Catholic Public Domain Version

1 Then, too, the queen of Sheba, having heard of the fame of Solomon in the name of the Lord, arrived to test him with enigmas.

2 And entering into Jerusalem with a great retinue, and with riches, and with camels carrying aromatics, and with an exceedingly great quantity of gold and precious stones, she went to king Solomon. And she spoke to him all that she held in her heart.

3 And Solomon taught her, in all the words that she had proposed to him. There was not any word which was able to be hidden from the king, or which he did not answer for her.

4 Then, when the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,

5 and the food of his table, and the dwelling places of his servants, and the rows of his ministers, and their apparel, and the cupbearers, and the holocausts that he was offering in the house of the Lord, she had no longer any spirit in her.

6 And she said to the king: “The word is true, which I have heard in my own land,

7 about your words and your wisdom. But I did not believe those who explained it to me, until I went myself and saw it with my own eyes. And I have discovered that the half of it has not been told to me: your wisdom and works are greater than the report that I have heard.

8 Blessed are your men, and blessed are your servants, who stand before you always, and who hear your wisdom.

9 Blessed is the Lord your God, whom you have greatly pleased, and who has placed you upon the throne of Israel. For the Lord loves Israel forever, and he has appointed you as king, so that you may accomplish judgment and justice.”

10 Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and an exceedingly great amount of aromatics and precious stones. No greater quantity of aromatics was ever again brought forth as these, which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

11 Then, too, the navy of Hiram, which carried gold from Ophir, brought an exceedingly great quantity of thyine wood and precious stones from Ophir.

12 And the king made, from the thyine wood, the posts of the house of the Lord, and of the house of the king, and citharas and lyres for the musicians. No thyine trees of this kind were ever again brought forth or seen, even to the present day.

13 Then king Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all that she desired and requested of him, aside from what he himself had offered to her from his royal bounty. And she returned and went away to her own land, with her servants.

14 Now the weight of the gold that was brought to Solomon each year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,

15 aside from what was brought to him by the men who were over the tributes, and by the merchants, and by those selling every kind of small item, and by all the kings of Arabia, and by the rulers of the land.

16 Also, king Solomon made two hundred large shields from the purest gold. He dispensed six hundred shekels of gold for the layers of one shield.

17 And for the three hundred crescent-shaped shields of tested gold, there were three hundred minas of gold covering one shield. And the king placed these in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

18 Also, king Solomon made a great throne from ivory. And he clothed it with a great quantity of red gold.

19 The throne had six steps, and the summit of the throne was rounded in the back section. And there were two hands, on one side and the other, holding the seat. And two lions were standing beside each hand,

20 with twelve little lions standing upon the six steps, on one side and the other. No similar work has been made, ever in any kingdom.

21 Moreover, all the vessels from which king Solomon would drink were of gold. And all the items in the house of the forest of Lebanon were of the purest gold. There was no silver, nor was any accounting made of silver in the days of Solomon.

22 For the navy of the king, once every three years, went with the navy of Hiram by sea to Tarshish, bringing from there gold, and silver, and elephant tusks, and primates, and peacocks.

23 And so, king Solomon was magnified above all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

24 And all the earth desired to see the face of Solomon, so as to hear his wisdom, which God had granted to his heart.

25 And each one brought him gifts, vessels of silver and of gold, clothing and weapons of war, as well as aromatics, and horses, and mules, throughout each year.

26 And Solomon gathered together the chariots and horsemen. And he had one thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And he placed them in the walled cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

27 And he caused silver to be as abundant in Jerusalem as stones, and he supplied a multitude of cedars like the sycamores that grow in the plains.

28 And horses were brought for Solomon from Egypt and from Kue. For the merchants of the king were buying these from Kue. And they paid out the established price.

29 Now a four-horse chariot would be sent from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty. And in this manner, all the kings of the Hittites and of Syria were selling horses.

1 But king Solomon loved many foreign women, including the daughter of Pharaoh, and women of Moab, and of Ammon, and of Idumea, and of Sidon, and of the Hittites.

2 These were of the nations about whom the Lord said to the sons of Israel: “You shall not enter to them, and none of them shall enter to anyone of yours. For they will most certainly turn aside your hearts, so that you follow their gods.” And yet, to these Solomon was joined with a greatly enflamed love.

3 And for him, there were seven hundred wives, as if they were queens, and three hundred concubines. And the women turned aside his heart.

4 And when now he was old, his heart was perverted by the women, so that he followed strange gods. And his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.

5 For Solomon worshipped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites.

6 And Solomon did what was not pleasing in the sight of the Lord. And he did not continue to follow the Lord, as his father David did.

7 Then Solomon built a shrine for Chemosh, the idol of Moab, on the mount that is opposite Jerusalem, and for Milcom, the idol of the sons of Ammon.

8 And he acted in this manner for all his foreign wives, who were burning incense and immolating to their gods.

9 And so, the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his mind had been turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,

10 and who had instructed him about this matter, lest he follow strange gods. But he did not observe what the Lord commanded to him.

11 And so, the Lord said to Solomon: “Because you have this with you, and because you have not kept my covenant and my precepts, which I commanded to you, I will tear apart your kingdom, and I will give it to your servant.

12 Yet truly, I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David. From the hand of your son, I will tear it away.

13 Neither will I take away the whole kingdom. Instead, I will grant one tribe to your son, for the sake of David, my servant, and Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

14 Then the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad of Idumea, from an offspring of the king who was in Idumea.

15 For when David was in Idumea, Joab, the leader of the military, had ascended to bury those who had been killed, and he had killed every male in Idumea.

16 And Joab remained in that place for six months, with all of Israel, until he had put to death every male in Idumea.

17 Then Hadad fled, he and some men of Idumea from among the servants of his father with him, so that he might enter into Egypt. But Hadad was then a little boy.

18 And when they had risen up from Midian, they went into Paran, and they took with them some men from Paran. And they went into Egypt, to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And he gave him a house, and he appointed food for him, and he assigned land to him.

19 And Hadad found great favor before Pharaoh, so much so that he gave to him as wife, the sister of his own wife, queen Tahpenes.

20 And the sister of Tahpenes bore to him a son, Genubath. And Tahpenes raised him in the house of Pharaoh. And Genubath was living with Pharaoh and his sons.

21 And when Hadad had heard in Egypt that David had slept with his fathers, and that Joab, the leader of the military, had died, he said to Pharaoh, “Release me, so that I may go to my own land.”

22 And Pharaoh said to him, “But what is lacking to you with me, so that you would seek to go to your own land?” But he responded: “Nothing. Yet I beg you that you may release me.”

23 Also, God raised up against him an adversary, Rezon, the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, Hadad-Ezer, the king of Zobah.

24 And he gathered together men against him. And when David put those of Zobah to death, he became a leader of robbers. And they went away to Damascus, and they lived there. And they appointed him to be king of Damascus.

25 And he was an adversary to Israel during all the days of Solomon. And such is the evil of Hadad and of his hatred against Israel. And he reigned in Syria.

26 Also, there was Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother was named Zeruah, a widowed woman. He lifted up his hand against the king.

27 And this is the reason for his rebellion against him: that Solomon built up Millo, and that he filled in a deep hole in the city of David, his father.

28 Now Jeroboam was a valiant and powerful man. And perceiving the young man to be ingenious and industrious, Solomon appointed him as first ruler over the tributes of the entire house of Joseph.

29 And it happened, in that time, that Jeroboam departed from Jerusalem. And the prophet Ahijah, the Shilonite, wearing with a new cloak, found him on the way. And the two were alone in the field.

30 And taking his new cloak, with which he was covered, Ahijah tore it into twelve parts.

31 And he said to Jeroboam: “Take ten pieces for yourself. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give to you ten tribes.

32 Yet one tribe shall remain with him, for the sake of my servant, David, as well as Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

33 For he has abandoned me, and he has adored Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Chemosh, the god of Moab, and Milcom, the god of the sons of Ammon. And he has not walked in my ways, so that he would do justice before me, and so that he would carry out my precepts and judgments, as his father David did.

34 But I will not take the entire kingdom from his hand. Instead, I will establish him as the ruler during all the days of his life, for the sake of my servant David, whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my precepts.

35 But I will take away the kingdom from the hand of his son, and I will give to you ten tribes.

36 Then, to his son, I will give one tribe, so that there may remain a lamp for my servant David before me, for all days, in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen, so that my name would be there.

37 And I will take you up, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires. And you shall be king over Israel.

38 Therefore, if you will listen to all that I will command you, and if you will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my sight, keeping my commandments and my precepts, just as my servant David did, then I will be with you, and I will build for you a faithful house, in the way that I built a house for David, and I will deliver Israel to you.

39 And I will afflict the offspring of David over this, but truly not for all days.’ ”

40 Therefore, Solomon wanted to kill Jeroboam. But he rose up and fled away to Egypt, to Shishak, the king of Egypt. And he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

41 Now the rest of the words of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom: behold, these are all written in the book of the words of the days of Solomon.

42 And the days that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem, over all of Israel, were forty years.

43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David, his father. And Rehoboam, his son, reigned in his place.

1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem. For in that place, all of Israel had gathered to appoint him as king.

2 Yet truly, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, while he was still in Egypt as a fugitive from the face of king Solomon, hearing of his death, returned from Egypt.

3 And they sent and called him. Therefore, Jeroboam went, with the entire multitude of Israel, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying:

4 “Your father imposed a very harsh yoke upon us. And so, you should now take away a little from the very harsh rule of your father and from his very grievous yoke, which he imposed upon us, and we will serve you.”

5 And he said to them, “Go away, until the third day, and then return to me.” And when the people had gone away,

6 king Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had assisted before his father Solomon while he was still living. And he said, “What counsel do you give to me, so that I may respond to this people?”

7 They said to him, “If today you will obey and serve this people, and yield to their petition, and if you will speak lenient words to them, they will be your servants for all days.”

8 But he abandoned the counsel of the old men, which they had given to him. And he consulted the young men who had been raised with him, and who were assisting him.

9 And he said to them: “What counsel do you give to me, so that I may respond to this people, who have said to me: ‘Make light the yoke that your father imposed on us?’ ”

10 And the young men who had been raised with him, said: “You shall speak in this way to this people, who have spoken to you, saying: ‘Your father weighed down our yoke. You should relieve us.’ You shall say this to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than the back of my father.

11 And now, my father placed a heavy yoke upon you, but I will add more upon your yoke. My father cut you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions.’ ”

12 Therefore, Jeroboam and all the people went to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had spoken, saying, “Return to me on the third day.”

13 And the king responded to the people harshly, leaving behind the counsel of the elders that they had given to him.

14 And he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying: “My father weighed down your yoke, but I will add more to your yoke. My father cut you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions.”

15 And the king did not acquiesce to the people. For the Lord had turned him away, so that he might raise up his word, which he had spoken by the hand of Ahijah, the Shilonite, to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.

16 And so the people, seeing that the king had not been willing to listen to them, responded to him, saying: “What part do we have in David? Or what inheritance do we have in the son of Jesse? Go to your own tents, O Israel. Now David, see to your own house.” And Israel went away to their own tents.

17 But over all the sons of Israel who were living in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned.

18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute. And all of Israel stoned him, and he died. Therefore, king Rehoboam hurrying, climbed into the chariot, and fled to Jerusalem.

19 And Israel drew away from the house of David, even to the present day.

20 And it happened that, when all of Israel had heard that Jeroboam had returned, gathering an assembly, they sent and called him, and they appointed him as king over all of Israel. And no one followed the house of David, except the tribe of Judah alone.

21 Then Rehoboam went to Jerusalem, and he gathered together the entire house of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand elect men of war, so that they might fight against the house of Israel, and might bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon.

22 But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying:

23 “Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah, and to Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying:

24 ‘Thus says the Lord: You shall not go up, and you shall not make war against your brothers, the sons of Israel. Let each man return to his own house. For this word came from me.’ ” And they listened to the word of the Lord, and they returned from the journey, as the Lord had instructed them.

25 Then Jeroboam built up Shechem, on mount Ephraim, and he lived there. And departing from there, he built up Penuel.

26 And Jeroboam said in his heart: “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David,

27 if this people ascend to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem. And the heart of this people will be converted to their lord Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and they will put me to death, and return to him.”

28 And devising a plan, he made two golden calves. And he said to them: “No longer choose to ascend to Jerusalem. Behold, these are your gods, O Israel, who led you away from the land of Egypt!”

29 And he stationed one in Bethel, and the other in Dan.

30 And this word became an occasion of sin. For the people went to adore the calf, even to Dan.

31 And he made shrines on the high places, and he made priests out of the lowest people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

32 And he appointed a solemn day in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, in imitation of the solemnity that was celebrated in Judah. And ascending to the altar, he acted similarly in Bethel, so that he immolated to the calves, which he had made. And in Bethel, he appointed priests of the high places, which he had made.

33 And he ascended to the altar, which he had raised up in Bethel, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the day that he had decided in his own heart. And he made a solemnity to the sons of Israel, and he ascended to the altar, so that he might burn incense.

1 And behold, by the word of the Lord, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel, when Jeroboam was standing over the altar, and burning incense.

2 And by the word of the Lord, he cried out against the altar. And he said: “O altar, O altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son will be born to the house of David, Josiah by name. And upon you, he will immolate the priests of the high places, who now burn incense upon you. And upon you, he will burn up the bones of men.’ ”

3 And he gave a sign on the same day, saying: “This will be the sign that the Lord has spoken. Behold, the altar shall be torn apart, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.”

4 And when the king had heard the word of the man of God, which he had cried out against the altar at Bethel, he extended his hand from the altar, saying, “Apprehend him!” But his hand, which he had extended against him, withered. And he was unable to draw it back to himself.

5 Also, the altar was torn apart, and the ashes were poured out from the altar, in accord with the sign that the man of God had predicted by the word of the Lord.

6 And the king said to the man of God, “Entreat the face of the Lord your God, and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored to me.” And the man of God prayed before the face of the Lord, and the hand of the king was restored to him, and it became as it had been before.

7 Then the king said to the man of God: “Come home with me, so that you may dine. And I will give you gifts.”

8 And the man of God responded to the king: “Even if you will give me one half part of your house, I will not go with you, nor eat bread, nor drink water in this place.

9 For so it was commanded to me by the word of the Lord, ordering: ‘You shall not eat bread, and you shall not drink water, nor shall you return by the way that you came.’ ”

10 Then he departed by another way, and he did not return along the way that he had traveled to Bethel.

11 Now a certain elderly prophet was living in Bethel. His sons went to him, and they described to him all the works which the man of God had accomplished on that day in Bethel. And they described to their father the words that he had spoken to the king.

12 And their father said to them, “By which way did he depart?” His sons showed him the way by which the man of God, who had come from Judah, had departed.

13 And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And when they had saddled it, he climbed on,

14 and he went away after the man of God. And he found him sitting under a terebinth tree. And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he responded, “I am.”

15 And he said to him, “Come home with me, so that you may eat bread.”

16 But he said: “I am not able to turn back, nor to go with you. Neither will I eat bread, or drink water in this place.

17 For the Lord has spoken to me, by the word of the Lord, saying, “You shall not eat bread, and you shall not drink water in that place, nor shall you return by the way that you arrived.”

18 And he said to him: “I, too, am a prophet like you. And an Angel spoke to me, by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Lead him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread, and drink water.’ ” And so he deceived him.

19 And he led him back with him. Then he ate bread and drank water in his house.

20 And while they were sitting at table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had led him back.

21 And he cried out to the man of God who had arrived from Judah, saying: “Thus says the Lord: Because you were not obedient to the mouth of the Lord, and you did not keep the commandment that the Lord your God instructed to you,

22 and you turned back, and ate bread, and drank water in the place where he commanded you that you should not eat bread, nor drink water: your dead body shall not be carried back to the sepulcher of your fathers.”

23 And when he had eaten and had drunk, he saddled his donkey for the prophet whom he had led back.

24 And when he had departed, a lion found him along the way, and it killed him, and his dead body was left upon the road. Now the donkey was standing beside him. And the lion was standing beside the dead body.

25 And behold, men who were passing by saw the dead body lying in the road, with the lion standing beside the body. And they went and made it widely known in the city where that elderly prophet was living.

26 And when that prophet, who had led him back from the way, had heard it, he said: “It is the man of God, who was disobedient to the mouth of the Lord. And the Lord has delivered him to the lion. And it has torn him apart and killed him, in accord with the word of the Lord, which he spoke to him.”

27 And he said to his sons, “Saddle a donkey for me.” And when they had saddled it,

28 and he had departed, he found the dead body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside the dead body. The lion did not eat from the dead body, nor did it harm the donkey.

29 Then the prophet took the dead body of the man of God, and he placed it upon the donkey, and returning, he brought it into the city of the elderly prophet, so that he might mourn for him.

30 And he placed his dead body in his own sepulcher. And they mourned for him, saying: “Alas! Alas! My brother!”

31 And when they had mourned over him, he said to his sons: “When I will have died, bury me in the sepulcher in which the man of God was buried. Place my bones beside his bones.

32 For certainly, the word will arrived, which he predicted by the word of the Lord, against the altar, which is in Bethel, and against all the shrines of the high places, which are in the cities of Samaria.”

33 After these words, Jeroboam did not turn back from his very evil way. Instead, to the contrary, he made priests for the high places out of the least of the people. Whosoever was willing, he filled his hand, and he became a priest of the high places.

34 And for this reason, the house of Jeroboam sinned, and was uprooted, and was wiped from the face of the earth.

1 In that time Abijah, the son of Jeroboam, became ill.

2 And Jeroboam said to his wife: “Rise up, and change clothing, so that you will not be recognized to be the wife of Jeroboam. And go to Shiloh, where the prophet Ahijah is, who said to me that I should reign over this people.

3 Also, take in your hand ten loaves, and dried bread, and a container of honey, and go to him. For he will reveal to you what will happen to this boy.”

4 The wife of Jeroboam did just as he had said. And rising up, she went away to Shiloh. And she arrived at the house of Ahijah. But he was unable to see, because his eyes had dimmed due to old age.

5 Then the Lord said to Ahijah: “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam enters, so that she may consult you over her son, who is ill. You shall say one thing and another to her.” Therefore, as she was entering, not presenting herself to be who she was,

6 Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, entering through the door. And he said: “Enter, O wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be someone you are not? But I have been sent to you with harsh news.

7 Go, and tell Jeroboam: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Although I exalted you from the midst of the people, and I granted to you to be the leader over my people Israel,

8 and I tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and I gave it to you, yet you have not been like David, my servant, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with his whole heart, doing what was pleasing in my sight.

9 Instead, you have worked evil beyond all those who were before you. And you have made for yourself strange gods and molten images, so that you provoke me to anger. And you have cast me behind your back.

10 For this reason, behold, I will lead evils over the house of Jeroboam, and I will strike down from Jeroboam that which urinates against a wall, and that which is lame, and that which is last in Israel. And I will cleanse that which remains of the house of Jeroboam, just as dung is usually cleaned away, until there is purity.

11 Those who will have died of Jeroboam in the city, the dogs will devour them. And those who will have died in the field, the birds of the heavens will devour them. For the Lord has spoken.’

12 Therefore, you must rise up, and go to your house. And in the city, at the very entrance of your feet, the boy will die.

13 And all of Israel will mourn him, and will bury him. For he alone of Jeroboam shall be brought into a sepulcher. For concerning him, there has been found a good word from the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.

14 But the Lord has appointed for himself a king over Israel, who will strike down the house of Jeroboam, in this day and in this time.

15 And the Lord God shall strike Israel, just as a reed is usually shaken in the water. And he will uproot Israel from this good land, which he gave to their fathers. And he will winnow them beyond the river. For they have made for themselves sacred groves, so that they have provoked the Lord.

16 And the Lord will hand over Israel, because of the sins of Jeroboam, who has sinned and caused Israel to sin.”

17 And so, the wife of Jeroboam rose up, and she went away. And she arrived at Tirzah. And as she was entering the threshold of the house, the boy died.

18 And they buried him, and all of Israel mourned for him, in accord with the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Ahijah, the prophet.

19 Now the rest of the words of Jeroboam, the manner in which he fought, and the manner in which he reigned, behold, these were written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel.

20 And the days during which Jeroboam reigned were twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers. And Nadab, his son, reigned in his place.

21 Now Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he had begun to reign. And he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord chose, out of all the tribes of Israel, so that he might place his name there. And the name of his mother was Naamah, an Ammonite.

22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him beyond all that their fathers had done, by their sins that they committed.

23 For they, too, built for themselves altars, and statues, and sacred groves, upon every high hill and under every leafy tree.

24 Moreover, the effeminate were in the land, and they committed all the abominations of the peoples that the Lord had destroyed before the face of the sons of Israel.

25 Then, in the fifth year of the reign of Rehoboam, Shishak, the king of Egypt, ascended against Jerusalem.

26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the royal treasures, and he plundered everything, including the shields of gold that Solomon had made.

27 In place of these, king Rehoboam made shields of brass, and he delivered them into the hand of the commanders of the shield bearers, and of those who were keeping the night watch before the gate of the king’s house.

28 And when the king entered into the house of the Lord, these were carried by those who held the office to go before him. And afterward, they carried them back to the armory of the shield bearers.

29 Now the rest of the words of Rehoboam, and all that he did, behold, these were written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Judah.

30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam, during all the days.

31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and he was buried with them in the city of David. And his mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonite. And his son Abijam reigned in his place.

1 Then, in the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam reigned over Judah.

2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.

3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him. Neither was his heart perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David, his father.

4 But for the sake of David, the Lord his God gave to him a lamp in Jerusalem, so that he might raise up his son after him, and so that he might establish Jerusalem.

5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and he had not declined from all of the things that he had instructed to him, during all the days of his life, except the matter of Uriah, the Hittite.

6 Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam during the entire time of his life.

7 And the rest of the words of Abijam, and all that he did, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Judah? And there was fighting between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8 And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa, his son, reigned in his place.

9 Then, in the twentieth year of Jeroboam, the king of Israel, Asa reigned as king of Judah.

10 And he reigned for forty-one years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.

11 And Asa did what was right before the sight of the Lord, just as his father David did.

12 And he took away the effeminate from the land. And he purged all the filth of the idols, which his fathers had made.

13 Moreover, he also removed his mother, Maacah, from being the leader in the sacrifices of Priapus, and in his sacred grove which she had consecrated. And he destroyed his grotto. And he shattered the very indecent idol, and he burned it at the torrent Kidron.

14 But the high places, he did not take away. Yet truly, the heart of Asa was perfect with the Lord during all his days.

15 And he brought the things that his father had sanctified and vowed back to the house of the Lord: the silver, and the gold, and the vessels.

16 Now there was war between Asa and Baasha, the king of Israel, during all their days.

17 And Baasha, the king of Israel, ascended against Judah. And he built up Ramah, so that no one would be able to exit or enter from the side of Asa, the king of Judah.

18 And so, Asa took all the silver and the gold which had remained in the treasuries of the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the house of the king, and he gave it into the hands of his servants. And he sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Syria, who was living in Damascus, saying:

19 “There is a pact between me and you, and between my father and your father. For this reason, I have sent to you gifts of silver and of gold. And I ask you to go and break your pact with Baasha, the king of Israel, so that he may withdraw from me.”

20 Benhadad, acquiescing to king Asa, sent the leaders of his army against the cities of Israel. And they struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel, the house of Maacah, and all of Chinneroth, that is, all the land of Naphtali.

21 And when Baasha had heard this, he ceased from fortifying Ramah, and he returned to Tirzah.

22 Then king Asa sent an announcement to all of Judah, saying, “Let no one be excused.” And they took away the stones from Ramah, and its timber, with which Baasha had fortified it. And from these things, king Asa built up Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.

23 Now all the rest of the words of Asa, and his entire strength, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Judah? Yet truly, in the time of his old age, he was afflicted in his feet.

24 And he slept with his fathers, and he was buried with them in the city of David, his father. And Jehoshaphat, his son, reigned in his place.

25 Yet truly, Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, reigned over Israel, in the second year of Asa, the king of Judah. And he reigned over Israel for two years.

26 And he did what is evil in the sight of the Lord. And he walked in the ways of his father and in his sins, by which he caused Israel to sin.

27 Then Baasha, the son of Ahijah, from the house of Issachar, set an ambush against him, and he struck him down at Gibbethon, which is a city of the Philistines. For indeed, Nadab and all of Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.

28 And so Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa, the king of Judah, and he reigned in his place.

29 And when he had reigned, he struck down the entire house of Jeroboam. He did not leave behind even one soul from his offspring, until he had wiped him away, in accord with the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by the hand of Ahijah, the Shilonite,

30 because of the sin of Jeroboam, which he had committed, and by which he had caused Israel to sin, and because of the offense by which he had provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.

31 But the rest of the words of Nadab, and all that he did, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha, the king of Israel, during all their days.

33 In the third year of Asa, the king of Judah, Baasha, the son of Ahijah, reigned over all of Israel, at Tirzah, for twenty-four years.

34 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. And he walked in the ways of Jeroboam, and in his sins, by which he caused Israel to sin.

1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu, the son of Hanani, against Baasha, saying:

2 “Even though I exalted you from the dust, and I set you as ruler over my people Israel, still you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and you have caused my people Israel to sin, so that you have provoked me by their sins.

3 Behold, I will cut down the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house. And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.

4 Whoever will have died of Baasha in the city, the dogs will consume him. And whoever will have died of him in the countryside, the birds of the air will consume him.”

5 Now the rest of the words of Baasha, and whatever he did, and his battles, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

6 Then Baasha slept with his fathers, and he was buried at Tirzah. And Elah, his son, reigned in his place.

7 And when the word of the Lord had arrived by the hand of the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, against Baasha, and against his house, and against every evil that he had done before the Lord, so that he provoked him by the works of his hands, so that he became like the house of Jeroboam: for this reason, he killed him, that is, the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani.

8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa, the king of Judah, Elah, the son of Baasha, reigned over Israel, at Tirzah, for two years.

9 And his servant Zimri, the commander of one half part the horsemen, rebelled against him. Now Elah was drinking at Tirzah, and he became inebriated in the house of Arza, the prefect of Tirzah.

10 Then Zimri, rushing in, struck him and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa, the king of Judah. And he reigned in his place.

11 And when he had reigned and had sat upon his throne, he struck down the entire house of Baasha. And he did not leave behind of them anything that urinates against a wall, among both close relatives and his friends.

12 And so, Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha, in accord with the word of the Lord, which he had spoken to Baasha, by the hand the prophet of Jehu,

13 because of all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah, his son, who sinned and caused Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, with their vanities.

14 But the rest of the words of Elah, and all that he did, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa, the king of Judah, Zimri reigned for seven days in Tirzah. For the army was besieging Gibbethon, a city of the Philistines.

16 And when they had heard that Zimri had rebelled, and that he had killed the king, all of Israel made Omri as a king for themselves; he was the leader of the military over Israel in the encampment in that day.

17 Therefore, Omri ascended, and all of Israel with him, from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah.

18 Then Zimri, seeing that the city was about to be taken, entered the palace, and he set fire to himself along with the royal house. And he died

19 in his sins, which he had sinned, doing evil before the Lord, and walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin, by which he caused Israel to sin.

20 But the rest of the words of Zimri, and of his treachery and tyranny, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: one half part of the people followed Tibni, the son of Ginath, having appointed him as king, and one half part followed Omri.

22 But the people who were with Omri prevailed over the people who were following Tibni, the son of Ginath. And Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

23 In the thirty-first year of Asa, the king of Judah, Omri reigned over Israel for twelve years; he reigned for six years at Tirzah.

24 And he bought the mount of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. And he built upon it, and he called the name of the city that he had built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the mount.

25 But Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he wrought wickedness, beyond all who had been before him.

26 And he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and in his sins, by which he had caused Israel to sin, so that he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, by their vanities.

27 Now the rest of the words of Omri, and his battles that he carried out, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

28 And Omri slept with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria. And Ahab, his son, reigned in his place.

29 Truly, Ahab, the son of Omri, reigned over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa, the king of Judah. And Ahab, the son of Omri, reigned over Israel at Samaria for twenty-two years.

30 And Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord, beyond all who had been before him.

31 And it was not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. In addition, he took as a wife Jezebel, the daughter of Eth-baal, the king of the Sidonians. And he went astray, and he served Baal, and adored him.

32 And he set up an altar for Baal, in the temple of Baal, which he had built at Samaria.

33 And he planted a sacred grove. And Ahab added to his works, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, beyond all the kings of Israel who had been before him.

34 In his days, Hiel from Bethel built up Jericho. With Abiram, his firstborn, he founded it, and with Segub, his youngest son, he set up its gates, in accord with the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by the hand of Joshua, the son of Nun.

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, from the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord lives, the God of Israel, in whose sight I stand, there shall not be dew or rain during these years, except by the words of my mouth.”

2 And the word of the Lord came to him, saying:

3 “Withdraw from here, and go toward the east, and hide at the torrent Cherith, which is opposite the Jordan.

4 And there you shall drink from the torrent. And I have instructed the ravens to feed you there.”

5 Therefore, he went and acted in accord with the word of the Lord. And going away, he settled by the torrent Cherith, which is opposite the Jordan.

6 And the ravens carried bread and flesh to him in the morning, and likewise bread and flesh in the evening. And he drank from the torrent.

7 But after some days, the torrent dried up. For it had not rained upon the earth.

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying:

9 “Rise up, and go to Zarephath of the Sidonians, and dwell there. For I have instructed a widowed woman there to feed you.”

10 He rose up and went away to Zarephath. And when he had arrived at the gate of the city, he saw the widowed woman collecting wood, and he called to her. And he said to her, “Give me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.”

11 And as she was going to bring it, he called out after her, saying, “Bring me also, I beg you, a morsel of bread in your hand.”

12 And she responded: “As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, except a handful of flour in a jar, and a little oil in a bottle. See, I am collecting a couple of sticks, so that I may go in and make it for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”

13 And Elijah said to her: “Do not be afraid. But go and do as you have said. Yet truly, first make for me, from the same flour, a little bread baked under ashes, and bring it to me. Then afterward, make some for yourself and for your son.

14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘The jar of flour will not fail, nor the bottle of oil be diminished, until the day when the Lord will grant rain upon the face of the earth.’ ”

15 She went and acted in accord with the word of Elijah. And he ate, and she and her household ate. And from that day,

16 the jar of flour did not fail, and the bottle of oil was not diminished, in accord with the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by the hand of Elijah.

17 Now it happened that, after these things, the son of the woman who was the mother of the family became ill. And the sickness was very powerful, so that no breath remained in him.

18 Therefore, she said to Elijah: “What is there between you and me, O man of God? Have you entered to me, so that my iniquities would be remembered, and so that you would put to death my son?”

19 And Elijah said to her, “Give your son to me.” And he took him from her bosom, and he carried him to an upper room, where he himself was staying. And he placed him on his own bed.

20 And he cried out to the Lord, and he said, “O Lord, my God, have you even afflicted the widow by whom I am, in a sense, sustained, so that you would put to death her son?”

21 And he stretched himself out beside the boy three times. And he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord, my God, let the soul of this boy, I beg you, return to his body.”

22 And the Lord heeded the voice of Elijah. And the soul of the boy returned to him, and he revived.

23 And Elijah took the boy, and he brought him down from the upper room to the lower part of the house. And he gave him to his mother. And he said to her, “See, your son lives.”

24 And the woman said to Elijah: “By this, I now realize that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.”

1 After many days, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go and show yourself to Ahab, so that I may grant rain upon the face of the earth.”

2 Therefore, Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. For there was a severe famine in Samaria.

3 And Ahab called Obadiah, the manager of his household. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.

4 For when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord, he took one hundred prophets, and concealed them, fifty and fifty, in caves. And he fed them with bread and water.

5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go into the land, to all fountains of water, and to all the valleys, for perhaps we will be able to find plants, and save the horses and mules, so that the beasts of burden may not perish entirely.”

6 And they divided the regions among themselves, so that they might travel through them. Ahab went one way alone, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

7 And while Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him. And when he had recognized him, he fell on his face, and he said, “Are you not my lord Elijah?”

8 And he responded to him: “I am. Go and tell your lord that Elijah is here.”

9 And he said: “How have I sinned that you would deliver me, your servant, into the hand of Ahab, so that he would put me to death?

10 As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent, seeking you. And when all responded, ‘He is not here,’ he swore each kingdom and nation to an oath, because you were not found at all.

11 And now, you say to me, ‘Go and tell your lord that Elijah is here.’

12 And when I will have departed from you, the Spirit of the Lord will transport you to a place that I do not know. And entering, I will report to Ahab. And he, not finding you, will put me to death. Yet your servant has feared the Lord from his infancy.

13 Has it not been revealed to you, my lord, what I did when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord: how I hid one hundred men from the prophets of the Lord, fifty and fifty, in caves, and how I fed them with bread and water?

14 And now you say: ‘Go and tell your lord that Elijah is here,’ so that he may kill me!”

15 And Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whose face I stand, this day I will appear to him.”

16 Therefore, Obadiah went away to meet Ahab, and he reported to him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17 And when he had seen him, he said, “Are you the one who is disturbing Israel?”

18 And he said: “I have not troubled Israel. But it is you, and the house of your father, who have abandoned the commandments of the Lord, and have followed the Baals.

19 Yet truly now, send and gather to me all of Israel, on Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of the sacred groves, who eat from the table of Jezebel.”

20 Ahab sent to all the sons of Israel, and he gathered together the prophets on mount Carmel.

21 Then Elijah, drawing near to all the people, said: “How long will you waver between two sides? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal is, then follow him.” And the people did not respond a word to him.

22 And Elijah said again to the people: “I alone remain as a prophet of the Lord. But the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men.

23 Let two oxen be given to us. And let them choose one ox for themselves, and, cutting it into pieces, let them set it on the wood. But they may not place fire under it. And I will prepare the other ox, and set it on the wood. But I will not place fire under it.

24 Call upon the names of your gods. And I will call on the name of my Lord. And the God who will have heeded with fire, let him be God.” And in response, all the people said, “Excellent proposition.”

25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal: “Choose for yourselves one ox, and prepare it first. For you are many. And call on the names of your gods, but do not place fire under it.”

26 And when they had taken an ox, which he had given to them, they prepared it. And they called on the name of Baal, from morning even until midday, saying, “O Baal, heed us.” And there was no voice, nor did anyone respond. And so they leaped upon the altar that they had made.

27 And when it was now midday, Elijah ridiculed them, saying: “Cry out with a louder voice. For he is a god, and perhaps he is talking, or at an inn, or on a journey, or certainly he may be asleep, and must be awakened.”

28 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and they cut themselves, in accord with their ritual, with knives and lancets, until they were entirely covered in blood.

29 Then, after midday had passed, and they were prophesying, the time had arrived when the sacrifice is usually offered. And there was no voice heard, neither did anyone heed or respond to the praying.

30 Elijah said to all the people, “Draw near to me.” And as the people were drawing near to him, he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down.

31 And he took twelve stones, in accord with the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”

32 And he built from the stones an altar to the name of the Lord. And he made a trench for water, like two furrows of plowed land, all around the altar.

33 And he arranged the wood, and he cut the ox into pieces, and he placed it on the wood.

34 And he said, “Fill four containers with water, and pour it over the holocaust, and over the wood.” And again, he said, “Do this a second time.” And when they had done it a second time, he said, “Do it also a third time.” And they did so a third time.

35 And the water was running down around the altar, and the pit of the trench was filled with water.

36 And when it was now time for the holocaust to be offered, the prophet Elijah, drawing near, said: “O Lord, God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel, reveal this day that you are the God of Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have acted, in all these things, in accord with your precept.

37 Heed me, O Lord, heed me, so that this people may learn that you are the Lord God, and that you have converted their heart again.”

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell down and devoured the holocaust, and the wood, and the stones, and even the dust, and it absorbed the water that was in the trench.

39 And when all the people had seen it, they fell upon their face, and they said: “The Lord himself is God! The Lord himself is God!”

40 And Elijah said to them, “Apprehend the prophets of Baal, and do not let even one of them escape.” And when they had apprehended them, Elijah led them down to the torrent Kishon, and he put them to death there.

41 And Elijah said to Ahab “Ascend; eat and drink. For there is the sound of an abundance of rain.”

42 Ahab ascended, so that he might eat and drink. But Elijah ascended to the top of Carmel, and bending down to the ground, he placed his face between his knees.

43 And he said to his servant, “Ascend, and gaze out toward the sea.” And when he had ascended, and had contemplated, he said, “There is nothing.” And again, he said to him, “Return seven times.”

44 And at the seventh time, behold, a little cloud ascended from the sea like the footstep of a man. And he said: “Ascend, and say to Ahab, ‘Yoke your chariot, and descend; otherwise, the rain may prevent you.’ ”

45 And as he was turning himself this way and that, behold, the heavens were darkened, and there were clouds and wind, and a great rainstorm occurred. And so Ahab, going up, went away to Jezreel.

46 And the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah. And cinching his waist, he ran before Ahab, until he arrived at Jezreel.

1 Then Ahab reported to Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

2 And so Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods to these things, and may they add these other things, if by this hour tomorrow I will not have made your life like the life of one of them.”

3 Therefore, Elijah was afraid. And rising up, he went away to wherever his will would carry him. And he arrived in Beersheba of Judah. And he dismissed his servant there.

4 And he continued on, into the desert, for one day’s journey. And when he had arrived, and was sitting under a juniper tree, he requested for his soul that he might die. And he said: “It is enough for me, O Lord. Take my soul. For I am no better than my fathers.”

5 And he stretched himself out, and he slept deeply in the shadow of the juniper tree. And behold, an Angel of the Lord touched him, and said to him, “Rise up and eat.”

6 He looked, and behold, at his head was bread baked under ashes, and a container of water. Then he ate and drank, and again he slept deeply.

7 And the Angel of the Lord returned a second time, and touched him, and said to him: “Rise up, eat. For a great journey again stands before you.”

8 And he when he had risen up, he ate and drank. And he walked by the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights, as far as the mountain of God, Horeb.

9 And when he had arrived there, he stayed in a cave. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 And he responded: “I have been very zealous on behalf of the Lord, the God of hosts. For the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant. They have torn down your altars. They have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone remain. And they are seeking my life, so that they may take it away.”

11 And he said to him, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by. And there was a great and strong wind, tearing apart the mountains, and crushing the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, there was an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake.

12 And after the earthquake, there was a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the whisper of a gentle breeze.

13 And when Elijah had heard it, he covered his face with his cloak, and going out, he stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there was a voice to him, saying: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” And he responded:

14 “I have been very zealous on behalf of the Lord, the God of hosts. For the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant. They have torn down your altars. They have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone remain. And they are seeking my life, so that they may take it away.”

15 And the Lord said to him: “Go, and return on your way, through the desert, to Damascus. And when you have arrived there, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Syria.

16 And you shall anoint Jehu, the son of Nimshi, as king over Israel. But Elisha, the son of Shaphat, who is from Abelmeholah, you shall anoint to be a prophet in your place.

17 And this shall be: whoever will have escaped from the sword of Hazael, will be slain by Jehu. And whoever will have escaped from the sword of Jehu, will be put to death by Elisha.

18 And I will leave for myself seven thousand men in Israel, whose knees have not been bent before Baal, and every mouth that has not adored him, kissing hands.”

19 Therefore, Elijah, setting out from there, found Elisha, the son of Shaphat, plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. And he himself was one of those who were plowing with the twelve yoke of oxen. And when Elijah had gone to him, he cast his mantle over him.

20 And immediately, leaving behind the oxen, he ran after Elijah. And he said, “I beg you to let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him: “Go, and turn back. For what was mine to do, I have done concerning you.”

21 Then, turning back from him, he took a pair of oxen, and he slew them. And he cooked the flesh with the plow of the oxen. And he gave it to the people, and they ate. And rising up, he went and followed Elijah, and he ministered to him.