my ways, and keep my statutes and my commandments, as David thy father walked, I will give thee long life.

And when Solomon awoke, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a great supper unto all his servants.

At that time came two harlots unto the king, and stood before him.

And the one woman said, Oh my lord, I and this woman dwelt in one house; and I lay with her in the house.

And about three days after I gave birth she gave birth also: and we were together, that there was no stranger in the house with us, save we both.

And the son of that woman died in the night: for she had crushed him in his sleep.

And she arose in the night, and took my son from my side, while thine handmaid slept, and laid him upon her arm, and her dead son she laid upon my arm.

And when I arose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead. But in the morning I looked on him, and, behold, he was not my son that I had brought forth.

And the other woman said, Not so; my son liveth, and thy son is dead. And she said, Not so; thy son is dead, and my son liveth. And they spake thus before the king.

And the king said, This saith, My son liveth, and thy son is dead: that saith, Not so; thy son is dead, and my son liveth.

And the king said, Bring me a sword. And when the sword was brought before the king, 25. And the king said, Divide the living child into two parts, and give the one half, and the other half.

Then said the woman, whose son was alive, unto the king, (for her motherly heart was kindled against her son,) Alas, my lord, give her the child alive, and kill it not. But she said, Let it be neither mine nor thine; let it be divided.

And the king answered and said, Give this child alive, and kill him not: she is his mother.

And the judgment went out before all Israel, which the king had judged: and they feared the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to execute judgment.
(1 Kings)
Chapter 4
Solomon’s officers, glory and wisdom.

So Solomon was king over all Israel.

And these were his princes; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest, 3. Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Sisha were scribes. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was chancellor.

Jehoiada’s son, was captain of the host. Zadok and Abiathar were priests.

Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers. Zabud the son of Nathan the priest was the king’s friend.

Ahishar was chamberlain: Adoniram the son of Abda was chamberlain.

And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, to minister unto the king and to his house.
And one of them had a month’s supply in the year.

And they were called the son of Hur in mount Ephraim;

The son of Dezer in Makaz, and in Saalbim, and in Bethshemesh, and in Elon, and in Bethhanan;

The son of Heshed in Aruboth: and he had Shocho, and all the land of Hepher; 11. The son of Abinadab: all the dominion of Dor; and would have Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife;

Baena the son of Ahilud, in Taenah, and in Megiddo, and over all Bethshean, which is beside Zarthanah under Jezreel, from Bethshean even unto the plain of Meholah, even beyond Jehakmeam;

The son of Giver in Ramoth in Gilead: and he had the spots of Jair the son of Manasseh in Gilead, and had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore and ten great cities, walled, and with bars of brass;

Ahinadab the son of Iddo, to Mahanaim;

Ahimaaz in Naphtali: and he also took Solomon’s daughter Basmath to wife; 16. Baena the son of Husai, in Asher, and in Aloth;

Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;

Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin;

Geber the son of Us, in the land of Gilead, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; a minister was in the same land.

And Judah and Israel were as the sand of the sea: and they did eat and drink, and were merry.

So Solomon was lord over all the kingdoms from the waters of the Philistines’ country unto the border of Egypt, which brought him gifts, and served him all the days of his life.

And Solomon had daily for meat thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of other flour,

And ten fatted oxen, and twenty hinds, and an hundred sheep, beside the deer, and the roe deer, and the chamois, and the fatted cattle.

For he reigned over all the land that was on this side the river, from Tiphsah even unto Gaza, over all the kings that were on this side the river, and had peace of all his subjects round about,

And Judah and Israel dwelt safely every man under his vine, and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

And Solomon had forty thousand chariot horses, and twelve thousand horsemen.

And the officers fed king Solomon, and all that belonged to the king’s table, every man in his month, and lacked nothing.

And they brought barley and straw for the horses and for the horsemen unto the place where he was, every man according to his commandment.

And God gave Solomon very great wisdom, and understanding, and a heart as calm as the sand that lieth by the sea shore,

That the wisdom of Solomon was greater than all the children of the morning, and the wisdom of all the Egyptians.

And he was wiser than all men, and wiser than the poets, Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcolah, and Darda: and he was renowned among all the heathen round about.

And he spake three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand and five.

And he spake of trees, from the cedar of Lebanon unto hyssop that groweth out of the wall.
And he spake of cattle, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

And there came out of all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, of all the kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.
(1 Kings)
Chapter 5
Solomon’s covenant with Hiram in preparation for building the temple.

And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon: for he had heard that they had anointed him king in his father’s stead. For Hiram loved David all the days of his life.

And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

Thou knowest that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God, because of the war that was about him, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.

But now the LORD my God hath given me rest round about, that there is no more adversary nor evil hindrance.

Behold, I have thought to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD
spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set in thy stead upon thy throne, shall build an house unto my name.

Now therefore command that cedars be hewn for me out of Lebanon, and that thy servants be with my servants. And the wages of thy servants will I give thee, all as thou sayest. You know that we have no one who knows how to cut wood like the Zidonians.

And when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given David a wise son over this great people.

And Hiram sent unto Solomon, saying, I have heard that thou hast sent unto me. I will do according to all thy desire with cedars and with fir wood.

And my servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea; and I will lay them in rafts upon the sea unto the place which thou shalt tell me: and there I will bind them, and thou shalt fetch them. And thou shalt do my desire, and give meat unto my servants.

So Hiram gave Solomon cedar and fir wood according to all his desire.

And Solomon gave unto Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat to eat for his servants, and twenty measures of olive oil. And Solomon gave them to Hiram yearly.

And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he had spoken unto him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they made both of them a covenant together.

And Solomon put a number upon all Israel; and the number was thirty thousand men.

And he sent them into Lebanon, ten thousand and one month; and they were in Lebanon one month, and at home two months. And Adoniram was over such a number.

And Solomon had seventy thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand that carpentered in the mount,

Without the chief officers of Solomon, which were set over the work, even three thousand and three hundred, which had the rule over the people that wrought in the work.

And the king commanded that they should break out great and precious stones, even hewn stones for the foundation of the house.

And the builders of Solomon, and the builders of Hiram, and the builders of Giblim, cut out, and prepared wood and stones to build the house.
(1 Kings)
Chapter 6
The construction of the temple will be completed in seven years.

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the reign of Solomon over Israel,