CHAPTER XVIII.

I. KINGS, iii., vi., vii., ix., x.

II. CHRONICLES, i., ii., viii., ix.

SOLOMON THE MAGNIFICENT.

Affinity with Egypt-Extent of Kingdom-Serfs-Forced Levies -Buildings-The Palace-The Porch of the Forest-The Porch of Judgment-The King's House-The Queen's House-The Throne-Solomon's Navy-Solomon's Revenue-His Chariots and Horsemen-His Court-Its Maintenance.

Now Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter to wife. And Solomon brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of Jehovah, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. And Pharaoh king of Egypt went up, and took Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slew the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and gave it as dower unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.

And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River (Euphrates) unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt. They paid tribute, and served Solomon all the days of his life. So he had dominion over all the region on this side the River, from Tiphsah. even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River; and he had peace on all sides round about him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.

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As for all the people that were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel; their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy, of them did Solomon raise a levy of bond-servants, unto this day. But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bond-servants; but they were the men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.

And for his buildings which he built, and his works. which he wrought, King Solomon raised beside a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home. And Adoniram was over the levy. And Solomon had in all seventy thousand that bare burdens, and eighty thousand that were hewers in the mountains; besides Solomon's chief officers that were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the work. And the king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, choice stones, to lay the foundation of the house of Jehovah with wrought stone. And Solomon's builders and Hirom's builders fashioned them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house of Jehovah.

And this is the manner of the levy which King Solomon raised to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and the citadel, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether, and Baalath, and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of the children of Israel, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the

cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build for his pleasure, in Jerusalem, and in all the land of his dominion.

And Solomon was thirteen years building his own house before he finished it in all its parts. And this was the manner of the house which Solomon built for himself · in Jerusalem. He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; an hundred cubits in length, and fifty cubits in breadth, and thirty cubits in height. It had four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. And the side chambers, that rested upon the beams, forty-five in number, fifteen in a tier, were roofed with cedar. And the chambers were in three tiers, open each toward the other, with opening opposite opening three times. And all the doors and openings were squared with beams, opening opposite to opening in three tiers. And he made the Porch of Pillars: fifty cubits in length, and thirty cubits in breadth; and a porch before that; and pillars with an entrance before that. And he made the porch of the throne where he might judge, even the Porch of Judgment; and it was covered with cedar from the floor to the rafters. And the part of the palace where he dwelt in the second court within the porch, was of the like work. He made also apartments for Pharaoh's daughter, like unto this porch. And Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her. All these buildings were of choice stones, hewn stone of divers measures, sawed with saws, within and without. And the foundation was of choice stones, great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. And above were choice stones, hewn stone of divers measures, and cedar wood. And around the great court were three courses of hewn stone,

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and one course of cedar beams; like the inner court of the house of Jehovah.

And King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one buckler. And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. And the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne behind was round; and there were arms on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. And twelve lions stood upon the six steps, on the one side and on the other. There was not the like made in any kingdom. And all King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. So he finished the house.

And King Solomon made a navy of ships of Tarshish in Ezion-geber, which is by Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hirom sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. And they went to Ophir, and fetched thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents in all, and brought it to King Solomon. Once in three years came the navy bringing in gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. And the navy brought in from Ophir also great plenty of sandal wood and precious stones. And the king made of the sandal wood pillars for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house, and harps and lyres for the singers. There came no such sandal wood, nor was seen, unto this day.

Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, beside that which he had from traders, and the traffic of the merchants, and from all the chiefs of the Arabian border lands, all the kings of the mingled people, and from the governors of the country. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem like stones, and cedars made he to be like the sycamore trees that are in the lowland, for abundance. And King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen ; and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. And Solomon had four thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand chargers. And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; at Tekoa the king's merchants received them on payment of the price. A chariot was brought up out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty. And so was it for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria; they brought them out by means of the king's merchants.

And these are the princes whom Solomon had: Azariah son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, the chronicler; and Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the host; and Azariah son of Nathan was over the offi