Study Desk

So there at the Temple, King Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the festival. People came from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the border of Egypt in the south. This huge crowd of people ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves together with the Lord for seven days. Then they stayed for another seven days. They celebrated for a total of 14 days.

The next day Solomon told the people to go home. All the people thanked the king, said goodbye, and went home. They were happy because of all the good things that the Lord had done for David his servant and for his people Israel.

It took 20 years for King Solomon to build the Lord 's Temple and the king's palace.

King Solomon forced slaves to work for him to build the Temple and his palace. Then he used these slaves to build many other things. He built the Millo and the city wall around Jerusalem. Then he rebuilt the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

He also built cities where he could store grain, and he built places for his chariots and his horses. King Solomon also built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and all the places he ruled.

The Israelites had not been able to destroy them, but Solomon forced them to work for him as slaves. They are still slaves today.

Pharaoh's daughter moved from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.

Three times each year Solomon offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar that he built for the Lord . King Solomon also burned incense before the Lord and supplied what was needed for the Temple.

Solomon's ships went to Ophir and brought back about 16 tons of gold for him.

Solomon answered all the questions. None of her questions was too hard for him to explain.

Praise the Lord your God! He was pleased to make you king of Israel. Because of the Lord 's unending love for Israel, he has made you king to rule with justice and fairness."

Solomon used this special wood to build supports in the Temple and the palace as well as harps and lyres for the singers. That was the last time such a large shipment of that kind of wood was brought to Israel. There hasn't been any seen around here since then.

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she asked for. He gave her more than she brought to give him. Then the queen of Sheba and her servants left and went back to their own country.

King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold. He used about 15 pounds of gold for each shield.

He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold. He used almost 4 pounds of gold for each shield. The king put them in the Forest-of-Lebanon House.

Solomon had a great number of chariots and horses. He had 1400 chariots and 12,000 horse soldiers. He built special cities for these chariots. So the chariots were kept in these cities. King Solomon also kept some of the chariots with him in Jerusalem.

On the mountain next to Jerusalem, Solomon built a place for worshiping Chemosh, that horrible idol of the Moabites. On the same mountain, Solomon built a place for worshiping Molech, that horrible idol of the Ammonites.

Solomon did the same thing for all of his other foreign wives who burned incense and gave sacrifices to their gods.

Still, I will not tear away all the kingdom from your son. I will leave him one tribe to rule. I will do this for my servant David and for Jerusalem, the city I chose."

Joab and the men of Israel stayed in Edom for six months until they killed all the men of Edom.