<p class="poetry">They will summon peoples to the mountain,p> <p class="poetry">there they will sacrifice proper<n id="1" /> sacrifices;p> <p class="poetry">for they will enjoy<n id="2" /> the abundance of the seas,p> <p class="poetry">and the hidden treasures of the shores.<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. They said, &#8220;Our god has handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.&#8221;

Now the priests would always treat the people in the following way:<n id="1" /> Whenever anyone was making a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest&#8217;s attendant would come with a three-pronged fork<n id="2" /> in his hand.

His mother used to make him a small robe and bring it up to him at regular intervals when she would go up with her husband to make the annual sacrifice.

Saul said, &#8220;They were brought<n id="1" /> from the Amalekites; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the <sc>Lordsc> our God. But everything else we slaughtered.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Samuel replied, &#8220;How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!&#8221; But the <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;Take a heifer with you<n id="1" /> and say, &#8216;I have come to sacrifice to the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8217;

He replied, &#8220;Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the <sc>Lordsc>. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.&#8221; So he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.p>

He has sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king&#8217;s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the commander of the army, but he has not invited your servant Solomon.

Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places,<n id="1" /> because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="2" />

Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the <sc>Lordsc> by following<n id="1" /> the practices<n id="2" /> of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.p>

<p class="bodytext">The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places.<n id="1" /> Solomon would offer up<n id="2" /> a thousand burnt sacrifices on the altar there.

But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.p>

The <sc>Lordsc> made an agreement<n id="1" /> with them<n id="2" /> and instructed them, &#8220;You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them.

He sacrificed all the priests of the high places on the altars located there, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.p>

When God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered.<n id="1" />p>

Those among all the Israelite tribes who were determined to worship the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem<n id="1" /> to sacrifice to the <sc>Lordsc> God of their ancestors.<n id="2" />

At that time<n id="1" /> they sacrificed to the <sc>Lordsc> some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep.<n id="2" />

He erected the altar of the <sc>Lordsc> and offered on it peace offerings and thank offerings. He told the people of<n id="1" /> Judah to serve the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel.

He did evil in the sight of<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc>, just like his father Manasseh had done. He offered sacrifices to all the idols his father Manasseh had made, and worshiped<n id="2" /> them.