2 Chronicles 1–3; John 10:1–23

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2 Chronicles 1–3

Solomon Worships at Gibeon

aSolomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, band the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the ccommanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses. And Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to dthe high place that was at Gibeon, efor fthe tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness, was there. g(But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.) Moreover, hthe bronze altar that iBezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord. And Solomon and the assembly jsought it1 out. And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tent of meeting, kand offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

Solomon Prays for Wisdom

lIn that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, Ask what I shall give you. And Solomon said to God, You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, mand have made me king in his place. O Lord God, nlet your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous oas the dust of the earth. 10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge to pgo out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great? 11 God answered Solomon, Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for qpossessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you qriches, possessions, and honor, rsuch as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like. 13 So Solomon came from2 the shigh place at Gibeon, from before tthe tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

Solomon Given Wealth

14 uSolomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. vHe had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed win the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 16 And Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s traders would buy them from Kue for a price. 17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 shekels3 of silver, and a horse for 150. Likewise through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

4

Preparing to Build the Temple

xNow Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself. 5 yAnd Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and z3,600 to oversee them. aAnd Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: bAs you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of cincense of sweet spices before him, and for dthe regular arrangement of the showbread, and for eburnt offerings morning and evening, fon the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. The house that I am to build will be great, gfor our God is greater than all gods. hBut who is able to build him a house, since hheaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? So now isend me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, jwhom David my father provided. Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that kyour servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants, to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful. 10 lI will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors6 of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths7 of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.

11 Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, mBecause the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them. 12 Hiram also said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, nwho made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, owho will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

13 Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi, 14 pthe son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is qtrained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father. 15 Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, rof which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants. 16 sAnd we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to tJoppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.

17 Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, uafter the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600. 18 vSeventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.

Solomon Builds the Temple

wThen Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem xon Mount Moriah, where the Lord8 had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, yon the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. These are Solomon’s zmeasurements9 for building the house of God: athe length, in cubits10 of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house,11 and its height was 120 cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. bThe nave he lined with cypress and covered it with fine gold cand made palms and chains on it. He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim. So he lined the house with goldits beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doorscand he carved cherubim on the walls.

dAnd he made the Most Holy Place. Its length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents12 of fine gold. The weight of gold for the nails was fifty shekels.13 And he overlaid ethe upper chambers with gold.

10 fIn the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of wood14 and overlaid15 them with gold. 11 The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty cubits: one wing of the one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub; 12 and of this cherub, one wing, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also of five cubits, was joined to the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. The cherubim16 stood on their feet, gfacing the nave. 14 hAnd he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it.

15 iIn front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. 16 He made chains like a necklace17 and put them on the tops of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. 17 jHe set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz.


John 10:1–23

I Am the Good Shepherd

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. yA stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. This figure of speech Jesus zused with them, but they adid not understand what he was saying to them.

So Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, bI am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, che will be saved and will go in and out and dfind pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and ekill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 fI am the good shepherd. The good shepherd glays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is ha hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and ileaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and jscatters them. 13 He flees because khe is a hired hand and lcares nothing for the sheep. 14 mI am the good shepherd. nI know my own and omy own know me, 15 pjust as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and qI lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And rI have other sheep that are not of this fold. sI must bring them also, and tthey will listen to my voice. So there will be uone flock, vone shepherd. 17 wFor this reason the Father loves me, xbecause yI lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 zNo one takes it from me, but yI lay it down aof my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and bI have authority to take it up again. cThis charge I have received from my Father.

19 dThere was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, eHe has a demon, and fis insane; why listen to him? 21 Others said, These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. gCan a demon open the eyes of the blind?

I and the Father Are One

22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, hin the colonnade of Solomon.