Part 204 (1/2)

8:62. And the king, and all Israel with him, offered victims before the Lord.

8:63. And Solomon slew victims of peace offerings, which he sacrificed to the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep so the king, and all the children of Israel, dedicated the temple of the Lord.

8:64. In that day the king sanctified the middle of the court, that was before the house of the Lord for there he offered the holocaust, and sacrifice, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brazen altar that was before the Lord, was too little to receive the holocaust, and sacrifice, and the fat of the peace offerings.

8:65. And Solomon made at the same time a solemn feast, and all Israel with him, a great mult.i.tude, from the entrance of Emath to the river of Egypt, before the Lord our G.o.d, seven days and seven days, that is, fourteen days.

8:66. And on the eighth day, he sent away the people: and they blessed the king, and went to their dwellings, rejoicing, and glad in heart, for all the good things that the Lord had done for David, his servant, and for Israel, his people.

3 Kings Chapter 9

The Lord appeareth again to Solomon: he buildeth cities: he sendeth a fleet to Ophir.

9:1. And it came to pa.s.s when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all that he desired and was pleased to do,

9:2. That the Lord appeared to him the second time, as he had appeared to him in Gabaon.

9:3. And the Lord said to him: I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, which thou hast made before me: I have sanctified this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and my eyes, and my heart, shall be there always.

9:4. And if thou wilt walk before me, as thy father walked, in simplicity of heart, and in uprightness: and wilt do all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my ordinances, and my judgments,

As thy father walked, in simplicity of heart... That is, in the sincerity and integrity of a single heart, as opposite to all double dealing and deceit.

9:5. I will establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel for ever, as I promised David, thy father, saying: There shall not fail a man of thy race upon the throne of Israel.

9:6. But if you and your children, revolting, shall turn away from following me, and will not keep my commandments, and my ceremonies, which I have set before you, but will go and wors.h.i.+p strange G.o.ds, and adore them:

9:7. I will take away Israel from the face of the land which I have given them; and the temple which I have sanctified to my name, I will cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb, and a byword among all people.

9:8. And this house shall be made an example of: every one that shall pa.s.s by it, shall be astonished, and shall hiss, and say: Why hath the Lord done thus to this land, and to this house?

9:9. And they shall answer: Because they forsook the Lord their G.o.d, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and followed strange G.o.ds, and adored them, and wors.h.i.+pped them: therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil.

9:10. And when twenty years were ended, after Solomon had built the two houses; that is, the house of the Lord, and the house of the king,

9:11. (Hiram, the king of Tyre, furnis.h.i.+ng Solomon with cedar trees, and fir trees, and gold, according to all he had need of) then Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.

9:12. And Hiram came out of Tyre, to see the towns which Solomon had given him, and they pleased him not;

9:13. And he said: Are these the cities which thou hast given me, brother? And he called them the land of Chabul, unto this day.

Chabul... That is, dirty or displeasing.

9:14. And Hiram sent to king Solomon a hundred and twenty talents of gold.

9:15. This is the sum of the expenses, which king Solomon offered to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Mello, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Heser, and Mageddo, and Gazer.

9:16. Pharao, the king of Egypt, came up and took Gazer, and burnt it with fire: and slew the Chanaanite that dwelt in the city, and gave it for a dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife.

9:17. So Solomon built Gazer, and Bethhoron the nether,