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1 Kings

Starts with King Solomon's reign, his wisdom, and building the temple, then the kingdom dividing into Israel and Judah.

Chapter 9

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1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do,

*After Solomon completed building the Lord's temple, the king's palace, and everything else Solomon desired to do,

2 That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.

*The LORD appeared again to Solomon, just like the first time He appeared to him at Gibeon.

3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

*And God told him, "I heard your prayer and your request that you made to me. I have made this place you built special by putting my name here forever. My eyes and my heart will always be here."

4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:

*If you follow me like David, with a honest heart and fair actions, doing everything I've told you, and keeping my rules and decisions, then... (Note: The original verse is from the Bible, specifically the book of 1 Kings in the Old Testament. It is a command from God to King Solomon, instructing him to follow the ways of his father David and obey God's laws.)

5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.

*Then I will create your kingdom's throne forever on Israel, just like I promised your dad David, by saying that there will always be someone from you sitting on Israel's throne.

6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:

*But if you ever stop following me or your kids do, and don't obey my rules that I've given you, instead choosing to serve different gods and worship them,

7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:

*Then I will remove Israel from the land I gave them, and the special house for my name will be taken away. Everyone will know about Israel as a bad example.

8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?

*At this tall house, everyone who walks by will be amazed and will hiss. They will ask, why did the LORD do this to this land and this house?

9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.

*They will say this happened because they left the LORD, who took their ancestors out of Egypt. They chose to follow other gods and worshiped and served them, so the LORD caused all these problems for them.

10 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king’s house,

*After twenty years passed, Solomon completed both buildings - the temple for God and the palace for the king.

11 (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.

*King Hiram of Tyre provided Solomon with cedar and fir trees, along with gold as much as he wanted. In return, Solomon gave Hiram 20 cities in the land of Galilee.

12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not.

*Hiram left Tyre to look at the cities Solomon gave him, but they didn't make him happy.

13 And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.

*He asked, "What cities are these you've given me, my brother?" and ever since, people have called it the Land of Cabul.

14 And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.

*Hiram sent the king 600 talents of gold.

15 And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

*This verse explains why King Solomon collected funds: it was for building the Lord's temple, his personal home, Millo, Jerusalem's wall, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon’s wife.

*Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, captured and destroyed Gezer by burning it down and killing the people living there. He then gave the city as a gift to his daughter, who was married to Solomon.

17 And Solomon built Gezer, and Bethhoron the nether,

*And Solomon constructed Gezer and lower Beth-horon.

18 And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,

*And Baalath, and Tadmor, places in the desert, in the territory.

19 And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

*And all the storage cities Solomon had, plus cities for his chariots and horsemen, along with what Solomon wanted to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his ruled land.

20 And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel,

*All the remaining Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who were not part of the Israelite family.

21 Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.

*The remaining children in the land, who the Israelites couldn't completely destroy, were made to pay a tax and work as slaves for Solomon until now.

22 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.

*But Solomon didn't turn the children of Israel into slaves. Instead, they became warriors, helpers, leaders, and drivers of his chariots and horse riders.

23 These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.

*These leaders supervised Solomon's construction projects, numbering 550, managing the workers who built the structures.

24 But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build Millo.

*Pharaoh's daughter went from her city to her home, built by Solomon. After that, Solomon constructed Millo.

25 And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.

*Solomon offered special gifts to God three times a year on the altar he built. He also burned sweet-smelling incense near the altar. After this, Solomon completed the whole building.

26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.

*King Solomon created a fleet of ships in Eziongeber, near Eloth, by the Red Sea, in the land called Edom.

27 And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.

*Hiram sent his sailors, who knew the sea, along with Solomon's servants.

28 And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.

*They went to Ophir and got 420 talents of gold. Then they took the gold to King Solomon.

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