txt/Tanakh/Prophets/I Kings/English/The Koren Jerusalem Bible.txt

I Kings
מלכים א
The Koren Jerusalem Bible
https://www.korenpub.com/koren_en_usd/koren/tanakh-bible/the-koren-jerusalem-bible.html

I Kings



Chapter 1

Now king David was old, advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not become warm.
So his servants said to him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and be his attendant, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may become warm.
So they sought for a fair maiden throughout all the territory of Yisra᾽el, and found Avishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
And the maiden was very fair, and she attended the king, and ministered to him: but the king had no intimacy with her.
Then Adoniyya the son of Ḥaggit exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he set up chariots and horsemen for himself, and fifty men to run before him.
And his father had never grieved him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very good looking man; and his mother bore him after Avshalom.
And he conferred with Yo᾽av the son of Żeruya, and with Evyatar the priest: and they following Adoniyya helped him.
But Żadoq the priest, and Benayahu the son of Yehoyada, and Natan the prophet, and Shim῾i, and Re῾i, and the warriors who belonged to David, were not with Adoniyyahu.
And Adoniyyahu slaughtered sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoĥelet, which is by ῾En-rogel, and called all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Yehuda the king’s servants:
but Natan the prophet, and Benayahu and the warriors, and Shelomo his brother, he did not call.
And Natan spoke to Bat-sheva the mother of Shelomo, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adoniyyahu the son of Ḥaggit is reigning, and David our lord does not know of it?
Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayst save thy own life, and the life of thy son Shelomo.
Go and get thee in to king David, and say to him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear to thy handmaid, saying, Indeed, Shelomo thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then does Adoniyyahu reign?
Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
And Bat-sheva went in to the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Avishag the Shunammite ministered to the king.
And Bat-sheva bowed, and prostrated herself before the king. And the king said, What wouldst thou?
And she said to him, My lord, thou didst swear by the Lord thy God to thy handmaid, saying, Indeed Shelomo thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.
And now, behold, Adoniyya reigns; and now, my lord the king, thou knowst it not:
and he has slaughtered oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, and Evyatar the priest, and Yo᾽av the captain of the host: but Shelomo thy servant he has not called.
And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Yisra᾽el are upon thee, that thou shouldst tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Shelomo shall be counted offenders.
And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Natan the prophet also came in.
And they told the king, saying, Behold Natan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself down before the king with his face to the ground.
And Natan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adoniyyahu shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
For he is gone down this day, and has slaughtered oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Evyatar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, Long live king Adoniyyahu!
But me, even me thy servant, and Żadoq the priest, and Benayahu the son of Yehoyada, and thy servant Shelomo, has he not called.
Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not informed thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
Then king David answered and said, Call me Bat-sheva. And she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king.
And the king swore, and said, As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all distress,
even as I swore to thee by the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, saying, Indeed, Shelomo thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.
Then Bat-sheva bowed with her face to the earth, and prostrated herself to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.
And king David said, Call me Żadoq the priest, and Natan the prophet, and Benayahu son of Yehoyada. And they came before the king.
And the king said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Shelomo my son to ride upon my own mule, and bring him down to Giĥon:
and let Żadoq the priest and Natan the prophet anoint him there king over Yisra᾽el and blow with the Shofar, and say, Long live king Shelomo.
Then you shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Yisra᾽el and over Yehuda.
And Benayahu the son of Yehoyada answered the king, and said, Amen: so say the Lord God of my lord the king.
As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so let him be with Shelomo, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.
So Żadoq the priest, and Natan the prophet, and Benayahu the son of Yehoyada, and the Kereti and the Peleti, went down, and caused Shelomo to ride on king David’s mule, and brought him to Giĥon.
And Żadoq the priest took a horn of oil out of the tent, and anointed Shelomo. And they blew the shofar; and all the people said, Long live king Shelomo.
And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth was split with the sound of them.
And Adoniyyahu and all the guests that were with him heard it as they made an end of eating. And when Yo᾽av heard the sound of the shofar, he said, Why is the city in an uproar?
And while he yet spoke, behold, Yonatan the son of Evyatar the priest came: and Adoniyyahu said to him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.
And Yonatan answered and said to Adoniyyahu, Alas, but our lord king David has made Shelomo king.
And the king has sent with him Żadoq the priest, and Natan the prophet and Benayahu the son of Yehoyada, and the Kereti, and the Peleti, and they have caused him to ride upon the king’s mule:
and Żadoq the priest and Natan the prophet have anointed him king in Giĥon: and they are come up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard.
And also Shelomo sits on the throne of the kingdom.
And moreover the king’s servants have come to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Shelomo better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king did bow himself upon the bed.
And also thus said the king, Blessed be the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.
And all the guests that were with Adoniyyahu trembled, and rose up, and went every man his way.
And Adoniyyahu feared because of Shelomo, and arose, and went, and caught hold of the horns of the altar.
And it was told Shelomo saying, Behold, Adoniyyahu fears king Shelomo: for, lo, he has caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Shelomo swear to me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.
And Shelomo said, If he will show himself a worthy man, no hair of his shall fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.
So king Shelomo sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself down to king Shelomo: and Shelomo said to him, Go to thy house.

Chapter 2

Now the days of David drew near that he should die; and he charged Shelomo his son, saying,
I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man;
and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Tora of Moshe, that thou mayst prosper in all that thou doest, and wherever thou turnest thyself:
that the Lord may continue his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Yisra᾽el.
Moreover thou knowst also what Yo᾽av the son of Żeruya did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Yisra᾽el, to Avner the son of Ner, and to ῾Amasa the son of Yeter, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to She᾽ol in peace.
But show loyal love to the sons of Barzillay the Gil῾adite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for they came to me when I fled from Avshalom thy brother.
And, behold, thou hast with thee Shim῾i the son of Gera, a Binyeminite of Baĥurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Maĥanayim: but he came down to meet me at the Yarden, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.
Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowst what thou oughtest to do to him; but his hoar head bring thou down to She᾽ol with blood.
So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
And the days that David reigned over Yisra᾽el were forty years: seven years he reigned in Ḥevron, and thirty three years he reigned in Yerushalayim.
Then Shelomo sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was firmly established.
And Adoniyyahu the son of Ḥaggit came to Bat-sheva the mother of Shelomo. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
He said moreover, I have something to say to thee. And she said, Say on.
And he said, Thou knowst that the kingdom was mine, and that all Yisra᾽el set their faces on me, that I should reign: but the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s: for it was his from the Lord.
And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said to him, Say on.
And he said, Speak, I pray thee, to Shelomo the king, (for he will not refuse thee,) that he give me Avishag the Shunammite to wife.
And Bat-sheva said, Well; I will speak for thee to the king.
Bat-sheva therefore went to king Shelomo, to speak to him for Adoniyyahu. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself down to her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand.
Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; do not deny me. And the king said to her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not deny thee.
And she said, Let Avishag the Shunammite be given to Adoniyyahu thy brother to wife.
And king Shelomo answered and said to his mother, And why dost thou ask Avishag the Shunammite for Adoniyyahu? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Evyatar the priest, and for Yo᾽av the son of Żeruya.
Then king Shelomo swore by the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adoniyyahu have not spoken this word against his own life.
Now therefore, as the Lord lives, who has established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, Adoniyyahu shall be put to death this day.
And king Shelomo sent by the hand of Benayahu the son of Yehoyada; and he fell upon him that he died.
And to Evyatar the priest the king said, Get thee to ῾Anatot, to thy own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst bear the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all my father’s afflictions.
So Shelomo thrust out Evyatar from being priest to the Lord; that he might fulfill the word of the Lord, which he spoke concerning the house of ῾Eli in Shilo.
Then tidings came to Yo᾽av; for Yo᾽av had inclined after Adoniyyahu, though he had not inclined after Avshalom. And Yo᾽av fled to the tent of the Lord, and caught hold of the horns of the altar.
And it was told king Shelomo, that Yo᾽av was fled to the tent of the Lord; and, behold, he was by the altar. Then Shelomo sent Benayahu the son of Yehoyada, saying, Go, fall upon him.
And Benayahu came to the tent of the Lord, and said to him, Thus says the king, Come out. And he said, No; but I will die here. And Benayahu brought the king word back, saying, Thus said Yo᾽av, and thus he answered me.
And the king said to him, Do as he has said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayst take away the innocent blood, which Yo᾽av shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
And the Lord shall return his blood upon his own head, for he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing of it, namely, Avner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Yisra᾽el, and ῾Amasa the son of Yeter, captain of the host of Yehuda.
Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Yo᾽av, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the Lord.
So Benayahu the son of Yehoyada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
And the king put Benayahu the son of Yehoyada in place of him over the host: and Żadoq the priest did the king put in place of Evyatar.
And the king sent and called for Shim῾i, and said to him, Build thee a house in Yerushalayim, and dwell there, and do not go from there anywhere.
For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the wadi of Qidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thy own head.
And Shim῾i said to the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king has said, so will thy servant do. And Shim῾i dwelt in Yerushalayim many days.
And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shim῾i ran away to Akhish son of Ma῾akha king of Gat. And they told Shim῾i, saying, Behold, thy servants are in Gat.
And Shim῾i arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gat to Akhish to seek his servants: and Shim῾i went, and brought his servants from Gat.
And it was told Shelomo that Shim῾i had gone from Yerushalayim to Gat, and was returned.
And the king sent and called for Shim῾i, and said to him, Did I not make thee to swear by the Lord, and did I not forewarn thee, saying, Know for certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad anywhere, that thou shalt surely die? and thou didst say to me, The word that I have heard is good.
Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?
And the king said to Shim῾i, Thou knowst all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the Lord shall return thy wickedness upon thy own head;
and king Shelomo shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord for ever.
So the king commanded Benayahu the son of Yehoyada; who went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Shelomo.

Chapter 3

And Shelomo became allied by marriage with Par῾o, king of Egypt, and took Par῾o’s 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 Yerushalayim round about.
Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built to the name of the Lord, until those days.
And Shelomo loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
And the king went to Giv῾on to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Shelomo offer upon that altar.
In Giv῾on the Lord appeared to Shelomo in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
And Shelomo said, Thou hast shown great faithful love to 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 faithful love, that Thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
And now, O Lord my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
And Thy servant is in the midst of Thy people which Thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.
Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and evil: for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people?
And it pleased the Lord, that Shelomo had asked this thing.
And God said to him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast thou asked the life of thy enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there has been none like thee before thee, nor after thee shall any arise like thee.
And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like thee all thy days.
And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.
And Shelomo awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Yerushalayim, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
Then came there two women, that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him.
And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.
And this woman’s child died in the night; because she lay upon it.
And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had looked closely at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, that I did bear.
And the other woman said, No; but the living child is my son, and the dead one is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead one is thy son, and the living one is my son. Thus they spoke before the king.
Then said the king, The one says, This is my son that lives, and thy son is the dead: and the other says, No: but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
Then spoke the woman whose child was the living one to the king, for her love was enkindled towards her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, but do not slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and do not slay it: she is its mother.
And all Yisra᾽el heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

Chapter 4

So king Shelomo was king over all Yisra᾽el.
And these were the princes whom he had; ῾Azaryahu the son of Żadoq the priest,
Eliĥoref and Aĥiyya the sons of Shisha, scribes; Yehoshafat the son of Aĥilud, the recorder.
And Benayahu the son of Yehoyada was over the host: and Żadoq and Evyatar were priests:
and ῾Azaryahu the son of Natan was over the officers: and Zavud the son of Natan was the king’s private minister of state:
and Aĥishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of ῾Avda was over the tribute.
And Shelomo had twelve officers over all Yisra᾽el, who provided stores for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year.
And these are their names: The son of Ḥur, in mount Efrayim:
the son of Deqer, in Maqaż, and in Sha῾alvim, and Bet-shemesh, and Elon-bet-ĥanan:
the son of Ḥesed, in Arubbot; to him were assigned Sokho, and all the land of Ḥefer:
the son of Avinadav, in all the district of Dor; (he had Tafat daughter of Shelomo to wife: )
Ba῾ana the son of Aĥilud; to him belonged Ta῾nakh and Megiddo, and of Bet-she᾽an, which is by Żaretana beneath Yizre῾el, from Bet-she᾽an to Avel-meĥola, till beyond Yoqne῾am:
The son of Gever, in Ramot-gil῾ad; to him were assigned Ḥavvot-ya᾽ir, the son of Menashshe, which is in Gil῾ad; to him also was assigned the region of Argov, which is in the Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bars of brass:
Aĥinadav son of ῾Iddo had Maĥanayim;
Aĥima῾aż was in Naftali; he also took Basemat daughter of Shelomo to wife:
Ba῾ana the son of Ḥushay was in Asher and in ῾Alot:
Yehoshafat the son of Paruaĥ was in Yissakhar:
Shim῾i the son of Ela was in Binyamin:
Gever the son of Uri was in the land of Gil῾ad, in the land of Siĥon king of the Emori and ῾Og king of the Bashan; he was the one officer that was in the land.
Yehuda and Yisra᾽el were many, as the sand which by the sea for multitude; they ate, and drank, and were happy.

Chapter 5

And Shelomo reigned over all kingdoms from the river to the land of the Pelishtim, and to the border of Miżrayim: they brought presents, and served Shelomo all the days of his life.
And Shelomo’s provision for one day was thirty kor of fine flour, and sixty kor of meal,
ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pasture, and a hundred sheep, apart from deer, and gazelles, and fallow deer, and geese.
For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tifsaĥ to ῾Azza, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him.
And Yehuda and Yisra᾽el dwelt in safety, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Be᾽er-sheva, all the days of Shelomo.
And Shelomo had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
And those officers provided stores for king Shelomo, and for all that came to king Shelomo’s table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing.
They brought barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds to the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.
And God gave Shelomo very much wisdom and understanding, and largeness of heart, like the sand that is on the sea shore.
And Shelomo’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Miżrayim.
For he was wiser than all men; than Etan the Ezraĥi, and Heman, and Kalkol, and Darda, the sons of Maĥol: and his fame was in all nations round about.
And he spoke three thousand proverbs: and his poems were a thousand and five.
And he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Levanon to the hyssop that comes out of the wall: he spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Shelomo, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
And Ḥiram king of Żor sent his servants to Shelomo; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father: for Ḥiram always loved David.
And Shelomo sent to Ḥiram, saying,
Thou knowst how David my father could not build a house to the name of the Lord his God on account of the war with the nations which were about him on every side, until the Lord put them under the soles of my feet.
But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil hindrance.
And, behold, I purpose to build a house to the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy place, he shall build the house to my name.
Now therefore command thou that they hew for me cedar trees out of the Levanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and to thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say: for thou knowst that there is not among us any that can hew timber like the Żidonim.
And it came to pass, when Ḥiram heard the words of Shelomo, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed is the Lord this day, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.
And Ḥiram sent to Shelomo, saying, I have considered the things which thou hast sent to me: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of cypress.
My servants shall bring them down from the Levanon to the sea: and I will make them into floats to go to the place of which thou shalt send me word, and will cause them to be broken up there, and thou shalt take them away: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
So Ḥiram gave Shelomo cedar trees and cypress according to all his desire.
And Shelomo gave Ḥiram twenty thousand kor of wheat for food to his household, and twenty kor of beaten oil: thus Shelomo gave to Ḥiram year by year.
And the Lord gave Shelomo wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Ḥiram and Shelomo; and they two made a league together.
And king Shelomo raised a levy out of all Yisra᾽el; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
And he sent them to Levanon, ten thousand a month by turns: a month they were in the Levanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.
And Shelomo had seventy thousand porters, and eighty thousand stone cutters in the mountains;
besides Shelomo’s chief officers who were over the work, three thousand three hundred, who ruled over the people that were employed in the work.
And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones.
And Shelomo’s builders, and Ḥiram’s builders, and the Givlim did hew them: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.

Chapter 6

And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Yisra᾽el were come out of the land of Miżrayim, in the fourth year of Shelomo’s reign over Yisra᾽el, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.
And the house which king Shelomo built for the Lord, its length was sixty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits, and its height was thirty cubits.
And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was its length, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was its breadth before the house.
And for the house he made windows wide without, and narrow within.
And against the wall of the house he built a side structure round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the sanctuary: and he made chambers round about:
the lowest chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for outside in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened into the walls of the house.
And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought there: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was being built.
The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.
So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
And then he built the side structure against all the house, five cubits high: and it rested on the house with timber of cedar.
And the word of the Lord came to Shelomo, saying,
Concerning this house, which thou art building, if thou wilt follow my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spoke to David thy father:
and I will dwell among the children of Yisra᾽el, and will not forsake my people Yisra᾽el.
So Shelomo built the house, and finished it.
And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house even to the walls of the ceiling he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of cypress.
And he built twenty cubits on the back of the house, from the floor to the top of the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, for the sanctuary, that is for the most holy place.
And the house, that is, the temple in front, was forty cubits long.
And the cedar of the house within was carved with colocynths and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
And the sanctuary he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
And the space for the sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in its height: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and he covered the altar with cedar.
So Shelomo overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he drew chains of gold across before the sanctuary; and he overlaid it with gold.
And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the sanctuary he overlaid with gold.
And within the sanctuary he made two keruvim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.
And five cubits was the one wing of the keruv, and five cubits the other wing of the keruv: from the uttermost part of the one wing to the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.
And the other keruv was ten cubits: both the keruvim were of one measure and one form.
The height of the one keruv was ten cubits, and so was that of the other keruv.
And he set the keruvim within the inner house: and the wings of the keruvim were spread out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other keruv touched the other wall; and the wings which they stretched towards the midst of the house touched one another.
And he overlaid the keruvim with gold.
And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of keruvim and palm trees and open flowers, both for the inner and outer areas.
And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, for the inner and outer areas.
And for the entering of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood: the lintel and side posts forming five sides.
The two doors also were of olive wood; and he carved upon them carvings of keruvim and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread the gold upon the keruvim and upon the palm trees.
So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive wood, in shape foursided.
And the two doors were of cypress wood: the one door had two folding leaves, and the other door had two folding leaves.
And he carved on them keruvim and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone, and a row of cedar beams.
In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord laid, in the month Ziv:
and in the eleventh year, in the month Bul (which is the eighth month), was the house finished throughout all its parts, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

Chapter 7

But Shelomo spent thirteen years in building his own house, and he finished all his house.
He built also the house of the forest of the Levanon; its length was a hundred cubits, and its breadth was fifty cubits, and its height was thirty cubits upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.
And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row.
And there were window spaces in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks.
And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.
And he made a porch of pillars; the length of which was fifty cubits, and its breadth, thirty cubits: and a porch was before them: and other pillars and a thick beam were before them.
Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from floor to floor.
And his house where he dwelt, in the other court within the porch, was of the like work. Shelomo made also a house for Par῾o’s daughter, whom he had taken to wife, like this porch.
All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewn stones, sawed with saws, within and without, from the foundation to the coping, and on the outside toward the great court.
And the foundation was of costly stones, great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
And above were costly stones, after the measures of hew stones, and cedars.
And the great court round about was with three rows of hewn stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the Lord, and for the porch of the house.
And king Shelomo sent and fetched Ḥiram from Żor.
He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naftali, and his father was a man of Żor, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Shelomo, and wrought all his work.
For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high each pillar: and a line of twelve cubits did circle either of them about.
And he made two capitals of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits:
and nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital, and seven for the other capital.
And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the capitals that were on the top of the pomegranates: and so did he for the other capital.
And the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars in the porch, were of lily work, four cubits.
And there were capitals upon the two pillars also above, over against the protuberance which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other capital.
And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called its name Yakhin: and he set up the left pillar, and called its name Bo῾az.
And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.
And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and its height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did circle it round about.
And under the brim of it round about there were colocynths compassing it, ten cubits, compassing the sea round about: the colocynths were in two rows, cast with it in the same casting.
It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking towards the north, and three looking towards the west, and three looking towards the south, and three looking towards the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
And it was a hand breadth thick, and its brim was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the petals of a lily: it contained two thousand bat.
And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits its breadth, and three cubits the height of it.
And the work of the bases was of this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges:
and on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and keruvim: (and upon the ledges there was a base above:) and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work.
And every base had four wheels of brass, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had shoulders: under the laver the shoulders were cast on, at the side of each were wreaths.
And the mouth of it within the capital and above was a cubit: and its mouth was found after the work of the base, a cubit and a half: and also upon the mouth of it were engravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.
And under the borders were four wheels; and the axles of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.
And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axles, and their rims, and their hoops, and their hubs, were all molten.
And there were four shoulders to the four corners of one base: and the shoulders were of the very base itself.
And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base its stays and its borders were of one piece with it.
For on the plates, on its stays and on its borders, he engraved keruvim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space between each one; and the wreaths were round about.
After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them of the same casting, the same measure, and the same shape.
Then he made ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty bats: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver.
And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward towards the south.
And Ḥiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basins. So Ḥiram made an end of doing all the work that he did for king Shelomo, in the house of the Lord:
the two pillars, and the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars;
and four hundred pome­granates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the pillars;
and the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases;
and one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;
and the pans, and the shovels, and the basins: and all these vessels, which Ḥiram made for king Shelomo for the house of the Lord, were of burnished brass.
In the plain of the Yarden did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Sukkot and Żaretan.
And Shelomo left all the vessels unweighed, because they were very very many: the weight of the brass was not found out.
And Shelomo made all the vessels that belonged to the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, upon which the showbread was,
and the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the inner sanctuary, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,
and the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the outer house, namely, the temple.
So was ended all the work that king Shelomo made for the house of the Lord. And Shelomo brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, he did put in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

Chapter 8

Then Shelomo assembled the elders of Yisra᾽el, and all the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers of the children of Yisra᾽el, to king Shelomo in Yerushalayim, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Żiyyon.
And all the men of Yisra᾽el assembled themselves to king Shelomo at the feast in the month of Etanim, which is the seventh month.
And all the elders of Yisra᾽el came, and the priests took up the ark.
And they brought up the ark of the Lord, and the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.
And king Shelomo, and all the congregation of Yisra᾽el, that were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the keruvim.
For the keruvim spread out their two wings over the place of the ark, and the keruvim covered the ark and its poles above.
And they drew out the poles, so that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place, before the sanctuary, though they were not seen outside: and there they are to this day.
There was nothing in the ark save the two tablets of stone, which Moshe put there at Ḥorev, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Yisra᾽el, when they came out of the land of Miżrayim.
And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,
so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.
Then spoke Shelomo, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
I have surely built Thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for Thee to abide in for ever.
And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Yisra᾽el: (and all the congregation of Yisra᾽el stood:)
and he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, who spoke with his mouth to David my father, and has with his hand fulfilled it, saying,
Since the day that I brought forth my people Yisra᾽el out of Miżrayim, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Yisra᾽el to build a house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Yisra᾽el.
And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Yisra᾽el.
And the Lord said to David my father, Whereas it was in thy heart to build a house to my name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart.
Yet thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house to my name.
And the Lord has performed his word that he spoke, and I am risen up in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Yisra᾽el, as the Lord promised, and have built a house for the name of the Lord God of Yisra᾽el.
And I have set there a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Miżrayim.
And Shelomo stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Yisra᾽el and spread out his hands towards heaven:
and he said, Lord God of Yisra᾽el, there is no God like Thee, in the heaven above, or on the earth beneath, who keepest covenant and troth with Thy servants who walk before Thee with all their heart:
who hast kept with Thy servant David my father that which Thou didst promise him: Thou didst also with Thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with Thy hand, as it is this day.
Therefore now, Lord God of Yisra᾽el, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou didst promise him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Yisra᾽el; provided that thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast walked before me.
And now, O God of Yisra᾽el, let Thy word, I pray Thee, be verified, which Thou didst speak to Thy servant David my father.
For will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have built?
Have consideration therefore to the prayer of Thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken to the cry and to the prayer, which Thy servant prays before Thee to day:
that Thy eyes may be open towards this house night and day, towards the place of which Thou hast said, My name shall be there: that Thou mayst hearken to the prayer which Thy servant shall make toward this place.
And hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy servant, and of Thy people Yisra᾽el, when they shall pray towards this place: and hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place: and when Thou hearest, forgive.
If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before Thy altar in this house:
then hear Thou in heaven, and do, and judge Thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
When Thy people Yisra᾽el are smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against Thee, and shall turn again to Thee, and confess Thy name, and pray, and make supplication to Thee in this house:
then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy people Yisra᾽el, and bring them back to the land which Thou didst give to their fathers.
When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against Thee; if they pray towards this place, and confess Thy name, and turn from their sin, when Thou dost afflict them:
then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy servants, and of Thy people Yisra᾽el, that Thou teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon Thy land, which Thou hast given to Thy people for an inheritance.
If there be famine in the land, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there be:
Whatever prayer and whatever supplication is made by any man, or by all Thy people Yisra᾽el, (who shall know every man the plague of his own heart) and he spread forth his hands towards this house:
then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart Thou knowst; (for Thou, Thou only, knowst the hearts of all the children of men;)
that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou didst give to our fathers.
Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of Thy people Yisra᾽el, but comes out of a far country for Thy name’s sake:
(for they shall hear of Thy great name, and of Thy strong hand, and of Thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray towards this house;
hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calls to Thee for: that all people of the earth may know Thy name, to fear Thee, as do Thy people Yisra᾽el; and that they may know that this house, which I have built is called by Thy name.
If Thy people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever Thou shalt send them, and shall pray to the Lord towards the city which Thou hast chosen, and towards the house that I have built for Thy name:
then hear Thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
If they sin against Thee, (for there is no man who does not sin) and Thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives to the land of the enemy, far or near;
yet if they take thought in the land where they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication to Thee in the land of their captors, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
and so they return to Thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, who led them away captive, and pray to Thee towards their land, which Thou didst give to their fathers, the city which Thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for Thy name:
then hear Thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven Thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,
and forgive Thy people that have sinned against Thee, and all their transgressions in which they have transgressed against Thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:
for they are Thy people, and Thy inheritance, whom Thou didst bring out of Miżrayim, out of the midst of the iron furnace:
that Thy eyes may be open to the supplication of Thy servant, and to the supplication of Thy people Yisra᾽el, to hearken to them in all that they call for to Thee.
For Thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be Thy inheritance, as Thou didst speak by the hand of Moshe Thy servant, when Thou didst bring our fathers out of Miżrayim, O Lord God.
And it was so, that when Shelomo had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Yisra᾽el with a loud voice, saying,
Blessed is the Lord that has given rest to his people Yisra᾽el, according to all that he promised: there has not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moshe his servant.
The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:
that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.
And let these my words, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Yisra᾽el at all times, as each day may require,
that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is no other.
Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
And the king, and all Yisra᾽el with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord.
And Shelomo offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Yisra᾽el dedicated the house of the Lord.
On the same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meal offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the altar of brass that was before the Lord was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meal offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
And at that time Shelomo held a feast, and all Yisra᾽el with him, a great congregation, from the entrance of Ḥamath to the wadi of Miżrayim, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven days, namely fourteen days.
On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for Yisra᾽el his people.

Chapter 9

And it came to pass, when Shelomo had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all Shelomo’s desire which he was pleased to do,
that the Lord appeared to Shelomo a second time, as he had appeared to him at Giv῾on.
And the Lord said to him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.
And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:
then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Yisra᾽el for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Yisra᾽el.
But if you shall turn from following me, you or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
then will I cut off Yisra᾽el out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Yisra᾽el shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:
and at this house, which is high, every one that passes by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why has the Lord done thus to this land, and to this house?
And they shall answer, Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Miżrayim, and have taken hold of other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore has the Lord brought upon them all this evil.
And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Shelomo had built the two houses, the house of the Lord, and the king’s house.
(Now Ḥiram the king of Żor had helped Shelomo with cedar trees and cypress trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Shelomo gave Ḥiram twenty cities in the land of the Galil.
And Ḥiram came out of Żor to see the cities which Shelomo had given him; and they pleased him not.
And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Kavul to this day.
And Ḥiram sent to the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold.
And this is the manner of the levy which king Shelomo raised; to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and the Millo, and the wall of Yerushalayim, and Ḥażor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
For Par῾o king of Miżrayim had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Kena῾ani that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present to his daughter, Shelomo’s wife.
And Shelomo built Gezer, and the lower Bet-ĥoron,
and Ba῾alat, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,
and all the store-cities that Shelomo had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Shelomo desired to build in Yerushalayim, and in Levanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
Of all the people that were left of the Emori, Ḥitti, the Perizzi, the Ḥivvi, and the Yevusi, who were not of the children of Yisra᾽el,
their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Yisra᾽el were not able to wipe out, upon those did Shelomo levy a tribute of bondservice to this day.
But of the children of Yisra᾽el did Shelomo make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.
These were the chief officers that were over Shelomo’s work, five hundred and fifty, who bore rule over the people that did the work.
But Par῾o’s daughter came up out of the city of David to her house which he had built for her: then did he build the Millo.
And three times a year did Shelomo offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built to the Lord, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the Lord. So he finished the house.
And king Shelomo made a ship in ῾Eżyon-gever, which is beside Elot, on the shore of the Yam-suf in the land of Edom.
And Ḥiram sent in the ship his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Shelomo.
And they came to Ofir, and fetched from there four hundred and twenty talents of gold, and brought it to king Shelomo.

Chapter 10

And when the queen of Sheva heard of the fame of Shelomo, and what he had done in the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with riddles.
And she came to Yerushalayim with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Shelomo, she spoke to him of all that was in her heart,
and Shelomo answered her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not.
And when the queen of Sheva had seen all Shelomo’s wisdom, and the house that he had built,
and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.
And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in my own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
But I believed not the words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard.
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, who stand continually before thee, and who hear thy wisdom.
May the Lord thy God, be blessed, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Yisra᾽el: because the Lord loved Yisra᾽el for ever, therefore he made thee king, to do justice and righteousness.
And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheva gave to king Shelomo.
And also the ship of Ḥiram, that brought gold from Ofir, brought in from Ofir a great amount of almug wood, and precious stones.
And the king made of the almug wood a railing for the house of the Lord, and for the king’s house, lyres also and lutes for singers: there came no such almug wood, nor were seen to this day.
And king Shelomo gave to the queen of Sheva all her desire, whatever she asked, besides that which Shelomo gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
Now the weight of gold that came to Shelomo in one year was six hundred and sixty six talents of gold,
besides what he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the ῾Erev (Arabia), and of the governors of the country.
And king Shelomo made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of the Levanon.
Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.
The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were arm rests on either side on the seat, and two lions stood beside the arm rests.
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 king Shelomo’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Levanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: that was considered nothing in the days of Shelomo.
For the king had at sea a ship of Tarshish with a ship of Ḥiram: once in three years the ship of Tarshish came, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
So king Shelomo exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
And all the earth sought of Shelomo, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, and so it was year by year.
And Shelomo gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he placed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Yerushalayim.
And the king made silver to be in Yerushalayim like stones, and he made cedars to be like the sycamore trees that are in the lowlands for abundance.
And Shelomo had horses brought from Miżrayim and from Qeve; the king’s merchants took the horses from Qeve at a fixed price.
And a chariot going out of Miżrayim would cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse, a hundred and fifty: and so by their means they brought them out also for all the kings of Ḥittin and the kings of Aram.

Chapter 11

But king Shelomo loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Par῾o, Mo᾽avite, ῾Ammonite, Edomite, Żidonian, and Ḥittite women;
of the nation concerning whom the Lord said to the children of Yisra᾽el, you shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in to you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Shelomo attached himself to these in love.
And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
For it came to pass, when Shelomo was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
For Shelomo went after ῾Ashtoret the goddess of the Żidonians, and after Milkom the abomination of the ῾Ammonites.
And Shelomo did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.
Then did Shelomo build a high place for Kemosh, the abomination of Mo᾽av, in the hill that is before Yerushalayim, and for Molekh, the abomination of the children of ῾Ammon.
And likewise did he for all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods.
And the Lord was angry with Shelomo, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, who had twice appeared to him.
And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.
So that the Lord said to Shelomo, Since this is your mind, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
Yet in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
Nevertheless, I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for the sake of Yerushalayim which I have chosen.
And the Lord stirred up an adversary to Shelomo, Hadad the Edomit: he was of the king’s seed in Edom.
For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Yo᾽av the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom;
(for six months did Yo᾽av remain there with all Yisra᾽el, until he had cut off every male in Edom: )
that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Miżrayim; Hadad being yet a little child.
And they arose out of Midyan, and came to Paran: and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Miżrayim, to Par῾o, the king of Miżrayim; who gave him a house, and bread, and gave him land.
And Hadad found great favour in the sight of Par῾o, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Taĥpenes the queen.
And the sister of Taĥpenes bore him Genuvat his son, whom Taĥpenes weaned in Par῾o’s house: and Genuvat was in Par῾o’s household among the sons of Par῾o.
And when Hadad heard in Miżrayim that David slept with his fathers, and that Yo᾽av the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Par῾o, Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.
Then Par῾o said to him, But what hast thou lacked with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thy own country? And he answered, Nothing: but let me go.
And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Elyada, who fled from his lord Hadad῾ezer king of Żova:
and he gathered men to him, and became captain over a band, when David slew them of Żova: and they went to Dammeseq, and dwelt there, and reigned in Dammeseq.
And he was an adversary to Yisra᾽el all the days of Shelomo, besides the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Yisra᾽el, and reigned over Aram.
And Yorov῾am the son of Nevat, an Efrati, of Żereda, Shelomo’s servant, whose mother’s name was Żeru῾a, a widow woman, he lifted up his hand against the king.
And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Shelomo built the Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father.
And the man Yorov῾am was a mighty warrior: and Shelomo seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the labour of the house of Yosef.
And it came to pass at that time when Yorov῾am went out of Yerushalayim, that the prophet Aĥiyya the Shiloni found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:
and Aĥiyya caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:
and he said to Yorov῾am, Take thee ten pieces: for thus says the Lord, the God of Yisra᾽el, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Shelomo, and will give ten tribes to thee:
(but he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Yerushalayim’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Yisra᾽el:)
because they have forsaken me, and have worshipped ῾Ashtoret the goddess of the Żidonians, Kemosh the god of Mo᾽av, and Milkom the god of the children of ῾Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
Yet I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:
but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it to thee, that is the ten tribes.
And to his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Yerushalayim, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desires, and shalt be king over Yisra᾽el.
And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken to all that I command thee, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Yisra᾽el to thee.
And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.
Shelomo sought therefore to kill Yorov῾am. And Yorov῾am arose, and fled to Miżrayim, to Shishaq king of Miżrayim, and was in Miżrayim until the death of Shelomo.
And the rest of the acts of Shelomo, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Shelomo?
And the time that Shelomo reigned in Yerushalayim over all Yisra᾽el was forty years.
And Shelomo slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Reĥav῾am his son reigned in his stead.

Chapter 12

And Reĥav῾am went to Shekhem: for all Yisra᾽el were come to Shekhem, to make him king.
And it came to pass, when Yorov῾am, the son of Nevat, who was yet in Miżrayim, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Shelomo, and Yorav῾am dwelt in Miżrayim;)
that they sent and called him. And Yorov῾am and all the congregation of Yisra᾽el came, and spoke to Reĥav῾am, saying,
Thy father made our yoke hard: now therefore make thou the hard service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
And he said unto them, Depart for three more days, then come back to me.
And the people departed. And king Reĥav῾am consulted with the old men, that stood before Shelomo his father while he yet lived, and said, How do you advise that I answer this people?
And they spoke to him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant to this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words of them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that had grown up with him, and who stood before him:
and he said to them, What counsel give you that we answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make lighter the yoke which thy father did put upon us?
And the young men that had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak to this people that spoke to thee, saying,
Thy father made our yoke heavy, but thou make it lighter to us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins. And now whereas my father did burden you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
So Yorov῾am and all the people came to Reĥav῾am the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.
And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the counsel that the old men had counselled him;
and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
So that the king hearkened not to the people; for it was so brought about from the Lord, that he might perform his saying, which the Lord spoke by Aĥiyya the Shiloni to Yorov῾am the son of Nevat.
So when all Yisra᾽el saw that the king hearkened not to them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Yishay: to your tents, O Yisra᾽el: now see to thy own house, David. So Yisra᾽el departed to their tents.
But as for the children of Yisra᾽el who dwelt in the cities of Yehuda, Reĥav῾am reigned over them.
Then king Reĥav῾am sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Yisra᾽el stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Reĥav῾am made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Yerushalayim.
So Yisra᾽el rebelled against the house of David to this day.
And it came to pass, when all Yisra᾽el heard that Yorov῾am was come back, that they sent and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Yisra᾽el, there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Yehuda only.
And when Reĥav῾am was come to Yerushalayim, he assembled all the house of Yehuda, with the tribe of Binyamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against the house of Yisra᾽el, to bring kingdom again to Reĥav῾am the son of Shelomo.
But the word of God came to Shema῾ya, the man of God, saying,
Speak to Reĥav῾am the son of Shelomo, king of Yehuda, and to all the house of Yehuda, and Binyamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,
Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Yisra᾽el: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the Lord, and turned and went their way, according to the word of the Lord.
Then Yorov῾am built Shekhem in mount Efrayim, and dwelt there; and went out from there, and built Penu᾽el.
And Yorov῾am said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
if this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Yerushalayim, then shall the heart of this people turn again to their lord, namely to Reĥav῾am king of Yehuda, and they shall kill me, and go back to Reĥav῾am king of Yehuda.
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Yerushalayim; behold thy gods, O Yisra᾽el, who brought thee up out of the land of Miżrayim.
And he set the one in Bet-el, and the other put he in Dan.
And this thing became a sin: for the people went as far as Dan, to worship before that one.
And he made a house of high places, and made priests from all ranks of the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.
And Yorov῾am ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Yehuda, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bet-el, sacrificing to the calves that he had made: and in Bet-el he placed the priests of the high places which he had made.
So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bet-el on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast to the children of Yisra᾽el: and he went up to the altar to burn incense.

Chapter 13

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Yehuda by the word of the Lord to Bet-el: and Yorov῾am stood by the altar to burn incense.
And he cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus says the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born to the house of David (Yoshiyyahu by name;) and upon thee shall he slay the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall they burn upon thee.
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord has spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, who had cried against the altar in Bet-el, that he put out his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to him.
The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.
And the king answered and said to the man of God, Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
And the king said to the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a present.
And the man of God said to the king, If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way that thou camest.
So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bet-el.
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bet-el; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bet-el: the words which he had spoken to the king, them they told also to their father.
And their father said to them, Which way did he go? For his sons had seen which way the man of God went, who came from Yehuda.
And he said to his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode on it,
and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said to him, Art thou the man of God that didst come from Yehuda? And he said, I am.
Then he said to him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
He said to him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied to him.
So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table,    that the word of the Lord came to the prophet that brought him back:
and he cried to the man of God that came from Yehuda, saying, Thus says the Lord, Since thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee,
but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcass shall not come to the tomb of thy fathers.
And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled the ass for him, that is for the prophet whom he had brought back.
And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcass was thrown down on the road, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass.
And behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass thrown down on the road, and the lion standing by the carcass: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient to the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to him.
And he spoke to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.
And he went and found his carcass thrown down on the road, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass: the lion had not eaten the carcass, nor torn the ass.
And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.
And he laid his carcass in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas my brother!
And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
for the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bet-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Shomeron, shall surely come to pass.
After this thing Yorov῾am returned not from his evil way, but made again of all ranks of the people priests of the high places: whoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
And this thing became a sin to the house of Yorov῾am, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.

Chapter 14

At that time Aviyya the son of Yorov῾am fell sick.
And Yorov῾am said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Yorov῾am; and get thee to Shilo: behold, there is Aĥiyya the prophet, who told me that I should be king over this people.
And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a bottle of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child.
And Yorov῾am’s wife did so, and arose, and went to Shilo, and came to the house of Aĥiyya. But Aĥiyya could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.
And the Lord said to Aĥiyya, Behold, the wife of Yorov῾am comes to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say to her: for it shall be, when she comes in, that she shall feign herself to be another woman.
And when Aĥiyya heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, Come in, thou wife of Yorov῾am; why dost thou feign thyself to be another? For I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.
Go, tell Yorov῾am, thus says the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, Since I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Yisra᾽el
and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;
but thou hast done more evil than all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten idols, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:
therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Yorov῾am, and will cut off from Yorov῾am every male person, and him that is shut up and him that is left free in Yisra᾽el, and will take away the remnant of the house of Yorov῾am, as a man takes away dung, till it be all gone.
Him that dies of Yorov῾am in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dies in the field shall the birds of the air eat: for the Lord has spoken it.
Arise thou therefore, get thee to thy own house: and when thy feet enter the city, the child shall die.
And all Yisra᾽el shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Yorov῾am shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing towards the Lord God of Yisra᾽el in the house of Yorov῾am.
Moreover the Lord shall raise him up a king over Yisra᾽el, who shall cut off the house of Yorov῾am: those who are here today, and those who are still to come.
For the Lord shall smite Yisra᾽el as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Yisra᾽el out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger.
And he shall give Yisra᾽el up because of the sins of Yorov῾am, who did sin, and who made Yisra᾽el to sin.
And Yorov῾am’s wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirża: and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died;
and they buried him; and all Yisra᾽el mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Aĥiyya the prophet.
And the rest of the acts of Yorov῾am, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yisra᾽el.
And the days which Yorov῾am reigned were twenty two years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadav his son reigned in his stead.
And Reĥav῾am the son of Shelomo reigned in Yehuda, Reĥav῾am was forty one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Yerushalayim, the city which the Lord did choose out of all the tribes of Yisra᾽el, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Na῾ama an ῾Ammonite woman.
And Yehuda did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.
For they also built high places for themselves, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every leafy tree.
And there was also prostitution in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Yisra᾽el.
And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Reĥav῾am, that Shishaq king of Miżrayim came up against Yerushalayim:
And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Shelomo had made.
And king Reĥav῾am made in their stead brass shields, and committed them to the hand of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king’s house.
And it was so, when the king went into the house of the Lord, that the guard bore them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.
Now the rest of the acts of Reĥav῾am and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yehuda?
And there was war between Reĥav῾am and Yorov῾am all their days.
And Reĥav῾am slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother’s name was Na῾ama the ῾Ammonite woman. And Aviyyam his son reigned in his stead.

Chapter 15

Now in the eighteenth year of king Yorov῾am the son of Nevat did Aviyyam reign over Yehuda.
Three years he reigned in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was Ma῾akha, the daughter of Avishalom.
And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father.
Nevertheless for David’s sake did the Lord his God give him a lamp in Yerushalayim, to set up his son after him, and to establish Yerushalayim.
Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriyya the Ḥitti.
And there was war between Reĥav῾am and Yorov῾am all the days of his life.
Now the rest of the acts of Aviyyam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yehuda? And there was war between Aviyyam and Yorov῾am.
And Aviyyam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.
And in the twentieth year of Yorov῾am king of Yisra᾽el reigned Asa over Yehuda.
And forty one years did he reign in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was Ma῾akha, the daughter of Avishalom.
And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father.
And he took away the male prostitutes out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
And also Ma῾akha his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made a monstrous image for an Ashera; and Asa destroyed her image, and burnt it in the wadi Qidron.
But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the Lord all his days.
And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which he himself had dedicated, into the house of the Lord, silver, and gold, and vessels.
And there was war between Asa and Ba῾asha king of Yisra᾽el all their days.
And Ba῾asha king of Yisra᾽el went up against Yehuda, and built Rama, that he might not allow any to go out or come in to Asa king of Yehuda.
Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tavrimon, the son of Ḥezyon, king of Aram, that dwelt at Dammeseq, saying,
There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Ba῾asha king of Yisra᾽el, that he may depart from me.
So Ben-hadad hearkened to king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Yisra᾽el, and smote ῾Iyyon, and Dan, and Avel-bet-ma῾akha, and all Kinnerot with all the land of Naftali.
And it came to pass, when Ba῾asha heard of it, that he left off building Rama, and dwelt in Tirża.
Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Yehuda; none was exempted: and they took away the stones of Rama, and the timber thereof, with which Ba῾asha had built; and king Asa built with them Geva of Binyamin, and Miżpa.
The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yehuda? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.
And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Yehoshafat his son reigned in his stead.
And Nadav the son of Yorov῾am began to reign over Yisra᾽el in the second year of Asa king of Yehuda, and reigned over Yisra᾽el for two years.
And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin with which he made Yisra᾽el to sin.
And Ba῾asha the son of Aĥiyya, of the house of Yissakhar, conspired against him; and Ba῾asha smote him at Gibbeton, which belonged to the Pelishtim; for Nadav and all Yisra᾽el laid siege to Gibbeton.
Even in the third year of Asa king of Yehuda did Ba῾asha slay him, and reigned in his stead.
And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Yorov῾am; he left not to Yorov῾am anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Aĥiyya the Shiloni:
because of the sins of Yorov῾am which he sinned, and which he made Yisra᾽el sin, by his provocation with which he provoked the Lord God of Yisra᾽el to anger.
Now the rest of the acts of Nadav, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yisra᾽el?
And there was war between Asa and Ba῾asha king of Yisra᾽el all their days.
In the third year of Asa king of Yehuda began Ba῾asha the son of Aĥiyya to reign over all Yisra᾽el in Tirża, twenty four years.
And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Yorov῾am, and his sin with which he made Yisra᾽el to sin.

Chapter 16

Then the word of the Lord came to Yehu the son of Ḥanani against Ba῾asha, saying,
Since I have exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Yisra᾽el; and thou hast walked in the way of Yorov῾am and hast made my people Yisra᾽el to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;
behold, I will utterly sweep away Ba῾asha, and his house; and will make thy house like the house of Yorov῾am the son of Nevat.
Him that dies of Ba῾asha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dies of his in the field the birds of the air shall eat.
Now the rest of the acts of Ba῾asha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yisra᾽el?
So Ba῾asha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirża: and Ela his son reigned in his stead.
And also by the hand of the prophet Yehu the son of Ḥanani came the word of the Lord against Ba῾asha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Yorov῾am; and because he smote him.
In the twenty sixth year of Asa king of Yehuda began Ela the son of Ba῾asha to reign over Yisra᾽el in Tirża; he reigned for two years.
And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirża, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arża who was over his house in Tirża.
And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty seventh year of Asa king of Yehuda, and reigned in his stead.
And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Ba῾asha: he left him not one male person, neither of his kinsfolk, nor of his friends.
Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Ba῾asha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Ba῾asha by Yehu the prophet,
for all the sins of Ba῾asha, and the sins of Ela his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Yisra᾽el to sin, so provoking the Lord God of Yisra᾽el to anger with their vanities.
Now the rest of the acts of Ela, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yisra᾽el?
In the twenty seventh year of Asa king of Yehuda did Zimri reign seven days in Tirża. And the people were encamped against Gibbeton, which belonged to the Pelishtim.
And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri has conspired, and has also slain the king: then all Yisra᾽el made ῾Omri, the captain of the host, king over Yisra᾽el that day in the camp.
And ῾Omri went up from Gibbeton, and all Yisra᾽el with him, and they besieged Tirża.
And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king’s house, and burnt the king’s house over him with fire, and died,
for his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Yorov῾am, and in his sin which he did, to make Yisra᾽el to sin.
Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his plot which he plotted, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yisra᾽el?
Then were the people of Yisra᾽el divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tivni the son of Ginat, to make him king; and half followed ῾Omri.
But the people that followed ῾Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tivni the son of Ginat: so Tivni died, and ῾Omri reigned.
In the thirty first year of Asa king of Yehuda did ῾Omri begin to reign over Yisra᾽el; he reigned twelve years: (six years he reigned in Tirża.)
And he bought the hill Shomeron of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Shomeron.
But ῾Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him.
For he walked in all the way of Yorov῾am the son of Nevat, and in his sin by which he made Yisra᾽el to sin, to provoke the Lord God of Yisra᾽el to anger with their vanities.
Now the rest of the acts of ῾Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yisra᾽el?
So ῾Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Shomeron: and Aĥ᾽av his son reigned in his stead.
And in the thirty eighth year of Asa king of Yehuda began Aĥ᾽av the son of ῾Omri to reign over Yisra᾽el: and Aĥ᾽av the son of ῾Omri reigned over Yisra᾽el in Shomeron twenty two years.
And Aĥ᾽av the son of ῾Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all that were before him.
And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Yorov῾am the son of Nevat, that he took to wife Izevel, the daughter of Etba῾al king of the Żidonians, and went and served the Ba῾al, and prostrated himself to him.
And he reared up an altar for the Ba῾al in the house of the Ba῾al, which he had built in Shomeron.
And Aĥ᾽av made an Ashera; and Aĥ᾽av did more to provoke the Lord God of Yisra᾽el to anger than all the kings of Yisra᾽el that were before him.
In his days did Ḥi᾽el the Bet-eli build Yeriĥo: he laid its foundation with Aviram his firstborn, and set up its gates with his youngest son Seguv, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Yehoshua the son of Nun.

Chapter 17

And Eliyyahu the Tishbi, who was of the inhabitants of Gil῾ad, said to Aĥ᾽av, As the Lord God of Yisra᾽el lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years, but according to my word.
And the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
Go from here, and turn eastward, and hide thyself by the wadi Kerit, that is east of the Yarden.
And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the wadi; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
So he went and did according to the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the wadi Kerit, which is east of the Yarden.
And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank of the wadi.
And it came to pass after a while, that the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
And the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
Arise, go to Żarefat, which belongs to Żidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
So he arose and went to Żarefat. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.
And she said, As the Lord thy God lives, I have nothing baked, but a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
And Eliyyahu said to her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me a little cake of it first, and bring it to me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
For thus says the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, The jar of meal shall not be spent, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.
And she went and did according to the word of Eliyyahu: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
And the jar of meal was not consumed, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Eliyyahu.
And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so severe, that there was no breath left in him.
And she said to Eliyyahu, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come to me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
And he said to her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the upper chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
And he cried to the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast Thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I lodge, by slaying her son?
And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this child’s soul return to him again.
And the Lord heard the voice of Eliyyahu; and the soul of the child returned to him again, and he revived.
And Eliyyahu took the child, and brought him down out of the upper chamber into the house, and delivered him to his mother: and Eliyyahu said, See, thy son lives.
And the woman said to Eliyyahu, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.

Chapter 18

And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Eliyyahu in the third year, saying, Go, appear before Aĥ᾽av; and I will send rain upon the earth.
And Eliyyahu went to appear before Aĥ᾽av. And there was a sore famine in Shomeron.
And Aĥ᾽av called ῾Ovadyahu who was the governor of his house. (Now ῾Ovadyahu feared the Lord greatly:
for so it was, when Izevel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that ῾Ovadyahu took a hundred prophets, and hid them fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
And Aĥ᾽av said to ῾Ovadyahu, Go into the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the wadis: perhaps we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Aĥ᾽av went one way by himself, and ῾Ovadyahu went another way by himself.
And as ῾Ovadyahu was on the way, behold, Eliyyahu met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou my lord Eliyyahu?
And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy master, Behold, Eliyyahu is here.
And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldst deliver thy servant into the hand of Aĥ᾽av, to slay me?
As the Lord thy God lives, there is no nation or kingdom, where my lord has not sent to seek thee, and they said, He is not there; and he made the kingdom and nation swear, that they had not found thee.
And now thou sayst, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Eliyyahu is here.
And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Aĥ᾽av, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: though I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth.
Was it not told my lord what I did when Izevel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the Lord’s prophets, fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
And now thou sayst, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Eliyyahu is here: and he shall slay me.
And Eliyyahu said, As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.
So ῾Ovadyahu went to meet Aĥ᾽av, and told him: and Aĥ᾽av went to meet Eliyyahu.
And it came to pass, when Aĥ᾽av saw Eliyyahu, that Aĥ᾽av said to him, Is it thou, thou troubler of Yisra᾽el?
And he answered, I have not troubled Yisra᾽el; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed the Be῾alim.
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Yisra᾽el to mount Karmel, and the prophets of Ba῾al four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Ashera four hundred, who eat at Izevel’s table.
So Aĥ᾽av sent to all the children of Yisra᾽el, and gathered the prophets together to mount Karmel.
And Eliyyahu drew near to all the people, and said, How long will you go limping between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Ba῾al, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Then said Eliyyahu to the people, I, only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but the Ba῾al’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood pile, and put no fire underneath: and I will prepare the other bullock, and lay it on the wood pile, and put no fire underneath:
and call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answers by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
And Eliyyahu said to the prophets of the Ba῾al, Choose one bullock for yourselves, and prepare it first; for you are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire underneath.
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of the Ba῾al from morning even until noon, saying, O Ba῾al, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they capered round the altar which was made.
And it came to pass at noon, that Eliyyahu mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is musing, or he is easing himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.
And it came to pass, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, and there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
And Eliyyahu said to all the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.
And Eliyyahu took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Ya῾aqov, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Yisra᾽el shall be thy name:
and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a ditch about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
And he put the wood pile in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood,
and said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the ditch also with water.
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Eliyyahu the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Avraham, Yiżĥaq, and of Yisra᾽el, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Yisra᾽el, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word.
Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the Lord God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again.
Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood pile, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
And Eliyyahu said to them, Take the prophets of the Ba῾al; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Eliyyahu brought them down to the wadi Qishon, and slew them there.
And Eliyyahu said to Aĥ᾽av, go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of the rumbling of the rainstorm.
So Aĥ᾽av went up to eat and to drink. And Eliyyahu went up to the top of the Karmel; and he crouched down on the earth, and put his face between his knees,
and said to his servant, Go up now, look towards the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, a little cloud is ascending from the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say to Aĥ᾽av, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
And it came to pass in the mean while, that the sky became darkened with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Aĥ᾽av rode, and went to Yizre῾el.
And the hand of the Lord was on Eliyyahu; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Aĥ᾽av as far as the entrance to Yizre῾el.

Chapter 19

And Aĥ᾽av told Izevel all that Eliyyahu had done, and how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
Then Izevel sent a messenger to Eliyyahu, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Be᾽er-sheva, which belongs to Yehuda, and left his servant there.
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
And as he lay and slept under a broom tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat.
And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meal forty days and forty nights to Ḥorev the mountain of God.
And he came there to a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, What art thou doing here, Eliyyahu?
And he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Yisra᾽el have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thy altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
And he said, Go out, and stand upon the mountain before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
And when Eliyyahu heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice to him, and said, What art thou doing here, Eliyyahu?
And he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Yisra᾽el have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thy altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, alone, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
And the Lord said to him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Dammeseq: and when thou comest, anoint Ḥaza᾽el to be king over Aram:
and Yehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Yisra᾽el: and Elisha the son of Shafat of Avel-meĥola shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy place.
And it shall come to pass, that him that escapes the sword of Ḥaza᾽el shall Yehu slay: and him that escapes from the sword of Yehu shall Elisha slay.
Yet I will leave seven thousand in Yisra᾽el, all the knees that have not bowed to the Ba῾al, and every mouth that has not kissed him.
So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shafat, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Eliyyahu passed by him, and cast his mantle on him.
And he left the oxen, and ran after Eliyyahu, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said to him, Go and come back again: for what have I done to thee?
And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them, and boiled their flesh with the equipment of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Eliyyahu, and attended him.

Chapter 20

And Ben-hadad the king of Aram gathered all his host together: and there were thirty two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Shomeron, and warred against it.
And he sent messengers to Aĥ᾽av king of Yisra᾽el, into the city,
and said to him, Thus says Ben-hadad, Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.
And the king of Yisra᾽el answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaks Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt give me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
yet I will send my servants to thee tomorrow about this time, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that they shall put in their hand thy choicest possessions and take them.
Then the king of Yisra᾽el called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeks mischief: for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
And all the elders and all the people said to him, Hearken not to him, nor consent.
Wherefore he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.
And Ben-hadad sent to him, and said, The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Shomeron shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
And the king of Yisra᾽el answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girds on his harness boast himself as he that takes it off.
And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the field huts, that he said to his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.
And, behold, there came a prophet to Aĥ᾽av king of Yisra᾽el, saying, Thus says the Lord, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
And Aĥ᾽av said, By whom? And he said, Thus says the Lord, By the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall open the battle? And he answered, Thou.
Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, all the children of Yisra᾽el, who were seven thousand.
And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the field huts; he and the kings, the thirty two kings that helped him.
And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Shomeron.
And he said, if they are come out for peace, take them alive; and if they are come out for war, take them alive.
So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.
And they slew every one his man: and Aram fled; and Yisra᾽el pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse with the horsemen.
And the king of Yisra᾽el went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and smote Aram with a great slaughter.
And the prophet came to the king of Yisra᾽el, and said to him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Aram will come up against thee.
And the servants of the king of Aram said to him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger then we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put commanders in their places:
and number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened to their voice, and did so.
And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered Aram, and went up to Afeq, to fight against Yisra᾽el.
And the children of Yisra᾽el were numbered, and were supplied with stores, and went against them: and the children of Yisra᾽el pitched before them like two little flocks of goats; but Aram filled the countryside.
And there came a man of God, and spoke to the king of Yisra᾽el, and said, Thus says the Lord, because Aram have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thy hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that on the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Yisra᾽el smote of Aram a hundred thousand footmen in one day.
But the rest fled to Afeq, into the city; and there the wall fell upon the twenty seven thousand of the men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
And his servants said to him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Yisra᾽el are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Yisra᾽el: perhaps he will save thy life.
So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Yisra᾽el, and said, Thy servant Ben-hadad says, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
And the men took it for a good sign, and hastily caught at his words; and they said, Thy brother, Ben-hadad. Then he said, go, bring him. Then Ben-hadad came out to him; and he caused him to ascend into his chariot.
And Ben-hadad said to him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thyself in Dammeseq, as my father made in Shomeron. Then said Aĥ᾽av, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbour in the word of the Lord, Strike me, I pray thee. And the man refused to strike him.
Then he said to him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.
Then he found another man, and said, Strike me, I pray thee. And the man struck him, so that in striking he wounded him.
So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with a veil over his face.
And as the king passed by, he cried to the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Yisra᾽el said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast dedicated it.
And he hastened, and took the veil away from his face; and the king of Yisra᾽el recognized him that he was one of the prophets.
And he said to him, Thus says the Lord, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.
And the king of Yisra᾽el went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Shomeron.

Chapter 21

And it came to pass after these things, that Navot the Yizre῾eli had a vineyard, which was in Yizre῾el, near the palace of Aĥ᾽av king of Shomeron.
And Aĥ᾽av spoke to Navot, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near to my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
And Navot said to Aĥ᾽av, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give thee the inheritance of my fathers.
And Aĥ᾽av came into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Navot the Yizre῾eli had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
But Izevel his wife came to him, and said to him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
And he said to her, Because I spoke to Navot the Yizre῾eli, and said to him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.
And Izevel his wife said to him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Yisra᾽el? arise, and eat bread, and let thy heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Navot the Yizre῾eli.
So she wrote letters in Aĥ᾽av’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, that dwelt with Navot.
And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Navot at the head of the people:
and set two base fellows before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst curse God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
And the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Izevel had sent to them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.
They proclaimed a fast, and set Navot at the head of the people.
And there came in two base fellows, and sat before him: and the base men witnessed against him, against Navot, in the presence of the people, saying Navot did curse God and the king. Then they carried him outside of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
Then they sent to Izevel, saying, Navot is stoned, and is dead.
And it came to pass, when Izevel heard that Navot was stoned, and was dead, that Izevel said to Aĥ᾽av, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Navot the Yizre῾eli, which he refused to give thee for money: for Navot is not alive, but dead.
And it came to pass, when Aĥ᾽av heard that Navot was dead, that Aĥ᾽av rose up to go down to the vineyard of Navot the Yizre῾eli, to take possession of it.
And the word of the Lord came to Eliyyahu the Tishbi, saying,
Arise, go down to meet Aĥ᾽av king of Yisra᾽el, who is in Shomeron: behold, he is in the vineyard of Navot, where he is gone down to possess it.
And thou shalt speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord, In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Navot shall the dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
And Aĥ᾽av said to Eliyyahu, Hast thou found me, O my enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast given thyself over to work evil in the eyes of the Lord.
Behold I will bring evil upon thee, and will sweep thee away, and will cut off from Aĥ᾽av every male person, and him that is shut up and him that is left free in Yisra᾽el.
And will make thy house like the house of Yorov῾am, the son of Nevat, and like the house of Ba῾asha the son of Aĥiyya, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and hast made Yisra᾽el to sin.
And of Izevel also the Lord spoke saying, The dogs shall eat Izevel by the wall of Yizre῾el.
Him that dies of Aĥ᾽av in the city the dogs shall eat: and him that dies in the field the birds of the air shalt eat.
But there was none like Aĥ᾽av, who did give himself over to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Izevel his wife did incite.
And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Emori, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Yisra᾽el.
And it came to pass, when Aĥ᾽av heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
And the word of the Lord came to Eliyyahu the Tishbi, saying,
Seest thou how Aĥ᾽av humbles himself before me? because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Chapter 22

And they continued three years without war between Aram and Yisra᾽el.
And it came to pass in the third year, that Yehoshafat the king of Yehuda came down to the king of Yisra᾽el.
And the king of Yisra᾽el said to his servants, Do you know that Ramot in Gil῾ad is ours, and we are still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Aram?
And he said to Yehoshafat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramot-gil῾ad? And Yehoshafat said to the king of Yisra᾽el, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.
And Yehoshafat said to the king of Yisra᾽el, Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day.
Then the king of Yisra᾽el gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go against Ramot-gil῾ad to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
And Yehoshafat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might inquire of him?
And the king of Yisra᾽el said to Yehoshafat, There is one other man, Mikhayahu the son of Yimla, by whom we may inquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Yehoshafat said, Let not the king say so.
Then the king of Yisra᾽el called an officer, and said, bring quickly Mikhayahu the son of Yimla.
And the king of Yisra᾽el and Yehoshafat king of Yehuda sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a threshing floor in the entrance of the gate of Shomeron; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
And Żidqiyya the son of Kena῾ana made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus says the Lord, With these shalt thou push Aram, until thou have consumed them.
And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramot-gil῾ad, and prosper: and may the Lord deliver it into the king’s hand.
And the messenger that was gone to call Mikhayahu spoke to him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.
And Mikhayahu said, As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that will I speak.
So he came to the king. And the king said to him, Mikhayahu, shall we go against Ramot-gil῾ad to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper, and may the Lord deliver it into the hand of the king.
And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord?
And he said, I saw all Yisra᾽el scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.
And the king of Yisra᾽el said to Yehoshafat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?
And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
And the Lord said, Who shall entice Aĥ᾽av, that he may go up and fall at Ramot-gil῾ad? And one said in this manner, and another said in that manner.
And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said unto him, with what?
And he said, I will go out, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go out, and do so.
Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord has spoken evil concerning thee.
But Żidqiyyahu the son of Kena῾ana went near, and smote Mikhayehu on the cheek, and said, Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me to speak to thee?
And Mikhayehu said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.
And the king of Yisra᾽el said, Take Mikhayehu, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Yo᾽ash the king’s son;
and say, Thus says the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with scant bread and with scant water, until I come in peace.
And Mikhayehu said, If thou return at all in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.
So the king of Yisra᾽el and Yehoshafat the king of Yehuda went up to Ramot-gil῾ad.
And the king of Yisra᾽el said to Yehoshafat, I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Yisra᾽el disguised himself, and went into the battle.
But the king of Aram commanded his thirty two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Yisra᾽el.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Yehoshafat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Yisra᾽el. And they turned aside to fight against him: and Yehoshafat cried out.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Yisra᾽el, that they turned back from pursuing him.
And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Yisra᾽el between the joints of the armour: so he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am badly wounded.
And the battle increased that day: and the king was propped up in his chariot against Aram, and died at evening: and the blood ran out of the wound into the hollow of the chariot.
And there went a cry throughout the camp about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.
So the king died, and was brought to Shomeron; and they buried the king in Shomeron.
And one washed the chariot in the pool of Shomeron; and the dogs licked up his blood; and the harlots washed there; according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.
Now the rest of the acts of Aĥ᾽av, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yisra᾽el?
So Aĥ᾽av slept with his fathers; and Aĥazyahu his son reigned in his stead.
And Yehoshafat the son of Asa began to reign over Yehuda in the fourth year of Aĥ᾽av king of Yisra᾽el.
Yehoshafat was thirty five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty five years in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was ῾Azuva the daughter of Shilĥi.
And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord:
nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people still offered and burnt incense in the high places.
And Yehoshafat made peace with the king of Yisra᾽el.
Now the rest of the acts of Yehoshafat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yehuda?
And the remnant of the prostitutes, who remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.
There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king.
Yehoshafat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ofir for gold: but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at ῾Eżyon-gever.
Then said Aĥazyahu the son of Aĥ᾽av to Yehoshafat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Yehoshafat would not.
And Yehoshafat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Yehoram his son reigned in his stead.
Aĥazyahu the son of Aĥ᾽av began to reign over Yisra᾽el in Shomeron in the seventeenth year of Yehoshafat king of Yehuda, and reigned two years over Yisra᾽el.
And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Yorov῾am the son of Nevat, who made Yisra᾽el to sin:
for he served the Ba῾al, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, according to all that his father had done.