2 CHRONICLES 8:11- 10:19
ROMANS 8:9- 25
PSALM 18:16- 36
PROVERBS 19:26
Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh's daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, "My wife must not live in King David's palace, for the Ark of the LORD has been there, and it is holy ground." 12 Then Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar he had built in front of the foyer of the Temple. 13 The number of sacrifices varied from day to day according to the commands Moses had given. Extra sacrifices were offered on the Sabbaths, on new moon festivals, and at the three annual festivals-- the Passover celebration, the Festival of Harvest, *and the Festival of Shelters. 14 In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people in praise and to assist the priests in their daily duties. And he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates by their divisions, following the commands of David, the man of God. 15 Solomon did not deviate in any way from David's commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries. 16 So Solomon made sure that all the work related to building the Temple of the LORD was carried out, from the day its foundation was laid to the day of its completion. 17 Later Solomon went to Ezion- geber and Elath, ports in the land of Edom, along the shore of the Red Sea. 18 Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers and manned by experienced crews of sailors. These ships sailed to the land of Ophir with Solomon's men and brought back to Solomon almost seventeen tons of gold. 9:1 WHEN the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's reputation, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, huge quantities of gold, and precious jewels. 2 When she met with Solomon, they talked about everything she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, 4 she was breathless. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup- bearers and their robes, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD. 5 She exclaimed to the king, "Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true! 6 I didn't believe it until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. Truly I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom is far greater than what I was told. 7 How happy these people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! 8 The LORD your God is great indeed! He delights in you and has placed you on the throne to rule for him. Because God loves Israel so much and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness." 9 Then she gave the king a gift of nine thousand pounds of gold, and great quantities of spices and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon. 10 (When the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, they also brought rich cargoes of almug wood and precious jewels. 11 The king used the almug wood to make steps for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct harps and lyres for the musicians. Never before had there been such beautiful instruments in Judah.) 12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for-- gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants left and returned to their own land. 13 Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold. 14 This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold, each containing over 15 pounds of gold. 16 He also made three hundred smaller shields of hammered gold, each containing about 7 pounds of gold. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 17 Then the king made a huge ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps, and there was a footstool of gold attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with the figure of a lion standing on each side of the throne. 19 Solomon made twelve other lion figures, one standing on each end of each of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it! 20 All of King Solomon's drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's day! 21 The king had a fleet of trading ships manned by the sailors sent by Hiram. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded down with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 22 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king in all the earth. 23 Kings from every nation came to visit him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. 24 Year after year, everyone who came to visit brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. 25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand horses. He stationed many of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem. 26 He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt. 27 The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones. And valuable cedarwood was as common as the sycamore wood that grows in the foothills of Judah. 28 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and many other countries. 29 The rest of the events of Solomon's reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Nathan the Prophet and in The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and also in The Visions of Iddo the Seer, concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat. 30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 31 When he died, he was buried in the city of his father, David. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king. 10:1 REHOBOAM went to Shechem, where all Israel had gathered to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of Solomon's death, he returned from Egypt, for he had fled to Egypt to escape from King Solomon. 3 The leaders of Israel sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel went together to speak with Rehoboam. 4 "Your father was a hard master," they said. "Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects." 5 Rehoboam replied, "Come back in three days for my answer." So the people went away. 6 Then King Rehoboam went to discuss the matter with the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. "What is your advice?" he asked. "How should I answer these people?" 7 The older counselors replied, "If you are good to the people and show them kindness and do your best to please them, they will always be your loyal subjects." 8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers. 9 "What is your advice?" he asked them. "How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens imposed by my father?" 10 The young men replied, "This is what you should tell those complainers:`My little finger is thicker than my father's waist-- if you think he was hard on you, just wait and see what I'll be like! 11 Yes, my father was harsh on you, but I'll be even harsher! My father used whips on you, but I'll use scorpions! '" 12 Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to hear Rehoboam's decision, just as the king had requested. 13 But Rehoboam spoke harshly to them, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors 14 and followed the counsel of his younger advisers. He told the people, "My father was harsh on you, but I'll be even harsher! My father used whips on you, but I'll use scorpions!" 15 So the king paid no attention to the people's demands. This turn of events was the will of God, for it fulfilled the prophecy of the LORD spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. 16 When all Israel realized that the king had rejected their request, they shouted, "Down with David and his dynasty! We have no share in Jesse's son! Let's go home, Israel! Look out for your own house, O David!" So all Israel returned home. 17 But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah. 18 King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the labor force, to restore order, but the Israelites stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. 19 The northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David to this day.
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) 10 Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you. 12 So, dear brothers and sisters, *you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children *of God. 15 So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family *-- calling him "Father, dear Father." 16 For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. 17 And since we are his children, we will share his treasures-- for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. 21 All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, *including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.
He [the LORD] reached down from heaven and rescued me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He delivered me from my powerful enemies,
from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
18 They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest,
but the LORD upheld me.
19 He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me for doing right;
he compensated me because of my innocence.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
22 For all his laws are constantly before me;
I have never abandoned his principles.
23 I am blameless before God;
I have kept myself from sin.
24 The LORD rewarded me for doing right,
because of the innocence of my hands in his sight.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
to those with integrity you show integrity.
26 To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
27 You rescue those who are humble,
but you humiliate the proud.
28 LORD, you have brought light to my life;
my God, you light up my darkness.
29 In your strength I can crush an army;
with my God I can scale any wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect.
All the LORD's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
31 For who is God except the LORD?
Who but our God is a solid rock?
32 God arms me with strength;
he has made my way safe.
33 He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
leading me safely along the mountain heights.
34 He prepares me for battle;
he strengthens me to draw a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation.
Your right hand supports me;
your gentleness has made me great.
36 You have made a wide path for my feet
to keep them from slipping.
Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are a public disgrace and an embarrassment
ROMANS 8:9- 25
PSALM 18:16- 36
PROVERBS 19:26
Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh's daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, "My wife must not live in King David's palace, for the Ark of the LORD has been there, and it is holy ground." 12 Then Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar he had built in front of the foyer of the Temple. 13 The number of sacrifices varied from day to day according to the commands Moses had given. Extra sacrifices were offered on the Sabbaths, on new moon festivals, and at the three annual festivals-- the Passover celebration, the Festival of Harvest, *and the Festival of Shelters. 14 In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people in praise and to assist the priests in their daily duties. And he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates by their divisions, following the commands of David, the man of God. 15 Solomon did not deviate in any way from David's commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries. 16 So Solomon made sure that all the work related to building the Temple of the LORD was carried out, from the day its foundation was laid to the day of its completion. 17 Later Solomon went to Ezion- geber and Elath, ports in the land of Edom, along the shore of the Red Sea. 18 Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers and manned by experienced crews of sailors. These ships sailed to the land of Ophir with Solomon's men and brought back to Solomon almost seventeen tons of gold. 9:1 WHEN the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's reputation, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, huge quantities of gold, and precious jewels. 2 When she met with Solomon, they talked about everything she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, 4 she was breathless. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup- bearers and their robes, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD. 5 She exclaimed to the king, "Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true! 6 I didn't believe it until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. Truly I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom is far greater than what I was told. 7 How happy these people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! 8 The LORD your God is great indeed! He delights in you and has placed you on the throne to rule for him. Because God loves Israel so much and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness." 9 Then she gave the king a gift of nine thousand pounds of gold, and great quantities of spices and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon. 10 (When the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, they also brought rich cargoes of almug wood and precious jewels. 11 The king used the almug wood to make steps for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct harps and lyres for the musicians. Never before had there been such beautiful instruments in Judah.) 12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for-- gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants left and returned to their own land. 13 Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold. 14 This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold, each containing over 15 pounds of gold. 16 He also made three hundred smaller shields of hammered gold, each containing about 7 pounds of gold. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 17 Then the king made a huge ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps, and there was a footstool of gold attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with the figure of a lion standing on each side of the throne. 19 Solomon made twelve other lion figures, one standing on each end of each of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it! 20 All of King Solomon's drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's day! 21 The king had a fleet of trading ships manned by the sailors sent by Hiram. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded down with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 22 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king in all the earth. 23 Kings from every nation came to visit him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. 24 Year after year, everyone who came to visit brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. 25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand horses. He stationed many of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem. 26 He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt. 27 The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones. And valuable cedarwood was as common as the sycamore wood that grows in the foothills of Judah. 28 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and many other countries. 29 The rest of the events of Solomon's reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Nathan the Prophet and in The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and also in The Visions of Iddo the Seer, concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat. 30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 31 When he died, he was buried in the city of his father, David. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king. 10:1 REHOBOAM went to Shechem, where all Israel had gathered to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of Solomon's death, he returned from Egypt, for he had fled to Egypt to escape from King Solomon. 3 The leaders of Israel sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel went together to speak with Rehoboam. 4 "Your father was a hard master," they said. "Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects." 5 Rehoboam replied, "Come back in three days for my answer." So the people went away. 6 Then King Rehoboam went to discuss the matter with the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. "What is your advice?" he asked. "How should I answer these people?" 7 The older counselors replied, "If you are good to the people and show them kindness and do your best to please them, they will always be your loyal subjects." 8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers. 9 "What is your advice?" he asked them. "How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens imposed by my father?" 10 The young men replied, "This is what you should tell those complainers:`My little finger is thicker than my father's waist-- if you think he was hard on you, just wait and see what I'll be like! 11 Yes, my father was harsh on you, but I'll be even harsher! My father used whips on you, but I'll use scorpions! '" 12 Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to hear Rehoboam's decision, just as the king had requested. 13 But Rehoboam spoke harshly to them, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors 14 and followed the counsel of his younger advisers. He told the people, "My father was harsh on you, but I'll be even harsher! My father used whips on you, but I'll use scorpions!" 15 So the king paid no attention to the people's demands. This turn of events was the will of God, for it fulfilled the prophecy of the LORD spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. 16 When all Israel realized that the king had rejected their request, they shouted, "Down with David and his dynasty! We have no share in Jesse's son! Let's go home, Israel! Look out for your own house, O David!" So all Israel returned home. 17 But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah. 18 King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the labor force, to restore order, but the Israelites stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. 19 The northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David to this day.
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) 10 Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you. 12 So, dear brothers and sisters, *you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children *of God. 15 So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family *-- calling him "Father, dear Father." 16 For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. 17 And since we are his children, we will share his treasures-- for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. 21 All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, *including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.
He [the LORD] reached down from heaven and rescued me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He delivered me from my powerful enemies,
from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
18 They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest,
but the LORD upheld me.
19 He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me for doing right;
he compensated me because of my innocence.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
22 For all his laws are constantly before me;
I have never abandoned his principles.
23 I am blameless before God;
I have kept myself from sin.
24 The LORD rewarded me for doing right,
because of the innocence of my hands in his sight.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
to those with integrity you show integrity.
26 To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
27 You rescue those who are humble,
but you humiliate the proud.
28 LORD, you have brought light to my life;
my God, you light up my darkness.
29 In your strength I can crush an army;
with my God I can scale any wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect.
All the LORD's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
31 For who is God except the LORD?
Who but our God is a solid rock?
32 God arms me with strength;
he has made my way safe.
33 He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
leading me safely along the mountain heights.
34 He prepares me for battle;
he strengthens me to draw a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation.
Your right hand supports me;
your gentleness has made me great.
36 You have made a wide path for my feet
to keep them from slipping.
Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are a public disgrace and an embarrassment
