2 Chronicles 9–11

1When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to test Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great caravan, including camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. When she had come to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart.

2Solomon answered all her questions. There wasn’t anything hidden from Solomon which he didn’t tell her.

3When the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,

4the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his ministers, their clothing, his cup bearers and their clothing, and his ascent by which he went up to Yahweh’s house, there was no more spirit in her.

5She said to the king, “It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom.

6However I didn’t believe their words until I came, and my eyes had seen it; and behold half of the greatness of your wisdom wasn’t told me. You exceed the fame that I heard!

7Happy are your men, and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom.

8Blessed be Yahweh your God, who delighted in you and set you on his throne to be king for Yahweh your God, because your God loved Israel, to establish them forever. Therefore he made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

9She gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones. There was never before such spice as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10The servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones.

11The king used algum tree wood to make terraces for Yahweh’s house and for the king’s house, and harps and stringed instruments for the singers. There were none like these seen before in the land of Judah.

12King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, more than that which she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.

13Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,

14in addition to that which the traders and merchants brought. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one large shield.

16He made three hundred shields of beaten gold. Three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

17Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.

18There were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and armrests on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.

19Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps. There was nothing like it made in any other kingdom.

20All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon.

21For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with Huram’s servants. Once every three years, the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

23All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

24They each brought tribute: vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules every year.

25Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen that he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.

26He ruled over all the kings from the River even to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.

27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars to be as abundant as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland.

28They brought horses for Solomon out of Egypt and out of all lands.

29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, aren’t they written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

31Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

1Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

2When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.

3They sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

4“Your father made our yoke grievous. Now therefore make the grievous service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.”

5He said to them, “Come again to me after three days.” So the people departed.

6King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, “What counsel do you give me about how to answer these people?”

7They spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

8But he abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

9He said to them, “What counsel do you give, that we may give an answer to these people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Make the yoke that your father put on us lighter’?”

10The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall tell the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter on us;’ thus you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.

11Now whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’”

12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king asked, saying, “Come to me again the third day.”

13The king answered them roughly; and King Rehoboam abandoned the counsel of the old men,

14and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

15So the king didn’t listen to the people; for it was brought about by God, that Yahweh might establish his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16When all Israel saw that the king didn’t listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David? We don’t have an inheritance in the son of Jesse! Every man to your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David.” So all Israel departed to their tents.

17But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

18Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and the children of Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

19So Israel rebelled against David’s house to this day.

1When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.

2But Yahweh’s word came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

3“Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,

4‘Yahweh says, “You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers! Every man return to his house; for this thing is of me.”’” So they listened to Yahweh’s words, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.

6He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

7Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,

8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,

9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin.

11He fortified the strongholds and put captains in them with stores of food, oil and wine.

12He put shields and spears in every city, and made them exceedingly strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

13The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stood with him out of all their territory.

14For the Levites left their pasture lands and their possessions, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest’s office to Yahweh.

15He himself appointed priests for the high places, for the male goat and calf idols which he had made.

16After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those who set their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.

17So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon.

18Rehoboam took a wife for himself, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse.

19She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

20After her, he took Maacah the granddaughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

21Rehoboam loved Maacah the granddaughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

22Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, the prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.

23He dealt wisely, and dispersed some of his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city. He gave them food in abundance; and he sought many wives for them.