 Story number 15 of Hurlboot's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Hurlboot's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlboot Part 3. Absalom in the Wood. David on the Throne. Second Samuel 1724 to 2026. The land on the east of Jordan where David found a refuge was called Gilead, a word which means high because it is higher than the land opposite on the west of Jordan. There in the city of Mahaname the rulers and the people were friendly to David. They brought food of all kinds and drink for David and those who were with him, for they said the people are hungry and thirsty and very tired from their long journey through the wilderness. And at this place David's friends gathered from all the tribes of Israel until around him was an army. It was not so large as the army of Absalom but in it were more of the brave old warriors who had fought under David in other years. David divided the army into three parts and placed over the three parts Joab, his brother Abishai and Itai who had followed him so faithfully. David said to the chiefs of his army and his men I will go out with you into the battle but the man said to David no you must not go with us for if half of us should lose our lives no one will care but you are worth 10,000 of us and your life is too precious you must stay here in the city and be ready to help us if we need help. So the king stood by the gate of Mahaname while his men marched out by hundreds and by thousands and as they went past the king the men heard him say to the three chiefs Joab and Abishai and Itai for my sake deal gently with the young man Absalom. Even to the last David's loved the son who had done to him such a great wrong and David would have them spare his life. A great battle was fought on that day at a place called the wood of Ephraim though it was not in the tribe of Ephraim but of Gad on the east of the Jordan. Absalom's army was under the command of a man named Amasa who was a cousin of Joab for his mother Abigail and Joab's mother Jeruia were both sisters of David so both the armies were led by nephews of King David. Absalom himself went into the battle riding upon a mule as was the custom of kings. David's soldiers won a great victory and killed thousands of Absalom's men. The armies were scattered in the woods and many men were lost so that it was said that the woods swallowed up more men than the sword. When Absalom saw that his cause was hopeless he rode away hoping to escape but as he was riding under the branches of an oak tree his head with its great mass of long hair was caught in the boughs of the tree. He struggled to free himself but could not his mule ran away and Absalom was left hanging in the air by his head. One of David's soldiers saw him and said to Joab, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak. Why did you not kill him? asked Joab. If you had killed him I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a girdle. If you should offer me a thousand pieces of silver answered the soldier I would not touch the king's son for I heard the king charge all the generals and the men let no one harm the young man Absalom and if I had slain him you yourself would not have saved my life from the king's anger. I cannot stay to talk with you said Joab and with three darts in his hand he hastened to the place where Absalom was hanging. He thrust Absalom's heart through with the darts and after that his followers finding that Absalom was still living pierced his body until they were sure that he was dead. Then they took down his body and threw it into a deep hole in the forest and heaped a great pile of stones upon it. During his life Absalom had built for himself a monument in the valley of Kidron on the east of Jerusalem. There he had expected to be buried but though the monument stood long afterward and what's called Absalom's pillar yet Absalom's body lay not there but under a heap of stones in the wood of Ephraim. After the battle Ahimas the son of the priest Zadok came to Joab. Ahimas was one of the two young men who brought news from Jerusalem to David at the River Jordan as we read in the last story. He said to Joab, let me run to the king and take to him the news of the battle. But Joab knew that the message of Absalom's death would not be pleasing to King David and he said, some other time you shall bear news but not today because the king's son is dead. And Joab called the negro who was standing near and said to him, go and tell the king what you have seen. The negro bowed to Joab and ran but after a time Ahimas the son of Zadok again said to Joab, let me also run after the negro and take news. Why do you wish to go my son said Joab the news will not bring you any reward. Anyhow let me go said the young man and Joab gave him leave. Then Ahimas ran with all his might and by a better road over the plain though less direct than the road which the negro had taken over the mountains. Ahimas outran the negro and came first in sight to the watchmen who was standing on the wall while King David was waiting below in the little room between the outer and inner gates anxious for news of the battle but more anxious for his son Absalom. The watchmen on the wall called down to the king and said, I see a man running alone. And the king said, if he is alone he is bringing a message. He knew that if men were running away after a defeat in battle there would be a crowd together. Then the watchmen called again. I see another man running alone. And the king said he is also bringing some news. The watchmen spoke again. The first runner is coming near and he runs like Ahimas the son of Zadok. And David said he is a good man and he comes with good news. Ahimas came near and cried out as he ran. All is well. The first words which the king spoke were, is it well with the young man Absalom? Ahimas was too wise to bring to the king the word of Absalom's death. He left that to the other messenger and said, when Joab sent me there was a great noise over something that had taken place but I did not stop to learn what it was. A little later came the negro crying, news for my lord the king. This day the lord has given you victory over your enemies. And David said again, is it well with the young man Absalom? Then the negro who knew nothing of David's feelings answered. May all the enemies of my lord the king and all that try to do him harm be as that young man is. Then the king was deeply moved. His sorrow over Absalom made him forget the victory that had been won. Slowly he walked up the steps to the room in the tower over the gate and as he walked he said, oh my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom, I wish before God that I had died for you, oh Absalom, my son, my son. The word soon went forth that the king instead of rejoicing over the victory was weeping over his son. The soldiers came stealing back to the city, not his conquerors, but as if they had been defeated. Everyone felt sorry for the king who sat in the room over the gate with his face covered and crying out, oh Absalom, my son, my son, my son Absalom. But Joab saw that such great sorrow as the king showed was not good for his cause. He came to David and said to him, you have put to shame this day all those who have fought for you and saved your life. You have shown that you love those who hate you and that you hate those who love you. You have said by your actions that your princes and your servants who have been true to you are nothing to you and that if Absalom had lived and we had all died you would have been better pleased. Now rise up and act like a man and show regard for those who have fought for you. I swear to you in the name of the Lord that unless you do this not a man will stay on your side and that will be worse for you than all the harm that has ever come upon you in your life before this day. Then David rose up and washed away his tears and put on his robes and took his seat in the gate as a king. After this he came from Manaheim to the river Jordan and there all the people met him to bring him back to his throne in Jerusalem. Among the first to come was Shime, a man who had cursed David and thrown stones at him as he was flying from Absalom. He fell on his face and confessed his crime and begged for mercy. Abashai, Job's brother said, shall not Shime be put to death because he cursed the king? The Lord's anointed? But David said, not a man shall be put to death this day in Israel for today I am king once more over Israel. You shall not be slain, Shime, I pledge you the word of a king. And Zeba, the servant of Mephibo Sheth, was there with his sons and his fathers and Mephibo Sheth was there also to meet the king. And Mephibo Sheth had not dressed his lame feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes from the day when David had left Jerusalem until the day when he returned in peace. And David said to him, Mephibo Sheth, why did you not offer to go with me? My Lord, O king, said Mephibo Sheth, my servant deceived me. He said, you are lame and cannot go, but I will go in your name with the king and will help him. And he has done me wrong with the king. But what matters at all now that the king has come again? David said, you and Zeba may divide the land and the property. And Mephibo Sheth said, let him have it all now that the king has come in peace to his own house. The army of Absalom had melted away and was scattered throughout all Israel. David was still displeased with Joab, the chief of his army, because he had slain Absalom contrary to David's orders. He sent a message to Amassa, who had been the commander of Absalom's army, and who was, like Joab and Abishai, David's own nephew. He said to Amassa, you are of my own family, of my bone and my flesh, and you shall be the general in place of Joab. Joab and his brother were strong men not willing to submit to David's rule, and David thought that he would be safer on his throne if they did not hold so much power. Also, David thought that to make Amassa general would please not only those who had been friends to Absalom, but many more of the people for many feared and hated Joab. At the river Jordan, almost the whole tribe of Judah were gathered to bring the king back to Jerusalem. But this did not please the men of the other tribes. They said to the men of Judah, you act as though you were the only friends of the king in all the land. We too have some right to David. The men of Judah said, the king is of our own tribe and is one of us. We come to meet him because we love him. But the people of the other tribes were still offended, and many of them went to their homes in anger. The tribe of Ephraim, in the middle of the land, was very jealous of the tribe of Judah and unwilling to come again under David's rule. One man in Ephraim, Sheba, the son of Bitri, began a new rebellion against David, which for a time threatened again to overthrow David's power. Amassa, the new commander of the army, called out to his men to put down Sheba's rebellion. But he was slow in gathering his army, and Joab, the old general, went forth with a band of his own followers. Joab met Amassa, pretending to be his friend, and killed him, and then took the command. He shut up Sheba in a city far in the north, and finally caused him to be slain. So at last every enemy was put down, and David sat again in peace upon his throne. But Joab, whom David feared and hated because of many evil deeds that he had done, was, as before, the commander of the army, and in great power. Joab was faithful to David, and was a strong helper to David's throne. Without Joab's courage and skill in David's cause, David might have failed in some of his wars, and especially in the war against Absalom's followers. But Joab was cruel and wicked, and he was so strong that David could not control him. David felt that he was not fully the king while Joab lived, but few people knew how David felt toward Joab, and in appearance the throne of David was now as strong as it had ever been, and David's last years were years of peace and power. End of section 15, recording by Sean McGahey, ducktapeguy.net Story number 16 of Hurlbut's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Jesse Bell. Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut. Part 3. The Angel with the Drawn Sword on Mount Moriah. Second Samuel 24, 1-25. First Chronicles 21, 1-27. After the death of Absalom, David ruled in peace over Israel for many years. His kingdoms stretched from the river Euphrates to the border of Egypt, and from the great sea on the west to the great desert on the east. But again David did that which was very displeasing to God. He gave orders to Joab, who was the commander of his army, to send officers throughout all the tribes of Israel, and to count all the men who could go forth to battle. It may be that David's purpose was to gather a great army for some new war. Even Joab, the general, knew that it was not right to do this, and he said to David, May the Lord God make his people a hundred times as great as they are. But are they not all the servants of the Lord my King? Why does the King command this to be done? Surely it will bring sin upon the King and upon the people. But David was firm in his purpose, and Joab obeyed him, but not willingly. He sent men through all the twelve tribes to take the number of those in every city and town who were fit for war. They went throughout the land until they had written down the number of eight hundred thousand men in ten of the tribes, and nearly five hundred thousand men in the tribe of Judah who could be called out for war. The tribe of Levi was not counted because all its members were priests and Levites in the service of the Tabernacle, and Benjamin on the border of which stood the city of Jerusalem was not counted because the numbering was never finished. It was left unfinished because God was angry with David and with the people on account of this sin. David saw that he had done wickedly in ordering the count of the people. He prayed to the Lord and said, O Lord, I have sinned greatly in doing this. Now, O Lord, forgive this sin, for I have done very foolishly. Then the Lord sent to David a prophet, a man who heard God's voice and spoke as God's messenger. His name was Gad. Gad came to David and said to him, Thus saith the Lord, You have sinned in this thing, and now you and your land must suffer for your sin. I will give you the choice of three troubles to come upon the land. Shall I send seven years of famine in which there shall be no harvest? Or shall your enemies overcome you and win victories over you for three months? Or shall there be three days when pestilence shall fall upon the land, and the people shall die everywhere? And David said to the prophet Gad, This is a hard choice of evils to come upon the land. But let me fall into the hand of the Lord and not into the hands of men, for God's mercies are great and many. If we must suffer, let the three days of pestilence come upon the land. Then the Lord's angel of death passed through the land, and in three days seventy thousand men died. And when the angel of the Lord stretched out his hand over the city of Jerusalem, the Lord had pity upon the people, and the Lord said to him, It is enough. Now hold back your hand, and cause no more of the people to die. Then the Lord opened David's eyes, and he saw the angel standing on Mount Moriah, with a drawn sword in his hand held out toward the city. Then David prayed to the Lord, and he said, O Lord, I alone have sinned and have done this wickedness before thee. These people are like sheep, they have done nothing. Lord, let thy hand fall on me and not on these poor people. Then the Lord sent the prophet Gad to David, and Gad said to him, Go and build an altar to the Lord upon the place where the angel was standing. Then David and the men of his court went out from Mount Zion, where the city was standing, and walked up the side of Mount Moriah. They found the man who owned the rock on the top of the mountain, threshing wheat upon it with his son, for the smooth rock was used as a threshing floor, upon which oxen walked over the heads of grain, beating out the kernels with their feet. This man was not an Israelite, but a foreigner of the race that had lived on those mountains before the Israelites came. His name was Orana. When Orana saw David and his nobles coming toward him, he bowed down with his face toward the ground and said, For what purpose does my Lord the King come to his servant? I have come, said David, to buy your threshing floor and to build upon it an altar to the Lord, that I may pray to God to stop the plague which is destroying the people. And Orana said to David, Let my Lord the King take it freely as a gift, and with it these oxen for a burnt offering, and all the threshing tools and the yokes of the oxen, for the wood on the altar, all this, O King, Orana gives to the King. No, said King David, I cannot take it as a gift, but I will pay you the price for it, for I will not make an offering to the Lord my God of that which costs me nothing. So David gave to Orana the full price for the land and for the oxen and for the wood, and there on the rock he built an altar to the Lord God, and on it he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. The Lord heard David's prayer and took away the plague from the land, and on that rock afterwards stood the altar of the temple of the Lord on Mount Mariah. The rock is standing even to this day, and over it a building called the Dome of the Rock, those who visit the place can look upon the very spot where David built his altar and called upon the Lord. In the years of David's reign he laid up great treasure of gold and silver and brass and iron for the building of a house to the Lord on Mount Mariah. This house was to be called the temple, and it was to be made very beautiful, the most beautiful building, and the richest in all the land. David had greatly desired to build this house while he was the King of Israel, but God said to him, You have been a man of war and have fought many battles and shed much blood. My house shall be built by a man of peace. When you die your son Solomon shall reign, and he shall have peace, and shall build my house. So David made ready great store of precious things for the temple, also stone and cedar to be used in the building, and David said to Solomon his son, God has promised that there shall be rest and peace to the land while you are King, and the Lord will be with you, and you shall build a house where God shall live among his people. But David had other sons who were older than Solomon, and one of these sons, whose name was Adonija, formed a plan to make himself King. David was now very old, and he was no longer able to go out of his palace and to be seen among the people. Adonija gathered his friends, and among them were Joab, the general of the army, and Abathar, one of the two high priests. They met at a place outside the wall, and had a great feast, and were about to crown Adonija as King. One word came to David in the palace. David, though old and feeble, was still wise. He said, Let us make Solomon King at once, and thus put an end to the plans of these men. So at David's command they brought out the mule on which no one but the King was allowed to ride, and they placed Solomon upon it, with the King's guards, and the nobles, and the great men, they brought the young Solomon down to the valley of Gihon, south of the city. And Zedok the priest took from the tabernacle the horn filled with holy oil that was used for anointing or pouring oil on the head of the priests when they were set apart for their work. He poured oil from this horn on the head of Solomon, and then the priests blew the trumpets, and all the people cried aloud, God save King Solomon. All this time Adonija and Joab and their friends were not far away, almost in the same valley, feasting and making merry, intending to make Adonija King. They heard the sound of trumpets and the shouting of the people. Joab said, What is the cause of all this noise and uproar? A moment later Jonathan, the son of Abyathar, came running in. We read of him in Story 67 as one of the two young men who brought news from Jerusalem to David at the River Jordan. Jonathan said to the men who were feasting, Our Lord King David has made Solomon King, and he has just been anointed in Gihon, and all the princes and the heads of the army are with him, and the people are shouting, God save King Solomon. And David has sent from his bed a message to Solomon, saying, May the Lord make your name greater than my name has been. Blessed be the Lord, who has given me a son to sit this day on my throne. When Adonija and his friends heard this they were filled with fear. Every man went at once to his house except Adonija. He hastened to the altar of the Lord and knelt before it, and took hold of the horns that were on its corners in front. This was a holy place, and he hoped that there Solomon might have mercy on him. And Solomon said, If Adonija will do right and be true to me as the King of Israel, no harm shall come to him, but if he does wrong he shall die. Then Adonija came and bowed down before King Solomon and promised to obey him, and Solomon said, Go to your own house. Not long after this David sent for Solomon, and from his bed he gave his last advice to Solomon. And soon after that David died, an old man, having reigned in all forty years, seven years over the tribe of Judah at Hebron, and thirty-three years over all Israel and Jerusalem. He was buried in great honor on Mount Zion, and his tomb remained standing for many years. End of Story 17 Story number 18 of Hurlbut's Story of the Bible This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut. Part 3 The Wise Young King First Kings 3 verse 1 to 4 verse 34. Second Chronicles 1, 1 to 13. Solomon was a very young man, not more than twenty years old, when he became king, and bore the heavy care of a great land. For his kingdom was larger than the twelve tribes of Israel, from Dan to Bersheba. On the north he ruled over all Syria, from Mount Sherman, as far as the Great River Euphrates. On the east, Ammon and Moab were under his power, and in the south all the land of Edom, far down into the desert where the Israelites had wandered long before. He had no wars as David had before him, but at home and abroad his great realm was at peace as long as Solomon reigned. Soon after Solomon became king, he went to Gibeon, a few miles north of Jerusalem, where the altar of the Lord stood until the temple was built. At Gibeon Solomon made offerings and worshiped the Lord God of Israel. And that night the Lord God came to Solomon, and spoke to him. The Lord said, Ask of me whatever you choose, and I will give it to you. And Solomon said to the Lord, O Lord, Thou did show great kindness to my father David, and now Thou hast made me king in my father's place. I am only a child, O Lord, I know not how to rule this great people, which is like the dust of the earth in number. Give me, O Lord, I pray thee, wisdom and knowledge, that I may judge this people, and may know how to rule them a right. The Lord was pleased with Solomon's choice, and the Lord said to Solomon, Since you have not asked of me long life, nor great riches for yourself, nor victory over your enemies, nor great power, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge to judge this people, I have given you wisdom greater than that of any king before you, and greater than that of any king that shall come after you. And because you have asked this, I will give you not only wisdom, but also honor and riches, and if you will obey my words, as your father David obeyed, you shall have long life, and shall rule for many years. Then Solomon awoke and found that it was a dream, but it was a dream that had come true, for God gave to Solomon all that he had promised, wisdom and riches and honor and power and long life. Soon after this Solomon showed his wisdom. Two women came before him with two little babies, one dead, and the other living. Each of the two women claimed the living child as her own, and said that the dead child belonged to the other woman. One of them said, O my Lord, we two women were sleeping with our children in one bed, and this woman in her sleep lay upon her child, and it died. Then she placed her dead child beside me while I was sleeping, and took my child. In the morning I saw that it was not my child, but she says it is mine, and the living child is hers. Now O King, command this woman to give me my own child. Then the other woman said, that is not true, the dead baby is her own, and the living one is mine, which she is trying to take from me. The young King listened to both women. Then he said, bring me a sword. They brought a sword, and then Solomon said, take this sword, and cut the living child in two, and give half of it to each one. Then one of the women cried out, and said, O my Lord, do not kill my child, let the other woman have it, but let the child live. But the other woman said, no, cut the child in two, and divide it between us. Then Solomon said, give the living child to the woman who would not have its lane, for she is its mother. And all the people wondered at the wisdom of one so young, and they saw that God had gave him understanding. Solomon chose some of the great men who had helped his father David to stand beside his throne and do his will. Among those was a man named Benaiah, the son of Jehoida. He was one of those who had come to David while he was hiding from Saul, as we read in Story 70. At that time Benaiah, while still a young man, did a very bold deed. He found a lion in a deep pit, leaped into the pit, and killed the lion. For this act, Benaiah, became famous. For few people would dare to venture so near to a lion, with the weapons in use at that time. This brave man was old in Solomon's day, but he was still strong, and Solomon gave him a high place at the head of his guards. End of Story 18 Story number 19 of Hurlbut's Story of the Bible This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut Part 3 The House of God on Mount Moriah First Kings 5.1 to 9.9 Second Chronicles 3.1 to 7.22 The great work of Solomon's reign was the building of the House of God, which was called the Temple. This stood on Mount Moriah, on the east of Mount Zion, and it covered the whole mountain. King David had prepared for it by gathering great stores of gold and silver and stone and cedar wood. The walls were made of stone and the roof of cedar. For the building the cedar was brought from Mount Lebanon, where there were many large cedar trees. The trees were cut down and carried to tire on the sea coast. There they were made into rafts in the great sea, and were floated down to Joppa. At Joppa they were taken ashore and were carried up to Jerusalem. All this work was done by the men of tire at the command of their king, Herum, who was a friend of Solomon, as he had been a friend of King David. All the stones for the building of the Temple were hewn into shape and fitted together before they were brought to Mount Moriah. All the beams for the roof and the pillars of cedar were carved and made to join each other, so that as the walls arose no sound of hammer or chisel was heard. The great building rose up quietly. You remember the form of the Tabernacle which was built before Mount Sinai in the wilderness, with its court, its holy place, and its holy of holies—Sea Story 27. The Temple was copied after the Tabernacle, except that it was much larger, and was a house of stone and cedar instead of a tent. The Tabernacle had one court around it where the priests only could enter, but the Temple had two courts both open to the sky, with walls of stone around them, and on the walls double rows of cedar pillars and a roof above the pillars so that the people could walk around the court upon the walls protected from the sun. The court in front was for the people, for all the men of Israel could enter it, but no people of foreign race. This was called the Four Court. Beyond the Four Court was the court of the priests, where only the priests were allowed to walk. At the east gate of this court stood the great altar of burnt offerings, built of rough, unhewn stones, for no cut stones could be used in the altar. This altar stood on the rock which had been the threshing floor of Aruna where David saw the angel of the Lord standing—Seastory 69. Near the altar in the court of the priests stood a great tank for water, so large that it was called a sea. It was made of brass and stood on the backs of twelve oxen, also made of brass. From this the water was taken for washing the offerings. Within the court of the priests stood the Holy House or the Temple Building, made of marble and of cedar. Its front was a high tower, called the porch. In this were rooms for the high priest and his sons. Back of the porch was the Holy Place. This was a long room in which stood the table for the twelve loaves of bread and golden altar of incense. In the Holy Place of the Tabernacle stood the golden lampstand. We are not sure whether it was in the Temple, for either in place of the lampstand or perhaps in addition to it Solomon placed ten lamps of gold in the Holy Place. Between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was a great veil as in the Tabernacle, and in the Holy of Holies the priests placed the Ark of the Covenant. This, you remember, was a box or chest of gold in which were kept the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. This Ark of the Covenant was all that stood in the Holy of Holies, and into this room only the high priest came, and he only on one day in the year, the great day of atonement when the scapegoat was sent away. Sea Story 30 Outside of the Temple Building were rooms for the priests. They were built on the outer wall of the house, on the rear and on the two sides, but not in front, three stories high, and were entered from the outside only. In these rooms the priests lived while they were staying at the Temple to lead in the worship. Seven years were spent in building the Temple, but at last it was finished, and a great service was held when the house was set apart to the worship of the Lord. Many offerings were burned upon the great altar. The Ark was brought from Mount Zion and placed in the Holy of Holies, and King Solomon knelt upon a platform in front of the altar and offered a prayer to the Lord before all people who filled the courts of the Temple. One night after the Temple was finished the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream for the second time, and the Lord said to Solomon, I have heard the prayer which you have offered to me, and I have made this house holy, it shall be my house, and I will dwell there, and if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing my will, then your throne shall stand forever, but if you turn aside from following the Lord then I will leave this house, and will turn from it, and will let the enemies of Israel come and destroy this house that was built for me. And a Story 19 Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbid Part 3 The Last Days of Solomon's Rain 1 Kings 10.1-11.43 Under King Solomon the land of Israel arose to greatness as never before and never afterwards. All the countries around Israel and some that were far away sent their princes to visit Solomon, and every one who saw him wondered at his wisdom and his skill to answer hard questions. It was said that King Solomon was the wisest man in all the world. He wrote many of the wise sayings in the book of Proverbs and many more that have been lost. He wrote more than a thousand songs. He spoke of trees and of animals and of birds and of fishes. From many lands people came to see Solomon's splendor in living and to listen to his wise words. In a land more than a thousand miles from Jerusalem, on the south of Arabia, in the land of Sheba the queen heard of Solomon's wisdom. She left her home with a great company of her nobles riding on camels and bearing rich gifts, and she came to visit King Solomon. The queen of Sheba brought to Solomon many hard questions, and she told him all that was in her heart. Solomon answered all her questions and showed her all the glory of his palace and his throne and his servants and the richness of his table and the steps by which he went up from his palace to the house of the Lord. And when she had heard and seen all, she said, all that I heard in my own land of your wisdom and your greatness was true, but I did not believe it until I came and saw your kingdom, and not half was told me, for your wisdom and your splendor are far beyond what I had heard. Happy are those who are always before you to hear your wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God who has set thee on the throne of Israel. And the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon great treasures of gold and sweet-smelling spices and perfumes, and Solomon also made to her rich presence, then she went back to her own land. Solomon's great palace where he lived in state stood on the southern slope of Mount Moriah, a little lower than the temple. Its pillars of cedar were very many so that they stood like a forest, and on that account it was called the house of the forest of Lebanon. From this palace a wide staircase of stone led up to the temple, and Solomon and his princes walked up these stairs when they went to worship. But there was a dark side as well as a bright side to the reign of Solomon. His palaces and the walled cities that he built to protect his kingdom on all sides and the splendor of his court cost much money. To pay for these he laid heavy taxes upon his people, and from all the tribes he compelled many of the men to work on buildings, to become soldiers in his army, to labor in his fields, and to serve in his household. Before the close of Solomon's reign the cry of the people rose up against Solomon and his rule on account of the heavy burdens that he had laid upon the land. Solomon was very wise in affairs of the world, but he had no feeling for the poor of the land, nor did he love God with all his heart. He chose for his queen a daughter of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and he built for her a splendid palace. And he married many other women who were the daughters of kings. These women had worshipped idols in their own homes, and to please them Solomon built on the Mount of Olives a temple of idols in full view of the temple of the Lord. So images of Baal and the Asherah and of Chemosh, the idol of the Moabites, and of Malik, the idol of the Ammonites, stood on the hill in front of Jerusalem, and to these images King Solomon himself offered sacrifices. How great was the shame of the good men in Israel when they saw their kings surrounded by idol priests, and bowing down upon his face before images of stone. The Lord was very angry with Solomon for all this, and the Lord said to Solomon, since you have done these wicked things and have not kept your promise to serve me, and because you have turned aside from my commands, I will surely take away the kingdom of Israel from your son, and will give it to one of your servants. But for the sake of your father David, who loved me and obeyed my commands, I will not take away from your son all the kingdom, but I will leave to him and do his children after him one tribe. The servant of King Solomon, of whom the Lord spoke, was a young man of the tribe of Ephraim, named Jeroboam. He was a very able man, and in the building of one of Solomon's castles he had charge over all the work done by the men of his tribe. One day a prophet of the Lord, named Ahaja, met the young Jeroboam as he was going out of Jerusalem. Ahaja took off his own mantle, which was a new one, and tore it into twelve pieces. Ten of these pieces he gave to Jeroboam, saying to him, Take these ten pieces, for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel. I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon's son, and will give ten tribes to you. But Solomon's son shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for the sake of Jerusalem. You shall reign over ten of the tribes of Israel, and shall have all that you desire. And if you will do my will, saith the Lord, then I will be with you, and will give to your children and your children's children to rule long over this land. When King Solomon heard what the prophet Ahaja had said and done he tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled into Egypt and stayed there until the end of Solomon's reign. Solomon reigned in all forty years, as David had reigned before him. He died and was buried on Mount Zion, and Rehoboam his son became king in his place. Sometimes the reign of Solomon has been called the Golden Age of Israel, because it was a time of peace and of wide rule and of great riches. But it would be better to call it the Gilded Age, because under all the show and glitter of Solomon's reign there were many evil things, a king allowing and helping the worship of idols, a court filled with idol and useless nobles, and the poor of the land heavily burdened with taxes and labor. The Empire of Solomon was ready to fall in pieces, and the fall soon came. End of Story Number 20 End of Hurlbot's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbot, Part 3