he sent his son Hadoram<n id="1" /> to King David to extend his best wishes<n id="2" /> and to pronounce a blessing on him for his victory over Hadadezer, for Tou had been at war with Hadadezer.<n id="3" /> He also sent various items made of gold, silver, and bronze.<n id="4" />

Now, look, I have made every effort to supply what is needed to build the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.<n id="1" /> I have stored up 100,000 talents<n id="2" /> of gold, 1,000,000<n id="3" /> talents of silver, and so much bronze and iron it cannot be weighed, as well as wood and stones. Feel free to add more!

The <sc>Lordsc> greatly magnified Solomon before all Israel and bestowed on him greater majesty than any king of Israel before him.<n id="1" />p>

Solomon and the entire assembly went to the worship center<n id="1" /> in Gibeon, for the tent where they met God<n id="2" /> was located there, which Moses the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s servant had made in the wilderness.

you are granted wisdom and discernment.<n id="1" /> Furthermore I am giving you riches, wealth, and honor surpassing that of any king before or after you.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

the food in his banquet hall,<n id="1" /> his servants and attendants<n id="2" /> in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple,<n id="3" /> she was amazed.<n id="4" />

She gave the king 120 talents<n id="1" /> of gold and a very large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched.<n id="2" />

When the <sc>Lordsc> saw that they humbled themselves, he gave this message to Shemaiah:<n id="1" /> &#8220;They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them. I will deliver them soon.<n id="2" /> My anger will not be unleashed against<n id="3" /> Jerusalem through<n id="4" /> Shishak.

Lawless good-for-nothing men<n id="1" /> gathered around him and conspired<n id="2" /> against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was an inexperienced young man<n id="3" /> and could not resist them.

They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the <sc>Lordsc> caused them to panic.<n id="1" /> The men of Judah<n id="2" /> looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount of goods.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Oded, a prophet of the <sc>Lordsc>, was there. He went to meet the army as they arrived in Samaria and said to them: &#8220;Look, because the <sc>Lordsc> God of your ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have killed them so mercilessly that God has taken notice.<n id="1" />

<t /><p class="poetry">I thought to myself,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I have become much wiser<n id="2" /> than any of my predecessors who ruled<n id="3" /> over Jerusalem;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I<n id="5" /> have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.&#8221;<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">So all my accomplishments gave me joy;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">this was my reward for all my effort.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">There is no end to all the people<n id="1" /> nor to the past generations,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">yet future generations<n id="3" /> will not rejoice in him.p> <p class="poetry">This also is profitless and like<n id="4" /> chasing the wind.p>

<p class="poetry">In times of prosperity<n id="1" /> be joyful,p> <p class="poetry">but in times of adversity<n id="2" /> consider this:p> <p class="poetry">God has made one as well as the other,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">so that no one can discover what the future holds.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest,p> <p class="poetry">as one gathers up abandoned eggs,p> <p class="poetry">I gathered up the whole earth.p> <p class="poetry">There was no wing flapping,p> <p class="poetry">or open mouth chirping.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">So now the <sc>Lordsc> says,p> <p class="poetry">the one who formed me from birth<n id="1" /> to be his servant &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">he did this<n id="2" /> to restore Jacob to himself,p> <p class="poetry">so that Israel might be gathered to him;p> <p class="poetry">and I will be honored<n id="3" /> in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s sight,p> <p class="poetry">for my God is my source of strength<n id="4" /> &#8211;p>

<p class="bodytext">I answered,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Who would listenp> <p class="poetry">if I spoke to them and warned them?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Their ears are so closed<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">that they cannot hear!p> <p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="4" /> what the <sc>Lordsc> says is offensive to them.p> <p class="poetry">They do not like it at all.<n id="5" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> spoke to Jeremiah<n id="1" /> when King Zedekiah<n id="2" /> sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah.<n id="3" /> Zedekiah sent them to Jeremiah to ask,<n id="4" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">In the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the <sc>Lordsc> spoke to Jeremiah<n id="1" /> concerning all the people of Judah. (That was the same as the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.)<n id="2" />