Day 220 of 365

2 Chr 9:1–10:19

9:1 When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bore spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him of all that was in her heart.

9:2 Solomon told her all her questions; and there was not anything hidden from Solomon which he did not tell her.

9:3 When the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,

9:4 and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their clothing, his cup bearers also, and their clothing, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.

9:5 She said to the king, "It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts, and of your wisdom.

9:6 However I did not believe their words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it; and behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me: you exceed the fame that I heard.

9:7 Happy are your men, and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you, and hear your wisdom.

9:8 Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, to set you on his throne, to be king for the Lord your God: because your God loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore made he you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."

9:9 She gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

9:10 The servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.

9:11 The king made of the algum trees terraces for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, and harps and stringed instruments for the singers: and there were none like these seen before in the land of Judah.

9:12 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides that which she had brought to the king. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.

9:13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

9:14 besides that which the traders and merchants brought: and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

9:15 King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one buckler.

9:16 He made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

9:17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.

9:18 And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.

9:19 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.

9:20 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: silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

9:21 For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

9:22 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

9:23 All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

9:24 They brought every man his tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and clothing, armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

9:25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he stationed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

9:26 He ruled over all the kings from the River even to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.

9:27 The king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars to be as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.

9:28 They brought horses for Solomon out of Egypt, and out of all lands.

9:29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, aren't they written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

9:30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

9:31 Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

10:1 Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

10:2 It happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of king Solomon), that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.

10:3 They sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

10:4 "Your father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make you the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you."

10:5 He said to them, "Come again to me after three days." The people departed.

10:6 King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, "What counsel do you give me to return answer to this people?"

10:7 They spoke to him, saying, "If you are kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever."

10:8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

10:9 He said to them, "What counsel do you give, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, 'Make the yoke that your father put on us lighter?'"

10:10 The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall tell the people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter on us;' thus you shall say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.

10:11 Now whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.'"

10:12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king asked, saying, "Come to me again the third day."

10:13 The king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men,

10:14 and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions."

10:15 So the king did not listen to the people; for it was brought about of God, that the Lord might establish his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

10:16 When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "What portion have we in David? Neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse! Every man to your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David." So all Israel departed to their tents.

10:17 But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

10:18 Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and the children of Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam made speed to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

10:19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day.

Jas 5:1–20

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you.

2 Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten.

3 Your gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be for a testimony against you, and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up your treasure in the last days.

4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.

5 You have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure. You have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter.

6 You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous one. He does not resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain.

8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

9 Do not grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you won't be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door.

10 Take, brothers, for an example of suffering and of patience, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

11 Behold, we call them blessed who endured. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the Lord in the outcome, and how the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

12 But above all things, my brothers, do not swear, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath; but let your "yes" be "yes," and your "no," "no;" so that you do not fall under judgment.

13 Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.

14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,

15 and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.

19 My brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.

Ps 94:1–23

1 Lord, you God to whom vengeance belongs, you God to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth.

2 Rise up, you judge of the earth. Pay back the proud what they deserve.

3 Lord, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?

4 They pour out arrogant words. All the evildoers boast.

5 They break your people in pieces, Lord, and afflict your heritage.

6 They kill the widow and the alien, and murder the fatherless.

7 They say, "Yah will not see, neither will Jacob's God consider."

8 Consider, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you be wise?

9 He who implanted the ear, won't he hear? He who formed the eye, won't he see?

10 He who disciplines the nations, won't he punish? He who teaches man knows.

11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.

12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, Yah, and teach out of your Law;

13 that you may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.

14 For the Lord won't reject his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

15 For judgment will return to righteousness. All the upright in heart shall follow it.

16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand up for me against the evildoers?

17 Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in silence.

18 When I said, "My foot is slipping!" Your loving kindness, Lord, held me up.

19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me, your comforts delight my soul.

20 Shall the throne of wickedness have fellowship with you, which brings about mischief by statute?

21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

22 But the Lord has been my high tower, my God, the rock of my refuge.

23 He has brought on them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own wickedness. The Lord, our God, will cut them off.