Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth.

So they looked through all Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

But now don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him; make sure he has a bloody death.”

Now I’d like to ask you for just one thing. Please don’t refuse me.” She said, “Go ahead and ask.”

He said, “Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife, for he won’t refuse you.”

Solomon dismissed Abiathar from his position as priest of the Lord, fulfilling the decree of judgment the Lord made in Shiloh against the family of Eli.

The king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada to take his place at the head of the army, and the king appointed Zadok the priest to take Abiathar’s place.

She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your servant was sleeping. She put him in her arms, and put her dead son in my arms.

He built an extension all around the temple; it was seven and a half feet high and it was attached to the temple by cedar beams.

Under the rim all the way around it were round ornaments arranged in settings 15 feet long. The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.”

Then the king turned around and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there.

When they hear about your great reputation and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple.

Everyone in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.

The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands.

God also brought against Solomon another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada who had run away from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah.

This is what prompted him to rebel against the king: Solomon built a terrace and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David.

Jeroboam was a talented man; when Solomon saw that the young man was an accomplished worker, he made him the leader of the work crew from the tribe of Joseph.

But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up.

My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’”

Jeroboam built up Shechem in the Ephraimite hill country and lived there. From there he went out and built up Penuel.