Bible Reading for April 16

1 Kings Chapter 10

1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning
the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.

2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that
bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was
come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid
from the king, which he told her not.

4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the
house that he had built,

5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the
attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and
his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no
more spirit in her.

6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine
own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.

7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen
it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity
exceedeth the fame which I heard.

8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand
continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.

9 Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on
the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore
made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.

10 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of
spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such
abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in
from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.

12 And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the
LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers:
there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.

13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire,
whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal
bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six
hundred threescore and six talents of gold,

15 Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the
spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of
the country.

16 And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred
shekels of gold went to one target.

17 And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold
went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of
Lebanon.

18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with
the best gold.

19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind:
and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two
lions stood beside the stays.

20 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon
the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.

21 And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the
vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none
were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram:
once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and
silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and
for wisdom.

24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God
had put in his heart.

25 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and
vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and
mules, a rate year by year.

26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a
thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom
he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.

27 And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars
made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.

28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the
king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.

29 And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels
of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the
kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them
out by their means.

1 Kings Chapter 11

1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter
of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and
Hittites;

2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of
Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you:
for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon
clave unto these in love.

3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred
concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away
his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD
his God, as was the heart of David his father.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and
after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully
after the LORD, as did David his father.

7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of
Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the
abomination of the children of Ammon.

8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and
sacrificed unto their gods.

9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from
the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,

10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go
after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.

11 Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of
thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have
commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give
it to thy servant.

12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's
sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.

13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe
to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I
have chosen.

14 And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite:
he was of the king's seed in Edom.

15 For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of
the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male
in Edom;

16 (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until he had
cut off every male in Edom:)

17 That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants
with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child.

18 And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran: and they took men
with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of
Egypt; which gave him an house, and appointed him victuals, and gave him
land.

19 And Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave
him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.

20 And the sister of Tahpenes bare him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes
weaned in Pharaoh's house: and Genubath was in Pharaoh's household among
the sons of Pharaoh.

21 And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and
that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let
me depart, that I may go to mine own country.

22 Then Pharaoh said unto him, But what hast thou lacked with me, that,
behold, thou seekest to go to thine own country? And he answered,
Nothing: howbeit let me go in any wise.

23 And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah,
which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah:

24 And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when
David slew them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein,
and reigned in Damascus.

25 And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the
mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's
servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted
up his hand against the king.

27 And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king:
Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his
father.

28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing
the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the
charge of the house of Joseph.

29 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem,
that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had
clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: