1 Kings 4 1 So king Solomon was king over all Israel.
2 And these were the princes which he had;
Azariah the son of Zadok the priest,
3 Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha,
scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder.
4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over
the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:
5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over
the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was
principal officer, and the king's friend:
6 And Ahishar was over the household: and
Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute.
7 ¶ And Solomon had twelve officers over all
Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his
household: each man his month in a year made provision.
8 And these are their names: the son of
Hur, in mount Ephraim:
9 The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and
Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan:
10 The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained
Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher:
11 The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor;
which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife:
12 Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained
Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean, which is
by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to
Abel-meholah, even unto the place that is
beyond Jokneam:
13 The son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him pertained
the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are
in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of
Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities
with walls and brasen bars:
14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim:
15 Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took
Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife:
16 Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and
in Aloth:
17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar:
18 Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin:
19 Geber the son of Uri was in the country
of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the
Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the
only officer which was in the land.
20 ¶ Judah and Israel were many, as the sand
which is by the sea in multitude, eating and
drinking, and making merry.
21 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the
river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the
border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served
Solomon all the days of his life.
22 ¶ And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty
measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal,
23 Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the
pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and
roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl.
24 For he had dominion over all the region
on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over
all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on
all sides round about him.
25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man
under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to
Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.
26 ¶ And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses
for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
27 And those officers provided victual for king
Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table,
every man in his month: they lacked nothing.
28 Barley also and straw for the horses and
dromedaries brought they unto the place where the
officers were, every man according to his charge.
29 ¶ And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding
exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand
that is on the sea shore.
30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all
the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of
Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the
Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of
Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.
32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his
songs were a thousand and five.
33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is
in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the
wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of
creeping things, and of fishes.
34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom
of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard
of his wisdom.
1 Kings 5 1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto
Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king
in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of
David.
2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not
build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars
which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the
soles of his feet.
4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so
that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.
5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto
the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son,
whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall
build an house unto my name.
6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me
cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with
thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy
servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for
thou knowest that there is not among us any that
can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
7 ¶ And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words
of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be
the LORD this
day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this
great people.
8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have
considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and
I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and
concerning timber of fir.
9 My servants shall bring them down from
Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in
floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and
will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt
receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire,
in giving food for my household.
10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according
to all his desire.
11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures
of wheat for food to his household, and twenty
measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by
year.
12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and
there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two
made a league together.
13 ¶ And king Solomon raised a levy out of all
Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a
month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and
two months at home: and Adoniram was over the
levy.
15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that
bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the
mountains;
16 Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were
over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which
ruled over the people that wrought in the work.
17 And the king commanded, and they brought great
stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay
the foundation of the house.
18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did
hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared
timber and stones to build the house.
Ecclesiastes 2 1 I said in mine heart,
Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy
pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
2 I said of
laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What
doeth it?
3 I sought in mine
heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine
heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might
see what was that good for the sons of men, which
they should do under the heaven all the days of their
life.
4 I made me great
works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
5 I made me gardens
and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind
of fruits:
6 I made me pools
of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth
trees:
7 I got me
servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house;
also I had great possessions of great and small cattle
above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
8 I gathered me
also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings
and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women
singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as
musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9 So I was great,
and increased more than all that were before me in
Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
10 And whatsoever
mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my
heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my
labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
11 Then I looked on
all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the
labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was
vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no
profit under the sun.
12 ¶ And I turned
myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what
can the man do that cometh after the king? even
that which hath been already done.
13 Then I saw that
wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth
darkness.
14 The wise man's
eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in
darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event
happeneth to them all.
15 Then said I in
my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth
even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in
my heart, that this also is vanity.
16 For there is
no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for
ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come
shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man?
as the fool.
17 Therefore I
hated life; because the work that is wrought under the
sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity
and vexation of spirit.
18 ¶ Yea, I hated
all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I
should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
19 And who knoweth
whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet
shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have
laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the
sun. This is also vanity.
20 Therefore I went
about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour
which I took under the sun.
21 For there is a
man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge,
and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured
therein shall he leave it for his portion. This
also is vanity and a great evil.
22 For what hath
man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart,
wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
23 For all his days
are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart
taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
24 ¶ There is
nothing better for a man, than that he should eat
and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy
good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was
from the hand of God.
25 For who can eat,
or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?
26 For God
giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom,
and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth
travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him
that is good before God. This also is vanity
and vexation of spirit.
Ecclesiastes 3 1 To every thing there
is a season, and a time to every purpose under the
heaven:
2 A time to be
born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to
pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill,
and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to
build up;
4 A time to weep,
and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to
dance;
5 A time to cast
away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time
to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get,
and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast
away;
7 A time to rend,
and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to
speak;
8 A time to love,
and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
9 What profit hath
he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
10 I have seen the
travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be
exercised in it.
11 He hath made
every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath
set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out
the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
12 I know that there
is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice,
and to do good in his life.
13 And also that
every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all
his labour, it is the gift of God.
14 I know that,
whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can
be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it,
that men should fear before him.
15 That which hath
been is now; and that which is to be hath already been;
and God requireth that which is past.
16 ¶ And moreover
I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that
wickedness was there; and the place of
righteousness, that iniquity was there.
17 I said in mine
heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there
is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
18 I said in mine
heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God
might manifest them, and that they might see that they
themselves are beasts.
19 For that which
befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one
thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the
other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath
no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
20 All go unto one
place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21 Who knoweth the
spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the
beast that goeth downward to the earth?
22 Wherefore I
perceive that there is nothing better, than that a
man should rejoice in his own works; for that is
his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be
after him?
Ecclesiastes 4 1 So I returned, and
considered all the oppressions that are done under the
sun: and behold the tears of such as were
oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of
their oppressors there was power; but they had no
comforter.
2 Wherefore I
praised the dead which are already dead more than the
living which are yet alive.
3 Yea, better is
he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath
not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
4 ¶ Again, I
considered all travail, and every right work, that for
this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is
also vanity and vexation of spirit.
5 The fool foldeth
his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
6 Better is
an handful with quietness, than both the hands
full with travail and vexation of spirit.
7 ¶ Then I
returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.
8 There is one alone,
and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither
child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his
labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither
saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my
soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is
a sore travail.
9 ¶ Two are
better than one; because they have a good reward for
their labour.
10 For if they
fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that
is alone when he falleth; for he hath not
another to help him up.
11 Again, if two
lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be
warm alone?
12 And if one
prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a
threefold cord is not quickly broken.
13 ¶ Better is
a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who
will no more be admonished.
14 For out of
prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is
born in his kingdom becometh poor.
15 I considered all
the living which walk under the sun, with the second
child that shall stand up in his stead.
16 There is
no end of all the people, even of all that have
been before them: they also that come after shall not
rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and
vexation of spirit.
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