Day 176 of 365

1 Kgs 10:1–29

1 When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions.

2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him of all that was in her heart.

3 Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hidden from the king which he did not tell her.

4 When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,

5 and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their clothing, and his cup bearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.

6 She said to the king, "It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts, and of your wisdom.

7 However I did not believe the words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it. Behold, the half was not told me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard.

8 Happy are your men, happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you, who hear your wisdom.

9 Blessed is the Lord your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore made he you king, to do justice and righteousness."

10 She gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones. There came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

11 The navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees and precious stones.

12 The king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, harps also and stringed instruments for the singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen, to this day.

13 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.

14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,

15 besides that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed people, and of the governors of the country.

16 King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one buckler.

17 He made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold.

19 There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.

20 Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps: there was nothing like it made in any kingdom.

21 All king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram: once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

24 All the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

25 They brought every man his tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and clothing, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

26 Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

27 The king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.

28 The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; and the king's merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price.

29 A chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty; and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, they brought them out by their means.

Acts 7:1–27

1 The high priest said, "Are these things so?"

2 He said, "Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

3 and said to him, 'Get out of your land, and from your relatives, and come into a land which I will show you.'

4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and lived in Haran. From there, when his father was dead, God moved him into this land, where you are now living.

5 He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when he still had no child.

6 God spoke in this way: that his seed would live as foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

7 'I will judge the nation to which they will be in bondage,' said God, 'and after that will they come out, and serve me in this place.'

8 He gave him the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

9 "The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt. God was with him,

10 and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

11 Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction. Our fathers found no food.

12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time.

13 On the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's race was revealed to Pharaoh.

14 Then Joseph sent, and summoned Jacob, his father, and all his relatives, seventy-five souls.

15 Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, himself and our fathers,

16 and they were brought back to Shechem, and placed in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor in Shechem.

17 "But as the time of the promise came close which God had made to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

18 until there arose a different king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

19 The same took advantage of our race, and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to throw out their babies, so that they would not stay alive.

20 At that time Moses was born, and was exceedingly handsome. He was nourished three months in his father's house.

21 When he was thrown out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and reared him as her own son.

22 Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was mighty in his words and works.

23 But when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.

24 Seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him who was oppressed, striking the Egyptian.

25 He supposed that his brothers understood that God, by his hand, was giving them deliverance; but they did not understand.

26 "The day following, he appeared to them as they fought, and urged them to be at peace again, saying, 'Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?'

27 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?

Eccl 9:4–10

4 For to him who is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.

7 Go your way-eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.

8 Let your garments be always white, and do not let your head lack oil.

9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity: for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going.