country.

18 Solomon chose seventy thousand of them to carry loads, eighty thousand of them to cut stone in the mountains, and thirty-six hundred of them to direct the workers and to keep the people working.

1 Then Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. This was where the Lord had appeared to David, Solomon's father. Solomon built the Temple on the place David had prepared on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

2 Solomon began building in the second month of the fourth year he ruled Israel.

3 Solomon used these measurements for building the Temple of God. It was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide, using the old measurement.

4 The porch in front of the main room of the Temple was thirty feet long and thirty feet high. He covered the inside of the porch with pure gold.

5 He put panels of pine on the walls of the main room and covered them with pure gold. Then he put designs of palm trees and chains in the gold.

6 He decorated the Temple with gems and gold from Parvaim.

7 He put gold on the Temple's ceiling beams, doorposts, walls, and doors, and he carved creatures with wings on the walls.

8 Then he made the Most Holy Place. It was thirty feet long and thirty feet wide, as wide as the Temple. He covered its walls with about forty-six thousand pounds of pure gold.

9 The gold nails weighed over a pound. He also covered the upper rooms with gold.

10 He made two creatures with wings for the Most Holy Place and covered them with gold.

11 The wings of the gold creatures were thirty feet across. One wing of one creature was seven and one-half feet long and touched the Temple wall. The creature's other wing was also seven and one-half feet long, and it touched a wing of the second creature.

12 One wing of the second creature touched the other side of the room and was also seven and one-half feet long. The second creature's other wing touched the first creature's wing, and it was also seven and one-half feet long.

13 Together, the creatures' wings were thirty feet across. The creatures stood on their feet, facing the main room.

14 He made the curtain of blue, purple, and red thread, and expensive linen, and he put designs of creatures with wings in it.

15 He made two pillars to stand in front of the Temple. They were about fifty-two feet tall, and the capital of each pillar was over seven feet tall.

16 He made a net of chains and put them on the tops of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains.

17 Then he put the pillars up in front of the Temple. One pillar stood on the south side, the other on the north. He named the south pillar He Establishes and the north pillar In Him Is Strength.

1 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, the person who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 The one who guards the door opens it for him. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4 When he brings all his sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.

5 But they will never follow a stranger. They will run away from him because they don't know his voice."

6 Jesus told the people this story, but they did not understand what it meant.

7 So Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the door for the sheep.

8 All the people who came before me were thieves and robbers. The sheep did not listen to them.

9 I am the door, and the person who enters through me will be saved and will be able to come in and go out and find pasture.

10 A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life -- life in all its fullness.

11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

12 The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd who owns them. When the worker sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them.

13 The man runs away because he is only a paid worker and does not really care about the sheep.

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15 "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me, as I know the Father. I give my life for the sheep.

16 I have other sheep that are not in this flock, and I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

17 The Father loves me because I give my life so that I can take it back again.

18 No one takes it away from me; I give my own life freely. I have the right to give my life, and I have the right to take it back. This is what my Father commanded me to do."

19 Again the Jews did not agree with each other because of these words of Jesus.

20 Many of them said, "A demon has come into him and made him crazy. Why listen to him?"

21 But others said, "A man who is crazy with a demon does not say things like this. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

22 The time came for the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,

23 and Jesus was walking in the Temple in Solomon's Porch.