(69) Solomon builds the temple

 

God gave Solomon peace on every side,

and allowed no enemies around the land.

 

Solomen then remembered what his fatehr David

could not start; building a temple.

God had ordered David to not build a temple.

 

Solomon planned to build a temple

to honor the name of God,

just as his father David instructed.

 

The temple that king Solomon built for God was

90 feet long,

30 feet wide,

and 45 feet high.

 

Then God gave this message to Solomon,

 

"As for this temple you are building,

if you remember and obey all my commands and laws,

I will fulfill through you the promise

I made to your father David.

I dwell among the people of Israel,

and never forsake them."

 

It took 7 years to build the temple.

 

 

(68) Solomon judges wisely

 

2 women came to Solomon

to have their case settled.

 

One of them began,

 

"This woman and I, we live in the same house,

I  had a baby and she also had a baby.

One night, she rolled over her baby and her baby died,

but she took my baby while I was asleep,

and put her dead baby in my arms.

When I tried to nurse my baby in the morning,

he was dead, but when I looked closely,

I noticed it was not my baby!

but this woman keep insists that it's her baby."

 

"The living baby is mine!"

The other woman interrupted.

 

Then Solomon said,

"Since both of you claim

the living baby is yours,

let's just cut the baby in half

for both of you."

 

Then the woman who really was the

mother of the living baby cried out,

"No! my king, just give her the baby,

do not kill the baby."

 

But the other woman said,

"That's the only fair thing, my king."

 

That's when Solomon figured out

who was the real mother of the baby.

Solomon gave the baby to the woman

who wants him to live.

 

Solomon's decision regarding this very case

spread quickly throughout all Israel,

they were amazed at the great wisdom

God had given Solomon.

 

(67) Solomon asks for wisdom

 

Solomon loved God and followed all his ways.

 

Solomon sacrificed 1,000 offerings at the local altars.

 

That night God appeared to Solomon in his dream,

and asked,

 

"What do you want? Ask,

I will give it to you."

 

Solomon replied,

"My God, you made me king over your people,

but I still like a little child who doesn't know his way around,

Give me wisdom so that I can

govern your people well and

know the difference between right and wrong."

 

God was pleased with his answer,

so God replied,

 

"Because you have asked for wisdom in

governing my people and have not asked

for nothing else,

I will give you a wise and understanding mind,

and everything else; riches and honor."

 

Then Solomon woke up and

went to Jerusalem to give offerings to God.

 

 

(66) David declares Solomon King

 

David was very old,

As the time of David's death approached,

he gave his kingship to his son Solomon.

 

"I am going where my fathers all went.

Have courage and be a man.

Observe carefully the laws of God,

and follow all his ways,

then you will be successful in all you do

and wherever you go.

 

Never fail to

have your descendants to do the same,

then the throne will never be taken away

from this family."

 

Solomon succeeded David as king,

Solomon was firmly established on the throne.

 

 

 

(65) David takes census

 

God stirred David's heart to take a census.

 

David commanded his commander to

take a census of all the people in the land.

 

But Joab replied,

"My king, why do you want to do this?

why do you cause us to sin against God?

you know well enough that it was not

the number of people that gave us victory"

 

David insisted,

so they traveled throughout the land to count the people.

 

God was very displeased with what David had done,

and God punished Israel for it.

 

Then David said to God,

"I have sinned against you,

please, forgive me for my foolishness."

 

God gave David 3 choices;

3 years of famine,

3 months of fleeing from the enemies,

3 days of plague.

 

David chose the 3rd punishment

and God sent a plague upon Israel for 3 days.

 

David also built an altar to God and

offered offerings,

and the plague was stopped.

(64) David mourns for Absalom

 

David appointed generals and captains to lead his army.

 

And the battle began in the forest of Ephraim,

the Absalom's troops were beaten by David's army

 

Absalom died in the battle.

 

When David was notified about Absalom's death,

he was overcome with emotion.

 

He went up to the room and burst into tears,

"Oh my son Absalom!

If only I could have died instead of you,

my son! my son!"

David covered his face and kept on weeping.

 

David's general was informed that the king was weeping

and mourning for Absalom.

As the army heard of the king's deep grief for his son,

the joy of the victory was turned into deep sadness.

 

Then the general went to the king and said to him,

"We saved your life and the kingdom today,

and yet, you act like we have done some

terrible thing to you.

You made it clear that you mean nothing to you!

Now go out there and celebrate with us.

If you don't, not a single warrior will be there for you anymore."

 

So David went out and

sat at the city gate.

 

 

 

 

 

(63) Shimei curses David

 

Many years later,

David's son Absalom said to the king, David.

 

"I would like to go to Hebron

to offer a sacrifice to God."

 

David told Absalom,

"All right, go."

 

However, while he was there,

he sent secret notes to every part of Israel to

start a rebellion against the king.

Soon many joined Absalom against the king David.

 

David found out about the conspiracy his son Absalom planned.

 

David's advisers urged him to flee at once.

Then king and his people set out on foot.

As David and his people passed the town called Bahurim,

a man named Shimei came out and cursed them.

 

"Get out of here, you murderer!

you stole Saul's throne, and now

your son Absalom is doing the same to you,

hope you taste the same pain you caused Saul!"

 

David's general wanted to kill Shimei,

but David stopped him and said,

 

"Leave him alone,

Maybe God gave him those words to him for me,

or God will see that I am being wronged,

and will bless me because of these curses."

 

David and his people continued on.

 and Shimei kept throwing stones at David.