I Kings
מלכים א
The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J
https://www.judaicaplace.com/metsudah-kings-i-hardcover/m143/

I Kings



Chapter 1

Dovid was old, advanced in years, and they covered him with clothes, but he was not warmed.
And his servants said to him, “Let them seek for my lord, the king, a young, virgin girl, and she will stand in the king’s presence, and she will be for him a warmer. She will lie in your lap and it will be warm for my lord, the king.”
And they searched for a young, beautiful girl throughout all the borders of Yisroel, and they found Avishag, the Shunamis, and brought her to the king.
The young girl was most beautiful, and she became a warmer for the king and she served him, but the king was not intimate with her.
Adoniyohu ben Chaggis exalted himself saying, “I will be king,” and he made for himself a chariot and horsemen, and fifty men running before him.
And his father had never angered him in his lifetime [by] saying, “Why have you done so?” And he was also very handsome. She gave birth to him after Avsholom.
And he consulted with Yoav ben Tseruyah and with Evyosar, the <i>kohein,</i> and they supported and followed Adoniyohu.
But Tzodok, the <i>kohein</i> and Bnoyohu ben Yehoyodoh, and Nosson the prophet, and Shimi and Reiu, and the mighty men of Dovid were not involved with Adoniyohu.
Adoniyohu slaughtered sheep and cattle and fattened [oxen] at the stone of Zocheles which is near Ein-Rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the sons of the king, and all the men of Yehudah, the king’s servants.
But Nosson, the prophet and Benoyohu and the mighty men and his brother, Shlomo, he did not invite.
And Nosson said to Bas-Sheva, the mother of Shlomo, saying, “You must have heard that he [proclaimed himself] king—Adoniyohu ben Chaggis, and our lord, Dovid, does not know.
And now come, I will advise you; and you will save your life and the life of your son, Shlomo.
Go and come to Melech Dovid and say to him, ‘For certain my lord, the king, did you swear to your maidservant saying, that “Shlomo, your son, will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.” And now why has Adoniyohu become king?’
Behold, while you are still speaking there with the king, I will come after you and substantiate your words.”
And Bas-Sheva came to the king, into the inner chamber. The king was very old, and Avishag, the Shunamis, was serving the king.
And Bas-Sheva bowed her head, and prostrated herself to the king, and the king said, “What is your problem.”
And she said to him, “My lord, you swore by Adonoy, your God, to your maidservant, ‘that Shlomo, your son, will be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’
And now, behold, Adoniyohu has become king, and now my lord, the king, you did not know.
And he has slaughtered many oxen and fattened cattle and sheep, and he invited all the king’s sons, and Avyosor, the <i>kohein,</i> and Yoav, the general of the army, but Shlomo, your servant, he did not invite.
And you, my lord, the king, the eyes of all Yisroel are upon you, for you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord, the king after him.
And then when my lord, the king will lie with his fathers; I and my son, Shlomo, will be considered sinners.”
Behold, she was still speaking to the king, when Nosson, the prophet, came.
And they told the king saying, “Behold, Nosson, the prophet.” And he came before the king and he prostrated himself to the king, with his face upon the ground.
And Nosson said, “My lord, the king, did you say, ‘Adoniyohu will reign after me, and he will sit upon my throne?’
For he has gone down this very day and slaughtered many oxen and fattened cattle and sheep, and he invited all the king’s sons, and the officers of the army, and Aviyosor, the <i>kohein.</i> Behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and proclaimed, ‘Long live King Adoniyohu.’
But me your servant and Tzodok, the <i>kohein,</i> and Bnoyohu ben Yehayah and Shlomo, your servant, he did not invite.
If from my lord, the king, does this matter come, and you did not inform your servant who would sit on the throne of my lord, the king, after him.”
And Dovid Hamelech answered and said, “Call Bas-Sheva to me.” She came before the king, and stood before the king.
The king swore and said, “As Adonoy lives. Who redeemed my soul from all trouble;
As I swore to you by Adonoy, God of Yisroel, saying, that Shlomo, your son, will reign after me, and that he would sit on my throne in my place, so will I do even this very day.”
And Bas-Sheva bowed on her face to the ground, and prostrated herself to the king and said, “May my lord, Dovid Hamelech live forever.”
And Dovid Hamelech said, “Summon unto me Tzodok, the <i>kohein,</i> and Nosson, the prophet, and Bnoyohu ben Yehoyodoh,” and they came before the king.
And the king said to them, “Take the servants of your lord with you, and ride my son, Shlomo, on my personal mule, and bring him down to Gichon.
He shall be annointed there by Tzodok, the <i>kohein</i> and Nosson, the prophet, as king over Yisroel’ and blow the <i>shofar</i> and say, ‘Long live Shlomo, Hamelech”
And you come up after him, and he will come and sit on my throne, and he will reign instead of me. It is he that I have commanded to be the ruler over Yisroel and over Yehudah.”
And Benoyohu ben Yehoyodoh answered the king and said, “Amein, may this be the will of Adonoy, the God of my lord, the king.
Just as Adonoy was with my lord, the king, so may He be with Shlomo, and may He make his throne greater than the throne of my lord, Dovid Hamelech.
And Tzodok, the <i>kohein</i> went down, [with] Nosson, the prophet, and [with] Bnoyohu ben Yehoyodoh, and the archers and sling shooters; and they had Shlomo ride on Dovid Hamelech’s mule and they escorted him to Gichon.
And Tzodok, the <i>kohein</i> took the horn of oil from the Tent [Mishkon] and annointed Shlomo. They blew the shofar, and all the people said, “Long live the king, Shlomo.”
And all the people went up after him, and the people played the flutes, and rejoiced with great joy, and the earth [seemed to] split by their sound [of their voices].
And Adoniyohu heard, as did all the guests who were with him, and they had finished eating. And Yoav heard the sound of the shofar, and he said, “Why is the sound of the city [a sound] of commotion.”
He was still speaking and behold Yonoson ben Evyosor, the <i>kohein</i> entered, and Adoniyohu said, “Come in, for you are a valiant man, and you must be bringing good tidings.”
And Yonoson answered and said to Adinyohu, “But our lord, Dovid Hamelech, has proclaimed Shlomo as the king.”
And the king sent with him Tzodok, the <i>kohein, Nosson, the prophet, Bnoyohu ben Yehyodoh, and the archers and the sling shooters, and they had him ride on the king’s mule.
And they annointed him, [so did] Tzodok, the kohein, and Nosson, the prophet, [annoint him] as king at Gichon. The went up from there rejoicing, and the city is in a state of commotion. This is the sound you have heard.
And Shlomo has already sat on the throne of the kingdom.
And the king’s servants also came to bless our lord, Dovid Hamelech, saying, ‘May God make the name of Shlomo better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne,’ and the king bowed down on the bed.
And this the king also said, ‘Blessed is Adonoy, the God of Yisroel, Who has provided this day one to sit on my throne, and my eyes are witnessing it.’”
They trembled and got themselves up, [so did] all the guests of Adonyohu, and each man went [and returned] to his way.
And Adoniyohu was afraid of Shlomo, and he got up and went and took hold of the horns [the corners] of the Altar.
And it was told to Shlomo, saying, “Behold, Adoniyohu fears Shlomo Hamelech, and behold he has taken hold of the horns of the Altar, saying, “Let Shlomo Hamelech swear to me today that he will not kill his servant by the sword.”
And Shlomo said, “If he will be a valiant person, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, but should he be found to be wicked, he will die.”
And king Shlomo sent [men] and they brought him down from the Altar, and he came and prostrated himself to Shlomo Hamelech, and Shlomo said to him, “Go to your house.”

Chapter 2

And Dovid’s days were nearing the time when he would die, and he commanded his son, Shlomo, saying,
“I am going the way of all [the inhabitants of] the earth; be strong and be a man.
Preserve the safeguards of Adonoy, your God, to go in His ways, to preserve His statutes, His commandments, His judgements, and His testimonies, as recorded in the Torah of Moshe, so that you will be successful in everything you do and wherever you turn.
So that Adonoy will fulfill His word that He spoke about me, saying, ‘If your children guard their way to walk before me in truth with all their heart and all their soul, saying, no man of yours will be cut off from the throne of Yisroel.
And you also know what was done to me by Yoav ben Tsruyoh—what he did to two generals of the army of Yisroel—to Avner ben Ner and to Amasa ben Yeser. He killed them and shed the blood of war at a time of peace. He put the blood of war on his belt which was on his loins, and in his shoe that was on his feet.
You shall do according to your wisdom, and do not let his graying head go down to the grave in peace.
But to the children of Barzilai of Gilod, you should show kindness, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for they were close to me when I fled from Avsholom, your brother.
And behold, there is in your company Shimi ben Geira, of the tribe of Binyomin, among the young men. He cursed me with an explicit curse on the day I went to Machanayim, and he came down to greet me at the Jordan, so I swore to him by Adonoy, saying, ‘I will not execute you by the sword.’
And now, do not consider him innocent, for you are a wise man, and you will know how to deal with him, and you bring down his gray head to the grave in blood.”
And then Dovid slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of Dovid.
The days that Dovid was king over Yisroel totaled forty years. He was king in Chevron for seven years, and in Yerusholayim He was king. for thirty-three years.
And Shlomo sat on the throne of his father, Dovid, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Adoniyohu ben Chagis came to Bas Sheva, the mother of Shlomo, and she said, “Do you come in peace?” He said, “[I come in] peace.”
And he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “speak.”
And he said, “You know that the kingdom was [rightfully] mine, and upon me all Yisroel set their faces that I should reign, but in a turn about, the kingdom reverted to my brother, for it was so ordained from Adonoy.
And now I have one request to ask of you. Do not refuse me,” and she said to him, “Speak.”
And he said, “Please speak to Shlomo Hamelech, for he will not refuse you, and let him give me Avishag, the Shunamis, as a wife.”
And Bas Sheva said, “Good, I will speak for you to the king.”
And Bas Sheva came to Shlomo Hamelech to speak to him on behalf of Adoniyohu. The king got up to greet her and bowed to her. Then he sat on his throne, and had a throne set up for the mother of the king, and she sat at his right.
And she said, “One small request I [must] ask of you, do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask of me, my mother for I will not refuse you.”
And she said, “Let Avishag the Shunamis be given to Adoniyohu, your brother, as a wife.”
Shlomo Hamelech answered and said to his mother, “Why do you ask [only] that Avishag the Shunamis [be given to] Adoniyohu, ask that the kingdom be given to him, since he is my older brother; to him and to Evyosor, the <i>kohein,</i> and to Yoav ben Tsruyoh.”
And Shlomo Hamelech swore by Adonoy, saying, “So may God do to me and even more for with his life has Adoniyohu spoken this word.
And now as Adonoy lives, Who has established me and set me on the throne of Dovid, my father, and Who made me a [royal] house, as He had promised; for today Adoniyohu will be put to death.”
And Shlomo Hamelech dispatched Benoyohu Ben Yehoyodoh and he struck him and he died.
And the king said to Evyosor, “Go to Anosos, to your fields, for you should be put to death. But I will not kill you today because you carried the Ark of the Lord, God, before my father Dovid, and because you suffered through all that my father suffered.”
And Shlomo banished Evyosor from being a <i>kohein</i> to Adonoy, thereby fulfilling the word of Adonoy that He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
And the report reached Yoav, for Yoav had sided with Adoniyohu, but he had not sided with Avsholom; and Yoav fled to the Tent of Adonoy and grasped the horns of the Altar.
And it was told to Shlomo Hamelech that Yoav had fled to the Tent of Adonoy, and that he is next to the Altar. Shlomo dispatched Benoyohu Ben Yehoyodoh saying, “Go and strike him.”
And Benoyohu came to the Tent of Adonoy, and said to him, “The king has said, ‘Go out.’ ” And he said, “No, for here will I die.” And Benoyohu brought back word to the king, saying, “This is what Yoav said, and this is what he answered me.”
And the king said to him, “Do as he said, strike him and bury him. Thus you will remove the innocent blood that Yoav spilled, from me and from my father’s house.
And Adonoy will put back his blood (guilt) upon his head for striking two men who were more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, and my father, Dovid, did not know of it. [They were] Avner ben Ner the general of the army of Yisroel, and Amoso ben Yesser, the general of the army of Yehudah.
May their blood be put back on the head of Yoav upon the head of his offspring forever; but for Dovid and his offspring, and his house and his throne, may their be peace forever from Adonoy.”
And Benoyohu ben Yehoyodoh went up and struck him and killed him. He was buried in his house in the wilderness.
And the king put Benoyohu ben Yehoyodoh in his stead [as general] over the army; and Tzodok, the <i>kohein,</i> the king placed instead of Evyosor.
And the king sent and summoned Shimi and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Yerusholayim and live there. You must never go out from there [to go] anywhere.
And on the day you go out, and cross over the Kidron Brook, know for sure that you will die, your blood will be on your head.”
And Shimi said to the king, “It is good what you say; as my master, the king, has said, so will your servant do.” And so Shimi lived in Yerusholayim many days.
And it was at the end of three years, that two of Shimi’s slaves ran away to Ochish ben Maachoh, king of Gas. They told Shimi, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gas.”
And Shimi got up and saddled his donkey, and went to Gas to Ochish to look for his slaves. And so Shimi went and brought back his slaves from Gas.
And it was told to Shlomo that Shimi had travelled from Yerusholayim to Gas and returned.
And the king sent and summoned Shimi, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by Adonoy, and warn you, saying, ‘On the day you go out and go anywhere know for sure that you will die?’ And you said to me, ‘the word is good, I have heard.’
Why then did you not abide by the oath of Adonoy and the commandment that I commanded you?”
And the king said to Shimi, “You know all the evil that was known to your heart, that you did to my father, Dovid. And Adonoy shall bring your evil upon your own head.
And may Shlomo Hamelech be blessed, and the throne of Dovid be established before Adonoy forever.”
And the king commanded Benoyohu ben Yehoyodoh and he went out and struck him and he died. The kingdom was thus established in the hand of Shlomo.

Chapter 3

Shlomo became the son-in-law of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. he married the daughter of Pharaoh and brought her to the City of Dovid, until he finished building his house and the House of Adonoy, and the wall surrounding Yerusholayim.
However, the people still sacrificed on improvised altars, for a house had not yet been built to the Name of Adonoy until those days.
And Shlomo loved Adonoy. he conformed to the decrees of his father, Dovid, except that upon improvised altars he brought sacrifices and burnt incense.
And the king went to Givon to sacrifice there, for that was the great improvised altar. Shlomo offered a thousand burnt offerings upon that altar.
At Givon, Adonoy appeared to Shlomo in a dream at night, and God said, “Ask, what shall I give you.”
And Shlomo said, “You have done for your servant, my father Dovid, great kindness, as he walked before you in truth, in righteousness and with an upright heart with you. You preserved for him this great kindness, and gave him a son who sits on his throne as it is this day.
And now Adonoy, my God, You have made your servant, the king, in place of my father, Dovid, and I am [only] a small lad and do not know how to go out or come in.
Your servant is in the midst of your chosen people, a great nation that cannot be reckoned nor counted, it is so great.
Give your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil, for who is able to judge this great people of Yours.”
And it was good in the eyes of God that Shlomo had asked for this thing.
And God said to him, “Because you asked for this thing and did not ask for yourself long life, and you did not ask for yourself wealth, and you did not ask for the life of your enemies; but you asked for yourself insight to understand justice.
Behold I have done according to your words. Behold I have given you a wise and understanding heart the likes of which never existed before you nor will there arise like you after you.
And also that for which you did not ask, I have given you, both wealth and honor, such as there never was like you a man among kings [in the past] [and will not be] all your days.
And if you will go in My ways, to preserve My statutes and My commandments as your father, Dovid, walked, I will lengthen your days.
Shlomo woke up and behold it was a dream. he came to Yerusholayim and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of God, and he offered burnt offerings, and slaughtered peace offerings; and made a feast for all his servants.
Then two women, innkeepers came to the king and stood before him.
One woman said, “Please my master, I and this woman live in one house, and I gave birth with her being in the house.
And on the third day after giving birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together, there was no stranger with us in the house. No one besides the two of us were in the house.
The son of this woman died at night, for she had lain on him.
She got up in the middle of night, and she took my son from beside me while your maidservant was asleep, and she lay him in her bosom; and her dead son she laid in my bosom.
I awoke in the morning to nurse my son, and behold he was dead. I scrutinized him in the morning and behold it was not my son to whom I had given birth.”
The other woman said, “It is not so. My son is the live one and your son is the dead one.” And this one [the first woman] said, “Not so, for your son is the dead one, and my son is the live one.” And they spoke [argued] before the king.
The king said, “This one says,, ‘This is my son who is alive and your son is the dead one;’ and this one says, ‘it is not so, for your son is the dead one, and my son is the live one.’ ”
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 one and half to the [other] one.”
The woman whose son was the live one said to the king, for her compassion for her son was aroused, and she said, “Please my master, give her the live child, and do not kill him.” But this [the other] one said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours, divide him.”
The king declared and said, “Give her the live child, and do not kill him. She is his mother.”
And all of Yisroel heard the judgement that the king had judged and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was within him to do justice.

Chapter 4

Shlomo Hamelech was king over all of Yisroel.
These were the officials that he had: Azaryohu, the son of Tzodok, the <i>kohein.</i>
Elichoref and Achiyoh, the sons of Shisha, were scribes. Yehoshofat, son of Achilud, was the secretary.
Benoyohu ben Yehoyodoh was chief of the army, and Tzodok and Evyosor were <i>Kohanim.</i>
Azaryohu ben Noson was over the officers, and Zovud ben Noson was chief official, and confidant of the king.
Achishor was over the household, and Adonirom ben Avdoh was the tax commisoner.
Shlomo had twelve officers over [the various divisions] of all Yisroel and they provided sustenance for the king and for his household. For one month a year each of them had to provide sustenance.
And these are their names: Ben Chur in the hills of Ephrayim.
Ben Deker in Mokatz, and Shaalvim, in Beis Shemesh, and in Eilon Beis Chonon.
Ben Chesed in Arubos; his responsibilty included Sochoh, and the entire land of Cheifer.
Ben Avinodov all of Nofas-dor; Tofas, the daughter of Shlomo was his wife.
Baanoh ben Achiluds responsibility was Tanaach and Megido, all of Beis-sheon which is near Tzorsano, below Yizrael, from Beis-sheon to Oveil-Mecholoh, until across from Yokmoom.
Ben Gever in Ramos Gilod; his responsibility included: the villages of Yahir ben Menashe, which is in Gilod. He was also responsible for the Argov region; which is in Boshon, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars.
Achinodov ben Edoh had Machanayim.
Achimaatz was in Naftoli. He also took Bosmas, the daughter of Shlomo, as a wife.
Baanoh ben Chushai in Osheir and in Olos.
Yehoshofot ben Paruach was in Yessocher.
Shimi ben Eiloh was in Binyomin.
Gever ben Uri in the land of Gilod, the land of Sichon, king of the Emorites, and Og, king of Boshon, and one officer over the land.
Yehudah and Yisroel were many, like the sand along the sea in multitude; eating drinking and rejoicing.

Chapter 5

Shlomo ruled over all the kingdoms, from the [Euphrates] river to the land of the Pelishtim, to the border of Mitzrayim. They brought gifts and served Shlomo all the days of his life.
The food for Shlomo’s table for one day consisted of: thirty <i>kor</i> of fine flour, and sixty <i>kor</i> of unrefined flour.
Ten fat oxen, twenty pastured oxen and one hundred sheep. In addition to gazelle, deer, antelope and fattened fowl.
For he ruled over the entire side of the river, from Tifsach to Aza, over all the kings of this side of the river. He enjoyed peace on all sides all around.
Yehudah and Yisroel lived securely, each man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Don to Ber-sheva; during all the days of Shlomo.
Shlomo possessed forty thousand stables of horses for his chariots; and twelve thousand horsemen.
These [twelve] officers supplied provisions for Shlomo Ha Melech, and for all who were near to the table of Shlomo Ha Melech. Each one of them was responsible for his month. They omitted nothing.
And the barley and the straw for the horses and the fast horses, they brought to the place where he would be. Each of them according to his [monthly] quota.
And God gave wisdom to Shlomo, also tremendous understanding and broadness of heart like the sand that is on the seashore.
Shlomo’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the Eastern people and all the wisdom of Mitzrayim.
He was wiser than any man, [wiser] than Eison, the Ezrachite, and Heimon, Chalkol and Darda, the sons of Mochol. His name was known among all the nations around.
He articulated three thousand parables, and his songs numbered one thousand and five.
He spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Levonon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke of the animals and of the birds and of the creeping things and of the fish.
From all the nations, they came to hear the wisdom of Shlomo, from all the kings of the earth, who heard about his wisdom.
And Chirom, king of Tzor, sent his servants to Shlomo, for he heard that he was annointed as king in place of his father; for Chirom loved Dovid all the days.
And Shlomo sent to Chirom saying.
“You knew that my father, Dovid, was unable to build a house for the Name of Adonoy his God, because of the war that engulfed him; until Adonoy put them [his enemies] under the soles of my feet.
And now, Adonoy, my God, had given me repose on every side. There is no challenger and no evil mishap.
And now I declare [my plan] to build a House for the Name of Adonoy, my God, just as Adonoy spoke to my father, Dovid, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will put in your place, upon your throne, he will build the House for My Name.’
And now, command, and have them cut for me cedar trees from Levonon. My servants will be with your servants, and the wages of your servants, I will give to you, according to your word; for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut down trees as the Tzedonim.”
When Chirom heard the words of Shlomo, he was very happy, and he said, “Blessed is Adonoy this day who has given to Dovid a wise son [to rule] over this great nation.”
And Chirom sent [a message] to Shlomo saying, “I have heard what you dispatched to me. I will fulfil all that you desire regarding cedar trees and cypress trees.
My servants will bring them down from Levonon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts [to be transported] by sea to the destination that you designate to me. We will detach them there and you will take them. And you will fulfill my desire to provide bread for my household.”
And so Chirom provided Shlomo with cedar trees and cypress trees all that he desired.
And Shlomo gave Chirom twenty thousand <i>kor</i> of of wheat for food for his household, and twenty <i>kor</i> of crushed oil. This is what Shlomo sent to Chirom each year.
Adonoy gave wisdom to Shlomo as He had told him. And there was peace between Chirom and Shlomo. A covenant was confirmed by the two of them.
Shlomo Ha Melech raised a tax from all of Yisroel. The tax consisted of thirty thousand men.
He sent them to Lebanon [at the rate of] ten thousand a month in shifts. Each shift would be in Lebanon for a month, and two months in their home. Adonirom was in charge of the tax.
And Shlomo had seventy thousand men who carried loads [of stone] and eighty thousand stone cutters in the mountain.
These were in addition to Shlomo’s chief officers who supervised the work. There were three thousand three hundred [officers] who controlled the people that did the work.
The king commanded and they brought great stones, heavy stones to make the foundation of the Beis Hamikdosh with hewn stone.
Shlomo’s builders and Chirom’s builders and the Givlim carved the stones and they prepared the wood and the stones to build the Beis Hamikdosh.

Chapter 6

And it was in the four hundred and eightieth year after the exodus of the Bnei Yisroel from the land of Mitzrayim, in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, of the reign of Shlomo over Yisroel, that he built the House for Adonoy.
The House that Shlomo ha Melech built for Adonoy, was sixty <i>amohs</i> long, twenty [amohs] wide and thirty amohs high.
The entrance hall along the front of the Sanctuary of the Beis Hamikdosh was twenty <i>amohs</i> long, along the front of the width of the Beis Hamikdosh. It was ten <i>amohs</i> wide along the front of the house.
He made windows for for the Beis Hamikdosh that were open [wide] on the outside and closed [narrow] on the inside.
He built against the wall of the Beis Hamikdosh a chamber around the walls of the Beis Hamikdosh, circling all around the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. And he made chambers all around.
The bottom chamber was five <i>amohs</i> wide, the middle one was six <i>amohs</i> wide and the third was seven <i>amohs</i> wide, for he had made narrowing indentations in [the wall of] the Beis Hamikdosh around the outside, so that [the beams] would not be attached to the walls of the Beis Hamikdosh.
When the Beis Hamikdosh was being constructed it was built of whole stones carried from the quarry. Neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool was heard in the Beis Hamikdosh during its construction.
The entrance of the bottom chamber was in the right side of the house, and by a winding stairway they went up to the middle [chamber,] and from the middle [chamber] to the third [chamber.]
He built the Beis Hamikdosh and completed it, and covered the Beis Hamikdosh with decorated boards and connected planks of cedar.
He built the chambers around the whole Beis Hamikdosh. [Each of them] was five <i>amohs</i> high, and he covered the Beis Hamikdosh with cedar wood.
And the word of Adonoy came to Shlomo, saying,
“In respect to this Beis Hamikdosh you are building, if you conduct yourself according to My statutes, and do My judgements, and preserve all My commandments, to conduct yourself according to them; I will fulfill My word with you that I spoke to Dovid, your father.
And I will dwell among the Bnei Yisroel, and I will not abandon My people, Yisroel.”
And so Shlomo built the Beis Hamikdosh and completed it.
He built the walls of the Beis Hamikdosh on the inside, with panels of cedar. From the floor of the Beis Hamikdosh to the beams of the ceiling, he covered with wood on the inside. He covered the floor of the Beis Hamikdosh with boards of cypress.
And he built twenty <i>amohs</i> at the end of the Beis Hamikdosh with cedar boards, from the floor to the ceiling. He built it on the inner side of the partition for the Holy of Holies.
The Beis Hamikdosh was forty <i>amohs,</i> that is the Sanctuary before it. [In front of the Holy of Holies].
The cedar on the inside of the Beis Hamikdosh. was carved with designs of buds and blossoming flowers. It was all cedar [wood]; no stone was visible.
And the Holy of Holies within the Beis Hamikdosh, he prepared to place there the Ark of the Covenant of Adonoy.
The inside of the Holy of Holies was twenty <i>amohs</i> long, twenty <i>amohs</i> wide and twenty <i>amohs</i> high. He covered it with refined gold and covered the Altar with cedar wood.
And Shlomo covered the inside of the Beis Hamikdosh with refined gold, and he attached bars of golden chains before the Holy of Holies and he covered it with gold.
And the whole Beis Hamikdosh he covered with gold until the the whole Beis Hamikdosh was completed; and the whole Altar of the Holy of Holies, he [also] covered with gold.
And he made in the Holy of Holies two <i>cherubim</i> of olive wood. Each of them was ten <i>amohs</i> high.
The wing of one <i>cherub</i> was five <i>amohs,</i> and five <i>amohs</i> was the other wing of the <i>cherub</i>. It was ten <i>amohs</i> from one end of its wings to the [other] end of its wings.
The second <i>cherub</i> was ten <i>amohs</i> [high]; of one measurement and of one form were the two <i>cherubim</i>.
The height of one <i>cherub</i> was ten <i>amohs,</i> and so was the second <i>cherub</i>.
And he placed the <i>cherubim</i> in the innermost chamber and they spread the wings of the <i>cherubim.</i> The wing of one touched the wall, and the wing of the second <i>cherub</i> touched the other wall; and their wings which were inside the chamber were touching, wing to wing.
And he covered the <i>cherubim</i> with gold.
And all the walls of the Beis Hamikdosh, he encircled with figures, of carved figures of <i>cherubim</i> and palm trees, and budding flowers; from within and without.
And the floor of the Beis Hamikdosh, he covered with gold, in the inner and the outer [chambers.]
And for the entrance of the Holy of Holies, he made doors of olive wood. The door-posts consisted of five sides.
Two doors were of olive wood and he carved upon them carvings of <i>cherubim</i>, and palm trees and budding flowers, and he covered them with gold. He hammered upon the <i>cherubim</i> and upon the palm trees [thin strips of] gold.
He also made for the entrance of the Sanctuary, door-posts of olive wood consisting of four sides.
And two doors [were made] of cypress wood. The one door had two rounded hinges and the second door had two rounded hinges.
And he carved upon them <i>cherubim, palm trees and budding flowers, and he covered them with gold, fitting precisely upon the carvings.
He built the inner courtyard with three rows of hewn stones, and a row of cut cedar beams.
In the fourth year, the foundation was laid—of the Beis Hamikdosh of Adonoy, in the month of <i>Ziv.</i>
And in the eleventh year, in the month of <i>Bul,</i> which is the eighth month, the Beis Hamikdosh was completed according to all its plans, and all that was necessary for it, he built it in seven years.

Chapter 7

Shlomo built his [own] house in thirteen years, and he completed his whole house.
He built the house of the Forest of Lebanon. It was one hundred <i>amohs</i> long, fifty <i>amohs</i> wide and thirty <i>amohs</i> high; on fours rows of cedar columns and cut beams of cedar on the columns.
It was covered with cedar above, on top of the boards that were on the columns. There were forty five [columns], fifteen to a row.
There were three rows of windows, and each window faced the other window three times.
And all the entrances and doorposts were square, as was the window; and each window faced the other window three times.
He made an entrance hall of columns. Its length was fifty <i>amohs,</i> and its width was thirty <i>amohs.</i> There was [another] entrance hall above them, and columns and support beams upon them.
And an entrance hall for the throne where he would judge, he made an entrance hall of judgement. He covered the floor with cedar from one side of the foundation to the other side.
His house where he dwelt, which stood in a different courtyard, from within the entrance hall, was built in the same fashion. And the house he intended to build for the daughter of Pharoah, whom Shlomo had married, would be built like this entrance hall.
All these [structures] were of heavy stones according to the dimensions of standard cut stones. They were sawed with a saw from inside and from outside, from the foundation to the ceiling, and from the outside to the great courtyard.
The foundation was of precious stones, huge stones, stones of ten <i>amohs,</i> and stones of eight <i>amohs.</i>
And above it were precious stones according to the dimensions of standard cut stones, and cedars.
And the great courtyard all around was of three rows of cut stones, and a row of cut cedar planks. So too the was the courtyard of the Beis Hamikdosh—the inner one, and the entrance hall of the Beis Hamikdosh.
And Shlomo haMelech sent and brought Chirom from Tsor.
He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naftali, and his father was a man of Tsor, a coppersmith. He was filled with the wisdom and understanding and the knowledge [skill] to perform all types of copper-work. He came to Shlomo ha Melech and did all his work.
He formed the two columns of copper, eighteen <i>amohs</i> was the height of one [each] column, and a line of twelve <i>amohs</i> was the circumference of the second [each] column.
He made two crown shapes to set upon the tops of the columns, they were cast from copper. One crown was five <i>amohs</i> high, and the second crown was five <i>amohs</i> high.
Branches designed like net [mesh] work, wreaths made like chains, for the crowns that were upon the tops of the columns; seven [of these] were for the one crown and seven were for the other crown.
And he made the columns and two rows around on the one net [mesh] work to cover the crowns that were on the top of the pomengranates, and he did the same for the other crown.
The crowns that were on the top of the columns in the entrance hall, were made like lilies four <i>amohs.</i>
There were also crowns above on the two columns opposite the belly that was on the side of the net [mesh] work; and two hundred pomegranates in rows all around on each crown.
He set up the columns in the entrance hall of the Sanctuary. and he set up the right-side column and called it <i>Yochin,</i> and he set up the left hand column and called it <i>Boaz.</i>
The top of the columns was designed like lilies, and the work of the columns was completed.
He made the “sea” of cast metal, ten amohs from rim to rim. It was circular all around and it was five <i>amohs</i> high. A line of thirty <i>amohs</i> [the circumference] would encompass it all around.
There were knobs beneath its rim all around encircling it, ten to an <i>amoh,</i> surrounding the sea all around. The knobs were in two rows, cast together with it [the sea itself.]
It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The sea was set upon them above, and all their hind parts were inward.
Its thickness was a handbreadth, and its rim was made like the rim of a cup [designed] with flowers of lilies; it contained two thousand <i>bas.</i>
And he made ten bases of copper, four <i>amohs</i> was the length of one base, and four <i>amohs</i> was its width, and three <i>amohs</i> was its height.
The bases were made in the following manner: They had frames and frames between the rungs.
And on the frames that were between the rungs there were lions, oxen and <i>cherubs</i>; and on the rungs there was a base above; and beneath the lions and oxen were thin strips of metal joined together.
Each base had four copper wheels and copper bars; and its four corners had shoulders. The shoulders were cast beneath the basin, [and] at the side of each were thin strips of metal joined together.
And the rim of the vessel was inside the crown, and rose above it an <i>amoh.</i> The rim was round, made like the base, and was one and a half <i>amohs,</i> and there were engravings on the rim as well. The frames [of the bases] were square, not round.
The four wheels were underneath the frames, and the axles of the wheels were in the base. The height of one [each] wheel was one and a half <i>amohs.</i>
The wheels were made like the wheels of a chariot; their axles, their hubs, their rims and their spokes were all cast [as one piece].
There were four shoulders on the four corners of one [each] base; the shoulders were part of the base itself.
At the top of the base, [was a frame] half an <i>amoh</i> high circular all around; and on the top of the base were its axles and its frames. They were all of one piece.
He engraved on the plates, on its axles, and on its frames, <i>cherubs,</i> lions and palm trees; and pairs attached to each other all around.
This is how he made the ten bases, all cast in the same manner, all were of the same dimension, one size for all of them.
He made ten copper [wash] basins. Each basin could hold forty <i>bas,</i> and each basin was four <i>amohs;</i> one basin on each base of the ten bases.
And he set up the bases, five on the right side of the Beis Hamikdosh, and five on the left side of the Beis Hamikdosh; And he placed the sea [away] from the right side of the Beis Hamikdosh eastward, facing southward.
And Chirom made the [wash] basins, the rakes and the bowls. And so Chirom finished doing all the work that he did for Shlomo ha Melech in the House of Adonoy.
[He made] the two columns and the bowls of the crowns that were on the top of the columns were two; [also] two net [mesh] works to cover the two the bowls of the crown that were on top of the columns.
[There were] four hundred pomegranates for the two net [mesh] works; two rows of pomegranates for each net-work, to cover the two bowes of the crowns that were on top of the columns.
[There were] ten bases, and ten wash basins on the bases.
[There was] one sea, and twelve oxen beneath the sea;
And the pots, and the rakes, and the bowls and all these vessels that Chirom made for Shlomo ha Melech, in the House of Adony, were of pure, bright copper.
In the Jordan plains, the king cast them, in the thick clay, between Sukkos and Tzorson.
Shlomo gave up the weighing of these vessels because there were so very many; thus, the weight of the copper was undetermined.
And Shlomo made all the vessels that were in the House of Adonoy; the Golden Altar, and the Table upon which was the Show-Bread, were [made of] gold.
And the <i>Menorahs,</i> five on the right and five on the left, before the <i>Kodesh Kedoshim</i> were of pure gold; and the flowers, the lamps and the tongs were of gold.
The Sippos, the Mezamros and the bowls, the spoons and the fire pans were of pure gold. The keys for the doors of the inner Beis Hamikdosh, the Holy of Holies, the doors of the Beis Hamikdosh, the Heichal [itself] were of gold.
And all the work was completed that Shlomo ha Melech had done in the House of Adonoy; and then Shlomo brought in the sacred things of his father, Dovid, the silver, the gold and the vessels, [and] he put them in the vaults of the House of Adonoy.

Chapter 8

Then Shlomo gathered the elders of Yisroel, all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the paternal families of the Bnei Yisroel, to Shlomo ha Melech in Yerushalayim, to bring up the Ark of Adonoy’s Covenant from the city of Dovid which is <i>Tzion.</i>
And unto Shlomo ha Melech were gathered all the men of Yisroel in the month of <i>Eisonim</i>, at the <i>Chag</i> [Sukkos], which is [in] the seventh month.
All the elders of Yisroel came, and the <i>Kohanim</i> carried the Ark.
And they brought up the Ark of Adonoy, the Tent of Meeting, and all the sacred vessels that were in the Tent; and the <i>Kohanim</i> and <i>Leviim</i> brought them up.
Then Shlomo ha Melech and the entire congregation of Yisroel, that were called to him were with him before the Ark, sacrificing [so many] sheep and cattle that they could not be counted or numbered because of their multitude.
And the <i>Kohanim</i> brought the Ark of the Covenant of Adonoy to its place, to the inner most section of the Beis Hamikdosh, to the Holy of Holies beneath the wings of the <i>cherubim</i>.
For the <i>cherubim</i> spread their wings above the place of the Ark, and the <i>cherubim</i> covered the Ark and its [carrying] poles from above.
The poles were so extended that the ends of the poles were seen from the <i>Kodesh</i> [Sanctuary], in front of the Holy of holies; but they could not be seen from outside. they are there to this day.
There was nothing in the Ark except the two Stone Tablets that Moshe placed there at Chorev when Adonoy made a covenant with the Bnei Yisroel after they went out of the land of Egypt.
And after the <i>Kohanim</i> went out of the <i>Kodesh,</i> the cloud filled the House of Adonoy.
The <i>Kohanim</i> were unable to stand up to serve because of the cloud, for the glory of Adonoy filled the House of Adonoy.
Then Shlomo declared, “Adonoy said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.”
“I have built a house of dwelling for You; a dwelling place for You, forever.”
The king turned his face about and blessed the entire congregation of Yisroel; and the entire congregation of Yisroel stood.
“And he said, “Blessed is Adonoy, the God of Yisroel, Who spoke with His mouth to Dovid, my father; and fulfilled it with His hand saying.
‘Since the day I brought out My people, Yisroel, from Egypt, I did not choose a city from among all the tribes of Yisroel, to build a House so that My Name might be there; and I chose Dovid to be over [rule] My people, Yisroel.’
It was in the heart of Dovid, my father to build a Beis Hamikdosh for the Name, Adonoy, the God of Yisroel.
And Adonoy said to Dovid, my father, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a Beis Hamikdosh for My Name; you did [a] commendable [thing] for it was in your heart [to do so].
Except you will not build the Beis Hamikdosh, rather your son, who comes from your loins, he will build the Beis Hamikdosh for My Name.
Adonoy has fulfilled His word that He spoke; and I have ascended in place of Dovid, my father, and sit on the throne of Yisroel as Adonoy had said, and have built the Beis Hamikdosh for the Name, Adonoy, God of Yisroel.
I have established a place there for the Ark in which there is the Covenant of Adonoy that He made with our fathers after he took them out of the land of Egypt.”
Shlomo stood before the Altar of Adonoy in the presence of the entire congregation of Yisroel, and spread out his hands to the heavens.
And he said, “God of Yisroel, there is none like you, Oh God in the heavens above and on the earth below; Preserver of the Covenant and the kindness for your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
You preserved for Your servant, Dovid, my father that what You spoke to him. You spoke with Your mouth and filfilled with Your hand as You have done this day.
And now Adonoy, God of Yisroel, preserve for Your servant, Dovid, my father, that what You spoke to him; saying, ‘Not one of yours will be cut off from before Me to sit on the throne of Yisroel, provided your sons preserve their way to walk before Me as you walked before Me.’
And now God of Yisroel, please ratify Your words that You spoke to your servant, Dovid, my father.
For will God really dwell on earth? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You; how then will this Beis Hamikdosh that I have built [contain You]?
[Therefore] turn to the prayer of Your servant, and to his plea, Adonoy, my God; to listen to the song and to the prayer that Your servant prays before You this day:
That Your eyes be open toward this Beis Hamikdosh night and day, to the place of which You said, ‘My Name will be there; to listen to the prayer that Your servant will pray at this place.
And listen to the plea of Your servant, and of Your people, Yisroel, that they will pray toward this place; and You will listen in the place of Your dwelling, in the heavens, and You will listen and forgive.
Should a person sin against his fellow man, and is liable that a curse be upon him, and the curse comes before Your Altar, in this House;
May You listen from the heavens, and act and judge Your servants, to condemn the wicked one, to set his [evil] way upon his head; and to justify the righteous one, to give him according to his righteousness.
When Your people, Yisroel are defeated by an enemy because they sinned against You; and they turn to You and praise Your Name, and pray and beseech You in this Beis Hamikdosh.
May You listen from the heavens, and forgive the sin of Your people, Yisroel; and return them to the land that You gave to their fathers.
When the heavens are closed off and there is no rain, because they sinned against You; and they pray toward this place and praise Your Name, and repent of their sins, for You to answer them.
May You listen from the heavenss and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people, Yisroel, for You will teach them the right way so they will walk in it; and give rain on Your land that You gave to Your people for an inheritance.
Should there be a famine in the land, or should there be a plague, or if the crops be endangered by wind or rot, locusts or similar insects; or if their enemy besiege them within the land, at the gates of their cities, or any affliction or sickness.
Every prayer, every plea that any person will make, [or] by Your people, Yisroel, since every person knows the affliction of his heart; and he will spread out his hands to this Beis Hamikdosh.
May You listen from the heavens, Your Dwelling Place, and forgive and act, and give to each one according to all his ways, for You know his heart; for You alone know the hearts of all the children of men.
That they may fear You all the days that they live on the face of the earth, that You gave to our fathers.
And even to the stranger who is not of Your people Yisroel, and comes from a far off land for the sake of Your Name.
For they will hear about Your great name, and of Your mighty hand and of Your outstretched arm, and they will come to this House and pray.
May You listen from the heavens, Your dwelling place, and do according to all that the stronger calls out to You; so that all the people of the land will know Your Name, to fear You as do Your people, Yisroel, and they will know that your name is called upon this Beis Hamikdosh, that I have built.
When your people go out to war against their enemy, in the manner that you send them, and they will pray to Adonoy by way of the city that You chose, and the house that I built for Your Name.
May You listen from the heavens to their prayers and their pleas, and render their judgement.
When they sin against You, for there is no man who does not sin, and You will be angry with them and deliver them to the enemy; and their captors take them captive to the land of the enemy, whether far or near.
And then if they admit in their hearts, in the land of their captivity, and they repent and beseech You in the land of their captors, saying, “We have sinned, we have committed iniquities and we have been wicked.”
And they return to You with all their heart and all their soul, in the land of their enemies who captured them; and they pray to You by way of their land that You gave to their fathers, the city that You chose and the Beis Hamikdosh that I built for Your name.
May you listen from the heavens, Your dwelling place to their prayer and their plea, and render their judgement.
And forgive Your people who sinned to You, and all their rebelliousness that they rebelled against You; and grant them mercy before their captors, so that they will have mercy on them.
For they are Your people and Your inheritance that You took out of Egypt, from the midst of the smelting pot of iron.
May Your eyes be open to the plea of Your servant and to the plea of Your people, Yisroel to listen to them whenever they call to You.
For You separated them for Yourself as an inheritance from among all the nations of the earth, as You spoke through the hand of Moshe, Your servant when you took our fathers out of Egypt, [our] Master, God.
And when Shlomo finished praying to Adonoy, this entire prayer and plea, he got up from before the Altar of Adonoy, from kneeling on his knees, and his hands spread heavenward.
And he stood and blessed the entire congregation of Yisroel in a loud voice, saying.
“Blessed is Adonoy who has given respite to His people, Yisroel, like all that He had said; not one thing was lacking [in fulfillment] from all His good words that He spoke through the hand of Moshe, His servant.
May Adonoy, our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us and not reject us.
May he turn our hearts to Him; to walk in all His ways, to preserve His <i>Mitzvos,</i> His statutes and His judgements that He commanded our fathers.
And may these words of mine that I have pleaded before Adonoy, be near to Adonoy, our God day and night, to do justice to His servant, and the justice of His people, Yisroel, fulfilling the need of each day, on that day.
So that all the peoples of the earth will know that Adonoy is God, there is nothing else.
And may your hearts be completely whole with Adonoy, our God, to follow His statutes and to preserve His <i>mitzvos,</i> as they are this day.”
And the king and all of Yisroel with him sacrificed sacrifices to Adonoy.
And Shlomo sacrificed peace-offerings that he sacrificed to Adonoy [consisting of] twenty two thousand oxen, and one hundred twenty thousand sheep, and [with this] the House of Adonoy was dedicated by the king and all of Bnei Yisroel.
On that day the king sanctified the inside of the Courtyard that was in front of the House of Adonoy, for there he offered burnt-offerings, and meal-offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, for the Copper Altar that was before Adonoy was too small to contain the burnt-offerings and the meal-offerings and the fat of the peace offerings.
And Shlomo celebrated the <i>chag</i> at that time, and all of Yisroel were with him, a huge congregation, [stretching] from the entrance of Chamos to the Brook of Egypt, in the presence of Adonoy, our God, [lasting] seven days and seven [more] days, a total of fourteen days.
On the eighth day, he sent the people off and they blessed the king, and they returned to their homes happy and with good hearts [spirits], for all the goodness that Adonoy had done for Dovid, His servant and for Yisroel, His people.

Chapter 9

And it was when Shlomo completed building the Beis Hamikdosh of Adonoy and the house of the king, and all the desires of Shlomo that he wished to do.
Adonoy appeared to Shlomo a second time, as He had appeared to him in Givon.
And Adonoy said to him, “I have listened to your prayer and your plea that you have pleaded before Me. I have sanctified this House that you built to put My Name there for eternity, and My eyes and My heart will be there all the days.
As for you, if you walk before Me as Dovid, your father walked, with a pure heart and with uprightness, to do all that I have commanded you, to preserve My statutes and My judgements.
Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Yisroel forever, as I spoke to Dovid, your father, saying, ‘No man [descendant] of yours will be cut off from the throne of Yisroel.
But if you and your sons turn away from following Me, and do not preserve My <i>mitzvos</i> and My statutues that I have presented to you; and go and worship other gods and bow down to them.
I will cut off Yisroel from the face of the land that I gave to them, and the House that I have sanctified for My Name, I will cast off from My presence; and Yisroel will become an example and a mockery among all the peoples.
And this Beis Hamikdosh will be most high, [and] all who pass by it will be astounded and whistle; and they will say, ‘For what reason has Adonoy done so to this land and to this Beis Hamikdosh?’
And they will say, ‘Because they abandoned Adonoy, their God Who took out their fathers from the land of Egypt, and they took hold of other gods, and bowed to them, and worshipped them. Therefore, Adonoy, their god brought upon them all this evil.
It was at the end of twenty years that Shlomo built the two houses; the Beis Hamikdosh of Adonoy and the house of the king.
Chirom, king of Tzor, provided Shlomo with cedar wood, and cypress wood and as much gold as he desired. Then Shlomo ha Melech gave Chirom twenty cities in the land of the Gallil.
Chirom left Tzor to see the cities that Shlomo had given to him and they did please him.
And he said [to Shlomo], “What kind of cities are these that you have given me, my brother?” So he called them the land of Kovul to this day.
Then Chirom sent to the king one hundred twenty measures of gold.
And this is the review of the tax that Shlomo ha Melech imposed [in order] to build the Beis Hamikdosh of Adonoy, and his own house, the Millo, and the walls of Yerushalayim, and Chotzor, Megido and Gezer.
Pharoah, king of Egypt, had gone up and conquered Gezer and burnt it with fire, and the Canaanites that lived in the city he killed; and he gave it as a present to his daughter, the wife of Shlomo.
And Shlomo built Gezer and the lower Beis Choron.
And [also] Baalos and Tadmor, in the desert of the land.
And all the storage cities that Shlomo possessed, and the cities of [his] chariots, and the cities of his cavalry, and the desires of Shlomo that he desired to build in Yerushalayim, in Lebanon and in all the land of his dominion.
All the people that remained from the Emorites, the Chitites, the Perezites, the Chivites and the Yevuzites were not part of the Bnei Yisroel.
Their children who remained after them in the land whom the Bnei Yisroel were unable to annihilate, [of them] Shlomo levied a tax of labor to this day.
[However] from the Bnei Yisroel, Shlomo did not place [any type] of servitude; for they were men of war, his servants, his officers, his aides, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.
These were the supervising officers that over saw the work for Shlomo, [there were] five hundred and fifty [of them], who controlled the people who did the work.
Only then did the daughter of Pharaoh come up from the city of Dovid to her house that Shlomo had built for her, it was then that he built the Millo.
Three times a year Shlomo brought up [offered] burnt-offerings and peace offerings on the Altar that he built to Adonoy and he burnt incense [offerings] with it [upon the altar] that was before Adonoy, and thus he completed the House.
Shlomo ha Melech had a ship constructed in Etyyon-gever, which is near Eilos, on the shore of the Reed Sea in the land of Edom.
And Chirom sent his servants in the ship, they were sailors, who were experts of the sea, [he sent them] with the servants of Shlomo.
They came to ophir and took from there for hundred measures of gold, and they delivered it to Shlomo haMelech.

Chapter 10

The queen of Sheva heard of Shlomo’s reputation in the Name of Adonoy; and she came to test him with riddles.
She came to Yerushalayim with a huge entourage, camels carrying spices and gold in great quantities, and with precious stones. She came to Shlomo and spoke to him all that was in her heart.
And Shlomo told [answered] her all her words [questions]; there was nothing concealed from the king that he did not tell her.
The queen of Sheva saw all the wisdom of Shlomo, and the house that he had built.
[She saw] the quality of food served at his table, the seating arrangement of his ministers, the position of his servants and their attire, the [quality and quantity of] his beverages, and his elevated ramp by which he would go up to the Beis Hamikdosh of Adonoy; and she was left breathless.
And she said to the king, “It was true what I heard in my land about your words and your wisdom.
But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes, and behold, not even a half was told to me. You have exceeded in wisdom and goodness that report that I had heard.
Fortunate are your men, fortunate are these, your servants, who stand before you at all times, who listen to your wisdom.
Blessed be Adonoy, your God, Who desired you to place you on the throne of Yisroel; because of Adonoy’s eternal love for Yisroel He appointed you king to do justice and righteousness.
She gave the king one hundred and twenty measures of gold, and huge amounts of spices and precious stones. There never again came spices in such huge amounts as the queen of Sheva gave to Shlomo ha Melech.
The ships of Chirom also that brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir huge amounts of coral and precious stones.
The king made the coral into a pathway to the Beis Hamikdosh of Adonoy and for the house of the king; he also made harps and lyres for the singers. Never before had such coral appeared, and such has never been seen to this day.
And Shlomo ha Melech gave to the queen of Sheva all that she desired, all that she asked for; aside from what he gave her in keeping with the generosity of Shlomo haMelech. She turned, and went back to her land she and all her servants.
The weight of the gold that came to Shlomo in one year was six hundred and sixty six measures of gold.
This was in addition to the gold that came from traveling merchants, and from the commerce of spice dealers, and all the subordinate kings and the governors of the land.
And Shlomo ha Melech made two hundred [full] shields of soft gold; six hundred measures [dinar] of gold went into one [full] shield.
[He also made] three hundred [regular] shields of soft gold, three hundred <i>maneh</i> of gold went into one shield; and the king placed them in the House of the forest of Lebanon.
And the king made a huge throne of ivory, and overlaided it with pure glittering gold.
There were six steps [leading up] to the throne. The top of the throne was round from behind, and there were arm-rests on each side at the place of the seat; there were two lions standing beside the arm-rests.
There were twelve lions standing there on the six steps, [two] on each side. Nothing like this was ever made for any kingdom.
All the drinking cups of Shlomo ha Melech were made of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were made of pure gold; none of them were made of silver, as [silver] was not considered of value in the days of Shlomo.
For the king had ships of Tarshish at sea, with the ships of Chirom [as well]; [and] once in three years the ships of Tarshish would come carrying gold, silver, ivory, monkeys and peacocks.
Shlomo ha Melech became greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and in wisdom.
And the whole world sought the presence of Shlomo, to listen to the wisdom that Adonoy instilled in his heart.
They brought, each one of them, his gift, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses and mules; year after year.
Shlomo amassed chariots and cavalry. He possessed fourteen hundred chariots, and twelve thousand cavalry men. He placed them in the cities of chariots and with the king in Yerushalayim.
The king made the silver [as worthless] as stones in Yerushalayim; and the cedars [as common] as sycamores that are found in abundance in the lowland.
The source of the horses that Shlomo possessed was from Egypt and from a privileged cartel. The royal traders bought [horses] from the cartel at the marked price.
A chariot would be exported from Egypt for six hundred silver pieces and a single horse for one hundred fifty. In this manner [the horses of] all the kings of Hittite and Aram were exported through them.

Chapter 11

Shlomo ha Melech loved many foreign women and [especially] the daughter of Pharaoh; [among them were] Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Tsidonites and Chittites.
They were from the nations of which Adonoy had said to the Bnei Yisroel, “You shall not go [marry] among them, and they shall not enter [marry] among you, for they will surely turn your hearts to go after their gods; they were the ones that Shlomo did cleave to love.
He had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred concubines; and his wives swayed his heart.
And in Shlomo’s old age, his wives turned his heart to go after foreign gods, and his heart was no longer whole with Adonoy, his God, like the heart of Dovid, his father.
Shlomo followed after Ashtores, the god of the Tzodnites, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites.
And thus Shlomo did that which was evil in the eyes of Adonoy; and he was not completely devoted to Adonoy as was Dovid, his father.
Them Shlomo built a <i>Bomoh</i> [altar] for Chemosh, the abomination of Moav, on the mountain opposite Yerushalayim; and [also] for Molech, the abomination of Ammon.
So he did for all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods.
And Adonoy was angered by Shlomo, for his heart was turned away from Adonoy, the God of Yisroel, who had appeared to him two times.
And had commanded him about this [very] thing, not to go after alien gods; and he did not preserve what Adonoy commanded.
And Adonoy said to Shlomo, “Because this has been with you and you did not preserve My covenant, and My statute that I commanded you; I will surely tear the kingdom away from you, and give it to your servant.
But in your lifetime I will not do it, for the sake of Dovid, your father, but from the hand of your son, I will tear it.
However, the entire kingdom I will not tear away [from you]; but one tribe, I will give to your son, for the sake of Dovid, your father, and for the sake of Yerushalayim that I have chosen.
Adonoy set up a rival against Shlomo, [he was] Hadad, the Edomite, who was from the offspring of the king of Edom.
Dovid was in Edom when Yoav, commander of the army had gone up to bury the dead, for he had slain every male person of Edom.
For six months, Yoav and all of Yisroel remained stationed there, until he had wiped out every male person in Edom.
[However] Hadad had fled, he together with some men from Edom, who were of his father’s servants, to come to Egypt. Hadad was a small boy at that time.
They got up from Midyon and came to Poron. They took some men from Poron with them, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh gave him a house, and ordered that he be provided with food, and he [also] granted him land.
Hadad found much favor in the eyes Pharaoh, and he gave him for a wife, the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tachpenais, the Queen.
And the sister of Tachpenais, bore him Genuvas, his son, and Tachpenais weaned him in the house of Pharaoh; and Genuvas was raised in the house of Pharoah among the children of Pharaoh.
Hadad heard in Egypt that Dovid slept with his fathers, and that Yoav, commander of the army had died. Hadad then said to Pharaoh, “Release me, and I will go to my own land.”
Pharaoh said to him, “What are you lacking with me that you ask to go to your land?” And he said, “No, but release me nevertheless.”
And God raised up a rival against [Shlomo], Rezon the son of Elyodoh, who had fled from Hadadezer, the king of Tsova, his master.
He gathered men around him and he was the leader of troops when Dovid killed them. They then went to Damascus and lived there, and they ruled in Damascus.
He antagonized Yisroel during all the days of Shlomo in conjunction with the evil of Hadad. He detested yisroel and ruled over Arom.
And Yerovom, the son of Nevot, [was] from the tribe of Ephraim, from Tsereidoh, and his mother’s name was Tseruah, a widow. He was a servant to Shlomo and he raised his hand against the king.
It was about this matter that he raised his hand against the king: Shlomo had built up the <i>Millo,</i> and had closed up the breaks of the city of Dovid, his father.
This man Yerovom was a man of great valor; and Shlomo had seen that this young man, did his work with diligence, and appointed him over all the [tax] burdens of the House of Yosef.
At that time Yerovom had gone out of Yerushalayim, and Achiyoh ha Shiloni, the prophet, found him on the road. He [the prophet] was wearing a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the field.
And Achiyoh took hold of the new garment that was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.
And he said to Yerovom, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for so has said Adonoy, God of Yisroel ‘I am going to tear the kingdom from the hand of Shlomo and give you ten tribes.
One tribe will remain his for the sake of My servant, Dovid, and for the sake of Yerushalayim, the city that I chose from [among] all the tribes of Yisroel.
Because they abandoned Me and bowed down to Ashtores, god of the Tsidonim, to Chemosh, god of Moav and to Milcom, god of the children of Amon; and they did not follow in My ways, to do that what is upright in My eyes, to keep My statutes and My judgements as did Dovid, his father.
However, I will not take any part of the kingdom from his hand, for I will make him king all the days of his life, for the sake of Dovid, My servant, whom I have chosen, who preserved My <i>Mitzvos</i> and My statutes.
But I will take the the kingdom from the hand of his son, and give it to you, the ten tribes.
And to his son, I will give one tribe in order that there be a lamp for Dovid, My servant, all the days before Me in Yerushalayim, the city that I chose for Myself, to place My Name there.
And I will take you, and you will reign over all that your soul desires. You will be a king over Yisroel.
And it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you, and follow in My ways, and do what is upright in My eyes, to preserve My statutes and My <i>Mitzvos</i> as did Dovid, My servant; I will be with you, and I will build for you a house of faithfulness, as I built for Dovid, and I will give you [sovereignty] over Yisroel.
And I will afflict Dovid’s descendants because of this, but not for all the days.’ ”
Shlomo wanted to kill Yerovom, but Yerovom got up and fled to Egypt, to Sheshak, the king of Egypt, and he remained in Egypt until the death of Shlomo.
The rest of the events of Shlomo and all that he did, and his wisdom; they are indeed recorded in the book of the events of Shlomo.
The days that Shlomo reigned in Yerushalayim; over all Yisroel, were forty years.
Shlomo slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of Dovid, his father; and Rechavom, his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 12

Rechavom went to Shechem because all Yisroel had come to Shechem, to crown him king.
When Yerovam ben Nevot heard [about this], he was still in Egypt where he had fled from Shlomo ha Melech; and Yerovom continued to live in Egypt.
They sent and called him. Yerovom and all the congregation of Yisroel came, and they spoke to Rechavom, saying,
“Your father made our yoke burdensome. Now, [if] you [agree] to lighten the hard work [placed on us] by your father, and the heavy yoke that he put on us, we will serve you.”
And he said to them, “Go away for three days and return to me, and the people left.
And king Rechavom consulted the elders who used to stand before Shlomo, his father, when he was alive, saying, “How do you advise [me] to reply to this people?”
And they spoke to him saying, “If you will be a servant to this people today, and you will serve them and respond to them, and speak good words to them; they will be your servants all the days.”
But he rejected the advice of the elders that they had given him, and [instead] consulted the young men that had grown up with him, and who [now] stood before him.
And he said to them, “What do you advise? Then we will answer something to this people who spoke to me saying, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us.’”
And the young men spoke to him, who had grown up with him, saying, “This is what you should say to this people, who spoke to you, saying ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, and you make it lighter for us.’ This is what you should speak to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.
Now, my father loaded upon you a heavy yoke [burden], and I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with rods, and I will chastise you with thorns.’ ”
And Yerovom and all the people came to Rechavom on the third day, as the king spoke to them, saying, “Return to me on the third day.”
The king replied to the people harshly and he rejected the advice of the elders that they had advised him.
And he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke [burden] heavy, and I will add onto your yoke. My father chastised you with rods, and I will chastise you with thorns.”
Thus, the king did not listen to the people, for ti had been ordained by Adonoy in order to establish His word that Adonoy had spoken through the hand of Achiyoh ha Shiloni to Yerovom ben Nevot.
And all Yisroel realized that the king did not listen to them, and the people answered the king with this; saying, “What part do we have in Dovid, nor do we have a heritage in the son of Yishai. [Go] to your tents Oh Yisroel. Now look after your own house, Dovid.” And Yisroel went [back] to their tents.
But as for the Bnei Yisroel, who lived in the cities of Yehudah, Rechavom reigned over them.
Then king Rechavom sent Adoram who was in charge of [collecting] the tax, and all Yisroel hurled stones at him and he died; and king Rechavom strengthened himself to go up into [his] carriage to flee [escape] to Yerushalayim.
So Yisroel revolted against the House of Dovid until this day.
And when all [of] Yisroel heard that Yerovom had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly, and they proclaimed him king over all Yisroel. There were none that followed the House of Dovid except the tribe of Yehudah alone.
Rechavom came to Yerushalayim, and assembled the entire House of Yehudah, and the tribe of Binyomin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men of war to fight with the House of Yisroel, to return the kingdom to Rechavom, the son of Shlomo.
Then the word of God was transmitted to Shemayoh, the man of God, saying,
“Speak to Rechavom, son of Shlomo, king of Yehudah, and to all the House of Yehudah and Binyomim; and the rest of the people, saying,
‘So has Adonoy spoken, “Do not go up and do not fight with your brothers, the Bnei Yisroel; let each man return to his house, for this occurence was ordained by Me.’” They listened to the word of Adonoy, and they returned to go [home], according to the word of Adonoy.
Yerovom built [up] Shechem in the mountain of Ephrayim and lived there; and he went from there and built Penuel.
And Yerovom said to himself, “Now the kingdom will return to the House of Dovid.
If this people will go up to offer sacrifices in the House of Adonoy, in Yerushalayim; the heart of the this people will turn to their master; to Rechavom, king of Yehudah, and they will kill me and return to Rechavom, king of Yehudah.
The king sought advice, and he made two golden calves, and said to them [to Bnei Yisroel] “It is too much for you to go up to Yerushalayim, these are your gods, Yisroel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
He placed one of them [the calves] in Beis Eil, and one he placed in Don.
This was a sinful deed, but the people traveled to be before the one, even as far as Don.
And he made the house of altars, and he appointed as priests some of the people, who were not of the sons [tribe] of Leivi.
And Yerovom made a festival in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival that was held in Yehudah, and he brought up [sacrifices] on the altar. He did the same in Beis Eil, to offer [sacrifices] to the calves that he made; and he established at Beis Eil the priest of the altars, that he had made.
He brought up [offerings] on the altar that he made in Beis Eil, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the month that he thought up out of his own heart; and, he made a festival for the Bnei Yisroel and he went up to the altar to burn incense.

Chapter 13

Then behold, a man of God came from Yehudah, with the word of Adonoy, to Beis Eil; and Yerovom was standing at the Altar to burn an incense offering.
And [the man] called to the altar with the word of God [prophecy] and said, “Altar, altar, so has Adonoy spoken, ‘Behold, a son is born to the House of Dovid, and Yoshiyohu is his name, and he will slaughter upon you the priests of the altars who burn incense upon you, and the bones of human beings he will burn upon you.’”
And he gave a sign [proof] on that day saying, “This is the sign that Adonoy has spoken; Behold the Altar will split, and the ashes that are upon it will be spilled.”
And when the king heard the word [message] of the man of God, that he proclaimed about the altar in Beis Eil, Yerovom reached out his hand from above the altar, saying, “Seize him;” but his hand dried up [stiffened] with which he reached out toward him, and he was unable to draw it back to himself.
And the altar split and the ashes spilled from the altar, just as the sign that the man of God gave, by the word of God.
The king cried out and said to the man of God, “Please beseech Adonoy, your God, and pray for me, that my hand return to me.” The man of God beseeched Adonoy and king’s hand was returned to him, as it was originally.
And the king spoke to the man of God; “Come home with me and have a meal, and I will give you a gift.”
And the man of God said to the king, “[Even] if you give me half of your house, I will not come with you; and I will not eat bread, nor will I drink water in this place.
For so has He commanded me by the word of God, saying, “You must not eat bread, nor drink water, and do not return by the road on which you came.”
And so he went on a different way, and he did not return by the road on which he had come to Beis Eil.
There was an old prophet who lived in Beis Eil; and his son came and told him about everything that the man of God performed that day in Beis Eil, [and] the words that he had spoken to the king, they related to their father.
And their father said to them, “By which road did he travel?” His son showed him the road by which the man of God traveled, who had come from Yehudah.
And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me,” They saddled the donkey for him and he rode on it.
And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under the <i>Ailoh</i> tree; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God, who came from Yehudah?” And he replied, “I am.”
And he said to him, “Come to my house with me and eat bread.”
And he said, “I cannot return with you, or to come with you. I will not eat bread, nor will I drink water with you in this place.
For word came to me by word of Adonoy, ‘Do not eat bread, and do not drink water there. Do not return to travel by the road on which you traveled [to come here].’”
And he said to him, “I too am a prophet like yourself, and an angel spoke to me, with the word of Adonoy, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, and he will eat bread and drink water’” He deceived him.
And he returned with him and he ate bread in his house and drank water.
As they were sitting at the table the word of Adonoy came to the prophet that caused him to return.
And He called to the man of God, who had come from Yehudah saying, “Thus said Adonoy, ‘Since you rebelled against the word of Adonoy, and you did not preserve the <i>mitzvah</i> that Adonoy, your God, commanded you;
and you returned, and ate bread, and drank water in the place about which He told you, “Do not eat bread, and do not drink water,” your corpse will not enter the grave of your fathers.’”
And after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet that he brought back.
And he [the prophet] went [on his way] and a lion found him on the road and killed him; and his corpse was thrown on the road. The donkey remained standing next to it and the lion stood next to the corpse.
And behold, people were passing by and they saw the corpse flung on the road, and the lion standing next to the corpse; and they came and spoke about it in the city in which the old prophet lived.
And the prophet heard [about it] he who had brought him back from the road, and he said, “It is the man of God who rebelled against the word of Adonoy; and Adonoy delivered him to the lion, and the lion crushed him and killed him just like the word of God that He had spoken to him.”
And he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me,” and they saddled it.
And he went and found the corpse flung on the road and the donkey and the lion standing next to the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse and had not crushed the donkey
The prophet carried the corpse of the man of God and placed it on the donkey and brought it back. He came to the city of the old prophet to eulogize him and to bury him.
He placed the corpse in his own grave, and they eulogized him [saying], “Alas my brother.”
After he buried him, he spoke to his sons saying, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; next to his bones, you shall place my bones.
For the message will certainly come to pass that he called out by the word of God concerning the altar that is in Beis Eil, and about all the houses of the altars that are in the cities of Shomron.”
[Even] after all that transpired, Yerovom did not repent from his evil way; and he again appointed from the ends of the people priests for the altars. Whoever desired would be consecrated and become [one of] the priests of the altars.
And this thing became a sin for the house of Yerovom, and caused it to be cut off and destroyed from the face of the earth.

Chapter 14

At this time, Aviyah, the son of Yerovom, became sick.
And Yerovom said to his wife, “Please get up and disguise yourself so that it be not known that you are the wife of Yerovom, and go to Shilo, for Achiyoh, the prophet is there. He is the one who spoke to me that I would be king over this people.
And take with you ten loaves of bread, biscuits and a jar of honey, and come to him. He will tell you what will be the child.”
And the wife of Yerovom did so, and she got up and went to Shilo, and came to the house of Achiyoh. Achiyoh was unable to see because his eyes were stationary due to his old age.
Adonoy had [already] spoken to Achiyoh, “Behold the wife of Yerovom is comeing to ask of you about her son, for he is sick. Say this and this to her; and when she arrives, she will be in disguise.”
And so, when Achiyoh heard the sound of her footsteps coming in the door, he said “Come in wife of Yerovom, why are you in disguise? I have been sent to tell you harsh [tidings.]
Go say to Yerovom, ‘So has spoken, Adonoy, God of Yisroel, “Since I elevated you from the midst of the people and I made you the ruler over My people, Yisroel.
And I tore away the kingdom from the House of Dovid, and gave it to you. But you have not been like My servant, Dovid, who preserved My <i>mitzvos</i> and who followed after Me with his whole heart to do only what was upright in My eyes.
You have done more evil than all those who were before you; and have gone and made for yourself alien gods and molten statues to anger Me; and have thrown Me behind your back.
Therefore I will bring evil to the house of Yerovom, and I will cut off from Yerovom [every] male child; any that are restrained and any that are abandoned in Yisroel. I will completely remove the house of Yerovom [from existence] as one removes dung until is completely gone.
Those of Yerovom that die in the city will be consumed by dogs, and those who die in the field will be consumed by the birds of the sky; for Adonoy has spoken.’”
And now, get up and go to your house; as [soon] as your feet come to the city, the boy will die.
All of Yisroel will eulogise him, and they will bury him, for only he of Yerovom will be buried in a grave for in him alone was found something good in behalf of Adonoy, God of Yisroel, from the house of Yerovom.
And Adonoy will raise for Himself a king over Yisroel who will cut off the house of Yerovom this day, and also those that will be born.
And Adonoy will strike Yisroel [so that it will be] like a reed that sways in water. He will uproot Yisroel from this good land that He gave to their fathers, and He will scatter them across the river, because they made their trees of idol worship that bring Adonoy to anger.
He will hand over Yisroel [to punishment] because of sin of Yerovom, who sinned and caused Yisroel to sin.”
And the wife of Yerovom got up and she travelled and came to Tirtzah. She stepped on the doorstep of the house, and the boy died.
They buried him and all of Yisroel eulogized him, as was the word of Adonoy that He had spoken by the hand of his servant, Achiyohu, the prophet.
The rest of the events of Yerovom, how he fought and how he reigned, they are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Yisroel.
And the days that Yerovom reigned were twenty two years; and he slept with his fathers, and his son, Nadav reigned in his place.
And Rechavom, the son of Shlomo reigned in Yehuda. Rechavom was forty one years old when he became king, and for seventeen years he reigned in Yerushalayim; the city that Adonoy had chosen to place His Name there from among all the tribes of Yisroel. His mother’s name was Naamoh, the Ammonite.
And Yehudah did what was evil in the eyes of Adonoy; and they angered Him more than their fathers did, with the sins that they sinned.
They too built for themselves altars and statues and trees for worship on every high hill and under every flourishing tree.
There was also prostitution in the land; they did the same as all the abominations of the nations that Adonoy had driven out from before the Bnei Yisroel.
And it was in the fifth year [of the reign] of king Rechavom, that Shishak, the king of Egypt, went up against Yerushlayim.
And he captured the treasures of the House of Adonoy and the treasures of the house of the king. He took everything; and he took all the golden shields that Shlomo had made.
King Rechavom made copper shields instead of them; and he made them the responsibility of the officers of the runners, who guarded the entrance of the kings house.
And whenever the king went to the House of Adonoy, the runners would carry them and then return them to the room of the runners.
The rest of the events of Rechavom, and all that he did; they are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Yehudah.
There was war between Rechavom and Yerovom all the days.
And Rechavom slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of Dovid. His mother’s name was Naamoh the Ammonite. His son Aviyom reigned in his place.

Chapter 15

In the eighteenth year [of the reign] of King Yerovom ben Nevot, Aviyom became king of Yehudah.
He reigned for three years in Yerushalayim; and his mother’s name was Maachoh, the daughter of Avisholom.
He followed in the sinful ways of his father, that he had done [walked] before him; and his heart was not whole with Adonoy, his God, like the heart of Dovid, his [grand] father.
For it was for Dovid’s sake that Adonoy, his God gave him a lamp in yerushalayim, to raise up his son after him, and to establish Yerushalayim.
Because Dovid had done that which is upright in the eyes of Adonoy; and did not deviate from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except for the matter of Urriyoh, the Chitite.
There was war between Rechavom and Yerovom, all the days of his life.
The rest of the events of Aviyom and all that he did are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Yehudah. There was war between Aviyom and Yerovom.
Aviyom slept with his fathers and they buried him in the city of Dovid, His son, Asa, reigned in his place.
In the twentieth year [of the reign] of Yerovom, king of Yisroel, Asa reigned as the king of Yehudah.
For forty one years, he reigned in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Maachoh, the daughter of Avisholom.
Asa did what was upright in the eyes of Adonoy as did Dovid, his [grand] father.
And he rid the land of prostitutes, and he removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
And also Maachoh, his mother, he removed from her position of authority, for she had made a fearful image for an <i>Asheira,</i> and Asa cut down her <i>Mifletses</i> and burned it the Valley of Kidron.
[However] the [private] altars, he did not remove but Asa’s heart was whole with Adonoy all his days.
He brought his father’s sacred things , and his own sacred items to the House of Adonoy, [consisting of] silver, gold and vessels.
There was war between Asa and between Bashah, king of Yisroel all their days.
Bashah, king of Yisroel went up against Yehudah, and he built a high tower, to prevent anyone from going out or from coming in to Asa, king of Yehudah.
And Asa took all the silver and gold, that remained in the treasuries of the House of Adonoy, and in the treasuries of the house of the king, and he gave them into the hands of his servants. And king Asa sent them [his servants] to Ben Haddad, the son of Tavrimon, the son Chezyon, king of Arom, who lived in Damascus, saying,
“There is a covenant between me and you, between my father and between your father. Behold, I have sent you a bribe of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Bashah, king of Yisroel, so that he will have to depart from me.”
And Ben Haddad listened to king Asa, and sent the officers of his armies against the cities of Yisroel and struck Eyon, Don, and Aveil-Beis Maacho, and all of the areas around Kineres together with all the land of Naftali.
And when Bashah heard he stopped building the tower, and he lived in Tirtsah.
King Asa issued a proclamation to all Yehuda, “There will be no exceptions.” They carried away the stones of the tower and its timber with which Bashah had built it, and with this material, king Asa built the Hill of Binyomin and Mitzpah.
All the rest of the events of Asa, and all his might[y deeds], and all that he accomplished and the cities that he built, are indeed recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Yehudah. However, in his old age, he developed a sickness of his feet.
And Asa slept with his fathers and he was buried with his fathers in the city of Dovid, his [grand] father. Yehoshofat, his son, reigned in his place.
Nodov, the son of Yerovom, became king of Yisroel in the second year of Asa, king of Yehudah, and he reigned over Yisroel for two years.
He did what was evil in the eyes of Adonoy, and followed the way of his father and in his sin that he caused Yisroel to sin.
Bashah the son of Achiyoh, plotted against him, he was of the house of Yissocher, and Bashah struck him at Givson, which belonged to the Pelishtim, when Nadov and all Yisroel were beseiging Givson.
And Bashah killed him in the third year [of the reign] of Asa, king of Yehudah, and he [Bashah] ruled in his place.
When he became king, he struck the whole house of Yerovom. He did not spare a single soul of Yerovom, until he destroyed it utterly; as was the word of Adonoy that He spoke through the hand of His servant, aciuyoh haShiloni.
For the sins of Yerovom that he sinned and caused Yisroel to sin; with his deeds of anger by which he angered Adonoy, God of Yisroel.
The rest of the deeds of Nodov and all that he did, are indeed recorded in the Book of chronicles of the kings of Yisroel.
There was war between Asa and between Bashah, king of Yisroel all their days.
It was during the third year of Asa, king of Yehudah, that Bashah son of Achiyoh, became king over all Yisroel in Tirtzah. [He reigned] for twenty four years.
And he did that which was evil in the eyes of Adonoy, and he followed in the way of Yerovom, and in his sins that he caused Yisroel to sin.

Chapter 16

There was a word of Adonoy to Yeihu, the son of Chanoni, concerning Bashah, saying,
“Since I picked you up from the dust, and appointed you a prince over My people, Yisroel, you followed in the way of Yerovom, and caused My people, Yisroel to sin, and to anger Me with their sins.
Behold, I will destroy Bashah and his house; and I will do to your house as I did to the house of Yerovom ben Novot.
The dead ones of Bashah that died in the city, will be eaten by the dogs; and those of his that are dead in the field, will be eaten by the birds of the sky.”
The rest of the events of Bashah, and what he did and his might, they are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Yisroel.
And Bashah slept with his fathers, and he was buried in Tirtzah. His son, Eiloh, reigned in his place.
Also in the hand of Yeihu, the son of Chanoni, the prophet there was a word of Adonoy concerning Bashah and his house[hold], and all the evil that he did in the eyes of Adonoy, to anger Him by the deeds of his hands, that [his end] would be like the [end of] the house of Yerovom, and because he had killed him [Nodov].
In the twenty sixth year [of the reign] of Asa, king of Yehudah, Eiloh, the son of Bashah, reigned over Yisroel in Tirtzoh, for two years.
And his servant, Zimri, plotted against him; he was the officer of half of the chariots. He [Eiloh] was in Tirtzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Artzah, who oversaw the house[hold] in Tirtzah.
And Zimri came and struck him, and killed him in the twenty seventh year [of the reign] of Asa, king of Yehudah, and he [Zimri] reigned in his place.
And when he was king, as he sat on his throne, he struck the entire house of Bashah. He did not spare him any males, nor any of his relatives or friends.
And thus Zimri destroyed the entire house of Bashah, fulfilling the word of Adonoy that He spoke about Bashah through Yeihu, the prophet.
For all Bashah’s sins and the sins of Eiloh, his son that they sinned and they caused Yisroel to sin, by which they angered Adonoy, God of Yisroel, with their false gods.
The rest of the events of Eiloh and all that he did, are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Yisroel.
In the twenty seventh year [of the reign] of Asa, king of Yehudah, Zimri reigned for seven days in Tirtzah. The people were encamped around Givson, which belonged to the Pelishtim.
And the people who were encamped heard it said “Zimri has plotted and has also killed the king.” And so all of Yisroel proclaimed Omri king,—he was the general of the army of Yisroel—on that day in the camp.
And Omri and all Yisroel with him went up from Givson and besieged Tirtzah.
When Zimri realized that the city was captured, he went into the inner chamber of the kings palace; and he [Omri] burnt him [together] with the fire of the kings palace and he [Zimri] died.
This was because of his sins that he sinned, to do that which was evil in the eyes of Adonoy, to follow in the way of Yerovom and in his sin that he did, to cause Yisroel to sin.
The rest of the events of Zimri and the conspiracy that he plotted, they are recorded in the Book of chronicles of the kings of Yisroel.
Then the people of Yisroel were split in half. Half of the people went after Tivni ben Ginas to make him their king, and the other half followed after Omri.
The people that followed Omri overpowered the people that followed Tivni ben Ginas. Tivni died and Omri reigned.
In the thirty first year of the reign of Asa, king of Yehudah. Omri reigned over Israel for twelve years. In Tirtzoh, he reigned six years.
He purchased the mountain of Shomron from Shemer for two Kikar of silver. He built up the mountain and he called the name of the city that he built, by the name of Shemer, the owner of the mountain of Shomron.
Omri did what was evil in the eyes of Adonoy. He was more wicked than all those that were before him.
He followed in every way of Yerovam ben Novat, and [especially] in his sin of causing Yisroel to sin; to anger Adonoy, God of Yisroel with their false gods.
The rest of the events of Omri that he did, and what he accomplished with his might, they are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Yisroel.
And Omri slept with his fathers and he was buried in Shomron. His son, Achov, reigned in his place.
Achov ben Omri reigned over Yisroel in the thirty eighth year [of the reign] of Asa, king of Yehudah. Achov ben Omri reigned over Yisroel in Shomron for twenty two years.
And Achov ben Omri did that which was evil in the eyes of Adonoy, more than all those before him.
And it was insignificant for him [merely] to follow in the sin[ful] way of Yerovom be Nevat, so he took for a wife Ezevel, the daughter of Esbaal, the king of the Tzidonim, and he went and worshipped the [idol] Baal, and he bowed down to it.
He erected an altar to Baal, in the temple of Baal that he built in Shomron.
And Achov [also] made an <i>Asheirah,</i> and Achov continued to do more to anger Adonoy, God, of Yisroel, than all the kings of Yisroel that were before him.
In his days Chieil, of Beis Eil, built Jericho; with Avirom, his first born, he laid the foundation, and with Seguv his youngest, he put up its doors [gates]. [Everything happened] like the word of Adonoy that He spoke to Yehoshua ben Nun.

Chapter 17

Eliyahu haTisbli of the inhabitants of Gilad said to Achov, “As Adonoy, God of Yisroel lives, before whom I serve, there will be no dew or rain these years except by my word.”
There was a word of Adonoy to him, saying,
“Go from here and turn eastward, and hide in the valley of Kris, which faces the Yardein.
From the brook you will drink, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
He went and did according to the word of Adonoy. He went and dwelled in the valley of Kris which faces the Yardein.
And the ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and bread and meat each evening, and he drank [water] from the brook.
After a number of days the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
There was a word of Adonoy to him, saying,
“Get up, go to Tzorphas, which belongs to Tzidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widowed woman there to feed you.”
And he got up and went to Tzorphas. He came to the entrance of the city, and behold there was a widowed woman gathering wood. He called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a vessel and I will drink.”
She went to bring it, and he called out to her and said, “Please bring me some bread in your hand.”
And she said, “As Adonoy, your God lives, I have no cake [at all], but [I have] a handful of flour in a jar, and a little oil in a bottle. Behold, I am gathering two pieces of wood, and I will go and make it for myself and my son. we will eat it and [then] we will die.”
And Eliyahu said to her, “Do not fear, go and do as you said, but make for me from there a small cake, first, and bring it out to me, and for yourself and your son, make afterwards.
For so has said Adonoy, God of Yisroel, ‘the jar of flour will not be finished, and the bottle of oil will not be diminished, until the day that Adonoy gives rain upon the face of the land.’”
She went and did as Eliyohu said, and she and he and her household ate for days.
The jar of flour was never finished, and the bottle of oil was never diminished, as the word of Adonoy that He had spoken through Eliyahu.
After these things [happened] illness struck the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, and his sickness was very severe, until there was no breath left in him.
And she said to Eliyohu, “What have I [to do] with you, man of God. you came to me to cause my sins to be remembered, and to kill my son.”
And he said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him from her bosom and brought him up to the attic where he lived, and he laid him on his bed.
He cried out to Adonoy, and said, “Adonoy, my God, also on the widow with whom I am dwelling have you done evil to kill her son.”
He spread himself out on the boy three times, and cried out to Adonoy, and said, “Adonoy, my God, please restore the soul of this child within him.”
And Adonoy listened to the voice of Eliyohu, and the soul of the child was restored within him and he lived.
And Eliyahu took the child and brought him down from from the attic to the house, and gave him to his mother; and Eliyahu said, “See, your son is alive.”
And the woman said to Eliyahu “Now I know this, that you are indeed a man of God, and the word of Adonoy [that is] in your mouth, is true.

Chapter 18

It was many days [later], and there was a word of Adonoy to Eliyahu in the third year, [of the drought] saying, “Go appear to Achov, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”
And Eliyohu went to appear to Achov, and the famine was severe in Shomron.
Achov called to Ovadyahu who was in charge of the household. Ovadyahu had great fear of Adonoy.
And when Ezevel killed the prophets of Adonoy, Ovadyohu took one hundred prophets and hid them, fifty men in a cave, and sustained them with bread and water.
And Achov said to Ovadyahu, “Go through the land to all the springs of water, and to all the brooks; perhaps we will find [some] grass and keep [some] horse[s] and mule[s] alive, and we will not be bereft of [our] animals.”
They divided the land between them to pass through it. Achov went on one way, alone, and Ovadyahu went on one way, alone.
As Ovadyahu was on the way, behold, Eliyahu was coming toward him. he [Ovadyahu] recognized him and fell on his face, and he said, “Is that you, my master Eliyahu?”
And he said to him, “It is I. Go tell your master, ‘Here is Eliyahu.’”
And [Ovadyahu] said, “What have I sinned that you put your servant into the hands of Achov to kill me.
As Adonoy, your God lives, there is not a nation or a kingdom to which my master has not sent to search for you, and they have said, ‘He is not here.’ and he made the kingdoms and the nations swear that they did not find you.
And now you say [to me] ‘Go say to your master ‘Here is Eliyohu.’
And it will be that when I leave you, a wind from Adonoy will carry you away to where I do not know. Then I will come to tell Achov and he will not find you and he will kill me; and your servant feared Adonoy since my youth.
It has been surely told to my master what I did when Ezevel killed the prophets of Adonoy. I hid one hundred of the prophets of Adonoy, fifty men in a cave, and I sustained them with bread and water.
And now you say to me, ‘Go tell your master, “Here is Eliyohu.’” He will [certainly] kill me.”
And Eliyohu said, “As Adonoy of Hosts lives, before whom I have stood [served]; today, I will appear to him.”
And Ovadyahu went to meet Achov and told him [about Eliyhu’s whereabouts]. Achov went to meet Eliyahu.
And when Achov saw Eliyahu, Achov said to him; “Is this you, trouble maker of Yisroel?”
And he said, “I did not trouble Yisroel; but you and the house of your father; when you abandoned the <i>mitzvos</i> of Adonoy, and followed after the Baalim.
Now, send [and] gather to me all of Yisroel to Mount Carmel, and [also] the prophets of Baal, four hundred and fifty [of them], And the prophets of the Asheirah, the four hundred, who dine at the table of Ezevel.
And Achov sent [messengers] among all the Bnei Yisroel, and gathered the prophets to Mount Carmel.
Eliyahu approached all the people, and said “How long will you be jumping between two concepts? If Adonoy is God, follow Him, and if it is the Baal, follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
And Eliyahu said to the people, “I alone have remained as a prophet of Adonoy; and the prophets of the Baal total four four hundred and fifty men.
Have them give us two oxen and let them choose the one ox, and cut it up and place it on the wood without fire. And I will prepare the one ox, and place it on the wood, without fire.
Then call out in the name of your god, and I will call in the Name of Adonoy, and the God Who responds with fire, He is God.” And all the people answered and said, “The thing is good.”
And Eliyahu said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves the one ox, and prepare it first, for you are the majority. Call out in the name of your god, but do not put fire [on the wood]”
And they took the ox that he gave them. They prepared it and called out in the name of Baal from morning till noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us,” but there was no voice and no answer; and they jumped on the altar that he had made.
It was at noontime and Eliyahu ridiculed them and said, “Call with a loud voice, for he is a god, perhaps he is conversing, or pursuing, or is traveling. Perhaps he is sleeping and he will awaken.”
So they called out with a loud voice, and they gashed themselves as was their custom with swords and spears until blood was pouring on them.
So it was when noon had passed, they coninued to prophesy until the time of bringing the afternoon sacrifice; but there was no voice and no answer, and no one was listening.
And Eliyohu said to all the people, “Come near to me,” and all the people came near to him; and he repaired the Altar of Adonoy that had been broken down.
And Eliyohu took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes of the sons of Yaakov; to whom the word of Adonoy had come, saying, “Yisroel will be your name.”
He built the stones into an Altar in the Name of Adonoy. He made a ditch the size of which would contain two <i>se’ah</i> of seed, around the Altar.
He arranged the wood and he cut up the ox and placed it on the wood.
And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water, and pour them on the burnt offering and the wood.” And he said, “Repeat it” and they repeated it. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.
The water went around the Altar, and even the ditch, he filled with water.
And as it was time to offer the afternoon sacrifice, Eliyahu, the prophet, prayed and said, “Adonoy, God of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yisroel, let it be known today that You are God in Yisroel, and that I am Your servant; and at Your word have I done all these things.
Answer me Adonoy, answer me, and this people will know that You, Adonoy, are God; and You have turned their hearts away.”
And the fire of Adonoy came down and consumed the burnt offering and the wood, the stones and the earth, and the water in the ditch, it licked up.
And all the people saw and they fell on their faces; and they said, “Adonoy, He is God; Adonoy, He is God.”
And Eliyohu said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal, let not one of them escape,” and they seized them. Eliyohu took them down to the Valley of Kishon and slaughtered them there.
Then Eliyohu said to Achov, “Go up, eat and drink, because there is sound of a drenching rain.”
And Achov went up to eat and drink, while Eliyahu went up to the top of Carmel. He bowed to the ground, and put his face between his knees.
And he said to his servant, “Please go up, look out to the sea.” He went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing, and he said, “Go back,” seven times.
On the seventh time, he [the servant] said, “Behold, there is a small cloud the size of a man’s hand, rising from the sea.” He [Eliyahu] said, “Go up, say to Achov, ‘Harness your [horses to the carriage] and go down, lest the rain stop you.’”
In the meantime, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. Achov rode and traveled to Yizreil.
And the hand [the spirit] of Adonoy was with Eliyahu, and he girded his loins and ran before Achov arrived in Yizreil.

Chapter 19

Achov told Ezevel all that Eliyahu had done, and all about his killing all the prophets by the sword.
And Ezevel sent a messenger to Eliyahu saying, “So may the gods do, and may they do even more, for by this time tomorrow I will make your soul like the soul of one of them.”
And he realized and got up and went to [save] his life. He came to Beer Sheva which belonged to Yehudah, and left his servant there.
And he traveled into the desert, [which was] a one day journey. He arrived and sat under a single juniper tree, and asked for his soul, that it die, and he said, “It is enough, now Adonoy, take my soul, for I am no better than my fathers.”
He lay down and slept under the one juniper, and behold an angel touched him, and said to him, “Get up and eat.”
He looked, and there near his head was a cake baked on hot coals and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.
And the angel of Adonoy returned, and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, because it is a long journey for you.”
So he got up and he ate and drank; and he traveled with the strength of that meal forty days and forty nights, until [he came to] the Mountain of God, Chorev.
He came there, to the cave, and he rested there; and behold, the word of Adonoy [came] to him; and said to him, “What are you doing here, Eliyahu?”
And he said, “I have acted jealously for Adonoy, God of Hosts, for the Bnei Yisroel have abandoned Your covenant. They have demolished Your Altars, and killed Your prophets by the sword; and I alone have remained, and they seek my soul to take it.”
And He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before Adonoy.” And behold, Adonoy was passing, and a great and mighty wind splitting mountains and shattering rocks, before Adonoy, but Adonoy was not in the wind. And after the wind, there was an earthquake, but Adonoy was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake, there was fire, but Adonoy was not in the fire, and after the fire there was a calm, quiet sound.
When Eliyahu heard he wrapped his face with his cloak, and he went out, and stood at the entrance to the cave; and behold a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Eliyahu?”
And he said, “I have acted jealously for Adonoy, God of Hosts, for the Bnei Yisroel have abandoned Your covenant. They have demolished Your Altars, and killed Your prophets by the sword; and I alone have remained, and they seek my soul to take it.”
And Adonoy said to him, “Go, return to your route, to the desert of Damascus; and [when] you arrive, you shall annoint Chazoheil as king over Arom.
And Yeihu ben Nimshi, you shall annoint as king over Yisroel, and Elisha ben Shofat, from Aveil Mecholoh, you shall annoint as prophet in your place.
And it will be that those that escape from the sword of Chazoheil, Yeihu will kill; and those that escape Yeihu’s sword, Elisha will kill.
And I will let seven thousand remain in Yisroel, all those whose knees did not bend to Baal, all those whose mouth did not kiss him.”
And he [Eliyahu] went from there and found Elisha ben Shofot. He was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Eliyohu passed by him and threw his cloak over him.
He left the oxen, and ran after Eliyahu and said, “Let me just kiss my father and my mother, and I will follow you.” And he [Eliyahu] said to him, “Go back, for what have I done to you.”
He went back after following him, and took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them, and with the gear of the oxen, he cooked the meat for them and he gave it the people and they ate. Then he got up and followed after Eliyohu, and he served him.

Chapter 20

Ben-Hadad, king of Arom, gathered his entire army, and thirty two kings with him, and horses and chariots, and he went up and besieged Shomron, and waged war with it.
And he sent messengers to Achov, king of Yisroel, to the city.
And he said to him, “Thus said Ben-Hadad, ‘your silver and your gold are mine; your beautiful wives and children are mine.’”
And the king of Yisroel answered and said, “As you say, my master, the king, I and all that I possess are yours.”
The messengers returned, and said, “Thus has said Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘When I sent to you saying, “Your silver and your gold, your wives and your children, you must give [them] to me.”
But tomorrow, at this time, I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and everything you cherish, they will put in their hands and take.’”
The king of Yisroel called all the elders of the land and said, “Please realize and see that it is evil that this one looks for, for he has sent to me for my wives and children, for my silver and gold, and I have not withheld it from him.”
And they said to him,—all the elders and all the people,—“Do not listen and do not consent.”
So he said to Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Say to my master, the king, ‘All that you sent to your servant originally, I will do, but this matter I cannot do.’” The messengers went and related the answer to him.
Ben-Hadad sent to him; and said, “So shall the god do to me and even more so if the dust of Shomron will be sufficient for the soles of the feet of all the people who are with me.”
The king of Yisroel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘He who puts on the sword should not brag like the one who takes it off.’”
When he heard this report he and the kings were drinking in the shelters. He said to his servants, “Prepare and they prepared to lay siege to the city.
Then behold, a certain prophet approached Achov, king of Yisroel, and said, “So said Adonoy. ‘Do you see this entire tremendous multitude? Behold, I am putting them into your hands today, and thus you will know that I am Adonoy.’”
And Achov said, “Through whom?” And he said, “So has Adonoy said, ‘By the youths of the officers of the provinces.” And he [Achov] said, “Who will lead the battle?” And he said, “You.”
Then he counted the youths of the officers of the provinces, and there were two hundred thirty two. After them he counted all the people, all the Bnei Yisroel, seven thousand.
They went out at midday. Ben-Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the shelters, he and the kings, the thirty two kings who supported him.
The youths of the officers of the provinces [went out] first. Ben-Hadad sent out [scouts], And they told him, saying, “Men have come out of Shomron.”
He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive, and if they have come out to battle, alive shall you take them.”
These were the ones that went out of the city, the youths of the officers of the provinces, and the army that followed after them.
Each [youth] killed his opponent, and Aram fled and Yisroel pursued them. Ben-Hadad, king of Aram escaped on a horse [accompanied] with horsemen.
And [then] the king of Yisroel went forth and struck the horses and the chariots, and struck [the men of] Aram a great blow.
The prophet approached the king of Yisroel, and said to him, “Go fortify yourself. You shall know and see what you must do, for at the end of the year, the king of Aram will come up against you.”
Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram, said to him, “Their God is a God of mountains; therefore they were stronger than us. Now however we will battle them on the plains, [and you will see] if we are not stronger than them.
This is the thing you must do. Remove the kings, each from his position, and replace them with generals.
And muster an amount of soldiers equal to those of yours that fell, and horses equal to the number of horses, and chariots equal to the number of chariots. We will then battle them in the plains, and we will be more powerful than them. He listened to them and acted accordingly.
And it was at the end of the year, and Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to battle with Yisroel.
The Bnei Yisroel wee mustered and provisioned, and they went to meet them. The Bnei Yisroel camped opposite them like two flocks of goats, whereas Aram filled the land.
And the man of God approached and spoke to the king of Yisroel, and he said, this is what God has said, “Since Aram has declared “Adonoy is the God of mountains, but not the god of valleys,” I will give this entire great multitude into your hands, and you will know that I am Adonoy.’”
They camped opposite each other for seven days; and on the seventh day they engaged in battle. The Bnei Yisroel struck Aram [and killed] one hundred food soldiers in one day.
Those that survived fled to Aphek, to the city, and the wall fell upon the twenty seven thousand men that survived. Ben-Hadad fled and entered the city, into a room within a room.
His servants said to him, “Behold, we have heard about the kings of the House of Israel, that they are kindly kings. Let us put sackcloth on our hips, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Yisroel, perhaps he will spare your life.”
So they girded their hips with sackcloth, and ropes on their head, and they came to the king of Yisroel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad, said, ‘Please let me live.’” He [Achov] said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
The men took it for a [good] Omen, and hurried to confirm it from him, and they said, “Your brother, Ben Hadad.” He said, “Come and bring him.” Ben-Hadad came out to him, and [Achov] helped him up onto the chariot.
He [Ben-Hadad] said, “The cities that my father took from your father. I will return, and you may establish markets in Damascus as my father established in Shomron.” And [Achov] said, “With this treaty I will release you.” [Lit. send you off]. And he made a treaty with him, and released him.
Then a certain man who was one of the disciples of the prophets, said to his friend, “By the word of Adony, hit me now;” but the man refused to hit him.
And he said to him, “Because you did not listen to the voice of Adonoy, behold, when you leave me, a lion will kill you.” he left him and a lion found him and killed him.
He found a different man and he said to him, “Please hit me;” and the man hit him, striking him and wounding him.”
And the prophet went and waited for the king on the road, and disguised himself with a kerchief over his eyes.
And when the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out in the thick of the battle, and behold a man turned aside and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man. If he shall be missing, it will be your life instead of his life, or you will pay a <i>kikar</i> of silver.
As your servant was at work here and there, he disappeared.” And the king of Yisroel said to him, “You have pronounced your own verdict.”
He hastened and removed the kerchief from his eyes; and the king of Yisroel recognized him, as one of the prophets.
He [the prophet] said to him, “So said Adonoy, ‘Because you released the man whom I condemned, from your hand; your life will be instead of his life, and your people instead of his people.’”
And the king of Yisroel went to his home dejected and angry, and [then] he came to Shomron.

Chapter 21

After these things [this occured.] Navos, the Yizreili had a vineyard, which was located in Yizrel, next to the palace of Achov, the king of Shomron.
Achov spoke to Navos, saying, “Give me your vineyard, and I will have it for a vegetable garden, for it is close, next to my house. I will give you as a replacement a vineyard that is better than it; or if it pleases you, I will give you an amount of silver the worth of this one.”
And Navos said to Achov, “I am forbidden from Adonoy to give the inheritance of my fathers to you.”
And Achov came to his house dejected and angry over the matter that Navos, the Yizreili, had spoken to him, and said “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he [Achov] lay down on his bed, turned away his face and would not eat bread.
Ezevel, his wife came to him and spoke to him; “What happened that your spirit is dejected, and you do not eat bread?”
And he spoke to her [the following;] “Because I spoke to Navos, the Yizreili, and I said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or if you want, I will give you a vineyard instead of it;’ and he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”
And his wife, Ezevel, said to him, “Are you now acting in a manner befitting kingship over Yisroel? Get up eat bread and let your heart feel good. I will give you the vineyard of Navos the Yizreili.
She wrote letters, in the name of Achov and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were in his city, who sat with Navos.
She wrote in the letters saying, “Proclaim a day of fasting, and seat Navos at the head of the people.
Then seat two wicked men opposite him, and let them testify, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him, and he will die.”
The men of his city took action [together with] the elders and nobles who lived in his city, [and did] as Ezevel sent them, as was written in the letters that she had sent to them.
They proclaimed a day of fasting and sat Navos at the head of the people.
The two wicked men came and sat opposite him. The wicked men testified against Navos in front of the people saying, “Navos cursed God and the king.” They took him outside the city and stoned him with stones and he died.
They sent [a message] to Ezevel saying, “Navos was stoned and he is dead.”
When Ezevel heard that Navos was stoned and that he died, Ezevel said to Achov, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Navos, the Yizreili, that he refused to give you for money, for Navos is not alive for he is dead.”
And when Achov heard that Navos was dead, Achov arose to go down to the vineyard of Navos, the Yizreili, to take possession of it.
There came a word of Adonoy to Eliyahu, the Tishbi, saying.
“Arise and go down and meet Achov, the king of Yisroel who is [now] in Shomron. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Navos where he went down to possess it.
Speak to him saying, ‘So has Adonoy said, “Have you murdered and also inherited?’” And speak to him, saying ‘So has Adonoy said, “In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Navos, so will the dogs lick your blood, even your [blood.]’”
And Achov said to Eliyahu, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” “And he [Eliyohu] said, “I have found [you], because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in the eyes of Adonoy.
Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and I will obliterate what is left after you. I will excise from Achov every male, and [destroy] things that are stored [inside] and things [livestock] that are left [in the open]; [this will be done] in Yisroel [publically].
I will give your house [the same fate] as the house of Yerovom ben Nevot, and as the house of Basha ben Achiya; because of the anger you provoked, and caused Yisroel to sin.”
And also concerning Ezevel, Adonoy spoke, saying, “The dogs will eat Ezevel in the valley of Yizreil.
Those of Achov who die in the city will be eaten by dogs and those who die in the field will be eaten by the birds of the sky.
But there was none the likes of Achov who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of Adonoy; who was instigated by Ezevel, his wife.
He acted most abominably to follow the idols, as practiced by the Amorim that Adonoy expelled from before the Bnei Yisroel.
And when Achov heard these words he tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on flesh and he fasted. He lay on sackcloth and walked barefoot.
And the word of Adonoy came to Eliyah, the Tishbi saying.
“Have you seen that Achov has humbled himself before Me? Since he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days. In the days of his son, I will bring the evil on his house.

Chapter 22

They lived for three years; there was no war between Aram and Yisroel.
It was in the third year and Yehoshofat, king of Yehudah came down to the king of Yisroel.
The king of Yisroel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramot Gilad is ours? We have been quiet about taking it [back] from the hands of the king of Aram.”
And he said to Yehoshofot, “Will you join me in battle in Ramot Gilad!” And Yehoshofat said to the king of Yisroel, “I am as you are, my people are like your people, my horses are like your horses.”
And Yehoshofot said to the king of Yisroel, “Please inquire the word of Adonoy today.”
And the king of Yisroel gathered about four hundred prophets and said to them, “Shall I go to Ramot Gilad for war or shall I refraim?” They said, “Go up and God will give it into the hands of the king.”
And Yehoshofat said, “Is there no othe prophet of Adonoy here, that we might inquire of him?”
And the king of Yisroel said to Yehoshofat, “There is another man from whom to ask of Adonoy, but I hate him for he will not prophecy good about me, but only evil; he is Michohyu ben Yimloh.” Yehoshofat said, “Let the king not say that.”
And the king of Yisroel summoned one officer, and said, “Quick, bring Michohyu ben Yimloh.”
The king of Yisroel and Yehosofat, king of Yehudah, were sitting each on his throne, dressed in [royal] garments, on the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Shomron; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
Tzidkiyahu ben Kenaanah made for himself iron horns, and said, thus said Adonoy, ‘With’ these you will gore Aram until you destroy them completely.’”
All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramot Gilad and succeed, and Adonoy will give into the hands of the king.
The messenger that went to call Michohyu spoke to him saying, “Behold, please, the words of the prophets are one, and they are favorable for the king. Please let your words be like the words of one of them, and speak favorably.”
And Michoyehu said, “As Adonoy lives, that which Adonoy will say to me that is what I will speak.”
And he came to the king and the king said to him, “Michohyu should we go to Ramot Gilad for war, or should we refrain.” And he [Michohyu] said to him, “Go up and be successful and [may] Adonoy give it into the hand of the king.”
And the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will not speak to me except the truth in the Name of Adonoy.”
And he [Michohyu] said, “I saw all of Yisroel scattered on the mountains like sheep who have no shepherd; and Adonoy said, ‘These have no masters. Let each man return to his house in peace.’”
And the king of Yisroel said to Yehoshofat, “Did I not say to you that he does not prophecy good for me but only bad?”
And he [Michohyu] said, “Therefore listen to the word of Adonoy. I saw Adonoy seated on His throne, and all the Heavenly Hosts were standing around Him, to His right and to His left.
And Adonoy said [to them] ‘Who will mislead Achov, and cause him to go up and fall at Ramot Gilad?’ One said in this way and another said in this way.
And a spirit came forth and stood before Adonoy, and said, ‘I will mislead him; and Adonoy said to him, ‘In what manner.’
And it said, ‘I will go forth and I will be a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all prophets; And He [Adonoy] said, ‘Mislead and you will prevail; go forth and do so.’
And now behold, Adonoy has put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all these prophets of yours and Adonoy has spoken evil concerning you.’”
Tzidkiyahu ben Kenaanah approached and struck Michohyu on the cheek and said, “When did the spirit of Adonoy pass from me to speak to you.”
And Michohyu said, “Behold, you will see on that day that you will have to go into a room within a room to hide.”
The king of Yisroel said, “Take Michohyu and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Yoash, the king’s son.
And you shall say, ‘thus said the king “Put this one in the prison and feed him minimal bread and minimal water, until I return in peace.”’”
And Michohyu said, “If you really return in peace, Adonoy did not speak to me.” And he said, “Hear [this] all nations.”
The king of Yisroel went up together with Yehoshofot, king of Yehudah, to Ramot Gilad.
The king of Yisroel said to Yehoshofot “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you you wear your own [royal] garments.” The king of Yisroel disguised himself and went forth into battle.
The king of Arom commanded the officers of his chariots, thirty two of them saying, “Do not battle the small or the great, but only with the king of Yisroel himself.”
And it was when the officers of the chariots saw Yehoshofot, that they said, “This must be the king of Yisroel.” They turned upon him to do battle and Yehoshofot cried out.
When the officers of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Yisroel, they turned back from [pursuing] after him.
A man drew his bow innocently [with out aiming] and hit the king of Yisroel between the plates of his armor. He said to his driver, “Turn around and take me out of the camp for I am sick.”
The battle was intense on that day, and the king stood up in the chariot facing Aram. He died in the evening and the blood of wound poured out into the depth of the chariot.
A cry passed through the camp as the sun was setting, saying, “Each man to his city and each man to his land.
The king died and was brought to Shomron; and they buried the king in Shomron.
They washed the chariot at the pool of Shomron, and the dogs licked his blood, and they washed the weapons [there] like the word of Adonoy that He had spoken.
And the rest of the things about Achov and all that he accomplished, the ivory palace that he built, and all the cities that he built, are recorded in the Book of chronicles of the kings of Yisroel.
Achov lay with his fathers, and Achazyohu, his son, reigned in his place.
Yehoshofot ben Oso reigned over Yehudah in the fourth year of Achov, king of Yisroel.
Yehoshofot was thirty five years old when he became king, and for twenty five years, he reigned in Yerusholayim. His mother’s name was Azuva bas Shilchi.
And he followed all the ways of his father, Aso, he did not deviate from them; doing what was upright in the eyes of Adonoy.
However the private altars he did not remove. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the private altars.
Yehoshofot made peace with the king of Yisroel.
The rest of the things about Yehoshofot, and his mighty deeds and the battles he fought are all recorded in the Book of chronicles of the kings of Yehudah.
The remainder of the prostitution that was left in the days of Oso, his father, he purged from the land.
There was no king in Edom, the governor was king.
Yehoshofot made ships of Tarshish to sail to Ophir for gold, but they did not go for they were broken at Etzyon-Gover.
Then Achazyohu ben Achov said to Yehoshofot, “Let my servants go with your servants on the ships, but Yehoshofot did not desire this.
Yehoshofat lay with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers, in the city of Dovid, his father, and Yehorom, his son, reigned in his place.
Achazyohu ben Achov became king over Yisroel in Shomron in the seventeenth year of Yehoshofot, king of Yehudah, and he reigned over Yisroel two years.
He did what was evil in the eyes of Adonoy, and followed in the way of father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Yerovom ben Nevot, who caused Yisroel to sin.
He worshipped the Baal and bowed to it; and he angered Adonoy, God of Yisroel, just as his father had done.