1 Kings

Adonijah Tries to Seize the Throne 1 King David was very old; even when they covered him with blankets, he could not get warm. 2 His servants advised him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, to take care of the king’s needs and serve as his nurse. She can also […]

David’s Final Words to Solomon 1 When David was close to death, he told Solomon his son: 2 “I am about to die. Be strong and become a man! 3 Do the job the Lord your God has assigned you by following his instructions and obeying his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws as written in […]

The Lord Gives Solomon Wisdom 1 Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at […]

Solomon’s Royal Court and Administrators 1 King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2 These were his officials:Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, wrote down what happened.Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records.4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army.Zadok and Abiathar were […]

Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple 1 King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.) 2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram: 3 “You know that my father David was unable to […]

The Building of the Temple 1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, during the month Ziv (the second month), he began building the Lord’s temple. 2 The temple King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet […]

The Building of the Royal Palace 1 Solomon took thirteen years to build his palace. 2 He named it “The Palace of the Lebanon Forest”; it was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. It had four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams above the pillars. 3 The roof above the […]

Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple 1 Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferral of the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David (that is, Zion). 2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon […]

The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning 1 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned, 2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The Lord said to him, […]

Solomon Entertains a Queen 1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult questions. 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp, bringing with her camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything […]

The Lord Punishes Solomon for Idolatry 1 King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women (besides Pharaoh’s daughter), including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. 2 They came from nations about which the Lord had warned the Israelites, “You must not establish friendly relations with them! If you do, they will surely shift your […]

Rehoboam Loses His Kingdom 1 Rehoboam travelled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in Shechem to make Rehoboam king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. 3 They sent for him, and Jeroboam and […]

1 Just then a prophet from Judah, sent by the Lord, arrived in Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. 2 With the authority of the Lord he cried out against the altar, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be […]

1 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became sick. 2 Jeroboam told his wife, “Disguise yourself so that people cannot recognize you are Jeroboam’s wife. Then go to Shiloh; Ahijah the prophet, who told me I would rule over this nation, lives there. 3 Take ten loaves of bread, some small cakes, and a container […]

Abijah’s Reign over Judah 1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. 3 He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted […]

1 Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord this message predicting Baasha’s downfall: 2 “I raised you up from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel. Yet you followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged my people Israel to sin; their sins have made me angry. 3 So I am ready to […]

Elijah Visits a Widow in Sidonian Territory 1 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve), there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command.” 2 The Lord told him: 3 “Leave here and […]

Elijah Meets the King’s Servant 1 Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the Lord told Elijah, “Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground.” 2 So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab.Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 So […]

Elijah Runs for His Life 1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including a detailed account of how he killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, “May the gods judge me severely if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life […]

Ben Hadad Invades Israel 1 Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria and besieged and attacked it. 2 He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city. 3 He said to him, “This is […]

Ahab Murders Naboth 1 After this the following episode took place. Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I […]

Ahab Dies in Battle 1 There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years. 2 In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to visit the king of Israel. 3 The king of Israel said to his servants, “Surely you recognize that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, though we are hesitant […]