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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch7" data-usfm="2CH.7">
 <div class="label">7</div><div class="s1">The Dedication of the Temple</div><div class="p"> 1When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. 3When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;He is good;</div><div class="q2">his love endures forever.&#8221;</div><div class="m"> 4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. 5And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the Lord&#8217;s musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, &#8220;His love endures forever.&#8221; Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.</div><div class="p"> 7Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.</div><div class="p"> 8So Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him&#8212;a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. 9On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days more. 10On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.</div><div class="s1">The Lord Appears to Solomon</div><div class="p"> 11When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12the Lord appeared to him at night and said:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.</div><div class="pm"> 13&#8220;When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.</div><div class="pm"> 17&#8220;As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, &#8216;You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.&#8217;</div><div class="pm"> 19&#8220;But if you#7:19 The Hebrew is plural. turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you#7:19 The Hebrew is plural. and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21This temple will become a heap of rubble. All#7:21 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and say, &#8216;Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?&#8217; 22People will answer, &#8216;Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them&#8212;that is why he brought all this disaster on them.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch8" data-usfm="2CH.8">
 <div class="label">8</div><div class="s1">Solomon&#8217;s Other Activities</div><div class="p"> 1At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace, 2Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram#8:2 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verse 18 had given him, and settled Israelites in them. 3Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. 4He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath. 5He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, 6as well as Baalath and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses#8:6 Or charioteers&#8212;whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.</div><div class="p"> 7There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these people were not Israelites). 8Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these people remaining in the land&#8212;whom the Israelites had not destroyed&#8212;to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. 9But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 10They were also King Solomon&#8217;s chief officials&#8212;two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.</div><div class="p"> 11Solomon brought Pharaoh&#8217;s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, &#8220;My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12On the altar of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord, 13according to the daily requirement for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths, the New Moons and the three annual festivals&#8212;the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. 14In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day&#8217;s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God had ordered. 15They did not deviate from the king&#8217;s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.</div><div class="p"> 16All Solomon&#8217;s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lord was finished.</div><div class="p"> 17Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. 18And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon&#8217;s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents#8:18 That is, about 17 tons or about 15 metric tons of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch9" data-usfm="2CH.9">
 <div class="label">9</div><div class="s1">The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon</div><div class="p"> 1When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon&#8217;s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan&#8212;with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones&#8212;she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind. 2Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, 4the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at#9:4 Or and the ascent by which he went up to the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.</div><div class="p"> 5She said to the king, &#8220;The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 6But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. 7How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Then she gave the king 120 talents#9:9 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.</div><div class="p"> 10(The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood#9:10 Probably a variant of almugwood and precious stones. 11The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)</div><div class="p"> 12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.</div><div class="s1">Solomon&#8217;s Splendor</div><div class="p"> 13The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,#9:13 That is, about 25 tons or about 23 metric tons 14not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.</div><div class="p"> 15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels#9:15 That is, about 15 pounds or about 6.9 kilograms of hammered gold went into each shield. 16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels#9:16 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.</div><div class="p"> 17Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. 18The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 19Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 20All King Solomon&#8217;s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon&#8217;s day. 21The king had a fleet of trading ships#9:21 Hebrew of ships that could go to Tarshish manned by Hiram&#8217;s#9:21 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.</div><div class="p"> 22King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 23All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 24Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift&#8212;articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.</div><div class="p"> 25Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses,#9:25 Or charioteers which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 26He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28Solomon&#8217;s horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.</div><div class="s1">Solomon&#8217;s Death</div><div class="p"> 29As for the other events of Solomon&#8217;s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat? 30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1TI">
 <div class="chapter ch3" data-usfm="1TI.3">
 <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1">Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons</div><div class="p"> 1Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full#3:4 Or him with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God&#8217;s church?) 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil&#8217;s trap.</div><div class="p"> 8In the same way, deacons#3:8 The word deacons refers here to Christians designated to serve with the overseers/elders of the church in a variety of ways; similarly in verse 12; and in Romans 16:1 and Phil. 1:1. are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.</div><div class="p"> 11In the same way, the women#3:11 Possibly deacons&#8217; wives or women who are deacons are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.</div><div class="p"> 12A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.</div><div class="s1">Reasons for Paul&#8217;s Instructions</div><div class="p"> 14Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God&#8217;s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:</div><div class="q1">He appeared in the flesh,</div><div class="q2">was vindicated by the Spirit,#3:16 Or vindicated in spirit</div><div class="q1">was seen by angels,</div><div class="q2">was preached among the nations,</div><div class="q1">was believed on in the world,</div><div class="q2">was taken up in glory.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkECC">
 <div class="chapter ch10" data-usfm="ECC.10">
 <div class="label">10</div><div class="q1"> 1As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,</div><div class="q2">so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.</div><div class="q1"> 2The heart of the wise inclines to the right,</div><div class="q2">but the heart of the fool to the left.</div><div class="q1"> 3Even as fools walk along the road,</div><div class="q2">they lack sense</div><div class="q2">and show everyone how stupid they are.</div><div class="q1"> 4If a ruler&#8217;s anger rises against you,</div><div class="q2">do not leave your post;</div><div class="q2">calmness can lay great offenses to rest.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5There is an evil I have seen under the sun,</div><div class="q2">the sort of error that arises from a ruler:</div><div class="q1"> 6Fools are put in many high positions,</div><div class="q2">while the rich occupy the low ones.</div><div class="q1"> 7I have seen slaves on horseback,</div><div class="q2">while princes go on foot like slaves.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;</div><div class="q2">whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.</div><div class="q1"> 9Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;</div><div class="q2">whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10If the ax is dull</div><div class="q2">and its edge unsharpened,</div><div class="q1">more strength is needed,</div><div class="q2">but skill will bring success.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 11If a snake bites before it is charmed,</div><div class="q2">the charmer receives no fee.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 12Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,</div><div class="q2">but fools are consumed by their own lips.</div><div class="q1"> 13At the beginning their words are folly;</div><div class="q2">at the end they are wicked madness&#8212;</div><div class="q2"> 14and fools multiply words.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1">No one knows what is coming&#8212;</div><div class="q2">who can tell someone else what will happen after them?</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 15The toil of fools wearies them;</div><div class="q2">they do not know the way to town.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 16Woe to the land whose king was a servant#10:16 Or king is a child</div><div class="q2">and whose princes feast in the morning.</div><div class="q1"> 17Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth</div><div class="q2">and whose princes eat at a proper time&#8212;</div><div class="q2">for strength and not for drunkenness.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 18Through laziness, the rafters sag;</div><div class="q2">because of idle hands, the house leaks.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 19A feast is made for laughter,</div><div class="q2">wine makes life merry,</div><div class="q2">and money is the answer for everything.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 20Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,</div><div class="q2">or curse the rich in your bedroom,</div><div class="q1">because a bird in the sky may carry your words,</div><div class="q2">and a bird on the wing may report what you say.</div>
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