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Early Years of Asa’s Reign

14 ^[a]When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. There was peace in the land for ten years. ^2 [b]Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. ³ He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. ⁴ He commanded the people of Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands. ⁵ Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars from every one of Judah’s towns. So Asa’s kingdom enjoyed a period of peace. ⁶ During those peaceful years, he was able to build up the fortified towns throughout Judah. No one tried to make war against him at this time, for the Lord was giving him rest from his enemies.

⁷ Asa told the people of Judah, “Let us build towns and fortify them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours because we sought the Lord our God, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they went ahead with these projects and brought them to completion.

⁸ King Asa had an army of 300,000 warriors from the tribe of Judah, armed with large shields and spears. He also had an army of 280,000 warriors from the tribe of Benjamin, armed with small shields and bows. Both armies were composed of well-trained fighting men.

⁹ Once an Ethiopian^[c] named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men^[d] and 300 chariots. They advanced to the town of Mareshah, ¹⁰ so Asa deployed his armies for battle in the valley north of Mareshah.^{[e] 11} Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!”

¹² So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians^[f] in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled. ¹³ Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fell that they were unable to rally. They were destroyed by the Lord and his army, and the army of Judah carried off a vast amount of plunder.

¹⁴ While they were at Gerar, they attacked all the towns in that area, and terror from the Lord came upon the people there. As a result, a vast amount of plunder was taken from these towns, too. ¹⁵ They also attacked the camps of herdsmen and captured many sheep, goats, and camels before finally returning to Jerusalem.

Asa’s Religious Reforms

15 Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, ² and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. ³ For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. ⁴ But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.

⁵ “During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land. ⁶ Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem. ⁷ But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”

⁸ When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet,^[g] he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple.

⁹ Then Asa called together all the people of Judah and Benjamin, along with the people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them. For many from Israel had moved to Judah during Asa’s reign when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. ¹⁰ The people gathered at Jerusalem in late spring,^[h] during the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

¹¹ On that day they sacrificed to the Lord 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep and goats from the plunder they had taken in the battle. ¹² Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. ¹³ They agreed that anyone who refused to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death—whether young or old, man or woman. ¹⁴ They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the Lord with trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding. ¹⁵ All in Judah were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side.

¹⁶ King Asa even deposed his grandmother^[i] Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole, broke it up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁷ Although the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful throughout his life. ¹⁸ He brought into the Temple of God the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated.

¹⁹ So there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

Final Years of Asa’s Reign

16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa’s territory in Judah.

² Asa responded by removing the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace. He sent it to King Ben-hadad of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message:

⁴ Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa’s request and sent the commanders of his army to attack the towns of Israel. They conquered the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah,^[k] and all the store cities in Naphtali. ⁵ As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah and stopped all work on it. ⁶ Then King Asa called out all the men of Judah to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the towns of Geba and Mizpah.

⁷ At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram. ⁸ Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians^[l] and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers?^[m] At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you. ⁹ The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.”

¹⁰ Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying this that he threw him into prison and put him in stocks. At that time Asa also began to oppress some of his people.

Summary of Asa’s Reign

¹¹ The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet even with the severity of his disease, he did not seek the Lord’s help but turned only to his physicians. ¹³ So he died in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ He was buried in the tomb he had carved out for himself in the City of David. He was laid on a bed perfumed with sweet spices and fragrant ointments, and the people built a huge funeral fire in his honor.

God’s Selection of Israel

9 With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. ² My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief ³ for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters.^[a] I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. ⁴ They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children.^[b] God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. ⁵ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.^[c]

⁶ Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! ⁷ Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,”^[d] though Abraham had other children, too. ⁸ This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children. ⁹ For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”^[e]

¹⁰ This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins.^{[f] 11} But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; ¹² he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.”^{[g] 13} In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”^[h]

¹⁴ Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! ¹⁵ For God said to Moses,

¹⁶ So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

¹⁷ For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”^{[j] 18} So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.

¹⁹ Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”

²⁰ No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? ²² In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. ²³ He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. ²⁴ And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.

Psalm 19

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

Shemaiah’s Prophecy

11 When Rehoboam arrived at Jerusalem, he mobilized the men of Judah and Benjamin—180,000 select troops—to fight against Israel and to restore the kingdom to himself.

² But the Lord said to Shemaiah, the man of God, ³ “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin: ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not fight against your relatives. Go back home, for what has happened is my doing!’” So they obeyed the message of the Lord and did not fight against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam Fortifies Judah

⁵ Rehoboam remained in Jerusalem and fortified various towns for the defense of Judah. ⁶ He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These became the fortified towns of Judah and Benjamin. ¹¹ Rehoboam strengthened their defenses and stationed commanders in them, and he stored supplies of food, olive oil, and wine. ¹² He also put shields and spears in these towns as a further safety measure. So only Judah and Benjamin remained under his control.

¹³ But all the priests and Levites living among the northern tribes of Israel sided with Rehoboam. ¹⁴ The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to serve the Lord as priests. ¹⁵ Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the pagan shrines, where they worshiped the goat and calf idols he had made. ¹⁶ From all the tribes of Israel, those who sincerely wanted to worship the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem, where they could offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁷ This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they supported Rehoboam son of Solomon, for during those years they faithfully followed in the footsteps of David and Solomon.

Rehoboam’s Family

¹⁸ Rehoboam married his cousin Mahalath, the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Eliab son of Jesse. ¹⁹ Mahalath had three sons—Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

²⁰ Later Rehoboam married another cousin, Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom. Maacah gave birth to Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Maacah more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and they gave birth to twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

²² Rehoboam appointed Maacah’s son Abijah as leader among the princes, making it clear that he would be the next king. ²³ Rehoboam also wisely gave responsibilities to his other sons and stationed some of them in the fortified towns throughout the land of Judah and Benjamin. He provided them with generous provisions, and he found many wives for them.

Egypt Invades Judah

12 But when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the Lord, and all Israel followed him in this sin. ² Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign. ³ He came with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horses,^[a] and a countless army of foot soldiers, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Ethiopians.^{[b] 4} Shishak conquered Judah’s fortified towns and then advanced to attack Jerusalem.

⁵ The prophet Shemaiah then met with Rehoboam and Judah’s leaders, who had all fled to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah told them, “This is what the Lord says: You have abandoned me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak.”

⁶ Then the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is right in doing this to us!”

⁷ When the Lord saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem. ⁸ But they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.”

⁹ So King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. ¹⁰ King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace. ¹¹ Whenever the king went to the Temple of the Lord, the guards would also take the shields and then return them to the guardroom. ¹² Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger was turned away, and he did not destroy him completely. There were still some good things in the land of Judah.

Summary of Rehoboam’s Reign

¹³ King Rehoboam firmly established himself in Jerusalem and continued to rule. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen from among all the tribes of Israel as the place to honor his name. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah, a woman from Ammon. ¹⁴ But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the Lord with all his heart.

¹⁵ The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Shemaiah the Prophet and The Record of Iddo the Seer, which are part of the genealogical record. Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other. ¹⁶ When Rehoboam died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Abijah became the next king.

Abijah’s War with Jeroboam

13 Abijah began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. ² He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah,^[c] the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.

Then war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³ Judah, led by King Abijah, fielded 400,000 select warriors, while Jeroboam mustered 800,000 select troops from Israel.

⁴ When the army of Judah arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim and shouted to Jeroboam and all Israel: “Listen to me! ⁵ Don’t you realize that the Lord, the God of Israel, made a lasting covenant^[d] with David, giving him and his descendants the throne of Israel forever? ⁶ Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a mere servant of David’s son Solomon, rebelled against his master. ⁷ Then a whole gang of scoundrels joined him, defying Solomon’s son Rehoboam when he was young and inexperienced and could not stand up to them.

⁸ “Do you really think you can stand against the kingdom of the Lord that is led by the descendants of David? You may have a vast army, and you have those gold calves that Jeroboam made as your gods. ⁹ But you have chased away the priests of the Lord (the descendants of Aaron) and the Levites, and you have appointed your own priests, just like the pagan nations. You let anyone become a priest these days! Whoever comes to be dedicated with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these so-called gods of yours!

¹⁰ “But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not abandoned him. Only the descendants of Aaron serve the Lord as priests, and the Levites alone may help them in their work. ¹¹ They present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and evening. They place the Bread of the Presence on the holy table, and they light the gold lampstand every evening. We are following the instructions of the Lord our God, but you have abandoned him. ¹² So you see, God is with us. He is our leader. His priests blow their trumpets and lead us into battle against you. O people of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed!”

¹³ Meanwhile, Jeroboam had secretly sent part of his army around behind the men of Judah to ambush them. ¹⁴ When Judah realized that they were being attacked from the front and the rear, they cried out to the Lord for help. Then the priests blew the trumpets, ¹⁵ and the men of Judah began to shout. At the sound of their battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel and routed them before Abijah and the army of Judah.

¹⁶ The Israelite army fled from Judah, and God handed them over to Judah in defeat. ¹⁷ Abijah and his army inflicted heavy losses on them; 500,000 of Israel’s select troops were killed that day. ¹⁸ So Judah defeated Israel on that occasion because they trusted in the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁹ Abijah and his army pursued Jeroboam’s troops and captured some of his towns, including Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their surrounding villages.

²⁰ So Jeroboam of Israel never regained his power during Abijah’s lifetime, and finally the Lord struck him down and he died. ²¹ Meanwhile, Abijah of Judah grew more and more powerful. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

²² The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his words and deeds, are recorded in The Commentary of Iddo the Prophet.

²⁶ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers^[a] in harmony with God’s own will. ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together^[b] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn^[c] among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”^[d]) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[e] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹¹ Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, “My wife must not live in King David’s palace, for the Ark of the Lord has been there, and it is holy ground.”

¹² Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar he had built for him in front of the entry room of the Temple. ¹³ He offered the sacrifices for the Sabbaths, the new moon festivals, and the three annual festivals—the Passover celebration, the Festival of Harvest,^[a] and the Festival of Shelters—as Moses had commanded.

¹⁴ In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people in praise and to assist the priests in their daily duties. And he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates by their divisions, following the commands of David, the man of God. ¹⁵ Solomon did not deviate in any way from David’s commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries.

¹⁶ So Solomon made sure that all the work related to building the Temple of the Lord was carried out, from the day its foundation was laid to the day of its completion.

¹⁷ Later Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Elath,^[b] ports along the shore of the Red Sea^[c] in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers and manned by experienced crews of sailors. These ships sailed to Ophir with Solomon’s men and brought back to Solomon almost seventeen tons^[d] of gold.

Visit of the Queen of Sheba

9 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. ² Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. ³ When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, ⁴ she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers and their robes, and the burnt offerings^[e] Solomon made at the Temple of the Lord.

⁵ She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements^[f] and wisdom is true! ⁶ I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of your great wisdom! It is far beyond what I was told. ⁷ How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! ⁸ Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne as king to rule for him. Because God loves Israel and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king over them so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”

⁹ Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds^[g] of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹⁰ (In addition, the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought red sandalwood^[h] and precious jewels. ¹¹ The king used the sandalwood to make steps^[i] for the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before had such beautiful things been seen in Judah.)

¹² King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for—gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.

Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor

¹³ Each year Solomon received about 25 tons^[j] of gold. ¹⁴ This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the provinces also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

¹⁵ King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 15 pounds.^{[k] 16} He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 7 1⁄2 pounds.^[l] The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷ Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. ¹⁸ The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. ¹⁹ There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!

²⁰ All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!

²¹ The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish manned by the sailors sent by Hiram.^[m] Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.^[n]

²² So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. ²³ Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. ²⁴ Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

²⁵ Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots, and he had 12,000 horses.^[o] He stationed some of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem. ²⁶ He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River^[p] in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. ²⁷ The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah.^{[q] 28} Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt^[r] and many other countries.

Summary of Solomon’s Reign

²⁹ The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Nathan the Prophet, and The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and also in The Visions of Iddo the Seer, concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat. ³⁰ Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. ³¹ When he died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.

The Northern Tribes Revolt

10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all Israel had gathered to make him king. ² When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of this, he returned from Egypt, for he had fled to Egypt to escape from King Solomon. ³ The leaders of Israel summoned him, and Jeroboam and all Israel went to speak with Rehoboam. ⁴ “Your father was a hard master,” they said. “Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects.”

⁵ Rehoboam replied, “Come back in three days for my answer.” So the people went away.

⁶ Then King Rehoboam discussed the matter with the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. “What is your advice?” he asked. “How should I answer these people?”

⁷ The older counselors replied, “If you are good to these people and do your best to please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your loyal subjects.”

⁸ But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers. ⁹ “What is your advice?” he asked them. “How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens imposed by my father?”

¹⁰ The young men replied, “This is what you should tell those complainers who want a lighter burden: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! ¹¹ Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!’”

¹² Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to hear Rehoboam’s decision, just as the king had ordered. ¹³ But Rehoboam spoke harshly to them, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors ¹⁴ and followed the counsel of his younger advisers. He told the people, “My father laid^[s] heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!”

¹⁵ So the king paid no attention to the people. This turn of events was the will of God, for it fulfilled the Lord’s message to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh.

¹⁶ When all Israel realized^[t] that the king had refused to listen to them, they responded,

So all the people of Israel returned home. ¹⁷ But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.

¹⁸ King Rehoboam sent Adoniram,^[u] who was in charge of forced labor, to restore order, but the people of Israel stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ And to this day the northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David.

⁹ But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) ¹⁰ And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life^[a] because you have been made right with God. ¹¹ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

¹² Therefore, dear brothers and sisters,^[b] you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³ For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,^[c] you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children^[d] of God.

¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.^[e] Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”^{[f] 16} For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

The Future Glory

¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. ²² For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,^[g] including the new bodies he has promised us. ²⁴ We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope^[h] for it. ²⁵ But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

¹² Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire community of Israel, and he lifted his hands in prayer. ¹³ Now Solomon had made a bronze platform 7 1⁄2 feet long, 7 1⁄2 feet wide, and 4 1⁄2 feet high^[a] and had placed it at the center of the Temple’s outer courtyard. He stood on the platform, and then he knelt in front of the entire community of Israel and lifted his hands toward heaven. ¹⁴ He prayed,

The Dedication of the Temple

7 When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. ² The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it. ³ When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying,

⁴ Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord. ⁵ King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple of God. ⁶ The priests took their assigned positions, and so did the Levites who were singing, “His faithful love endures forever!” They accompanied the singing with music from the instruments King David had made for praising the Lord. Across from the Levites, the priests blew the trumpets, while all Israel stood.

⁷ Solomon then consecrated the central area of the courtyard in front of the Lord’s Temple. He offered burnt offerings and the fat of peace offerings there, because the bronze altar he had built could not hold all the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrificial fat.

⁸ For the next seven days Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters.^[b] A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north and the Brook of Egypt in the south. ⁹ On the eighth day they had a closing ceremony, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the Festival of Shelters for seven days. ¹⁰ Then at the end of the celebration,^[c] Solomon sent the people home. They were all joyful and glad because the Lord had been so good to David and to Solomon and to his people Israel.

The Lord’s Response to Solomon

¹¹ So Solomon finished the Temple of the Lord, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do in the construction of the Temple and the palace. ¹² Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said,

Solomon’s Many Achievements

8 It took Solomon twenty years to build the Lord’s Temple and his own royal palace. At the end of that time, ² Solomon turned his attention to rebuilding the towns that King Hiram^[d] had given him, and he settled Israelites in them.

³ Solomon also fought against the town of Hamath-zobah and conquered it. ⁴ He rebuilt Tadmor in the wilderness and built towns in the region of Hamath as supply centers. ⁵ He fortified the towns of Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, rebuilding their walls and installing barred gates. ⁶ He also rebuilt Baalath and other supply centers and constructed towns where his chariots and horses^[e] could be stationed. He built everything he desired in Jerusalem and Lebanon and throughout his entire realm.

⁷ There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ⁸ These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them for his labor force, and they serve as forced laborers to this day. ⁹ But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for his labor force. Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, officers in his army, commanders of his chariots, and charioteers. ¹⁰ King Solomon appointed 250 of them to supervise the people.

Struggling with Sin

¹⁴ So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. ¹⁶ But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

¹⁸ And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. ¹⁹ I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. ²⁰ But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. ²² I love God’s law with all my heart. ²³ But there is another power^[b] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. ²⁴ Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Life in the Spirit

8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ² And because you belong to him, the power^[c] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you^[d] from the power of sin that leads to death. ³ The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.^[e] So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. ⁴ He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

⁵ Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ⁶ So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. ⁷ For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. ⁸ That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Psalm 18

For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang:

The Altar, Reservoir, and Basins

4 He made a bronze altar^(A) 30 feet^[a] long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet^[b] high.

² Then he made the cast metal basin,^[c](B) 15 feet from brim to brim, perfectly round. It was 7½ feet^[d] high and 45 feet^[e] in circumference. ³ The likeness of oxen^[f] was below it, completely encircling it, ten every half yard,^[g] completely surrounding the basin. The oxen were cast in two rows when the basin was cast. ⁴ It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The basin was on top of them and all their hindquarters were toward the center. ⁵ The basin was three inches^[h] thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or a lily blossom. It could hold eleven thousand gallons.^[i]

⁶ He made ten basins for washing and he put five on the right and five on the left.^(C) The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them,^(D) but the basin was used by the priests for washing.

The Lampstands, Tables, and Courts

⁷ He made the ten gold lampstands according to their specifications and put them in the sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left.^{(E) 8} He made ten tables and placed them in the sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left.^(F) He also made a hundred gold bowls.

⁹ He made the courtyard^(G) of the priests and the large court, and doors for the court. He overlaid the doors with bronze. ¹⁰ He put the basin on the right side, toward the southeast.^{(H) 11} Then Huram^[j](I) made^(J) the pots, the shovels, and the bowls.

Completion of the Bronze Furnishings

So Huram finished doing the work that he was doing for King Solomon in God’s temple: ¹² two pillars; the bowls and the capitals on top of the two pillars; the two gratings for covering both bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars; ¹³ the four hundred pomegranates for the two gratings (two rows of pomegranates for each grating covering both capitals’ bowls on top of the pillars^(K)). ¹⁴ He also made the water carts^[k](L) and the basins on the water carts. ¹⁵ The one basin and the twelve oxen underneath it, ¹⁶ the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all their utensils—Huram-abi^[l](M) made them for King Solomon for the Lord’s temple. All these were made of polished bronze. ¹⁷ The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zeredah. ¹⁸ Solomon made all these utensils in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not determined.

Completion of the Gold Furnishings

¹⁹ Solomon also made all the equipment in God’s temple: the gold altar; the tables on which to put the Bread of the Presence;^{(N) 20} the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn in front of the inner sanctuary according to specifications;^{(O) 21} the flowers, lamps, and gold tongs—of purest gold; ²² the wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, ladles,^[m] and firepans—of purest gold; and the entryway to the temple, its inner doors to the most holy place, and the doors of the temple sanctuary—of gold.

5 So all the work Solomon did for the Lord’s temple was completed. Then Solomon brought the consecrated things of his father David—the silver, the gold, and all the utensils—and put them in the treasuries of God’s temple.

Preparations for the Temple Dedication

² At that time^(P) Solomon assembled at Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads, the ancestral chiefs of the Israelites—in order to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the city of David,^(Q) that is, Zion. ³ So all the men of Israel were assembled in the king’s presence at the festival; this was in the seventh month.^[n]

⁴ All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites picked up the ark. ⁵ They brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and the holy utensils that were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought them up. ⁶ King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel who had gathered around him were in front of the ark sacrificing sheep, goats, and cattle that could not be counted or numbered because there were so many. ⁷ The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place, beneath the wings of the cherubim.^{(R) 8} And the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark so that the cherubim formed a cover above the ark and its poles. ⁹ The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place^[o](S) in front of the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen from outside; they are still there today. ¹⁰ Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had put in it at Horeb,^[p](T) where the Lord had made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.

¹¹ Now all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves regardless of their divisions.^(U) When the priests came out of the holy place, ¹² the Levitical singers dressed in fine linen and carrying cymbals, harps, and lyres^(V) were standing east of the altar, and with them were 120 priests blowing trumpets.^(W) The Levitical singers were descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun and their sons^(X) and relatives. ¹³ The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the Lord with one voice. They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments,^(Y) in praise to the Lord:

The temple, the Lord’s temple, was filled with a cloud.^{(AA) 14} And because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of the Lord filled God’s temple.^(AB)

Solomon’s Dedication of the Temple

6 Then Solomon said:^(AC)

³ Then the king turned and blessed the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing. ⁴ He said:

An Illustration from Marriage

7 Since I am speaking to those who know the law, brothers and sisters,^(A) don’t you know that the law rules over someone as long as he lives? ² For example, a married woman is legally bound to her husband while he lives.^(B) But if her husband dies, she is released from the law regarding the husband. ³ So then, if she is married to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law. Then, if she is married to another man, she is not an adulteress.

⁴ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were put to death^(C) in relation to the law^(D) through the body of Christ^(E) so that you may belong to another. You belong to him who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. ⁵ For when we were in the flesh,^(F) the sinful passions aroused through the law were working in us^[a](G) to bear fruit for death. ⁶ But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the newness of the Spirit^(H) and not in the old letter of the law.

Sin’s Use of the Law

⁷ What should we say then?^(I) Is the law sin? Absolutely not!^(J) On the contrary, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law.^(K) For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.^{[b](L) 8} And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment,^(M) produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead.^{(N) 9} Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life again ¹⁰ and I died. The commandment that was meant for life^(O) resulted in death for me. ¹¹ For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me,^(P) and through it killed me. ¹² So then, the law is holy,^(Q) and the commandment is holy and just and good. ¹³ Therefore, did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not!^(R) On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.

Psalm 17

A Prayer for Protection

A prayer of David.

Solomon’s Request for Wisdom

1 Solomon son of David strengthened his hold on his kingdom.^(A) The Lord his God was with him and highly exalted him.^{(B) 2} Then Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel—the family heads.^{(C) 3} Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place that was in Gibeon^(D) because God’s tent of meeting, which the Lord’s servant Moses had made^(E) in the wilderness, was there. ⁴ Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place^[a] he had set up for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem,^{(F) 5} but he put^[b] the bronze altar, which Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, had made,^(G) in front of the Lord’s tabernacle. Solomon and the assembly inquired of him^[c] there. ⁶ Solomon offered sacrifices there in the Lord’s presence on the bronze altar at the tent of meeting; he offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.^(H)

⁷ That night^(I) God appeared to Solomon and said to him: “Ask. What should I give you?”

⁸ And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great and faithful love to my father David, and you have made me king in his place.^{(J) 9} Lord God, let your promise to my father David now come true.^(K) For you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.^{(L) 10} Now grant me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people,^(M) for who can judge this great people of yours?”

¹¹ God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart, and you have not requested riches, wealth, or glory, or for the life of those who hate you, and you have not even requested long life, but you have requested for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may judge my people over whom I have made you king, ¹² wisdom and knowledge are given to you. I will also give you riches, wealth, and glory, unlike what was given to the kings who were before you, or will be given to those after you.”^{(N) 13} So Solomon went to Jerusalem from^[d] the high place that was in Gibeon in front of the tent of meeting, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Horses and Wealth

¹⁴ Solomon^(O) accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen,^(P) which he stationed in the chariot cities^(Q) and with the king in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills. ¹⁶ Solomon’s horses came from Egypt and Kue.^[e] The king’s traders would get them from Kue at the going price. ¹⁷ A chariot could be imported from Egypt for fifteen pounds^[f] of silver and a horse for nearly four pounds.^[g] In the same way, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram through their agents.

Solomon’s Letter to Hiram

2 Solomon decided to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself,^{(R) 2} so he assigned 70,000 men as porters, 80,000 men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 as supervisors over them.^(S)

³ Then Solomon sent word to King Hiram^[h](T) of Tyre:^(U)

Do for me what you did for my father David. You sent him cedars to build him a house to live in.^{(V) 4} Now I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God in order to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him,^(W) for displaying the rows of the Bread of the Presence continuously,^(X) and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening,^(Y) the Sabbaths^(Z) and the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is ordained for Israel permanently. ⁵ The temple that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than any of the gods.^{(AA) 6} But who is able to build a temple for him, since even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain him?^(AB) Who am I then that I should build a temple for him except as a place to burn incense before him? ⁷ Therefore, send me an artisan who is skilled in engraving to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with the artisans who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem,^(AC) appointed by my father David.^{(AD) 8} Also, send me cedar, cypress, and algum^[i](AE) logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon. Note that my servants will be with your servants^{(AF) 9} to prepare logs for me in abundance because the temple I am building will be great and wondrous. ¹⁰ I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the trees, one hundred thousand bushels^[j] of wheat flour, one hundred thousand bushels of barley, one hundred ten thousand gallons^[k] of wine, and one hundred ten thousand gallons of oil.

Hiram’s Reply

¹¹ Then King Hiram of Tyre wrote a letter^[l] and sent it to Solomon:

Because the Lord loves his people, he set you over them as king.^(AG)

¹² Hiram also said:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth!^(AH) He gave King David a wise son with insight and understanding,^(AI) who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.^{(AJ) 13} I have now sent Huram-abi,^[m] a skillful man who has understanding.^{(AK) 14} He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan. His father is a man of Tyre. He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, with purple, blue, crimson yarn, and fine linen. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and to execute any design that may be given him. I have sent him to be with your artisans and the artisans of my lord, your father David. ¹⁵ Now, let my lord send the wheat, barley, oil, and wine to his servants as promised.^{(AL) 16} We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.^(AM)

Solomon’s Workforce

¹⁷ Solomon took a census of all the resident alien men in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had conducted,^(AN) and the total was 153,600. ¹⁸ Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.^(AO)

Building the Temple

3 Then Solomon began^(AP) to build the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah^(AQ) where the Lord^[n] had appeared to his father David, at the site David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan^[o] the Jebusite. ² He began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign. ³ These are Solomon’s foundations^[p] for building God’s temple: the length^[q] was ninety feet,^[r] and the width thirty feet.^{[s] 4} The portico, which was across the front extending across the width of the temple, was thirty feet wide; its height was thirty feet;^[t] he overlaid its inner surface with pure gold. ⁵ The larger room^[u] he paneled with cypress wood, overlaid with fine gold, and decorated with palm trees and chains. ⁶ He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim. ⁷ He overlaid the temple—the beams, the thresholds, its walls and doors—with gold,^(AR) and he carved cherubim on the walls.^(AS)

The Most Holy Place

⁸ Then he made the most holy place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple, 30 feet, and its width was 30 feet.^(AT) He overlaid it with forty-five thousand pounds^[v] of fine gold. ⁹ The weight of the nails was twenty ounces^[w] of gold, and he overlaid the ceiling with gold.

¹⁰ He made^(AU) two cherubim of sculptured work, for the most holy place, and he overlaid them with gold. ¹¹ The overall length of the wings of the cherubim was 30 feet: the wing of one was 7½ feet,^[x] touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, touching the wing of the other cherub. ¹² The wing of the other^[y] cherub was 7½ feet, touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, reaching the wing of the other cherub. ¹³ The wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet. They stood on their feet and faced the larger room.^[z]

¹⁴ He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he wove cherubim into it.^(AV)

The Bronze Pillars

¹⁵ In front of the temple^(AW) he made two pillars, each 27 feet^[aa] high. The capital on top of each was 7½ feet high. ¹⁶ He had made chainwork in the inner sanctuary and also put it on top of the pillars.^(AX) He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork. ¹⁷ Then he set up the pillars in front of the sanctuary, one on the right and one on the left. He named the one on the right Jachin^[ab] and the one on the left Boaz.^[ac]

The New Life in Christ

6 What should we say then?^(A) Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?^{(B) 2} Absolutely not!^(C) How can we who died to sin^(D) still live in it? ³ Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized^(E) into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?^{(F) 4} Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death,^(G) in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead^(H) by the glory of the Father,^(I) so we too may walk in newness^[a] of life.^{(J) 5} For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death,^(K) we will certainly also be^[b] in the likeness of his resurrection. ⁶ For we know that our old self^[c](L) was crucified with him^(M) so that the body ruled by sin^[d] might be rendered powerless^(N) so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, ⁷ since a person who has died^(O) is freed^[e] from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ,^(P) we believe that we will also live with him, ⁹ because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead,^(Q) will not die again. Death no longer rules over him.^{(R) 10} For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹ So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin^(S) and alive to God in Christ Jesus.^[f]

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey^[g] its desires. ¹³ And do not offer any parts^[h] of it to sin^(T) as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God,^(U) and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law^(V) but under grace.^(W)

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God

¹⁵ What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?^(X) Absolutely not!^{(Y) 16} Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone^[i] as obedient slaves,^(Z) you are slaves of that one you obey^(AA)—either of sin leading to death^(AB) or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,^(AC) you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed^[j] over,^{(AD) 18} and having been set free from sin,^(AE) you became enslaved to righteousness. ¹⁹ I am using a human analogy^(AF) because of the weakness of your flesh.^[k] For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. ²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.^{[l](AG) 21} So what fruit was produced^[m] then from the things you are now ashamed of?^(AH) The outcome of those things is death.^{(AI) 22} But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God,^(AJ) you have your fruit, which results in sanctification^(AK)—and the outcome is eternal life!^{(AL) 23} For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.^(AM)

Psalm 16

Confidence in the Lord

A Miktam of David.^(A)

David Commissions Solomon to Build the Temple

28 David assembled all the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem:^(A) the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials, the fighting men,^(B) and all the best soldiers. ² Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the Lord’s covenant^(C) and as a footstool^(D) for our God. I had made preparations to build, ³ but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’^(E)

⁴ “Yet the Lord God of Israel chose me out of all my father’s family^(F) to be king over Israel forever.^(G) For he chose Judah as leader,^(H) and from the house of Judah, my father’s family, and from my father’s sons,^(I) he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. ⁵ And out of all my sons^(J)—for the Lord has given me many sons—he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the Lord’s kingdom over Israel.^{(K) 6} He said to me,^(L) ‘Your son Solomon is the one who is to build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. ⁷ I will establish his kingdom forever if he perseveres in keeping my commands and my ordinances as he is doing today.’^(M)

⁸ “So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and follow all the commands of the Lord your God so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

⁹ “As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind,^(N) for the Lord searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought.^(O) If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever.^{(P) 10} Realize now that the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong, and do it.”^(Q)

¹¹ Then David gave his son Solomon the plans^(R) for the portico^(S) of the temple and its buildings, treasuries, upstairs rooms, inner rooms, and a room for the mercy seat.^{(T) 12} The plans contained everything he had in mind^[a](U) for the courts of the Lord’s house, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries^(V) of God’s house, and the treasuries for what is dedicated. ¹³ Also included were plans for the divisions of the priests and the Levites; all the work of service in the Lord’s house; all the articles of service of the Lord’s house; ¹⁴ the weight of gold for all the articles for every kind of service; the weight of all the silver articles for every kind of service; ¹⁵ the weight of the gold lampstands^(W) and their gold lamps, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; the weight of each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the service of each lampstand; ¹⁶ the weight of gold for each table for the rows of the Bread of the Presence and the silver for the silver tables; ¹⁷ the pure gold for the forks, sprinkling basins, and pitchers; the weight of each gold dish; the weight of each silver bowl; ¹⁸ the weight of refined gold for the altar of incense;^(X) and the plans for the chariot of^[b](Y) the gold cherubim that spread out their wings and cover the ark of the Lord’s covenant.^(Z)

¹⁹ David concluded, “By the Lord’s hand on me, he enabled me to understand everything in writing, all the details of the plan.”^[c]

²⁰ Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous,^(AA) and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or abandon you^(AB) until all the work for the service of the Lord’s house is finished. ²¹ Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of God’s house.^(AC) Every willing person of any skill^(AD) will be at your disposal for the work, and the leaders and all the people are at your every command.”

Contributions for Building the Temple

29 Then King David said to all the assembly, “My son Solomon—God has chosen him alone—is young and inexperienced. The task is great^(AE) because the building will not be built for a human but for the Lord God.^{(AF) 2} So to the best of my ability I’ve made provision for the house of my God:^(AG) gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx, stones for mounting,^[d] antimony,^[e](AH) stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and a great quantity of marble. ³ Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the house of my God over and above all that I’ve provided for the holy house: ⁴ 100 tons^[f](AI) of gold (gold of Ophir^(AJ)) and 250 tons^[g] of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings, ⁵ the gold for the gold work and the silver for the silver, for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the Lord today?”

⁶ Then the leaders of the households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds,^(AK) and the officials in charge of the king’s work^(AL) gave willingly. ⁷ For the service of God’s house they gave 185 tons^[h] of gold and 10,000 gold coins,^[i](AM) 375 tons^[j] of silver, 675 tons^[k] of bronze, and 4,000 tons^[l] of iron. ⁸ Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the Lord’s house under the care of Jehiel^(AN) the Gershonite. ⁹ Then the people rejoiced because of their leaders’ willingness to give, for they had given to the Lord wholeheartedly.^(AO) King David also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

¹⁰ Then David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly. David said,

May you be blessed, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. ¹¹ Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all.^{(AP) 12} Riches and honor come from you, and you are the ruler of everything.^(AQ) Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all.^{(AR) 13} Now therefore, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name.

¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your own hand.^{[m] 15} For we are aliens and temporary residents in your presence as were all our ancestors.^(AS) Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.^{(AT) 16} Lord our God, all this wealth that we’ve provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand; everything belongs to you. ¹⁷ I know, my God, that you test the heart^(AU) and that you are pleased with what is right.^(AV) I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen your people who are present^[n] here giving joyfully and^[o] willingly to you. ¹⁸ Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the hearts of your people, and confirm their hearts toward you. ¹⁹ Give my son Solomon an undivided heart to keep and to carry out all your commands, your decrees, and your statutes,^(AW) and to build the building for which I have made provision.^(AX)

²⁰ Then David said to the whole assembly, “Blessed be the Lord your God.” So the whole assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors.^(AY) They knelt low and paid homage to the Lord and the king.^(AZ)

²¹ The following day they offered sacrifices to the Lord and burnt offerings to the Lord: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, along with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.^{(BA) 22} They ate and drank with great joy in the Lord’s presence that day.

The Enthronement of Solomon

Then, for a second time,^(BB) they made David’s son Solomon king; they anointed him^[p] as the Lord’s ruler,^(BC) and Zadok as the priest. ²³ Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.^{(BD) 24} All the leaders and the mighty men, and all of King David’s sons as well, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. ²⁵ The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel^(BE) and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been bestowed on any king over Israel before him.^(BF)

A Summary of David’s Life

²⁶ David son of Jesse was king over all Israel.^{(BG) 27} The length of his reign over Israel was forty years; he reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for thirty-three.^{(BH) 28} He died at a good old age,^(BI) full of days,^(BJ) riches, and honor, and his son Solomon became king in his place. ²⁹ As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, note that they are written in the Events of the Seer Samuel,^(BK) the Events of the Prophet Nathan,^(BL) and the Events of the Seer Gad,^{(BM) 30} along with all his reign, his might, and the incidents that affected him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the surrounding lands.

Those Declared Righteous Are Reconciled

⁶ For while we were still helpless, at the right time,^(A) Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. ⁸ But God proves^(B) his own love for us^(C) in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ How much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by his blood,^(D) will we be saved through him from wrath.^{(E) 10} For if, while we were enemies,^(F) we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.^{(G) 11} And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.^(H)

Death through Adam and Life through Christ

¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,^(I) and death through sin,^(J) in this way death spread to all people,^(K) because all sinned.^{[a] 13} In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law.^{(L) 14} Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression.^(M) He is a type of the Coming One.^(N)

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man^(O) Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. ¹⁶ And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment,^(P) resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.^{[b] 17} Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life^(Q) through the one man, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life^(R) for everyone. ¹⁹ For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners,^(S) so also through the one man’s obedience^(T) the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ The law came along to multiply the trespass.^(U) But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more^{(V) 21} so that, just as sin reigned in death,^(W) so also grace will reign^(X) through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 15

A Description of the Godly

A psalm of David.

¹² These divisions of the gatekeepers, under their leading men, had duties for ministering in the Lord’s temple, just as their relatives did. ¹³ They cast lots for each temple gate according to their ancestral families, young and old alike.^(A)

¹⁴ The lot for the east gate fell to Shelemiah.^[a] They also cast lots for his son Zechariah, an insightful counselor, and his lot came out for the north gate. ¹⁵ Obed-edom’s was the south gate, and his sons’ lot was for the storehouses; ¹⁶ it was the west gate and the gate of Shallecheth on the ascending highway for Shuppim and Hosah.

There were guards stationed at every watch. ¹⁷ There were six Levites each day^[b] on the east, four each day on the north, four each day on the south, and two pair at the storehouses. ¹⁸ As for the court on the west, there were four at the highway and two at the court. ¹⁹ Those were the divisions of the gatekeepers from the descendants of the Korahites and Merarites.

The Levitical Treasurers and Other Officials

²⁰ From the Levites, Ahijah was in charge of the treasuries of God’s temple and the treasuries of what had been dedicated.^{(B) 21} From the sons of Ladan, who were the descendants of the Gershonites through Ladan and were the family heads belonging to Ladan the Gershonite: Jehieli. ²² The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel, were in charge of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

²³ From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites: ²⁴ Shebuel, a descendant of Moses’s son Gershom, was the officer in charge of the treasuries. ²⁵ His relatives through Eliezer: his son Rehabiah, his son Jeshaiah, his son Joram, his son Zichri, and his son Shelomith.^{[c] 26} This Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries of what had been dedicated by King David,^(C) by the family heads who were the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army commanders. ²⁷ They dedicated part of the plunder from their battles for the repair of the Lord’s temple. ²⁸ All that the seer Samuel, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah had dedicated, along with everything else that had been dedicated, were in the care of Shelomith and his relatives.

²⁹ From the Izrahites: Chenaniah and his sons had duties outside the temple^[d](D) as officers and judges^(E) over Israel. ³⁰ From the Hebronites: Hashabiah^(F) and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had assigned duties in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the Lord and for the service of the king. ³¹ From the Hebronites: Jerijah^(G) was the head of the Hebronites, according to the family records of his ancestors. A search was made in the fortieth year of David’s reign and strong, capable men were found among them at Jazer^(H) in Gilead. ³² There were among Jerijah’s relatives 2,700 capable men who were family heads. King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh as overseers in every matter relating to God and the king.^(I)

David’s Secular Officials

27 This is the list of the Israelites, the family heads, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every matter to do with the divisions that were on rotated military duty each month throughout^[e] the year. There were 24,000 in each division:

²³ David didn’t count the men aged twenty or under, for the Lord had said he would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.^{(L) 24} Joab son of Zeruiah began to count them, but he didn’t complete it. There was wrath against Israel because of this census,^(M) and the number was not entered in the Historical Record^[h] of King David.

³² David’s uncle Jonathan was a counselor; he was a man of understanding and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hachmoni attended^[j] the king’s sons. ³³ Ahithophel^(Q) was the king’s counselor. Hushai^(R) the Archite was the king’s friend. ³⁴ After Ahithophel came Jehoiada son of Benaiah,^(S) then Abiathar.^(T) Joab was the commander of the king’s army.^(U)

The Promise Granted through Faith

¹³ For the promise to Abraham^(A) or to his descendants that he would inherit the world^(B) was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. ¹⁴ If those who are of the law are heirs,^(C) faith is made empty and the promise nullified, ¹⁵ because the law produces wrath.^(D) And where there is no law,^(E) there is no transgression.

¹⁶ This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace,^(F) to guarantee it to all the descendants^(G)—not only to those who are of the law^[a] but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations.^[b](H) He is our father in God’s sight, in whom Abraham believed—the God who gives life to the dead^(I) and calls^(J) things into existence that do not exist.^{(K) 18} He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations^[c](L) according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be.^{(M)(N) 19} He did not weaken in faith when he considered^[d] his own body to be already dead^(O) (since he was about a hundred years old)^(P) and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb.^{(Q) 20} He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,^{(R) 21} because he was fully convinced^(S) that what God had promised, he was also able to do.^{(T) 22} Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.^{[e](U) 23} Now it was credited to him^[f] was not written for Abraham alone,^{(V) 24} but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him^(W) who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.^{(X) 25} He was delivered up for^[g] our trespasses^(Y) and raised for our justification.^(Z)

Faith Triumphs

5 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith,^(AA) we have peace^[h] with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.^{(AB) 2} We have also obtained access through him^(AC) by faith^[i] into this grace in which we stand,^(AD) and we rejoice^[j] in the hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that,^(AE) but we also rejoice in our afflictions,^(AF) because we know that affliction produces endurance,^{(AG) 4} endurance produces proven character,^(AH) and proven character produces hope. ⁵ This hope will not disappoint us,^(AI) because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts^(AJ) through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Psalm 14

A Portrait of Sinners

For the choir director. Of David.

The Divisions of the Priests

24 The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were as follows: Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.^{(A) 2} But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.^{(B) 3} Together with Zadok^(C) from the descendants of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the descendants of Ithamar, David divided them according to the assigned duties of their service. ⁴ Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than Ithamar’s, they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of ancestral families^[a] were from Eleazar’s descendants, and eight heads of ancestral families were from Ithamar’s. ⁵ They^(D) were assigned by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.

⁶ The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech^(E) son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. One ancestral family^[b] was taken for Eleazar, and then one for Ithamar.

¹⁹ These had their assigned duties for service when they entered the Lord’s temple, according to their regulations, which they received from their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

The Rest of the Levites

Those were the descendants of the Levites according to their ancestral families.^{[f] 31} They also cast lots the same way as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites—the family heads and their younger brothers alike.^(H)

The Levitical Musicians

25 David and the officers of the army also set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman,^(I) and Jeduthun, who were to prophesy^(J) accompanied by lyres, harps, and cymbals.^(K) This is the list of the men who performed their service:

⁶ All these men were under their own fathers’ authority for the music in the Lord’s temple, with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of God’s temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the king’s authority. ⁷ They numbered 288 together with their relatives who were all trained and skillful in music for the Lord. ⁸ They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.^(N)

9 The first lot for Asaph fell to Joseph, his sons, and his relatives—	12[i]
to Gedaliah the second: him, his relatives, and his sons—	12
10 the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his relatives—	12
11 the fourth to Izri,[j] his sons, and his relatives—	12
12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his relatives—	12
13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his relatives—	12
14 the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons, and his relatives—	12
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his relatives—	12
16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his relatives—	12
17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his relatives—	12
18 the eleventh to Azarel,[k] his sons, and his relatives—	12
19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his relatives—	12
20 the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his relatives—	12
21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his relatives—	12
22 the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his relatives—	12
23 the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his relatives—	12
24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his relatives—	12
25 the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his relatives—	12
26 the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his relatives—	12
27 the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his relatives—	12
28 the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his relatives—	12
29 the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his relatives—	12
30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his relatives—	12
31 and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his relatives—	12.

The Levitical Gatekeepers

26 The following were the divisions of the gatekeepers:

Abraham Justified by Faith

4 What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather^(A) according to the flesh, has found?^{[a] 2} If Abraham was justified^[b] by works,^(B) he has something to boast about—but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.^{[c](C) 4} Now to the one who works,^(D) pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who declares the ungodly to be righteous,^(E) his faith is credited for righteousness.

David Celebrating the Same Truth

⁶ Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

Abraham Justified before Circumcision

⁹ Is this blessing only for the circumcised,^(G) then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.^{[e](H) 10} In what way then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? It was not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. ¹¹ And he received the sign of circumcision^(I) as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith^[f](J) while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father^(K) of all who believe^(L) but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. ¹² And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

Psalm 13

A Plea for Deliverance

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

22 Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”^(A)

David’s Preparations for the Temple

² So David gave orders to gather the resident aliens that were in the land of Israel,^(B) and he appointed stonecutters to cut finished stones for building God’s house.^{(C) 3} David supplied a great deal of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the fittings, together with an immeasurable quantity of bronze,^{(D) 4} and innumerable cedar logs because the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.^{(E) 5} David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly great and famous and glorious in all the lands.^(F) Therefore, I will make provision for it.” So David made lavish preparations for it before his death.

⁶ Then he summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. ⁷ “My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of the Lord my God,^{(G) 8} but the word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for my name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before me.^{(H) 9} But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies,^(I) for his name will be Solomon,^[a](J) and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.^{(K) 10} He is the one who will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’^(L)

¹¹ “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you,^(M) and may you succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he said about you. ¹² Above all, may the Lord give you insight and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.^{(N) 13} Then you will succeed if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances the Lord commanded Moses for Israel.^(O) Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.^(P)

¹⁴ “Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the Lord—3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver,^[b](Q) and bronze and iron that can’t be weighed because there is so much of it. I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them. ¹⁵ You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work ¹⁶ in gold, silver, bronze, and iron—beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.”^(R)

¹⁷ Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon: ¹⁸ “The Lord your God is with you, isn’t he? And hasn’t he given you rest on every side?^(S) For he has handed the land’s inhabitants over to me, and the land has been subdued before the Lord and his people. ¹⁹ Now determine in your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.^(T) Get started building the Lord God’s sanctuary so that you may bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant and the holy articles of God to the temple that is to be built^(U) for the name of the Lord.”^(V)

The Divisions of the Levites

23 When David was old and full of days,^(W) he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.^{(X) 2} Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, the priests, and the Levites. ³ The Levites thirty years old or more were counted;^(Y) the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand by headcount.^{(Z) 4} “Of these,” David said, “twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work on the Lord’s temple,^(AA) six thousand are to be officers and judges,^{(AB) 5} four thousand are to be gatekeepers, and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the instruments that I have made for worship.”^(AC)

⁶ Then David divided them into divisions according to Levi’s sons:^(AD) Gershom,^[c] Kohath, and Merari.

Aaron, along with his descendants,^(AF) was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of the Lord,^(AG) to minister to him, and to pronounce blessings in his name forever. ¹⁴ As for Moses the man of God,^(AH) his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

²⁴ These were the descendants of Levi by their ancestral families^[f]—the family heads, according to their registration by name in the headcount—twenty years old or more, who worked in the service of the Lord’s temple.^{(AI) 25} For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to his people,^(AJ) and he has come to stay in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ Also, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the equipment for its service”^(AK)— ²⁷ for according to the last words of David, the Levites twenty years old or more were to be counted— ²⁸ “but their duty will be to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the Lord’s temple, being responsible for the courts and the chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of God’s temple— ²⁹ as well as the rows of the Bread of the Presence,^(AL) the fine flour for the grain offering,^(AM) the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking,^[g](AN) the mixing,^(AO) and all measurements of volume and length.^{(AP) 30} They are also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise in the evening. ³¹ Whenever burnt offerings are offered to the Lord on the Sabbaths, New Moons,^(AQ) and appointed festivals, they are to offer them regularly in the Lord’s presence according to the number prescribed for them.^{(AR) 32} They are to carry out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the holy place,^(AS) and for their relatives, the descendants of Aaron,^(AT) in the service of the Lord’s temple.”

The Whole World Guilty before God

⁹ What then? Are we any better off?^[a] Not at all! For we have already charged that both Jews^(A) and Gentiles^[b](B) are all under sin,^{[c](C) 10} as it is written:

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says,^(J) it speaks to those who are subject to the law,^[j](K) so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment.^{[k](L) 20} For no one will be justified^[l] in his sight by the works of the law,^(M) because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.^(N)

The Righteousness of God through Faith

²¹ But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed,^(O) attested by the Law and the Prophets.^{[m](P) 22} The righteousness of God is through faith^(Q) in Jesus Christ^[n](R) to all who believe,^(S) since there is no distinction.^{(T) 23} For all have sinned^(U) and fall short of the^[o] glory of God. ²⁴ They are justified freely by his grace^(V) through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.^{(W) 25} God presented him as an atoning sacrifice^[p](X) in his blood,^(Y) received through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God^(Z) passed over the sins previously committed.^{(AA) 26} God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be righteous and declare righteous^[q] the one who has faith in Jesus.

Boasting Excluded

²⁷ Where, then, is boasting?^(AB) It is excluded. By what kind of law?^[r](AC) By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law^[s] of faith. ²⁸ For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.^{(AD) 29} Or is God the God of Jews only?^(AE) Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, ³⁰ since there is one God^(AF) who will justify the circumcised by faith^(AG) and the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹ Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not!^(AH) On the contrary, we uphold the law.^(AI)