Jabez was more respected than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, for she said, “I experienced pain when I gave birth to him.”

Let’s move the ark of our God back here, for we did not seek his will throughout Saul’s reign.”

The whole assembly agreed to do this, for the proposal seemed right to all the people.

David said to Solomon: “My son, I really wanted to build a temple to honor the Lord my God.

His son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders of their families, for they were highly respected.

After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and his royal palace,

Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram had given him and settled Israelites there.

They did not neglect any detail of the king’s orders pertaining to the priests, Levites, and treasuries.

He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.

but instead sought the God of his ancestors and obeyed his commands, unlike the Israelites.

For now I would be lying down and would be quiet, I would be asleep and then at peace

“Oh, if only my grief could be weighed, and my misfortune laid on the scales too!

When they are scorched, they dry up, when it is hot, they vanish from their place.

“Truly, I know that this is so. But how can a human be just before God?

All his days the wicked man suffers torment, throughout the number of the years that are stored up for the tyrant.

Would he contend with me with great power? No, he would only pay attention to me.

It hurls itself against him without pity as he flees headlong from its power.

The topaz of Cush cannot be compared with it; it cannot be purchased with pure gold.

to cause it to rain on an uninhabited land, a desert where there are no human beings,

The Lord judges the nations. Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent, because I am blameless, O Exalted One!