Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 1 Kings chapters
3 and 4. Chapter 3 Now Solomon made a treaty
with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married Pharaoh's
daughter. Then he brought her to the city of
David until he had finished building his own
house and the house of the Lord and the wall
all around Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the people sacrificed
at the high places because there was no house
built for the name of the Lord until those days.
And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes
of his father David, except that he sacrificed
and burned incense at the high places. Now the
king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that
was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand
burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon, the
Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night,
and God said, Ask, what shall I give you? And
Solomon said, You have shown great mercy to your
servant David my father, because he walked before
you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness
of heart with you. You have continued this great
kindness for him, and you have given him a son
to sit on his throne as it is this day. Now,
O Lord my God, you have made your servant king
instead of my father David, but I am a little
child, I do not know how to go out or come in,
and your servant is in the midst of your people,
whom you have chosen, a great people, too numerous
to be numbered or counted. Therefore, gift your
servant an understanding heart to judge your
people, that I may discern between good and evil,
for who is able to judge this great people of
yours? The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon
had asked this thing. Then God said to him, Because
you have asked this thing, and have not asked
long life for yourself, nor have asked riches
for yourself, nor have asked the life of your
enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding
to discern justice, behold, I have done according
to your words. See, I have given you a wise and
understanding heart, so that there has not been
anyone like you before you, nor shall any like
you arise after you. And I have also given you
what you have not asked, both riches and honor.
so that there shall not be anyone like you among
the kings all your days. So if you walk in my
ways to keep my statutes and my commandments
as your father David walked, then I will lengthen
your days. Then Solomon awoke, and indeed it
had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and
stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings,
and made a feast for all his servants. Now two
women who were harlots came to the king and stood
before him. And one woman said, O my lord, this
woman and I dwell in the same house, and I gave
birth while she was in the house. Then it happened,
the third day after I had given birth, that this
woman also gave birth, and we were together.
No one was with us in the house except the two
of us in the house. And this woman's son died
in the night, because she lay on him. So she
arose in the middle of the night, and took my
son from my side, while your maidservant slept.
and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead
child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning
to nurse my son, there he was dead. But when
I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he
was not my son whom I had born. Then the other
woman said, No, but the living one is my son,
and the dead one is your son. And the first woman
said, No, but the dead one is your son, and the
living one is my son. Thus they spoke before
the king. And the king said, The one says, This
is my son. Who lives? And your son is the dead
one. And the other says, No, but your son is
the dead one, and my son is the living one. Then
the king said, Bring me a sword. So they brought
a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide
this child in two, and give half to one and half
to the other. Then the woman whose son was living
spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion
for her son. And she said, O my lord, give her
the living child, and by no means kill him. But
the other said, Let him be neither mine nor yours,
but divide him. So the king answered and said,
Give the first woman the living child, and by
no means kill him, she is his mother. And all
Israel heard of the judgment which the king had
rendered, and they feared the king, for they
saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer
justice. Chapter 4 So king Solomon was king over
all Israel, and these were his officials, Azariah
the son of Zadok the priest, Elihorif and Ahijah
the sons of Shisha, scribes, Jehoshaphat the
son of Ahilud the recorder. Benaiah, the son
of Jehoiada, over the army. Zadok and Abiathar,
the priests. Azariah, the son of Nathan, over
the officers. Zabud, the son of Nathan, a priest
and a king's friend. Ahishar, over the household.
And Adoniram, the son of Abda, over the labor
force. And Solomon had twelve governors over
all Israel, who provided food for the king and
his household. Each one made provision for one
month of the year. These are their names. Ben
-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim. Ben -Dekir
in Makaz, Shalbeim, Beit Shemesh, and Elon, Beit
Hanan. Ben -Hesed in Aruboth, to him belong Suko
and all the land of Hefer. Ben -Abinadab in all
the regions of Dor, he had Tafat, the daughter
of Solomon, as wife. Bana, the son of Ahilud,
in Tanak, Megiddo, and all Beit Shein, which
is beside Zaretan, below Jezreel, from Beit Shein
to Ebel Meholah, as far as the other side of
Jokneim. Ben -Geber in Ramoth, Gilead. To him
belonged the towns of Jireh, the son of Manasseh,
in Gilead. To him also belonged the region of
Argob in Bashan, six large cities with walls
and bronze gate bars. Ahinadab, the son of Edo,
in Mahanaim. Ahimaz in Naftali. He also took
Basimat, the daughter of Solomon, as wife. Bana,
the son of Hushai, in Asher and Alot. Jehoshaphat,
the son of Paruah, in Issachar. Shimei, the son
of Elah, in Benjamin. Geber the son of Uri in
the land of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king
of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He
was the only governor who was in the land. Judah
and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the
sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.
So Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from
the river to the land of the Philistines as far
as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute
and served Solomon all the days of his life.
Now Solomon's provision for one day was 30 cores
of fine flour, 60 cores of meal, 10 fatted oxen,
20 oxen from the pastures, and 100 sheep besides
deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl. For
he had dominion over all the region on this side
of the river from Tifsa. even to Gaza, namely
over all the kings on this side of the river.
And he had peace on every side all around him.
And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under
his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as
Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. Solomon had
40 ,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and
12 ,000 horsemen. And these governors, each man
in his mouth, provided food for King Solomon
and for all who came to King Solomon's table.
There was no lack in their supply. They also
brought barley and straw to the proper place
for the horses and steeds, each man according
to his charge. And God gave Solomon wisdom and
exceedingly great understanding, and largeness
of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus
Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the
men of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.
For he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the
Israelite, and Haman, Chalcol, and Darda, the
sons of Mahol. And his fame was in all the surrounding
nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and
his songs were one thousand and five. Also he
spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon,
even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall.
He spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping
things, and of fish. And men of all nations,
from all the kings of the earth, who had heard
of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as
I did and I look forward to seeing you again
tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless
you and have a great day.