WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today's reading is from 1 Kings chapters

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3 and 4. Chapter 3 Now Solomon made a treaty

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with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married Pharaoh's

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daughter. Then he brought her to the city of

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David until he had finished building his own

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house and the house of the Lord and the wall

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all around Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the people sacrificed

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at the high places because there was no house

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built for the name of the Lord until those days.

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And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes

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of his father David, except that he sacrificed

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and burned incense at the high places. Now the

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king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that

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was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand

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burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon, the

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Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night,

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and God said, Ask, what shall I give you? And

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Solomon said, You have shown great mercy to your

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servant David my father, because he walked before

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you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness

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of heart with you. You have continued this great

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kindness for him, and you have given him a son

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to sit on his throne as it is this day. Now,

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O Lord my God, you have made your servant king

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instead of my father David, but I am a little

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child, I do not know how to go out or come in,

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and your servant is in the midst of your people,

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whom you have chosen, a great people, too numerous

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to be numbered or counted. Therefore, gift your

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servant an understanding heart to judge your

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people, that I may discern between good and evil,

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for who is able to judge this great people of

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yours? The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon

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had asked this thing. Then God said to him, Because

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you have asked this thing, and have not asked

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long life for yourself, nor have asked riches

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for yourself, nor have asked the life of your

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enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding

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to discern justice, behold, I have done according

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to your words. See, I have given you a wise and

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understanding heart, so that there has not been

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anyone like you before you, nor shall any like

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you arise after you. And I have also given you

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what you have not asked, both riches and honor.

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so that there shall not be anyone like you among

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the kings all your days. So if you walk in my

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ways to keep my statutes and my commandments

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as your father David walked, then I will lengthen

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your days. Then Solomon awoke, and indeed it

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had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and

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stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord,

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offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings,

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and made a feast for all his servants. Now two

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women who were harlots came to the king and stood

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before him. And one woman said, O my lord, this

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woman and I dwell in the same house, and I gave

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birth while she was in the house. Then it happened,

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the third day after I had given birth, that this

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woman also gave birth, and we were together.

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No one was with us in the house except the two

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of us in the house. And this woman's son died

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in the night, because she lay on him. So she

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arose in the middle of the night, and took my

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son from my side, while your maidservant slept.

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and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead

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child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning

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to nurse my son, there he was dead. But when

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I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he

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was not my son whom I had born. Then the other

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woman said, No, but the living one is my son,

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and the dead one is your son. And the first woman

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said, No, but the dead one is your son, and the

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living one is my son. Thus they spoke before

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the king. And the king said, The one says, This

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is my son. Who lives? And your son is the dead

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one. And the other says, No, but your son is

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the dead one, and my son is the living one. Then

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the king said, Bring me a sword. So they brought

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a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide

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this child in two, and give half to one and half

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to the other. Then the woman whose son was living

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spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion

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for her son. And she said, O my lord, give her

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the living child, and by no means kill him. But

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the other said, Let him be neither mine nor yours,

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but divide him. So the king answered and said,

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Give the first woman the living child, and by

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no means kill him, she is his mother. And all

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Israel heard of the judgment which the king had

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rendered, and they feared the king, for they

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saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer

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justice. Chapter 4 So king Solomon was king over

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all Israel, and these were his officials, Azariah

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the son of Zadok the priest, Elihorif and Ahijah

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the sons of Shisha, scribes, Jehoshaphat the

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son of Ahilud the recorder. Benaiah, the son

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of Jehoiada, over the army. Zadok and Abiathar,

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the priests. Azariah, the son of Nathan, over

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the officers. Zabud, the son of Nathan, a priest

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and a king's friend. Ahishar, over the household.

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And Adoniram, the son of Abda, over the labor

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force. And Solomon had twelve governors over

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all Israel, who provided food for the king and

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his household. Each one made provision for one

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month of the year. These are their names. Ben

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-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim. Ben -Dekir

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in Makaz, Shalbeim, Beit Shemesh, and Elon, Beit

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Hanan. Ben -Hesed in Aruboth, to him belong Suko

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and all the land of Hefer. Ben -Abinadab in all

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the regions of Dor, he had Tafat, the daughter

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of Solomon, as wife. Bana, the son of Ahilud,

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in Tanak, Megiddo, and all Beit Shein, which

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is beside Zaretan, below Jezreel, from Beit Shein

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to Ebel Meholah, as far as the other side of

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Jokneim. Ben -Geber in Ramoth, Gilead. To him

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belonged the towns of Jireh, the son of Manasseh,

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in Gilead. To him also belonged the region of

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Argob in Bashan, six large cities with walls

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and bronze gate bars. Ahinadab, the son of Edo,

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in Mahanaim. Ahimaz in Naftali. He also took

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Basimat, the daughter of Solomon, as wife. Bana,

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the son of Hushai, in Asher and Alot. Jehoshaphat,

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the son of Paruah, in Issachar. Shimei, the son

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of Elah, in Benjamin. Geber the son of Uri in

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the land of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king

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of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He

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was the only governor who was in the land. Judah

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and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the

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sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.

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So Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from

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the river to the land of the Philistines as far

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as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute

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and served Solomon all the days of his life.

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Now Solomon's provision for one day was 30 cores

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of fine flour, 60 cores of meal, 10 fatted oxen,

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20 oxen from the pastures, and 100 sheep besides

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deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl. For

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he had dominion over all the region on this side

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of the river from Tifsa. even to Gaza, namely

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over all the kings on this side of the river.

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And he had peace on every side all around him.

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And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under

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his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as

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Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. Solomon had

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40 ,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and

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12 ,000 horsemen. And these governors, each man

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in his mouth, provided food for King Solomon

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and for all who came to King Solomon's table.

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There was no lack in their supply. They also

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brought barley and straw to the proper place

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for the horses and steeds, each man according

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to his charge. And God gave Solomon wisdom and

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exceedingly great understanding, and largeness

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of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus

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Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the

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men of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

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For he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the

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Israelite, and Haman, Chalcol, and Darda, the

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sons of Mahol. And his fame was in all the surrounding

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nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and

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his songs were one thousand and five. Also he

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spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon,

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even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall.

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He spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping

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things, and of fish. And men of all nations,

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from all the kings of the earth, who had heard

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of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

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I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as

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I did and I look forward to seeing you again

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tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless

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you and have a great day.