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overlaid it with the best gold. 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. 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 sycamore-trees that are in the vale, for abundance.

LESSON CII. 1 KINGS, CHAP. XI.

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 others: 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.

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

Then the Lord sent Ahijah the prophet to Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and he said to Jeroboam, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will send the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give thee ten tribes :

33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

34 Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes

35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.

37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel..

38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I did for David, and will give Israel anto thee.

ever.

39 And I will for this afflict, the seed of David, but not for Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

42 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father.

When Solomon was dead, Rehoboam his son reigned over the tribe of Judah, with which was the remnant of the tribe of Benjamin: but the other ten tribes forsook Rehoboam, and followed Jeroboam.

So Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, became king of Israel, as the Lord had said by the mouth of Ahijah the prophet. So the kingdom of the Lord, which Solomon ruled, was divided into the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

THE KINGS OF ISRAEL.

LESSON CIII. I KINGS. II KINGS.

THESE were the nineteen kings that reigned over the ten

tribes of Israel :

I. JEROBOAM the son of Nebat. When Jeroboam had gained the kingdom, he built Shechem in Mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.

26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: if this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.

28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

29 And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in

Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

Thus Jeroboam did evil in the sight of the Lord; wherefore the Lord said to Ahijah the prophet, Tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel,

Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;

9 But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back; I will cut off from Jeroboam every man in the city.

11 Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the Lord hath spoken it. And the days that Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years.

;

II. NADAB the son of Jeroboam reigned after his father he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the sin wherewith Jeroboam made Israel to sin.

When Nadab had reigned two years Baasha conspired against him and slew him.

III. BAASHA of the house of Ahijah, of the tribe of Issachar, took the kingdom after the death of Nadab: he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam.

IV. ELAH the son of Baasha reigned after his father: he did evil in the sight of the Lord: and when he had reigned two years, Zimri, who was captain of half his chariots, smote him as he was drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, the steward of his houshold.

V. ZIMRI took the kingdom after the death of Elah. Then did Zimri destroy all the family of Baasha, as the Lord had foretold by the prophet Jehu, saying, Behold, I will take away the posterity of his house; and will make it like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

And Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah; and then, the city being taken, he went into the palace and burnt it over him with fire.

VI. OMBI reigned after Zimri; for the people that were

encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king so they made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp; and he built the city of Sa

maria.

But Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord worse than all that were before him; and when he had reigned twelve years, he slept with his fathers.

VII. AHAB, the son of Omri, reigned in the stead of his father. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.

31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

82 And he reared up an altar for Baal, in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove: and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

And as Ahab was fighting against Syria, he was. wounded in his chariot, and died. And one washed his chariot in the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and they washed his armour, according unto the word of the Lord which ne spake by Elijah. And the time that Ahab reigned over Israel was twenty and two years.

LESSON CIV.

VIII. A HAZIAH, the son of Ahab, reigned in the stead of his father he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.

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And when king Ahaziah had reigned two years over Israel, he fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber, and died. IX. JEHORAM, the son of Ahab, (called also JORAM) reigned in the stead of Ahaziah, because Ahaziah had no son.

2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father, and like his mother; for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.

3 Nevertheless, he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom. And the time that Jehoram reigned over Israel was twelve years.

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