Through the Bible – Day 153

₁As soon as Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and burnt up the offerings. The LORD's dazzling glory then filled the temple, ₂and the priests could not go in.

₃When the crowd of people saw the fire and the LORD's glory, they knelt down and worshipped the LORD. They prayed:

_4-5Solomon and the people dedicated the temple to the LORD by sacrificing twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. ₆Everybody stood up during the ceremony. The priests were in their assigned places, blowing their trumpets. And the Levites faced them, playing the musical instruments that David had made for them to use when they praised the LORD for his never-ending love.

₇On that same day, Solomon dedicated the courtyard in front of the temple and got it ready to be used for worship. The bronze altar he had made was too small, so he used the courtyard to offer sacrifices to please the LORD and grain sacrifices, and also to send up in smoke the fat from the other offerings.

₈For seven days, Solomon and the crowd celebrated the Festival of Shelters, and people came from as far away as the Egyptian Gorge in the south and Lebo-Hamath in the north. ₉Then on the next day, everyone came together for worship. They had celebrated a total of fourteen days, seven days for the dedication of the altar and seven more days for the festival. ₁₀Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent everyone home. They left very happy because of all the good things the LORD had done for David and Solomon, and for his people Israel.

₁₁The LORD's temple and Solomon's palace were now finished. In fact, everything Solomon had planned to do was completed.

₁₂Some time later, the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream and said:

₁It took twenty years for the LORD's temple and Solomon's palace to be built. ₂After that, Solomon's workers rebuilt the towns that Hiram had given him. Then Solomon sent Israelites to live in those towns.

₃Solomon attacked and captured the town of Hamath-Zobah. ₄He made his workers build the town of Tadmor in the desert and some towns in Hamath where he could keep his supplies. ₅He strengthened Upper Beth-Horon and Lower Beth-Horon by adding walls and gates that could be locked. ₆He did the same thing to the town of Baalath and to the cities where he kept supplies, chariots, and horses. Solomon made his workers build whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and anywhere else in his kingdom.

_7-9Solomon did not force the Israelites to do his work. Instead, they were his soldiers, officers, army commanders, and cavalry troops. But he did make slaves of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who were living in Israel. These were the descendants of those foreigners the Israelites did not destroy, and they remained Israel's slaves.

₁₀Solomon appointed two hundred and fifty officers to be in charge of his workers.

₁₁Solomon's wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt, moved from the part of Jerusalem called David's City to her new palace that Solomon had built. The sacred chest had been kept in David's City, which made his palace sacred, and so Solomon's wife could no longer live there.

₁₂Solomon offered sacrifices to the LORD on the altar he had built in front of the temple. ₁₃He followed the requirements that Moses had given for sacrifices offered on the Sabbath, on the first day of each month, the Festival of Thin Bread, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Shelters.

₁₄Solomon then assigned the priests and the Levites their duties at the temple, and he followed the instructions that his father David had given him. Some of the Levites were to lead music and help the priests in their duties, and others were to guard the temple gates ₁₅and the storage rooms. The priests and Levites followed these instructions exactly.

₁₆Everything Solomon had planned to do was now finished—from the laying of the temple's foundation to its completion.

₁₇Solomon went to Ezion-Geber and Eloth, two Edomite towns on the Red Sea. ₁₈Hiram sent him ships and some of his experienced sailors. They went with Solomon's own sailors to the country of Ophir and brought back more than fifteen thousand kilogrammes of gold for Solomon.

₁The Queen of Sheba heard how famous Solomon was, so she went to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions. She took along several of her officials, and she loaded her camels with gifts of spices, jewels, and gold. When she arrived, she and Solomon talked about everything she could think of. ₂He answered every question, no matter how difficult it was.

_3-4The Queen was amazed at Solomon's wisdom. She was breathless when she saw his palace, the food on his table, his officials, all his servants in their uniforms, and the sacrifices he offered at the LORD's temple. ₅She said:

₉The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon more than four thousand kilogrammes of gold, a large amount of jewels, and the best spices anyone had ever seen.

_10-12In return, Solomon gave her everything she wanted—even more than she had given him. Then she and her officials went back to their own country.

Hiram's and Solomon's sailors brought gold, juniper wood, and jewels from the country of Ophir. Solomon used the wood to make steps for the temple and palace, and harps and other stringed instruments for the musicians. Nothing like these had ever been made in Judah.

₁₃Solomon received almost twenty-three thousand kilogrammes of gold each year, ₁₄not counting what the merchants and traders brought him. The kings of Arabia and the leaders of Israel also gave him gold and silver.

₁₅Solomon made two hundred gold shields that weighed over three kilogrammes each. ₁₆He also made three hundred smaller gold shields that weighed almost two kilogrammes, and he put these shields in his palace in Forest Hall.

₁₇His throne was made of ivory and covered with pure gold. ₁₈It had a gold footstool attached to it and arm rests on each side. There was a statue of a lion on each side of the throne, ₁₉and there were two lion statues on each of the six steps leading up to the throne. No other throne in the world was like Solomon's.

₂₀Solomon's cups and dishes in Forest Hall were made of pure gold, because silver was almost worthless in those days.

₂₁Solomon had a lot of seagoing ships. Every three years he sent them out with Hiram's ships to bring back gold, silver, and ivory, as well as monkeys and peacocks.

₂₂Solomon was the richest and wisest king in the world. _23-24Year after year, other kings came to hear the wisdom God had given him. And they brought gifts of silver and gold, as well as clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

₂₅Solomon had four thousand stalls for his horses and chariots, and he owned twelve thousand horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.

₂₆He ruled all the nations from the River Euphrates in the north to the land of Philistia in the south, as far as the border of Egypt.

₂₇While Solomon was king, there was silver everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as the sycamore trees in the western foothills. ₂₈Solomon's horses were brought in from other countries, including Musri.

₂₉Everything else Solomon did while he was king is written in the records of Nathan the prophet, Ahijah the prophet from Shiloh, and Iddo the prophet who wrote about Jeroboam son of Nebat. ₃₀After Solomon had ruled forty years from Jerusalem, ₃₁he died and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam then became king.

₃₁After Judas had gone, Jesus said:

₃₆Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus answered, “You can't go with me now, but later on you will.”

₃₇Peter asked, “Lord, why can't I go with you now? I would die for you!”

₃₈“Would you really die for me?” Jesus asked. “I tell you for certain that before a cock crows, you will say three times that you don't even know me.”

₁Jesus said to his disciples, “Don't be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me. ₂There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. ₃After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together. ₄You know the way to where I am going.”

₅Thomas said, “Lord, we don't even know where you are going! How can we know the way?”

₆“I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Jesus answered. “Without me, no one can go to the Father. ₇If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.”

₈Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.”

₉Jesus replied: