2 Tawarikh 24:10
Konteks24:10 All the officials and all the people gladly brought their silver and threw it into the chest until it was full.
2 Tawarikh 24:1
Konteks24:1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. 1 His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba.
2 Tawarikh 2:1--21:20
Konteks2:1 (1:18) 2 Solomon ordered a temple to be built to honor the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself. 3 2:2 (2:1) Solomon had 4 70,000 common laborers 5 and 80,000 stonecutters 6 in the hills, in addition to 3,600 supervisors. 7
2:3 Solomon sent a message to King Huram 8 of Tyre: 9 “Help me 10 as you did my father David, when you sent him cedar logs 11 for the construction of his palace. 12 2:4 Look, I am ready to build a temple to honor 13 the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him in order to burn fragrant incense before him, to set out the bread that is regularly displayed, 14 and to offer burnt sacrifices each morning and evening, and on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other times appointed by the Lord our God. This is something Israel must do on a permanent basis. 15 2:5 I will build a great temple, for our God is greater than all gods. 2:6 Of course, who can really build a temple for him, since the sky 16 and the highest heavens cannot contain him? Who am I that I should build him a temple! It will really be only a place to offer sacrifices before him. 17
2:7 “Now send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as purple, crimson, and violet colored fabrics, and who knows how to engrave. He will work with my skilled craftsmen here in Jerusalem 18 and Judah, whom my father David provided. 2:8 Send me cedars, evergreens, and algum 19 trees from Lebanon, for I know your servants are adept 20 at cutting down trees in Lebanon. My servants will work with your servants 2:9 to supply me with large quantities of timber, for I am building a great, magnificent temple. 2:10 Look, I will pay your servants who cut the timber 20,000 kors 21 of ground wheat, 20,000 kors of barley, 120,000 gallons 22 of wine, and 120,000 gallons of olive oil.”
2:11 King Huram 23 of Tyre sent this letter to Solomon: “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.” 2:12 Huram also said, “Worthy of praise is the Lord God of Israel, who made the sky and the earth! He has given David a wise son who has discernment and insight and will build a temple for the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself. 24 2:13 Now I am sending you Huram Abi, 25 a skilled and capable man, 2:14 whose mother is a Danite and whose father is a Tyrian. 26 He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, and wood, as well as purple, violet, white, and crimson fabrics. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and understands any design given to him. He will work with your skilled craftsmen and the skilled craftsmen of my lord David your father. 2:15 Now let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine he has promised; 2:16 we will get all the timber you need from Lebanon 27 and bring it 28 in raft-like bundles 29 by sea to Joppa. You can then haul it on up to Jerusalem.”
2:17 Solomon took a census 30 of all the male resident foreigners in the land of Israel, after the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 in all. 2:18 He designated 31 70,000 as common laborers, 32 80,000 as stonecutters 33 in the hills, and 3,600 as supervisors to make sure the people completed the work. 34
3:1 Solomon began building the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem 35 on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David prepared at the threshing floor of Ornan 36 the Jebusite. 3:2 He began building on the second day of the second month of the fourth year of his reign. 37
3:3 Solomon laid the foundation for God’s temple; 38 its length (determined according to the old standard of measure) was 90 feet, and its width 30 feet. 39 3:4 The porch in front of the main hall was 30 feet long, corresponding to the width of the temple, 40 and its height was 30 feet. 41 He plated the inside with pure gold. 3:5 He paneled 42 the main hall 43 with boards made from evergreen trees 44 and plated it with fine gold, decorated with palm trees and chains. 45 3:6 He decorated the temple with precious stones; the gold he used came from Parvaim. 46 3:7 He overlaid the temple’s rafters, thresholds, walls and doors with gold; he carved decorative cherubim on the walls.
3:8 He made the most holy place; 47 its length was 30 feet, 48 corresponding to the width of the temple, and its width 30 feet. 49 He plated it with 600 talents 50 of fine gold. 3:9 The gold nails weighed 50 shekels; he also plated the upper areas with gold. 3:10 In the most holy place he made two images of cherubim and plated them with gold. 3:11 The combined wing span of the cherubs was 30 feet. 51 One of the first cherub’s wings was seven and one-half feet long and touched one wall of the temple; its other wing was also seven and one-half feet long and touched one of the second cherub’s wings. 52 3:12 Likewise one of the second cherub’s wings was seven and one-half feet long and touched the other wall of the temple; its other wing was also seven and one-half feet long and touched one of the first cherub’s wings. 53 3:13 The combined wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet. 54 They stood upright, facing inward. 55 3:14 He made the curtain out of violet, purple, crimson, and white fabrics, and embroidered on it decorative cherubim.
3:15 In front of the temple he made two pillars which had a combined length 56 of 52½ feet, 57 with each having a plated capital seven and one-half feet high. 58 3:16 He made ornamental chains 59 and put them on top of the pillars. He also made one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments and arranged them within the chains. 3:17 He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right side and the other on the left. 60 He named the one on the right Jachin, 61 and the one on the left Boaz. 62
4:1 He made a bronze altar, 30 feet 63 long, 30 feet 64 wide, and 15 feet 65 high. 4:2 He also made the big bronze basin called “The Sea.” 66 It measured 15 feet 67 from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven and one-half feet 68 high. Its circumference was 45 feet. 69 4:3 Images of bulls were under it all the way around, ten every eighteen inches 70 all the way around. The bulls were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.” 4:4 “The Sea” stood on top of twelve bulls. Three faced northward, three westward, three southward, and three eastward. “The Sea” was placed on top of them, and they all faced outward. 71 4:5 It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom. It could hold 18,000 gallons. 72 4:6 He made ten washing basins; he put five on the south side and five on the north side. In them they rinsed the items used for burnt sacrifices; the priests washed in “The Sea.”
4:7 He made ten gold lampstands according to specifications and put them in the temple, five on the right and five on the left. 4:8 He made ten tables and set them in the temple, five on the right and five on the left. He also made one hundred gold bowls. 4:9 He made the courtyard of the priests and the large enclosure and its doors; 73 he plated their doors with bronze. 4:10 He put “The Sea” on the south side, in the southeast corner.
4:11 Huram Abi 74 made the pots, shovels, and bowls. He finished all the work on God’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon. 75 4:12 He made 76 the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars, 4:13 the four hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two pillars (each latticework had two rows of these ornaments at the bowl-shaped top of the pillar), 4:14 the ten 77 movable stands with their ten 78 basins, 4:15 the big bronze basin called “The Sea” with its twelve bulls underneath, 4:16 and the pots, shovels, and meat forks. 79 All the items King Solomon assigned Huram Abi to make for the Lord’s temple 80 were made from polished bronze. 4:17 The king had them cast in earthen foundries 81 in the region of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. 4:18 Solomon made so many of these items they did not weigh the bronze. 82
4:19 Solomon also made these items for God’s temple: the gold altar, the tables on which the Bread of the Presence 83 was kept, 4:20 the pure gold lampstands and their lamps which burned as specified at the entrance to the inner sanctuary, 4:21 the pure gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs, 4:22 the pure gold trimming shears, basins, pans, and censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (the most holy place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple. 5:1 When Solomon had finished constructing the Lord’s temple, he put the holy items that belonged to his father David (the silver, gold, and all the other articles) in the treasuries of God’s temple.
5:2 Then Solomon convened Israel’s elders – all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families – in Jerusalem, 84 so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David 85 (that is, Zion). 86 5:3 All the men of Israel assembled before the king during the festival 87 in the seventh month. 88 5:4 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the Levites lifted the ark. 5:5 The priests and Levites carried the ark, the tent where God appeared to his people, 89 and all the holy items in the tent. 90 5:6 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered. 91
5:7 The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its assigned 92 place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place under the wings of the cherubs. 5:8 The cherubs’ wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles. 93 5:9 The poles were so long their ends extending out from the ark were visible from in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. 94 They have remained there to this very day. 5:10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb. 95 (It was there that 96 the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt.)
5:11 The priests left the holy place. 97 All the priests who participated had consecrated themselves, no matter which division they represented. 98 5:12 All the Levites who were musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, wore linen. They played cymbals and stringed instruments as they stood east of the altar. They were accompanied by 120 priests who blew trumpets. 5:13 The trumpeters and musicians played together, praising and giving thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they loudly praised the Lord, singing: 99 “Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!” Then a cloud filled the Lord’s temple. 100 5:14 The priests could not carry out their duties 101 because of the cloud; the Lord’s splendor filled God’s temple.
6:1 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. 6:2 O Lord, 102 I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.” 6:3 Then the king turned around 103 and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. 104 6:4 He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled 105 what he promised 106 my father David. 6:5 He told David, 107 ‘Since the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. 108 Nor did I choose a man as leader of my people Israel. 6:6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem as a place to live, 109 and I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’ 6:7 Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel. 110 6:8 The Lord told my father David, ‘It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me. 111 6:9 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’ 112 6:10 The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David’s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built this temple for the honor of the Lord God of Israel 6:11 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with the Israelites.”
6:12 He stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 6:13 Solomon had made a bronze platform and had placed it in the middle of the enclosure. It was seven and one-half feet 113 long, seven and one-half feet 114 wide, and four and one-half feet 115 high. He stood on it and then got down on his knees in front of the entire assembly of Israel. He spread out his hands toward the sky, 6:14 and prayed: 116 “O Lord God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or on earth! You maintain covenantal loyalty 117 to your servants who obey you with sincerity. 118 6:15 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; 119 this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. 120 6:16 Now, O Lord God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, 121 provided that your descendants watch their step and obey my law as you have done.’ 122 6:17 Now, O Lord God of Israel, may the promise you made to your servant David be realized. 123
6:18 “God does not really live with humankind on the earth! 124 Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! 6:19 But respond favorably to 125 your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer 126 the desperate prayer 127 your servant is presenting to you. 128 6:20 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. 129 May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place. 130 6:21 Respond to the requests of your servant and your people Israel for this place. 131 Hear from your heavenly dwelling place and respond favorably and forgive. 132
6:22 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, 133 6:23 listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve. 134
6:24 “If your people Israel are defeated by an enemy 135 because they sinned against you, then if they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, 136 and pray for your help 137 before you in this temple, 6:25 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors. 138
6:26 “The time will come when 139 the skies 140 are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people 141 sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, 142 and turn away from their sin because you punish 143 them, 6:27 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly 144 you will then teach them the right way to live 145 and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess. 146
6:28 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight, and disease, or a locust 147 invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, 148 or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 6:29 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, 149 as they acknowledge their intense pain 150 and spread out their hands toward this temple, 6:30 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, 151 and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of their motives. 152 (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) 153 6:31 Then they will honor 154 you by obeying you 155 throughout their lifetimes as 156 they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.
6:32 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your great reputation 157 and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds; 158 they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 6:33 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. 159 Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, 160 obey 161 you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. 162
6:34 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, 163 and they direct their prayers to you toward this chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, 164 6:35 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help 165 and vindicate them. 166
6:36 “The time will come when your people 167 will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry at them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their land, whether far away or close by. 6:37 When your people 168 come to their senses 169 in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray 170 , we have done evil!’ 6:38 When they return to you with all their heart and being 171 in the land where they are held prisoner and direct their prayers toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, 172 6:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help, 173 vindicate them, 174 and forgive your sinful people.
6:40 “Now, my God, may you be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place. 175 6:41 Now ascend, O Lord God, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength! May your priests, O Lord God, experience your deliverance! 176 May your loyal followers rejoice in the prosperity you give! 177 6:42 O Lord God, do not reject your chosen ones! 178 Remember the faithful promises you made to your servant David!”
7:1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven 179 and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the Lord’s splendor filled the temple. 7:2 The priests were unable to enter the Lord’s temple because the Lord’s splendor filled the Lord’s temple. 7:3 When all the Israelites saw the fire come down and the Lord’s splendor over the temple, they got on their knees with their faces downward toward the pavement. They worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, 180 “Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!”
7:4 The king and all the people were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 7:5 King Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the people dedicated God’s temple. 7:6 The priests stood in their assigned spots, along with the Levites who had the musical instruments used for praising the Lord. 181 (These were the ones King David made for giving thanks to the Lord and which were used by David when he offered praise, saying, “Certainly his loyal love endures.”) 182 Opposite the Levites, 183 the priests were blowing the trumpets, while all Israel stood there. 7:7 Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord’s temple. He offered burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, 184 and the fat from the peace offerings there, because the bronze altar that Solomon had made was too small to hold all these offerings. 185 7:8 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival for seven days. This great assembly included people from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt in the south. 186 7:9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had dedicated the altar for seven days and celebrated the festival for seven more days. 7:10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon 187 sent the people home. They left 188 happy and contented 189 because of the good the Lord had done for David, Solomon, and his people Israel.
7:11 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, and accomplished all his plans for the Lord’s temple and his royal palace, 190 7:12 the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: “I have answered 191 your prayer and chosen this place to be my temple where sacrifices are to be made. 192 7:13 When 193 I close up the sky 194 so that it doesn’t rain, or command locusts to devour the land’s vegetation, 195 or send a plague among my people, 7:14 if my people, who belong to me, 196 humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, 197 and repudiate their sinful practices, 198 then I will respond 199 from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 200 7:15 Now I will be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place. 201 7:16 Now I have chosen and consecrated this temple by making it my permanent home; 202 I will be constantly present there. 203 7:17 You must serve me as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations. 204 7:18 Then I will establish your dynasty, 205 just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor ruling over Israel.’ 206
7:19 “But if you people 207 ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, 208 and decide to serve and worship other gods, 209 7:20 then I will remove you 210 from my land I have given you, 211 I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, 212 and I will make you 213 an object of mockery and ridicule 214 among all the nations. 7:21 As for this temple, which was once majestic, 215 everyone who passes by it will be shocked and say, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ 7:22 Others will then answer, 216 ‘Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, 217 who led them out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. 218 That is why he brought all this disaster down on them.’”
8:1 After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and his royal palace, 8:2 Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram 219 had given him and settled Israelites there. 8:3 Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. 8:4 He built up Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities he had built in Hamath. 8:5 He made upper Beth Horon and lower Beth Horon fortified cities with walls and barred gates, 220 8:6 and built up Baalath, all the storage cities that belonged to him, 221 and all the cities where chariots and horses were kept. 222 He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, 223 Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom. 224
8:7 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 225 8:8 Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews and they continue in that role to this very day. 226 8:9 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; 227 the Israelites served as his soldiers, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces. 228 8:10 These men worked for Solomon as supervisors; there were a total of 250 of them who were in charge of the people. 229
8:11 Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David 230 to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of King David of Israel, for the places where the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”
8:12 Then Solomon offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the temple’s porch. 231 8:13 He observed the daily requirements for sacrifices that Moses had specified for Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and the three annual celebrations – the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Temporary Shelters. 232 8:14 As his father David had decreed, Solomon 233 appointed the divisions of the priests to do their assigned tasks, the Levitical orders to lead worship and help the priests with their daily tasks, 234 and the divisions of the gatekeepers to serve at their assigned gates. 235 This was what David the man of God had ordered. 236 8:15 They did not neglect any detail of the king’s orders pertaining to the priests, Levites, and treasuries. 237
8:16 All the work ordered by Solomon was completed, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid until it was finished; the Lord’s temple was completed.
8:17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Elat on the coast in the land of Edom. 8:18 Huram sent him ships and some of his sailors, men who were well acquainted with the sea. They sailed with Solomon’s men to Ophir, 238 and took from there 450 talents 239 of gold, which they brought back to King Solomon.
9:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, 240 she came to challenge 241 him 242 with difficult questions. 243 She arrived in Jerusalem 244 with a great display of pomp, 245 bringing with her camels carrying spices, 246 a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 9:2 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. 247 9:3 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom, 248 the palace 249 he had built, 9:4 the food in his banquet hall, 250 his servants and attendants 251 in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the Lord’s temple, 252 she was amazed. 253 9:5 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight 254 was true! 9:6 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story! 255 Your wisdom surpasses what was reported to me. 9:7 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! 256 9:8 May the Lord your God be praised because he favored 257 you by placing you on his throne as the one ruling on his behalf! 258 Because of your God’s love for Israel and his lasting commitment to them, 259 he made you king over them so you could make just and right decisions.” 260 9:9 She gave the king 120 talents 261 of gold and a very large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. 262 9:10 (Huram’s 263 servants, aided by Solomon’s servants, brought gold from Ophir, as well as 264 fine 265 timber and precious gems. 9:11 With the timber the king made steps 266 for the Lord’s temple and royal palace as well as stringed instruments 267 for the musicians. No one had seen anything like them in the land of Judah prior to that. 268 ) 9:12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, more than what she had brought him. 269 Then she left and returned 270 to her homeland with her attendants.
9:13 Solomon received 666 talents 271 of gold per year, 272 9:14 besides what he collected from the merchants 273 and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 9:15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures 274 of hammered gold were used for each shield. 9:16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures 275 of gold were used for each of those shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest. 276
9:17 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 9:18 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and a gold footstool was attached to the throne. 277 The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side. 278 9:19 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. 279
9:20 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time. 280 9:21 The king had a fleet of large merchant ships 281 manned by Huram’s men 282 that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet 283 came into port with cargoes of 284 gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 285
9:22 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. 286 9:23 All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. 287 9:24 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. 288
9:25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses 289 and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. 290 9:26 He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River 291 to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt. 9:27 The king made silver as plentiful 292 in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was 293 as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands 294 . 9:28 Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands.
9:29 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded 295 in the Annals of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Vision of Iddo the Seer pertaining to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 9:30 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem 296 for forty years. 9:31 Then Solomon passed away 297 and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king.
10:1 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in 298 Shechem to make Rehoboam 299 king. 10:2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 10:3 They sent for him 300 and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 10:4 “Your father made us work too hard! 301 Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.” 302 10:5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.
10:6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served 303 his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, 304 “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 10:7 They said to him, “If you are fair to these people, grant their request, and are cordial to them, they will be your servants from this time forward.” 305 10:8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. 306 10:9 He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” 307 10:10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam 308 had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden’ 309 – say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! 310 10:11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. 311 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” 312
10:12 Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 10:13 The king responded to the people harshly. He 313 rejected the advice of the older men 10:14 and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you; 314 I will make them even heavier. 315 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.” 316 10:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this turn of events 317 so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made 318 through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
10:16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David – no share in the son of Jesse! 319 Return to your homes, O Israel! 320 Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!” 321 So all Israel returned to their homes. 322 10:17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 10:18 King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, 323 the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 324 10:19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day.
11:1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from Judah and Benjamin 325 to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 11:2 But the Lord told Shemaiah the prophet, 326 11:3 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin, 11:4 ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’” 327 They obeyed the Lord and called off the attack against Jeroboam. 328
11:5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem; 329 he built up these fortified cities throughout Judah: 11:6 Bethlehem, 330 Etam, Tekoa, 11:7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, 11:8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 11:9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 11:10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11:11 He fortified these cities and placed officers in them, as well as storehouses of food, olive oil, and wine. 11:12 In each city there were shields and spears; he strongly fortified them. 331 Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
11:13 The priests and Levites who lived throughout Israel supported him, no matter where they resided. 332 11:14 The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving as the Lord’s priests. 11:15 Jeroboam 333 appointed his own priests to serve at the worship centers 334 and to lead in the worship of the goat idols and calf idols he had made. 335 11:16 Those among all the Israelite tribes who were determined to worship the Lord God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem 336 to sacrifice to the Lord God of their ancestors. 337 11:17 They supported 338 the kingdom of Judah and were loyal to 339 Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years; they followed the edicts of 340 David and Solomon for three years.
11:18 Rehoboam married 341 Mahalath the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of 342 Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 11:19 She bore him sons named Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 11:20 He later married Maacah the daughter of Absalom. She bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 11:21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than his other wives and concubines. 343 He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
11:22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as the leader over his brothers, for he intended to name him his successor. 344 11:23 He wisely placed some of his many sons throughout the regions of Judah and Benjamin in the various fortified cities. 345 He supplied them with abundant provisions and acquired many wives for them. 346
12:1 After Rehoboam’s rule was established and solidified, he and all Israel rejected the law of the Lord. 12:2 Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, in King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 12:3 He had 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and an innumerable number of soldiers who accompanied him from Egypt, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. 12:4 He captured the fortified cities of Judah and marched against Jerusalem.
12:5 Shemaiah the prophet visited Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were assembled in Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have rejected me, so I have rejected you and will hand you over to Shishak.’” 347 12:6 The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.” 348 12:7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, he gave this message to Shemaiah: 349 “They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them. I will deliver them soon. 350 My anger will not be unleashed against 351 Jerusalem through 352 Shishak. 12:8 Yet they will become his subjects, so they can experience how serving me differs from serving the surrounding nations.” 353
12:9 King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including the gold shields that Solomon had made. 12:10 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard 354 who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 12:11 Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guards carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom. 355
12:12 So when Rehoboam 356 humbled himself, the Lord relented from his anger and did not annihilate him; 357 Judah experienced some good things. 358 12:13 King Rehoboam solidified his rule in Jerusalem; 359 he 360 was forty-one years old when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home. 361 Rehoboam’s 362 mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. 12:14 He did evil because he was not determined to follow the Lord. 363
12:15 The events of Rehoboam’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded 364 in the Annals of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer that include genealogical records. 12:16 Then Rehoboam passed away 365 and was buried in the City of David. 366 His son Abijah replaced him as king.
13:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 13:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. 367 His mother was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. 368
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 13:3 Abijah launched the attack with 400,000 well-trained warriors, 369 while Jeroboam deployed against him 800,000 well-trained warriors. 370
13:4 Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 13:5 Don’t you realize that the Lord God of Israel has given David and his dynasty lasting dominion over Israel by a formal agreement? 371 13:6 Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 13:7 Lawless good-for-nothing men 372 gathered around him and conspired 373 against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was an inexperienced young man 374 and could not resist them. 13:8 Now you are declaring that you will resist the Lord’s rule through the Davidic dynasty. 375 You have a huge army, 376 and bring with you the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 13:9 But you banished 377 the Lord’s priests, Aaron’s descendants, and the Levites, and appointed your own priests just as the surrounding nations do! Anyone who comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of these fake gods! 378 13:10 But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not rejected him. Aaron’s descendants serve as the Lord’s priests and the Levites assist them with the work. 379 13:11 They offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord every morning and every evening, along with fragrant incense. They arrange the Bread of the Presence on a ritually clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. Certainly 380 we are observing the Lord our God’s regulations, but you have rejected him. 13:12 Now look, God is with us as our leader. His priests are ready to blow the trumpets to signal the attack against you. 381 You Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, 382 for you will not win!”
13:13 Now Jeroboam had sent some men to ambush the Judahite army from behind. 383 The main army was in front of the Judahite army; 384 the ambushers were behind it. 13:14 The men of Judah turned around and realized they were being attacked from the front and the rear. 385 So they cried out for help to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets, 13:15 and the men of Judah gave 386 the battle cry. As the men of Judah gave the battle cry, the Lord struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 13:16 The Israelites fled from before the Judahite army, 387 and God handed them over to the men of Judah. 388 13:17 Abijah and his army thoroughly defeated them; 389 500,000 well-trained Israelite men fell dead. 390 13:18 That day 391 the Israelites were defeated; the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the Lord God of their ancestors.
13:19 Abijah chased Jeroboam; he seized from him these cities: Bethel 392 and its surrounding towns, Jeshanah and its surrounding towns, and Ephron and its surrounding towns. 13:20 Jeroboam did not regain power during the reign of Abijah. 393 The Lord struck him down and he died. 13:21 Abijah’s power grew; he had 394 fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
13:22 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his deeds and sayings, 395 are recorded in the writings of the prophet Iddo.
14:1 (13:23) 396 Abijah passed away 397 and was buried in the City of David. 398 His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign 399 the land had rest for ten years.
14:2 (14:1) Asa did what the Lord his God desired and approved. 400 14:3 He removed the pagan altars 401 and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. 402 14:4 He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors 403 and to observe his law and commands. 404 14:5 He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule. 405
14:6 He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace. 14:7 He said to the people of Judah: 406 “Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates. 407 The land remains ours because we have followed 408 the Lord our God and he has made us secure on all sides.” 409 So they built the cities 410 and prospered.
14:8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors. 14:9 Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 411 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah, 14:10 and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
14:11 Asa prayed 412 to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. 413 Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. 414 O Lord our God, don’t let men prevail against you!” 415 14:12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 14:13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out; 416 they were shattered before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah 417 carried off a huge amount of plunder. 14:14 They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the Lord caused them to panic. 418 The men of Judah 419 looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount of goods. 420 14:15 They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock. 421 They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem. 422
15:1 God’s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded. 15:2 He met 423 Asa and told him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you when you are loyal to him. 424 If you seek him, he will respond to you, 425 but if you reject him, he will reject you. 15:3 For a long time 426 Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law. 15:4 Because of their distress, they turned back to the Lord God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them. 427 15:5 In those days 428 no one could travel safely, 429 for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands. 430 15:6 One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil. 431 15:7 But as for you, be strong and don’t get discouraged, 432 for your work will be rewarded.” 433
15:8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was encouraged. 434 He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He repaired the altar of the Lord in front of the porch of the Lord’s temple. 435
15:9 He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers 436 from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live 437 when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 15:10 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 15:11 At that time 438 they sacrificed to the Lord some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep. 439 15:12 They solemnly agreed 440 to seek the Lord God of their ancestors 441 with their whole heart and being. 15:13 Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, 442 male or female. 15:14 They swore their allegiance to the Lord, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns. 443 15:15 All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the Lord and he responded to them. 444 He made them secure on every side. 445
15:16 King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother 446 from her position as queen mother 447 because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 15:17 The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. 448 15:18 He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. 449
15:19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign. 16:1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah, and he established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. 450 16:2 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and sent it to King Ben Hadad of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 16:3 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. 451 See, I have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.” 452 16:4 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. 453 They conquered 454 Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, 455 and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 16:5 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying 456 Ramah and abandoned the project. 457 16:6 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. 458 He used the materials to build up 459 Geba and Mizpah.
16:7 At that time Hanani the prophet 460 visited King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 16:8 Did not the Cushites and Libyans have a huge army with chariots and a very large number of horsemen? But when you relied on the Lord, he handed them over to you! 16:9 Certainly 461 the Lord watches the whole earth carefully 462 and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him. 463 You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war. 16:10 Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail. 464 Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.
16:11 The events of Asa’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 465 16:12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a foot disease. 466 Though his disease was severe, he did not seek the Lord, but only the doctors. 467 16:13 Asa passed away 468 in the forty-first year of his reign. 16:14 He was buried in the tomb he had carved out in the City of David. 469 They laid him to rest on a bier covered with spices and assorted mixtures of ointments. They made a huge bonfire to honor him. 470
17:1 His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king and solidified his rule over Israel. 471 17:2 He placed troops in all of Judah’s fortified cities and posted garrisons 472 throughout the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had seized.
17:3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in his ancestor 473 David’s footsteps at the beginning of his reign. 474 He did not seek the Baals, 17:4 but instead sought the God of his ancestors 475 and obeyed 476 his commands, unlike the Israelites. 477 17:5 The Lord made his kingdom secure; 478 all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he became very wealthy and greatly respected. 479 17:6 He was committed to following the Lord; 480 he even removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.
17:7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah. 17:8 They were accompanied by the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah, and by the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 17:9 They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the scroll of the law of the Lord. They traveled to all the cities of Judah and taught the people.
17:10 The Lord put fear into all the kingdoms surrounding Judah; 481 they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. 17:11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat tribute, including a load of silver. The Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.
17:12 Jehoshaphat’s power kept increasing. He built fortresses and storage cities throughout Judah. 17:13 He had many supplies stored in the cities of Judah and an army of skilled warriors stationed in Jerusalem. 482 17:14 These were their divisions by families:
There were a thousand officers from Judah. 483 Adnah the commander led 300,000 skilled warriors, 17:15 Jehochanan the commander led 280,000, 17:16 and Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered to serve the Lord, led 200,000 skilled warriors.
17:17 From Benjamin, Eliada, a skilled warrior, led 200,000 men who were equipped with bows and shields, 17:18 and Jehozabad led 180,000 trained warriors.
17:19 These were the ones who served the king, besides those whom the king placed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.
18:1 Jehoshaphat was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made an alliance by marriage with Ahab, 18:2 and after several years 484 went down to visit 485 Ahab in Samaria. 486 Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle to honor Jehoshaphat and those who came with him. 487 He persuaded him to join in an attack 488 against Ramoth Gilead. 18:3 King Ahab of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I will support you; my army is at your disposal and will support you in battle.” 489 18:4 Then Jehoshaphat added, 490 “First seek an oracle from the Lord.” 491 18:5 So the king of Israel assembled 400 prophets and asked them, “Should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” 492 They said, “Attack! God 493 will hand it over to the king.” 18:6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” 18:7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will. 494 But I despise 495 him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but always 496 disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. 497 Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things!” 18:8 The king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
18:9 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their royal robes, at the threshing floor at 498 the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. 18:10 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed!’” 18:11 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king!” 18:12 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. 499 Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success!” 500 18:13 But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what my God tells me to say!”
18:14 Micaiah 501 came before the king and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; they will be handed over to you.” 502 18:15 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in 503 the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?” 18:16 Micaiah 504 replied, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’” 18:17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” 18:18 Micaiah 505 said, “That being the case, hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. 18:19 The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive King Ahab of Israel, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?’ One said this and another that. 18:20 Then a spirit 506 stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’ 18:21 He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord 507 said, ‘Deceive and overpower him. 508 Go out and do as you have proposed.’ 18:22 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.” 18:23 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” 18:24 Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 18:25 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son. 18:26 Say, ‘This is what the king says: “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water 509 until I return safely.”’” 18:27 Micaiah said, “If you really do return safely, then the Lord has not spoken through me!” Then he added, “Take note, 510 all you people.”
18:28 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. 18:29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter 511 the battle; but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and they entered the battle. 18:30 Now the king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high ranking officers; 512 fight only the king of Israel!” 18:31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. The Lord helped him; God lured them away from him. 18:32 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. 18:33 Now an archer shot an arrow at random 513 and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king 514 ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line, 515 for I am wounded.” 18:34 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening as the sun was setting.
19:1 When King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home safely to Jerusalem, 516 19:2 the prophet 517 Jehu son of Hanani confronted him; 518 he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Is it right to help the wicked and be an ally of those who oppose the Lord? 519 Because you have done this the Lord is angry with you! 520 19:3 Nevertheless you have done some good things; 521 you removed 522 the Asherah poles from the land and you were determined to follow the Lord.” 523
19:4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. 524 He went out among the people from Beer Sheba to the hill country of Ephraim and encouraged them to follow 525 the Lord God of their ancestors. 526 19:5 He appointed judges throughout the land and in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 527 19:6 He told the judges, “Be careful what you do, 528 for you are not judging for men, but for the Lord, who will be with you when you make judicial decisions. 19:7 Respect the Lord and make careful decisions, for the Lord our God disapproves of injustice, partiality, and bribery.” 529
19:8 In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some Levites, priests, and Israelite family leaders to judge on behalf of the Lord 530 and to settle disputes among the residents of Jerusalem. 531 19:9 He commanded them: “Carry out your duties with respect for the Lord, with honesty, and with pure motives. 532 19:10 Whenever your countrymen who live in the cities bring a case before you 533 (whether it involves a violent crime 534 or other matters related to the law, commandments, rules, and regulations), warn them that they must not sin against the Lord. If you fail to do so, God will be angry with you and your colleagues; but if you obey, you will be free of guilt. 535 19:11 You will report to Amariah the chief priest in all matters pertaining to the Lord’s law, and to Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the family of Judah, in all matters pertaining to the king. 536 The Levites will serve as officials before you. Confidently carry out your duties! 537 May the Lord be with those who do well!”
20:1 Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites, 538 attacked Jehoshaphat. 20:2 Messengers 539 arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat, “A huge army is attacking you from the other side of the Dead Sea, 540 from the direction of Edom. 541 Look, they are in Hazezon Tamar (that is, En Gedi).” 20:3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the Lord’s advice. 542 He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast. 20:4 The people of Judah 543 assembled to ask for the Lord’s help; 544 they came from all the cities of Judah to ask for the Lord’s help. 545
20:5 Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem 546 at the Lord’s temple, in front of the new courtyard. 20:6 He prayed: “O Lord God of our ancestors, 547 you are the God who lives in heaven 548 and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you. 20:7 Our God, you drove out 549 the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession 550 to the descendants of your friend 551 Abraham. 20:8 They settled down in it and built in it a temple 552 to honor you, 553 saying, 20:9 ‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack, 554 judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple. 555 We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will 556 hear and deliver us.’ 20:10 Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming! 557 When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands. 558 They bypassed them and did not destroy them. 20:11 Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land which you assigned to us! 20:12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us! We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help.” 559
20:13 All the men of Judah 560 were standing before the Lord, along with their infants, wives, and children. 20:14 Then in the midst of the assembly, the Lord’s Spirit came upon Jachaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph. 20:15 He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah, 561 residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic 562 because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 20:16 Tomorrow march down against them as 563 they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the Desert of Jeruel. 20:17 You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the Lord deliver you, 564 O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! 565 Tomorrow march out toward them; the Lord is with you!’”
20:18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah 566 and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord and worshiped him. 567 20:19 Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the Lord God of Israel. 568
20:20 Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, you people of Judah 569 and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe! 570 Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.” 20:21 He met 571 with the people and appointed musicians to play before the Lord and praise his majestic splendor. As they marched ahead of the warriors they said: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his loyal love endures.” 572
20:22 When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked 573 the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir 574 who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 20:23 The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir 575 and annihilated them. 576 When they had finished off the men 577 of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another. 578 20:24 When the men of Judah 579 arrived at the observation post overlooking the desert and looked at 580 the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors! 20:25 Jehoshaphat and his men 581 went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount of supplies, clothing 582 and valuable items. They carried away everything they could. 583 There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off. 584
20:26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where 585 they praised the Lord. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah 586 to this very day. 20:27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat leading them; the Lord had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies. 20:28 They entered Jerusalem to the sound of stringed instruments and trumpets and proceeded to the temple of the Lord. 20:29 All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God 587 when they heard how the Lord had fought against Israel’s enemies. 20:30 Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace; his God made him secure on every side. 588
20:31 Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. 589 His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 20:32 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved. 590 20:33 However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not devoted to the God of their ancestors. 591
20:34 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani which are included in Scroll of the Kings of Israel. 592
20:35 Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who 593 did evil. 20:36 They agreed 594 to make large seagoing merchant ships; 595 they built the ships in Ezion Geber. 20:37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, “Because 596 you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will shatter what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea. 597
21:1 Jehoshaphat passed away 598 and was buried with his ancestors 599 in the City of David. 600 His son Jehoram 601 replaced him as king.
21:2 His brothers, Jehoshaphat’s sons, were Azariah, Jechiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of King Jehoshaphat of Israel. 602 21:3 Their father gave them many presents, including silver, gold, and other precious items, along with fortified cities in Judah. But he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.
21:4 Jehoram took control of his father’s kingdom and became powerful. 603 Then he killed all his brothers, 604 as well as some of the officials of Israel. 21:5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 605 21:6 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter. 606 He did evil in the sight of 607 the Lord. 21:7 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy David’s dynasty 608 because of the promise 609 he had made to give David a perpetual dynasty. 610
21:8 During Jehoram’s 611 reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king. 612 21:9 Jehoram crossed over to Zair with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers. 613 21:10 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day. 614 At that same time Libnah also rebelled and freed themselves from Judah’s control 615 because Jehoram 616 rejected the Lord God of his ancestors. 21:11 He also built high places on the hills of Judah; he encouraged the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord 617 and led Judah away from the Lord. 618
21:12 Jehoram 619 received this letter from Elijah the prophet: “This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: ‘You 620 have not followed in the footsteps 621 of your father Jehoshaphat and of 622 King Asa of Judah, 21:13 but have instead followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. You encouraged the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord, just as the family of Ahab does in Israel. 623 You also killed your brothers, members of your father’s family, 624 who were better than you. 21:14 So look, the Lord is about to severely afflict 625 your people, your sons, your wives, and all you own. 21:15 And you will get a serious, chronic intestinal disease which will cause your intestines to come out.” 626
21:16 The Lord stirred up against Jehoram the Philistines 627 and the Arabs who lived beside the Cushites. 21:17 They attacked Judah and swept through it. 628 They carried off everything they found in the royal palace, 629 including his sons and wives. None of his sons was left, except for his youngest, Ahaziah. 21:18 After all this happened, the Lord afflicted him with an incurable intestinal disease. 630 21:19 After about two years his intestines came out because of the disease, so that he died a very painful death. 631 His people did not make a bonfire to honor him, as they had done for his ancestors. 632
21:20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. No one regretted his death; 633 he was buried in the City of David, 634 but not in the royal tombs.
[24:1] 1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:1] 2 sn Beginning with 2:1, the verse numbers through 2:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 2:1 ET = 1:18 HT, 2:2 ET = 2:1 HT, 2:3 ET = 2:2 HT, etc., through 2:18 ET = 2:17 HT. Beginning with 3:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[2:1] 3 tn Heb “and Solomon said to build a house for the name of the
[2:2] 4 tn Heb “counted,” perhaps “conscripted” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[2:2] 5 tn Heb “carriers of loads.”
[2:2] 6 tn Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).
[2:2] 7 tc The parallel text of MT in 1 Kgs 5:16 has “thirty-six hundred,” but some Greek
[2:2] tn Heb “and 3,600 supervisors over them.”
[2:3] 8 tn Heb “Huram.” Some medieval Hebrew
[2:3] 9 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[2:3] 10 tn The words “help me” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
[2:3] 11 tn Heb “cedars.” The word “logs” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[2:3] 12 tn Heb “to build for him a house to live in it.”
[2:4] 13 tn Heb “for the name of.”
[2:4] 14 tn Heb “and the regular display.”
[2:4] 15 tn Heb “permanently [is] this upon Israel.”
[2:6] 16 tn Or “heavens” (also in v. 12). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[2:6] 17 tn Heb “Who retains strength to build for him a house, for the heavens and the heavens of heavens do not contain him? And who am I that I should build for him a house, except to sacrifice before him?”
[2:7] 18 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:8] 19 tn This is probably a variant name for almug trees; see 9:10-11 and the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 10:11-12; cf. NLT. One or the other probably arose through metathesis of letters.
[2:10] 21 sn As a unit of dry measure a kor was roughly equivalent to six bushels (about 220 liters).
[2:10] 22 tn Heb “20,000 baths” (also a second time later in this verse). A bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons (about 22 liters), so this was a quantity of about 120,000 gallons (440,000 liters).
[2:11] 23 tn Heb “Huram” (also in v. 12). Some medieval Hebrew
[2:12] 24 tn Heb “who has given to David a wise son [who] knows discernment and insight, who will build a house for the
[2:13] 25 sn The name Huram Abi means “Huram [is] my father.”
[2:14] 26 tn Heb “a son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father a man of Tyre.”
[2:16] 27 tn Heb “and we will cut down trees from Lebanon according to all your need.”
[2:16] 28 tn Heb “to you,” but this phrase has not been translated for stylistic reasons – it is somewhat redundant.
[2:16] 29 tn Or “on rafts.” See the note at 1 Kgs 5:9.
[2:18] 32 tn Heb “carriers of loads.”
[2:18] 33 tn Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).
[2:18] 34 tn Heb “and thirty-six hundred [as] supervisors to compel the people to work.”
[3:1] 35 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[3:1] 36 tn In 2 Sam 24:16 this individual is called אֲרַוְנָא (“Aravna”; traditionally “Araunah”). The form of the name found here also occurs in 1 Chr 21:15; 18-28.
[3:2] 37 sn This would be April-May, 966
[3:3] 38 tn Heb “and these are the founding of Solomon to build the house of God.”
[3:3] 39 tn Heb “the length [in] cubits by the former measure was sixty cubits, and a width of twenty cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches (45 cm) for the standard cubit, the length of the foundation would be 90 feet (27 m) and its width 30 feet (9 m).
[3:4] 40 tc Heb “and the porch which was in front of the length corresponding to the width of the house, twenty cubits.” The phrase הֵיכַל הַבַּיִת (heykhal habbayit, “the main hall of the temple,” which appears in the parallel account in 1 Kgs 6:3) has been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton after עַל־פְּנֵי (’al-pÿney, “in front of”). Note that the following form, הָאֹרֶךְ (ha’orekh, “the length”), also begins with the Hebrew letter he (ה). A scribe’s eye probably jumped from the initial he on הֵיכַל to the initial he on הָאֹרֶךְ, leaving out the intervening letters in the process.
[3:4] 41 tc The Hebrew text has “one hundred and twenty cubits,” i.e. (assuming a cubit of 18 inches) 180 feet (54 m). An ancient Greek witness and the Syriac version read “twenty cubits,” i.e., 30 feet (9 m). It is likely that מֵאָה (me’ah, “a hundred”), is a corruption of an original אַמּוֹת (’ammot, “cubits”).
[3:5] 43 tn Heb “the large house.”
[3:5] 44 tn Heb “wood of evergreens.”
[3:5] 45 tn Heb “and he put up on it palm trees and chains.”
[3:6] 46 tn Heb “and he plated the house [with] precious stone for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim.”
[3:6] sn The location of Parvaim, the source of the gold for Solomon’s temple, is uncertain. Some have identified it with modern Farwa in Yemen; others relate it to the Sanskrit parvam and understand it to be a general term for the regions east of Palestine.
[3:8] 47 tn Heb “the house of the holy place of holy places.”
[3:8] 48 tn Heb “twenty cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), this would give a length of 30 feet (9 m).
[3:8] 49 tc Heb “twenty cubits.” Some suggest adding, “and its height twenty cubits” (see 1 Kgs 6:20). The phrase could have been omitted by homoioteleuton.
[3:8] 50 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold plating was 40,380 lbs. (18,360 kg).
[3:11] 51 tn Heb “and the wings of the cherubs, their length was twenty cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the wingspan of the cherubs would have been 30 feet (9 m).
[3:11] 52 tn Heb “the wing of the one was five cubits from the touching of the wall of the house, and the other wing was five cubits from the touching of the wing of the other cherub.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), each wing would have been 7.5 feet (2.25 m) long.
[3:12] 53 tn Heb “and the wing of the one (הָאֶחָד, ha’ekhad, “the one”; this should probably be emended to הָאַחֵר, ha’akher, “the other”) cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the house, and the other wing was five cubits, clinging to the wing of the other cherub.”
[3:13] 54 tn Heb “the wings of these cherubs were spreading twenty cubits.”
[3:13] 55 tn Heb “and they were standing on their feet, with their faces to the house.” An alternative translation of the last clause would be, “with their faces to the main hall.”
[3:15] 56 sn The figure given here appears to refer to the combined length of both pillars (perhaps when laid end-to-end on the ground prior to being set up; cf. v. 17); the figure given for the height of the pillars in 1 Kgs 7:15, 2 Kgs 25:17, and Jer 52:21 is half this (i.e., eighteen cubits).
[3:15] 57 tc The Syriac reads “eighteen cubits” (twenty-seven feet). This apparently reflects an attempt at harmonization with 1 Kgs 7:15, 2 Kgs 25:17, and Jer 52:21.
[3:15] 58 tn Heb “and he made before the house two pillars, thirty-five cubits [in] length, and the plated capital which was on its top [was] five cubits.” The significance of the measure “thirty-five cubits” (52.5 feet or 15.75 m, assuming a cubit of 18 inches) for the “length” of the pillars is uncertain. According to 1 Kgs 7:15, each pillar was eighteen cubits (27 feet or 8.1 m) high. Perhaps the measurement given here was taken with the pillars lying end-to-end on the ground before they were set up.
[3:16] 59 tn The Hebrew text adds here, “in the inner sanctuary,” but the description at this point is of the pillars, not the inner sanctuary.
[3:17] 60 tn Or “one on the south and the other on the north.”
[3:17] 61 tn The name “Jachin” appears to be a verbal form and probably means, “he establishes.”
[3:17] 62 tn The meaning of the name “Boaz” is uncertain. For various proposals, see BDB 126-27 s.v. בֹּעַז. One attractive option is to revocalize the name asבְּעֹז (bÿ’oz, “in strength”) and to understand it as completing the verbal form on the first pillar. Taking the words together and reading from right to left, one can translate the sentence, “he establishes [it] in strength.”
[4:1] 63 tn Heb “twenty cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the length would have been 30 feet (9 m).
[4:1] 64 tn Heb “twenty cubits.”
[4:1] 65 tn Heb “ten cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the height would have been 15 feet (4.5 m).
[4:2] 66 tn Heb “He made the sea, cast.”
[4:2] sn The large bronze basin known as “The Sea” was mounted on twelve bronze bulls and contained water for the priests to bathe themselves (see v. 6; cf. Exod 30:17-21).
[4:2] 67 tn Heb “ten cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the diameter would have been 15 feet (4.5 m).
[4:2] 68 tn Heb “five cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the height would have been 7.5 feet (2.25 m).
[4:2] 69 tn Heb “and a measuring line went around it thirty cubits all around.”
[4:3] 70 tn Heb “ten every cubit.”
[4:4] 71 tn Heb “all their hindquarters were toward the inside.”
[4:5] 72 tn Heb “3,000 baths” (note that the capacity is given in 1 Kings 7:26 as “2,000 baths”). A bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons (about 22 liters), so 3,000 baths was a quantity of about 18,000 gallons (66,000 liters).
[4:9] 73 tn Heb “and the doors for the enclosure.”
[4:11] 74 tn Heb “Huram,” but here this refers to Huram Abi (2 Chr 2:13). The complete name has been used in the translation to avoid possible confusion with King Huram of Tyre.
[4:11] 75 tn Heb “Huram finished doing all the work which he did for King Solomon [on] the house of God.”
[4:12] 76 tn The words “he made” are added for stylistic reasons.
[4:14] 77 tc The Hebrew text has עָשָׂה (’asah, “he made”), which is probably a corruption of עֶשֶׂר (’eser, “ten”; see 1 Kgs 7:43).
[4:14] 78 tc The Hebrew text has עָשָׂה (’asah, “he made”), which is probably a corruption of עֲשָׂרָה (’asarah, “ten”; see 1 Kgs 7:43).
[4:16] 79 tc Some prefer to read here “bowls,” see v. 11 and 1 Kgs 7:45.
[4:16] 80 tn Heb “Huram Abi made for King Solomon [for] the house of the
[4:17] 81 tn Or perhaps, “molds.”
[4:18] 82 tn Heb “Solomon made all these items in great abundance; the weight of the bronze was not sought.”
[4:19] 83 tn Heb “the bread of the face/presence.”
[4:19] sn This bread offered to God was viewed as a perpetual offering to God. See Lev 24:5-9.
[5:2] 84 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[5:2] 85 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[5:2] 86 tn Heb “Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers belonging to the sons of Israel to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the
[5:3] 87 sn This festival in the seventh month was the Feast of Tabernacles, see Lev 23:34.
[5:3] 88 sn The seventh month would be September-October in modern reckoning.
[5:5] 89 tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”
[5:5] sn See Exod 33:7-11.
[5:5] 90 tn Heb “and they carried the ark of the
[5:6] 91 tn Heb “And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, those who had been gathered to him, [were] before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle which could not be counted or numbered because of the abundance.”
[5:7] 92 tn The word “assigned” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[5:8] 93 sn These poles were used to carry the ark. The Levites were to carry it with the poles on their shoulders. See Exod 25:13-15; 1 Chr 15:15.
[5:9] 94 tn Heb “they could not be seen outside.”
[5:10] 95 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai (cf. Exod 3:1).
[5:10] 96 tn Heb “in Horeb where.”
[5:11] 97 tn Heb “and when the priests went from the holy place.” The syntactical relationship of this temporal clause to the following context is unclear. Perhaps the thought is completed in v. 14 after a lengthy digression.
[5:11] 98 tn Heb “Indeed [or “for”] all the priests who were found consecrated themselves without guarding divisions.”
[5:13] 99 tn Heb “like one were the trumpeters and the musicians, causing one voice to be heard, praising and giving thanks to the
[5:13] 100 tn Heb “and the house was filled with a cloud, the house of the
[5:14] 101 tn Heb “were not able to stand to serve.”
[6:2] 102 tn The words “O
[6:3] 103 tn Heb “turned his face.”
[6:3] 104 tn Heb “and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.”
[6:4] 105 tn The Hebrew text reads, “fulfilled by his hand,” but the phrase “by his hand” is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[6:4] 106 tn The Hebrew text reads, “promised by his mouth,” but the phrase “by his mouth” is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[6:5] 108 tn Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.” Here “name” is used by metonymy for the
[6:6] 109 tn Heb for my name to be there.” See also the note on the word “live” in v. 5.
[6:7] 110 tn Heb “and it was with the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the
[6:7] sn On the significance of the
[6:8] 111 tn Heb “Because it was with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart.”
[6:9] 112 tn Heb “your son, the one who came out of your body, he will build the temple for my name.”
[6:13] 113 tn Heb “five cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the length would have been 7.5 feet (2.25 m).
[6:13] 114 tn Heb “five cubits.”
[6:13] 115 tn Heb “three cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the height would have been 4.5 feet (1.35 m).
[6:14] 117 tn Heb “one who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.”
[6:14] 118 tn Heb “who walk before you with all their heart.”
[6:15] 119 tn Heb “[you] who kept to your servant David my father that which you spoke to him.”
[6:15] 120 tn Heb “you spoke by your mouth and by your hand you fulfilled, as this day.”
[6:16] 121 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”
[6:16] 122 tn Heb “guard their way by walking in my law as you have walked before me.”
[6:17] 123 tn Or “prove to be reliable.”
[6:18] 124 tn Heb “Indeed, can God really live with mankind on the earth?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not,” the force of which is reflected in the translation “God does not really live with mankind on the earth.”
[6:19] 126 tn Heb “by listening to.”
[6:19] 127 tn Heb “the loud cry and the prayer.”
[6:19] 128 tn Heb “praying before you.”
[6:20] 129 tn Heb “so your eyes might be open toward this house night and day, toward the place about which you said, ‘My name will be there.’”
[6:20] 130 tn Heb “by listening to the prayer which your servant is praying concerning this place.”
[6:21] 131 tn Heb “listen to the requests of your servant and your people Israel which they are praying concerning this place.”
[6:21] 132 tn Heb “hear and forgive.”
[6:22] 133 tn Heb “and if the man who sins against his neighbor when one takes up against him a curse to curse him and the curse comes before your altar in this house.”
[6:23] 134 tn Heb “and you, hear [from] heaven and act and judge your servants by repaying the guilty, to give his way on his head, and to declare the innocent to be innocent, to give to him according to his innocence.”
[6:24] 135 tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”
[6:24] 136 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
[6:24] 137 tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”
[6:25] 138 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 31, 38).
[6:26] 139 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 26-27a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[6:26] 140 tn Or “heavens” (also in v. 12). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[6:26] 142 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
[6:26] 143 tn The Hebrew text reads “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from עָנָה (’anah, “answer”). However, this reference to a divine answer is premature, since the next verse asks for God to intervene in mercy. It is better to revocalize the consonantal text as תְעַנֵּם (tÿ’annem, “you afflict them”), a Piel verb form from the homonym עָנָה (“afflict”).
[6:27] 144 tn The present translation understands כִּי (ki) in an emphatic or asseverative sense (“Certainly”). Other translation have “indeed” (NASB), “when” (NRSV), “so” (NEB), or leave the word untranslated (NIV).
[6:27] 145 tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”
[6:27] 146 tn Or “for an inheritance.”
[6:28] 147 tn Actually two Hebrew words appear here, both of which are usually (but not always) taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view, but this is uncertain. NEB has “locusts new-sloughed or fully grown”; NASB has “locust or grasshopper”; NIV has “locusts or grasshoppers”; NRSV has “locust, or caterpillar.”
[6:28] 148 tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”
[6:29] 149 tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”
[6:29] 150 tn Heb “which they know, each his pain and his affliction.”
[6:30] 151 tn The words “their sin” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarification.
[6:30] 152 tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 28-30a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.
[6:30] 153 tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”
[6:31] 155 tn Heb “by walking in your ways.”
[6:31] 156 tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”
[6:32] 157 tn Heb “your great name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “your great reputation
[6:32] 158 tn Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”
[6:33] 159 tn Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to [i.e., “requests of”] you.”
[6:33] 160 tn Heb “name.” See the note on “reputation” in v. 32.
[6:33] 162 tn Heb “that your name is called over this house which I built.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
[6:34] 163 tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”
[6:34] 164 tn Heb “toward this city which you have chosen and the house which I built for your name.”
[6:35] 165 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
[6:35] 166 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
[6:36] 167 tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:37] 168 tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:37] 169 tn Or “stop and reflect”; Heb “bring back to their heart.”
[6:37] 170 tn Or “done wrong.”
[6:38] 172 tn Heb “your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “your honor
[6:39] 173 tn Heb “their prayer and their requests for help.”
[6:39] 174 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
[6:40] 175 tn Heb “May your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.”
[6:41] 176 tn Heb “be clothed with deliverance.”
[6:41] 177 tn Heb “and may your loyal ones rejoice in good.”
[6:42] 178 tc Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed ones.” Many medieval Hebrew
[7:1] 179 tn Or “the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[7:3] 180 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:6] 181 tn Heb “and the priests were standing at their posts, and the Levites with the instruments of music of the
[7:6] 182 tn Heb “which David the king made to give thanks to the
[7:6] 183 tn Heb “opposite them”; the referent (the Levites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:7] 184 tc The Hebrew text omits reference to the grain offerings at this point, but note that they are included both in the list in the second half of the verse (see note on “offerings” at the end of this verse) and in the parallel account in 1 Kgs 8:64. The construction וְאֶת־הַמִּנְחָה (vÿ’et-hamminkhah; vav [ו] + accusative sign + noun with article; “grain offerings”) was probably omitted accidentally by homoioarcton. Note the וְאֶת (vÿ’et) that immediately follows.
[7:7] 185 tn Heb “to hold the burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.” Because this is redundant, the translation employs a summary phrase: “all these offerings.”
[7:8] 186 tn Heb “Solomon held the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel was with him, a very great assembly from Lebo Hamath to the wadi of Egypt.”
[7:10] 187 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:10] 188 tn The words “they left” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:10] 189 tn Heb “good of heart.”
[7:11] 190 tn Heb “and all that entered the heart of Solomon to do in the house of the
[7:12] 191 tn Heb “I have heard.”
[7:12] 192 tn Heb “temple of sacrifice.” This means the
[7:13] 194 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[7:13] 195 tn Heb “the land,” which stands here by metonymy for the vegetation growing in it.
[7:14] 196 tn Heb “over whom my name is called.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
[7:14] 197 tn Heb “seek my face,” where “my face” is figurative for God’s presence and acceptance.
[7:14] 198 tn Heb “and turn from their sinful ways.”
[7:14] 200 sn Here the phrase heal their land means restore the damage done by the drought, locusts and plague mentioned in v. 13.
[7:15] 201 tn Heb “my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place.” Note Solomon’s request in 6:40.
[7:16] 202 tn Heb “for my name to be there perpetually [or perhaps, “forever”].”
[7:16] 203 tn Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”
[7:17] 204 tn Heb “As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, by doing all which I commanded you, [and] you keep my rules and my regulations.”
[7:17] sn Verse 17 is actually a lengthy protasis (“if” section) of a conditional sentence, the apodosis (“then” section) of which appears in v. 18.
[7:18] 205 tn Heb “I will establish the throne of your kingdom.”
[7:18] 206 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man ruling over Israel.”
[7:19] 207 tn The Hebrew pronoun is plural, suggesting that Solomon and all Israel (or perhaps Solomon and his successors) are in view. To convey this to the English reader, the translation “you people” has been employed.
[7:19] 208 tn Heb “which I placed before you.”
[7:19] 209 tn Heb “and walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
[7:20] 210 tn Heb “them.” The switch from the second to the third person pronoun is rhetorically effective, for it mirrors God’s rejection of his people – he has stopped addressing them as “you” and begun addressing them as “them.” However, the switch is awkward and confusing in English, so the translation maintains the direct address style.
[7:20] 211 tn Heb “them.” See the note on “you” earlier in this verse.
[7:20] 212 tc Instead of “I will throw away,” the parallel text in 1 Kgs 9:7 has “I will send away.” The two verbs sound very similar in Hebrew, so the discrepancy is likely due to an oral transmissional error.
[7:20] tn Heb “and this temple which I consecrated for my name I will throw away from before my face.”
[7:20] 213 tn Heb “him,” which appears in context to refer to Israel (i.e., “you” in direct address). Many translations understand the direct object of the verb “make” to be the temple (NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “it”).
[7:20] 214 tn Heb “and I will make him [i.e., Israel] a proverb and a taunt,” that is, a proverbial example of destruction and an object of reproach.
[7:21] 215 tn Heb “and this house which was high/elevated.” The statement makes little sense in this context, which predicts the desolation that judgment will bring. Some treat the clause as concessive, “Even though this temple is lofty [now].” Others, following the lead of several ancient versions, emend the text to, “this temple will become a heap of ruins.”
[7:22] 216 tn Heb “and they will say.”
[7:22] 218 tn Heb “and they took hold of other gods and bowed down to them and served them.”
[8:2] 219 tn Heb “Huram” (also in v. 18). Some medieval Hebrew
[8:5] 220 tn Heb “and he built…[as] cities of fortification, [with] walls, doors, and a bar.”
[8:6] 221 tn Heb “Solomon.” The recurrence of the proper name is unexpected in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead.
[8:6] 222 tn Heb “the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horses.”
[8:6] 223 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:6] 224 tn Heb “and all the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his kingdom.”
[8:7] 225 tn Heb “all the people who were left from the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not from Israel.”
[8:8] 226 tn Heb “from their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel did not wipe out, and Solomon raised them up for a work crew to this day.”
[8:9] 227 tn Heb “and from the sons of Israel which Solomon did not assign to the laborers for his work.”
[8:9] 228 tn Heb “officers of his chariots and his horses.”
[8:10] 229 tn Heb “these [were] the officials of the governors who belonged to the king, Solomon, 250, the ones ruling over the people.”
[8:11] 230 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[8:12] 231 tn Heb “the porch.”
[8:13] 232 tn The Hebrew phrase הַסֻּכּוֹת[חַג] (khag hassukot, “[festival of] huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.
[8:14] 233 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:14] 234 tn Heb “and the Levites, according to their posts, to praise and to serve opposite the priests according to the matter of a day in its day.”
[8:14] 235 tn Heb “and the gatekeepers by their divisions for a gate and a gate.”
[8:14] 236 tn Heb “for so [was] the command of David the man of God.”
[8:15] 237 tn Heb “and they did not turn aside from the command of the king concerning the priests and the Levites with regard to any matter and with regard to the treasuries.”
[8:18] 238 tn Heb “and Huram sent to him by the hand of his servants, ships, and servants [who] know the sea, and they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir.”
[8:18] 239 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold was 30,285 lbs. (13,770 kg).
[9:1] 240 tn Heb “the report about Solomon.”
[9:1] 242 tn Heb “Solomon.” The recurrence of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead.
[9:1] 244 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:1] 245 tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew word חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue or to the great wealth she brought with her.
[9:2] 247 tn Heb “Solomon declared to her all her words; there was not a word hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.” If riddles are specifically in view (see v. 1), then one might translate, “Solomon explained to her all her riddles; there was no riddle too complex for the king.”
[9:3] 248 tn Heb “all the wisdom of Solomon.”
[9:4] 250 tn Heb “the food on his table.”
[9:4] 251 tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.”
[9:4] 252 tc The Hebrew text has here, “and his upper room [by] which he was going up to the house of the
[9:4] 253 tn Or “it took her breath away”; Heb “there was no breath still in her.”
[9:5] 254 tn Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.”
[9:6] 255 tn Heb “the half was not told to me.”
[9:7] 256 tn Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!”
[9:8] 257 tn Or “delighted in.”
[9:8] 258 tn Heb “as king for the
[9:8] 259 tn Heb “to make him stand permanently.”
[9:8] 260 tn Heb “to do justice and righteousness.”
[9:9] 261 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold was 8,076 lbs. (3,672 kg).
[9:9] 262 tn Heb “there has not been like those spices which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”
[9:10] 263 tn Heb “Huram’s” (also in v. 21). Some medieval Hebrew
[9:10] 264 tn Heb “who brought gold from Ophir, brought.”
[9:11] 266 tn Heb “tracks.” The parallel text in 1 Kgs 10:12 has a different term whose meaning is uncertain: “supports,” perhaps “banisters” or “parapets.”
[9:11] 267 tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).
[9:11] 268 tn Heb “there was not seen like these formerly in the land of Judah.”
[9:12] 269 tn Heb “besides what she brought to the king.”
[9:12] 270 tn Heb “turned and went.”
[9:13] 271 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold Solomon received annually was 44,822 lbs. (20,380 kg).
[9:13] 272 tn Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 units of gold.”
[9:14] 273 tn Heb “traveling men.”
[9:15] 274 tn The Hebrew text has simply “600,” with no unit of measure given.
[9:16] 275 tn The Hebrew text has simply “300,” with no unit of measure given.
[9:16] 276 sn This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest. See 1 Kgs 7:2.
[9:18] 277 tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:19 has instead “and the back of it was rounded on top.”
[9:18] 278 tn Heb “[There were] armrests on each side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.”
[9:19] 279 tn Heb “nothing like it had been made for any kingdom.”
[9:20] 280 tn Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.”
[9:21] 281 tn Heb “for ships belonging to the king were going [to] Tarshish with the servants of Huram.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
[9:21] 283 tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”
[9:21] 284 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish came carrying.”
[9:21] 285 tn The meaning of this word is unclear; some suggest it refers to “baboons.” NEB has “monkeys,” NASB, NRSV “peacocks,” and NIV “baboons.”
[9:22] 286 tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and wisdom.”
[9:23] 287 tn Heb “and all the kings of the earth were seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”
[9:24] 288 tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”
[9:25] 289 tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:26 reads “fourteen hundred chariots.”
[9:25] 290 tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”
[9:25] map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:26] 291 tn Heb “the River.” In biblical Hebrew the Euphrates River was typically referred to simply as “the River.”
[9:27] 292 tn The words “as plentiful” are supplied for clarification.
[9:27] 293 tn Heb “he made cedar.”
[9:27] 294 tn Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.”
[9:29] 295 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Solomon, the former and the latter, are they not written?”
[9:30] 296 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:31] 297 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[10:1] 298 tn Heb “come [to].”
[10:1] 299 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:3] 300 tn Heb “They sent and called for him.”
[10:4] 301 tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”
[10:4] 302 tn Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with vav (וְנַעַבְדֶךָ, vÿna’avdekha, “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (הָקֵל, haqel, “lighten”) indicates purpose/result. The conditional sentence used in the present translation is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.
[10:6] 303 tn Heb “stood before.”
[10:7] 305 tn Heb “If today you are for good to these people and you are favorable to them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”
[10:8] 306 tn Heb “Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.”
[10:9] 307 tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”
[10:10] 308 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:10] 309 tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”
[10:10] 310 tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.
[10:11] 311 tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”
[10:11] 312 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
[10:13] 313 tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The pronoun “he” has been used in the translation in place of the proper name in keeping with contemporary English style.
[10:14] 314 tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will make heavy your yoke,” but many medieval Hebrew
[10:14] 315 tn Heb “but I will add to your yoke.”
[10:14] 316 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
[10:15] 317 tn Heb “because this turn of events was from God.”
[10:15] 318 tn Heb “so that the
[10:16] 319 sn The people’s point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.
[10:16] 320 tn Heb “each one to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[10:16] 321 tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”
[10:16] 322 tn Heb “went to their tents.”
[10:18] 323 sn In the parallel account in 1 Kgs 12:18 this name appears as “Adoniram.”
[10:18] 324 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[11:1] 325 tn Heb “he summoned the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men, accomplished in war.”
[11:2] 326 tn Heb “and the word of the
[11:4] 327 tn Heb “for his thing is from me.”
[11:4] 328 tn Heb “and they heard the words of the
[11:5] 329 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[11:6] 330 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[11:12] 331 tn Heb “he strengthened them greatly, very much.”
[11:13] 332 tn Heb “and the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel supported him from all their territory.”
[11:15] 333 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:15] 334 tn Heb “for the high places.”
[11:15] 335 tn Heb “and for the goats and for the calves he had made.”
[11:16] 336 tn Heb “and after them from all the tribes of Israel, the ones giving their heart[s] to seek the
[11:17] 338 tn Or “strengthened.”
[11:17] 339 tn Or “strengthened.”
[11:17] 340 tn Heb “they walked in the way of.”
[11:18] 341 tn Heb “took for himself a wife.”
[11:18] 342 tn The words “and of” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[11:21] 343 sn Concubines were slave women in ancient Near Eastern societies who were the legal property of their master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with their master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10-14; 1 Kgs 11:3).
[11:22] 344 tn Heb “and Rehoboam appointed for a head Abijah son of Maacah for ruler among his brothers, indeed to make him king.”
[11:23] 345 tn Heb “and he was discerning and broke up from all his sons to all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities.”
[11:23] 346 tn “and he asked for a multitude of wives.”
[12:5] 347 tn Heb “also I have rejected you into the hand of Shishak.”
[12:6] 348 tn Or “fair,” meaning the
[12:7] 349 tn Heb “the word of the
[12:7] 350 tn Heb “and I will give to them soon deliverance.”
[12:7] 351 tn Or “gush forth upon.”
[12:7] 352 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
[12:8] 353 tn Heb “so they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the lands.”
[12:10] 354 tn Heb “runners” (also in v. 11).
[12:11] 355 tn Heb “to the chamber of the runners.”
[12:12] 356 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:12] 357 tn Heb “the anger of the
[12:12] 358 tn Heb “and also in Judah there were good things.”
[12:13] 359 tn Heb “and the king, Rehoboam, strengthened himself in Jerusalem and ruled.”
[12:13] 360 tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The recurrence of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead.
[12:13] 361 tn Heb “the city where the
[12:13] 362 tn Heb “his”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:14] 363 tn Heb “because he did not set his heart to seek the
[12:15] 364 tn Heb “As for the events of Rehoboam, the former and the latter, are they not written?”
[12:16] 365 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[12:16] 366 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[13:2] 367 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[13:2] 368 tn The parallel text in 1 Kgs 15:1 identifies his mother as “Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom” [=Absalom, 2 Chr 11:20). Although most English versions identify the mother’s father as Uriel of Gibeah, a number of English versions substitute the name “Maacah” here for the mother (e.g., NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT).
[13:3] 369 tn Heb “and Abijah bound [i.e., began] the battle with a force of warriors, four hundred thousand chosen men.”
[13:3] 370 tn Heb “and Jeroboam arranged with him [for] battle with eight hundred thousand chosen men, strong warrior[s].”
[13:5] 371 tn Heb “Do you not know that the
[13:5] sn For other references to a “covenant of salt,” see Lev 2:13 and Num 18:19.
[13:7] 372 tn Heb “empty men, sons of wickedness.”
[13:7] 373 tn Heb “strengthened themselves.”
[13:7] 374 tn Heb “a young man and tender of heart.”
[13:8] 375 tn Heb “the kingdom of the
[13:8] 376 tn Or “horde”; or “multitude.”
[13:9] 377 tn In the Hebrew text this is phrased as a rhetorical question, “Did you not banish?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you did,” the force of which is reflected in the translation “But you banished.”
[13:9] 378 tn Heb “whoever comes to fill his hand with a bull of a son of cattle, and seven rams, and he is a priest to no-gods.”
[13:10] 379 tn Heb “and priests serving the
[13:12] 381 tn Heb “and his priests and the trumpets of the war alarm [are ready] to sound out against you.”
[13:12] 382 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 18).
[13:13] 383 tn Heb “and Jeroboam had caused to circle around an ambush to come from behind them.”
[13:14] 385 tn Heb “and Judah turned, and, look, to them [was] the battle in front and behind.”
[13:15] 386 tn Heb “shouted out.”
[13:16] 388 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:17] 389 tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”
[13:17] 390 tn Heb “and [the] slain from Israel fell, five hundred thousand chosen men.”
[13:18] 391 tn Heb “at that time.”
[13:19] 392 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:20] 393 tn Heb “and the strength of Jeroboam was not retained again in the days of Abijah.”
[13:21] 394 tn Heb “lifted up for himself.”
[13:22] 395 tn Heb “and his ways and his words.”
[14:1] 396 sn Beginning with 14:1, the verse numbers through 14:15 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 14:1 ET = 13:23 HT, 14:2 ET = 14:1 HT, 14:3 ET = 14:2 HT, etc., through 14:15 ET = 14:14 HT. Beginning with 15:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[14:1] 397 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:1] 398 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[14:1] 399 tn Heb “in his days.”
[14:2] 400 tn Heb “and Asa did the good and the right in the eyes of the
[14:3] 401 tn Heb “the altars of the foreigner.”
[14:3] 402 sn Asherah poles. A leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon was Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles (Hebrew אֲשֵׁרִים [’asherim], as here). They were to be burned or cut down (Deut 7:5; 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
[14:4] 404 tn Heb “the law and the command.”
[14:5] 405 tn Heb “before him.”
[14:7] 406 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[14:7] 407 tn Heb “and we will surround [them] with wall[s] and towers, doors, and bars.”
[14:7] 409 tn Heb “and he has given us rest all around.”
[14:7] 410 tn The words “the cities” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[14:9] 411 tn Heb “a thousand thousands.”
[14:11] 412 tn Heb “called out.”
[14:11] 413 tn Heb “there is not with you to help between many with regard to [the one] without strength.”
[14:11] 414 tn Heb “and in your name we have come against this multitude.”
[14:11] 415 tn Heb “let not man retain [strength] with you.”
[14:13] 416 tn Heb “and there fell from the Cushites so that there was not to them preservation of life.”
[14:13] 417 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:14] 418 tn Heb “for the terror of the
[14:14] 419 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:14] 420 tn Heb “for great plunder was in them.”
[14:15] 421 tn Heb “and also they struck down the tents of the livestock.”
[14:15] 422 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:2] 423 tn Heb “went out before.”
[15:2] 424 tn Heb “when you are with him.”
[15:2] 425 tn Heb “he will allow himself to be found by you.”
[15:3] 426 tn Heb “Many days.”
[15:4] 427 tn Heb “and he allowed himself to be found by them.”
[15:5] 429 tn Heb “there was peace for the one going out or the one coming in.”
[15:5] 430 tn Heb “for great confusion was upon all the inhabitants of the lands.”
[15:6] 431 tn Heb “threw them into confusion with all distress.”
[15:7] 432 tn Heb “and let not your hands drop.”
[15:7] 433 tn Heb “for there is payment for your work.”
[15:8] 434 tn Heb “strengthened himself.”
[15:8] 435 tn Heb “the porch of the
[15:9] 436 tn Or “resident aliens.”
[15:9] 437 tn Heb “had fallen upon him.”
[15:11] 438 tn Or “In that day.”
[15:11] 439 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (tso’n) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but their is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
[15:12] 440 tn Heb “entered into a covenant.”
[15:13] 442 tn Heb “whether small or great.”
[15:14] 443 tn Heb “with a loud voice and with a shout and with trumpets and with horns.”
[15:15] 444 tn Heb “and with all their desire they sought him and he allowed himself to be found by them.”
[15:15] 445 tn Heb “and the
[15:16] 446 tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses “father” and “mother” for grandparents and even more remote ancestors.
[15:16] 447 tn The Hebrew term גְּבִירָה (gÿvirah) can denote “queen” or “queen mother” depending on the context. Here the latter is indicated, since Maacah was the wife of Rehoboam and mother of Abijah.
[15:17] 448 tn Heb “yet the heart of Asa was complete all his days.”
[15:18] 449 tn Heb “and he brought the holy things of his father and his holy things [into] the house of God, silver, gold, and items.”
[16:1] 450 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
[16:3] 451 tn Heb “[May there be] a covenant between me and you [as there was] between my father and your father.”
[16:3] 452 tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.”
[16:4] 453 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
[16:4] 454 tn Heb “They struck down.”
[16:4] 455 sn In the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 15:20, this city’s name appears as Abel Beth Maacah. These appear to be variant names for the same place.
[16:5] 457 tn Heb “and he caused his work to cease.”
[16:6] 458 tn Heb “and King Asa took all Judah and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.”
[16:6] 459 tn Heb “and he built with them.”
[16:9] 462 tn Heb “the eyes of the
[16:9] 463 tn Heb “to strengthen himself with their heart, [the one] complete toward him.”
[16:10] 464 tn Heb “and Asa was angry at the seer, and he put him [in] the house of stocks, because of his rage with him over this.”
[16:11] 465 tn Heb “Look, the events of Asa, the former and the latter, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
[16:12] 466 tn Heb “became sick in his feet.”
[16:12] 467 tn Heb “unto upwards [i.e., very severe [was] his sickness, and even in his sickness he did not seek the
[16:13] 468 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers, and he died.”
[16:14] 469 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[16:14] 470 tn Heb “and they burned for him a large fire, very great.”
[17:1] 471 tn Heb “and strengthened himself over Israel.”
[17:2] 472 tn Or perhaps, “governors.”
[17:3] 474 tn Heb “for he walked in the ways of David his father [in] the beginning [times].”
[17:4] 476 tn Heb “walked in.”
[17:4] 477 tn Heb “and not like the behavior of Israel.”
[17:5] 478 tn Heb “established the kingdom in his hand.”
[17:5] 479 tn Heb “and he had wealth and honor in abundance.”
[17:6] 480 tn Heb “and his heart was high in the ways of the
[17:10] 481 tn Heb “and the terror of the
[17:13] 482 tn Heb “and many supplies were his in the cities of Judah, and men of war, warriors of skill in Jerusalem.”
[17:13] map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[17:14] 483 tn Or perhaps “from Judah, commanders of the thousands.”
[18:2] 484 tn Heb “at the end of years.”
[18:2] 485 tn The word “visit” is supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[18:2] 486 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[18:2] 487 tn Heb “and Ahab slaughtered for him sheep and cattle in abundance, and for the people who were with him.”
[18:3] 489 tn Heb “Like me, like you; and like your people, my people; and with you in battle.”
[18:4] 490 tn Heb “and Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel.”
[18:4] 491 tn Heb “the word of the
[18:5] 492 tn Heb “Should we go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”
[18:5] 493 tn Though Jehoshaphat had requested an oracle from “the
[18:7] 494 tn Heb “to seek the
[18:7] 496 tn Heb “all his days.”
[18:7] 497 tn The words “his name is” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[18:9] 498 tn Heb “at,” which in this case probably means “near.”
[18:12] 499 tn Heb “the words of the prophets are [with] one mouth good for the king.”
[18:12] 500 tn Heb “let your words be like one of them and speak good.”
[18:14] 501 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[18:14] 502 sn One does not expect Micaiah, having just vowed to speak only what the
[18:15] 503 tn Or “swear an oath by.”
[18:16] 504 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:18] 505 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:20] 506 tn Heb “the spirit.” The significance of the article prefixed to רוּחַ (ruakh) is uncertain, but it could contain a clue as to this spirit’s identity, especially when interpreted in light of verse 23. It is certainly possible, and probably even likely, that the article is used in a generic or dramatic sense and should be translated, “a spirit.” In the latter case it would show that this spirit was vivid and definite in the mind of Micaiah the storyteller. However, if one insists that the article indicates a well-known or universally known spirit, the following context provides a likely referent. Verse 23 tells how Zedekiah slapped Micaiah in the face and then asked sarcastically, “Which way did the spirit from the
[18:21] 507 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[18:21] 508 tn The Hebrew text has two imperfects connected by וְגַם (vÿgam). These verbs could be translated as specific futures, “you will deceive and also you will prevail,” in which case the
[18:26] 509 tn Heb “the bread of affliction and the water of affliction.”
[18:29] 511 tn The Hebrew verbal forms could be imperatives (“Disguise yourself and enter”), but this would make no sense in light of the immediately following context. The forms are better interpreted as infinitives absolute functioning as cohortatives (see IBHS 594 §35.5.2a). Some prefer to emend the forms to imperfects.
[18:30] 512 tn Heb “small or great.”
[18:33] 513 tn Heb “now a man drew a bow in his innocence” (i.e., with no specific target in mind, or at least without realizing his target was the king of Israel).
[18:33] 514 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:1] 516 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[19:2] 518 tn Heb “went out to his face.”
[19:2] 519 tn Heb “and love those who hate the
[19:2] 520 tn Heb “and because of this upon you is anger from before the
[19:3] 521 tn Heb “nevertheless good things are found with you.”
[19:3] 522 tn Here בָּעַר (ba’ar) is not the well attested verb “burn,” but the less common homonym meaning “devastate, sweep away, remove.” See HALOT 146 s.v. II בער.
[19:3] 523 tn Heb “and you set your heart to seek the
[19:4] 524 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[19:4] 525 tn Heb “and turned them back to.”
[19:5] 527 tn Heb “in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.”
[19:6] 528 tn Heb “see what you are doing.”
[19:7] 529 tn Heb “and now let the terror of the
[19:8] 530 tn Heb “for the judgment of the
[19:8] 531 tc Heb “and to conduct a case [or “for controversy”], and they returned [to] Jerusalem.” Some emend וַיָּשֻׁבוּ (vayyashuvu, “and they returned”) to וַיֵּשְׁבוּ (vayyeshÿvu, “and they lived [in]”). The present translation assumes an emendation to יֹשְׁבֵי (yoshÿvey, “residents of”).
[19:9] 532 tn Heb “This you must do with the fear of the
[19:10] 533 tn Heb “and every case which comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities.”
[19:10] 534 tn Heb “between blood pertaining to blood.”
[19:10] 535 tn Heb “and anger will be upon you and your brothers; do this and you will not be guilty.”
[19:11] 536 tn Heb “and look, Amariah the chief priest is over you with respect to every matter of the
[19:11] 537 tn Heb “Be strong and act!”
[20:1] 538 tc The Hebrew text has “Ammonites,” but they are mentioned just before this. Most translations, following some
[20:2] 539 tn Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:2] 540 tn Heb “the Sea”; in context (“from the direction of Edom”) this must refer to the Dead Sea, which has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NEB, NLT).
[20:2] 541 tc Most Hebrew
[20:3] 542 tn Heb “and he set his face to seek the
[20:4] 543 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[20:4] 544 tn Heb “to seek from the
[20:4] 545 tn Heb “to seek the
[20:5] 546 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[20:6] 547 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33).
[20:6] 548 tn Heb “are you not God in heaven?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “yes,” resulting in the positive statement “you are the God who lives in heaven” employed in the translation.
[20:7] 549 tn Heb “did you not drive out?” This is another rhetorical question which expects a positive response; see the note on the word “heaven” in the previous verse.
[20:7] 550 tn Heb “permanently.”
[20:7] 551 tn Or perhaps “your covenantal partner.” See Isa 41:8.
[20:8] 553 tn Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you
[20:9] 555 tn Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the
[20:9] 556 tn Or “so that you may.”
[20:10] 557 tn Heb “now, look, the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.”
[20:10] 558 tn Heb “whom you did not allow Israel to enter when they came from the land of Egypt.”
[20:12] 559 tn Heb “for [or “indeed”] upon you are our eyes.”
[20:13] 560 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
[20:15] 561 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. Unlike the previous instance in v. 13 where infants, wives, and children are mentioned separately, this reference appears to include them all.
[20:15] 562 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
[20:17] 564 tn Heb “the deliverance of the
[20:17] 565 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
[20:18] 566 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
[20:18] 567 tn Heb “to worship the
[20:19] 568 tn Heb “arose to praise the
[20:20] 569 tn Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
[20:20] 570 tn There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (ha’aminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (te’amenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ’aman).
[20:21] 571 tn Or “consulted.”
[20:21] 572 tn Or “is eternal.”
[20:22] 573 tn Heb “set ambushers against.” This is probably idiomatic here for launching a surprise attack.
[20:22] 574 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.”
[20:23] 575 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the residents of Mount Seir.”
[20:23] 576 tn Heb “to annihilate and to destroy.”
[20:23] 577 tn Heb “residents.”
[20:23] 578 tn Heb “they helped, each one his fellow, for destruction.” The verb עָזַר (’azar), traditionally understood as the well-attested verb meaning “to help,” is an odd fit in this context. It is possible that it is from a homonymic root, perhaps meaning to “attack.” This root is attested in Ugaritic in a nominal form meaning “young man, warrior, hero.” For a discussion of the proposed root, see HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר.
[20:24] 579 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
[20:24] 580 tn Heb “turned toward.”
[20:25] 582 tc The MT reads פְגָרִים (fÿgarim, “corpses”), but this seems odd among a list of plunder. A few medieval Hebrew
[20:25] 583 tn Heb “and they snatched away for themselves so that there was no carrying away.”
[20:25] 584 tn Heb “and they were three days looting the plunder for it was great.”
[20:26] 585 tn Heb “for there.”
[20:26] 586 sn The name Berachah, which means “blessing” in Hebrew, is derived from the verbal root “to praise [or “to bless”],” which appears earlier in the verse.
[20:29] 587 tn Heb “and the terror of God [or “a great terror”] was upon all the kingdoms of the lands.” It is uncertain if אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) should be understood as a proper name here (“God”), or taken in an idiomatic superlative sense.
[20:30] 588 tn Heb “and his God gave him rest all around.”
[20:31] 589 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[20:32] 590 tn Heb “he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn from it, doing what is right in the eyes of the
[20:33] 591 tn Heb “and still the people did not set their heart[s] on the God of their fathers.”
[20:34] 592 tn Heb “the rest of the events of Jehoshaphat, the former and the latter, look, they are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are taken up in the scroll of the kings of Israel.”
[20:35] 593 tn Heb “he.” The pronoun has been translated as a relative pronoun for stylistic reasons.
[20:36] 594 tn Heb “he made an alliance with him.”
[20:36] 595 tn Heb “make ships to go to Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish; a “Tarshish-ship” was essentially a large seagoing merchant ship.
[20:37] 597 tn Heb “to go to Tarshish.”
[21:1] 598 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[21:1] 599 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 10, 12, 19).
[21:1] 600 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[21:1] 601 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 8:16-24 has the variant spelling “Jehoram.”
[21:2] 602 sn A number of times in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is used instead of the more specific “Judah”; see 2 Chr 12:6; 23:2). In the interest of consistency some translations (e.g., NAB, NRSV) substitute “Judah” for “Israel” here.
[21:4] 603 tn Heb “and Jehoram arose over the kingdom of his father and strengthened himself.”
[21:4] 604 tn Heb “and he killed all his brothers with the sword.”
[21:5] 605 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[21:6] 606 tn Heb “he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.”
[21:6] 607 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[21:7] 610 tn Heb “which he made to David, just as he had promised to give him and his sons a lamp all the days.” Here “lamp” is metaphorical, symbolizing the Davidic dynasty.
[21:8] 611 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[21:8] 612 tn Heb “in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and enthroned a king over them.”
[21:9] 613 tc Heb “and he arose at night and defeated Edom, who had surrounded him, and the chariot officers.” The Hebrew text as it stands gives the impression that Jehoram was surrounded and launched a victorious nighttime counterattack. Yet v. 10 goes on to state that the Edomite revolt was successful. The translation above assumes an emendation of the Hebrew text. Adding a third masculine singular pronominal suffix to the accusative sign before Edom (reading אֹתוֹ [’oto, “him”] instead of just אֶת [’et]) and taking Edom as the subject of verbs allows one to translate the verse in a way that is more consistent with the context, which depicts an Israelite defeat, not victory. See also 2 Kgs 8:21.
[21:10] 614 tn Heb “and Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day.”
[21:10] 615 tn Or “from Jehoram’s control”; Heb “from under his hand.” The pronominal suffix may refer to Judah in general or, more specifically, to Jehoram.
[21:10] 616 tn Heb “he.” This pronoun could refer to Judah, but the context focuses on Jehoram’s misdeeds. See especially v. 11.
[21:11] 617 tn Heb “and he caused the residents of Jerusalem to commit adultery.” In this context spiritual unfaithfulness to the
[21:11] 618 tn Heb “and drove Judah away.”
[21:12] 619 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[21:12] 620 tn Heb “Because you…” In the Hebrew text this lengthy sentence is completed in vv. 14-15. Because of its length and complexity (and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences), the translation has divided it up into several English sentences.
[21:12] 621 tn Heb “walked in the ways.”
[21:12] 622 tn Heb “in the ways of.”
[21:13] 623 tn Heb “and you walked in the way of the kings of Israel and caused Judah and the residents of Jerusalem to commit adultery, like the house of Ahab causes to commit adultery.”
[21:13] 624 tn Heb “the house of your father.”
[21:14] 625 tn Heb “to strike with a great striking.”
[21:15] 626 tn Heb “and you [will have] a serious illness, an illness of the intestines until your intestines come out because of the illness days upon days.”
[21:16] 627 tn Heb “the spirit of the Philistines.”
[21:17] 628 tn Heb “broke it up.”
[21:17] 629 tn Heb “all the property which was found in the house of the king.”
[21:18] 630 tn Heb “in his intestines with an illness [for which] there was no healer.”
[21:19] 631 tn Heb “and it was to days from days, and about the time of the going out of the end for the days, two, his intestines came out with his illness and he died in severe illness.”
[21:19] 632 tn Heb “and his people did not make for him a fire, like the fire of his fathers.”
[21:20] 633 tn Heb “and he went without desire.”
[21:20] 634 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
