WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:03.140 Ethan: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience. 00:00:03.267 --> 00:00:04.697 Day 200 and 17. 00:00:05.163 --> 00:00:10.173 It took Solomon 20 years to build the Lord's temple and his own royal palace. 00:00:11.073 --> 00:00:14.583 At the end of that time, he gave 20 towns in the land of 00:00:14.583 --> 00:00:16.743 Galilee to King Hiram of Tyre. 00:00:17.463 --> 00:00:21.363 Hiram had previously provided all the cedar and cypress, timber and 00:00:21.363 --> 00:00:26.553 gold that Solomon had requested, but when Hiram came from tire to 00:00:26.553 --> 00:00:28.773 see the town, Solomon had given him. 00:00:29.118 --> 00:00:30.948 He was not at all pleased with them. 00:00:32.118 --> 00:00:34.128 What kind of towns are these? 00:00:34.128 --> 00:00:35.598 My brother, he asked. 00:00:36.438 --> 00:00:40.758 So Hiram called that area cable, which means worthless 00:00:41.088 --> 00:00:42.648 as it is still known today. 00:00:43.878 --> 00:00:47.658 Nevertheless, Hiram paid Solomon 9,000 pounds of gold. 00:00:48.978 --> 00:00:53.118 This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon conscripted 00:00:53.118 --> 00:00:57.738 to build the Lord's temple, the royal Palace, the supporting terraces. 00:00:58.158 --> 00:01:03.078 The wall of Jerusalem and the cities of Hazo, Megiddo, and geezer. 00:01:04.278 --> 00:01:08.958 Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had attacked and captured geezer killing the 00:01:08.958 --> 00:01:11.328 Canaanite population and burning it down. 00:01:11.928 --> 00:01:15.768 He gave the city to his daughter as a wedding gift when she married Solomon. 00:01:16.638 --> 00:01:18.978 So Solomon rebuilt the city of Geezer. 00:01:20.568 --> 00:01:25.428 He also built up the towns of Lower Beth Horon, Bela, and Tamar 00:01:25.428 --> 00:01:27.138 in the wilderness within his land. 00:01:28.098 --> 00:01:32.658 He built towns as supply centers and constructed towns where his chariots 00:01:32.658 --> 00:01:34.188 and horses could be stationed. 00:01:35.268 --> 00:01:40.128 He built everything he desired in Jerusalem and Lebanon, and throughout 00:01:40.133 --> 00:01:45.228 his entire realm, there were still some people living in the land who were 00:01:45.228 --> 00:01:53.028 not Israelites, including Amorites, Hittites, Percys hives, and Debu sites. 00:01:53.658 --> 00:01:56.868 These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel 00:01:56.868 --> 00:01:58.698 had not completely destroyed. 00:01:59.688 --> 00:02:05.598 So Solomon conscripted them as slaves and they serve as forced laborers to this day. 00:02:06.258 --> 00:02:10.398 But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for forced labor. 00:02:10.968 --> 00:02:14.868 Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, government 00:02:14.868 --> 00:02:19.008 officials, officers, and captains in his army, commanders of 00:02:19.008 --> 00:02:21.198 his chariots and charioteers. 00:02:21.993 --> 00:02:26.283 Solomon appointed 550 of them to supervise the people working 00:02:26.283 --> 00:02:27.873 on his various projects. 00:02:29.043 --> 00:02:33.603 Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh's daughter from the city of David to 00:02:33.603 --> 00:02:35.463 the new palace he had built for her. 00:02:36.393 --> 00:02:41.103 Then he constructed the supporting terraces three times each year. 00:02:41.163 --> 00:02:44.553 Solomon presented burnt offerings and peace offerings on the 00:02:44.553 --> 00:02:46.383 altar he had built for the Lord. 00:02:47.583 --> 00:02:49.623 He also burned incense to the Lord. 00:02:50.313 --> 00:02:53.313 And so he finished the work of building the temple. 00:02:54.033 --> 00:02:58.743 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at EA Easy and giber a port 00:02:58.743 --> 00:03:04.203 near El Lath in the land of Edam along the shore of the Red Sea, Hiram 00:03:04.203 --> 00:03:08.283 sent experienced crews of sailors to sail the ships with Solomon's men. 00:03:09.033 --> 00:03:14.193 They sailed to ER and brought back to Solomon some 16 tons of gold. 00:03:15.678 --> 00:03:19.518 When the Queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, which brought honor 00:03:19.518 --> 00:03:23.388 to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 00:03:24.078 --> 00:03:28.398 She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of attendants and a great caravan 00:03:28.398 --> 00:03:33.828 of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold and precious jewels. 00:03:34.518 --> 00:03:38.988 When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. 00:03:39.738 --> 00:03:42.168 Solomon had answers for all her questions. 00:03:42.723 --> 00:03:45.543 Nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 00:03:46.683 --> 00:03:52.083 When the Queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was and when she saw the 00:03:52.083 --> 00:03:55.083 palace he had built, she was overwhelmed. 00:03:55.833 --> 00:04:00.063 She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his 00:04:00.063 --> 00:04:04.923 officials and their splendid clothing, the cup bearers and the burnt offerings 00:04:04.923 --> 00:04:09.633 Solomon made at the temple of the Lord, she exclaimed to the king. 00:04:10.668 --> 00:04:15.528 Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true. 00:04:16.368 --> 00:04:20.748 I didn't believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. 00:04:21.468 --> 00:04:23.868 In fact, I had not heard the half of it. 00:04:24.798 --> 00:04:28.578 Your wisdom and prosperity are far beyond what I was told, 00:04:29.238 --> 00:04:31.188 how happy your people must be. 00:04:31.908 --> 00:04:35.118 What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after 00:04:35.118 --> 00:04:37.248 day, listening to your wisdom. 00:04:38.208 --> 00:04:42.768 Praise the Lord your God who delights in you and has placed you on the 00:04:42.768 --> 00:04:47.448 throne of Israel because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel. 00:04:48.198 --> 00:04:52.548 He has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness. 00:04:53.448 --> 00:04:58.788 Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds of gold, great quantities 00:04:58.788 --> 00:05:00.858 of spices and precious jewels. 00:05:01.923 --> 00:05:05.613 Never again were so many spices brought in as those the Queen 00:05:05.613 --> 00:05:07.383 of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 00:05:08.733 --> 00:05:14.673 In addition, rim's ships brought gold from OER and they also brought rich cargoes 00:05:14.673 --> 00:05:17.103 of red sandalwood and precious jewels. 00:05:17.323 --> 00:05:21.453 The the king used the sandalwood to make railings for the temple of the Lord 00:05:21.723 --> 00:05:26.493 and the royal palace, and to construct liars and harps for the musicians. 00:05:27.408 --> 00:05:31.278 Never before or since has there been such a supply of sandalwood? 00:05:32.358 --> 00:05:36.858 King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba, whatever she asked for, besides all the 00:05:36.858 --> 00:05:42.138 customary gifts he had so generously given then she and all her attendance 00:05:42.138 --> 00:05:45.438 returned to their own land each year. 00:05:45.438 --> 00:05:48.528 Solomon received about 25 tons of gold. 00:05:49.278 --> 00:05:52.128 This did not include the additional revenue he received 00:05:52.128 --> 00:05:53.688 from merchants and traders. 00:05:54.153 --> 00:05:59.403 All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land, king Solomon 00:05:59.403 --> 00:06:04.893 made 200 large shields of hammered gold each weighing more than 15 pounds. 00:06:05.763 --> 00:06:09.783 He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each 00:06:09.783 --> 00:06:11.373 weighing near four pounds. 00:06:12.303 --> 00:06:16.233 The king placed these shields in the palace of the forest of Lebanon. 00:06:17.283 --> 00:06:22.833 Then the king made a huge throne decorated with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 00:06:23.688 --> 00:06:26.388 The throne had six steps and a rounded back. 00:06:27.168 --> 00:06:31.278 There were armrests on both sides of the seat and the figure of a lion 00:06:31.278 --> 00:06:33.048 stood on each side of the throne. 00:06:33.948 --> 00:06:38.808 There were also 12 other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. 00:06:39.468 --> 00:06:42.948 No other throne in all the world could be compared with it. 00:06:44.118 --> 00:06:49.548 All of King Solomon's drinking cups were solid gold as were all the utensils in 00:06:49.548 --> 00:06:51.318 the palace of the forest of Lebanon. 00:06:52.218 --> 00:06:56.058 They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless. 00:06:56.058 --> 00:07:01.038 In Solomon's day, the king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish 00:07:01.368 --> 00:07:03.048 that sailed with rim's fleet. 00:07:03.858 --> 00:07:07.908 Once every three years, the ships returned loaded with gold, 00:07:08.178 --> 00:07:11.328 silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 00:07:12.408 --> 00:07:16.998 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 00:07:18.153 --> 00:07:21.813 People from every nation came to consult him and to hear 00:07:21.813 --> 00:07:23.583 the wisdom God had given him. 00:07:24.723 --> 00:07:28.533 Year after year, everyone who visited brought him gifts 00:07:28.533 --> 00:07:34.383 of silver and gold clothing, weapons, spices, horses and mules. 00:07:35.403 --> 00:07:38.673 Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses. 00:07:39.393 --> 00:07:43.803 He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. 00:07:44.688 --> 00:07:49.428 He stationed some of them in the chariot cities and some near him in Jerusalem. 00:07:50.478 --> 00:07:56.208 The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone and valuable cedar 00:07:56.208 --> 00:08:01.218 timber was as common as the sycamore fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah. 00:08:02.148 --> 00:08:06.078 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Sia. 00:08:06.888 --> 00:08:10.548 The King's traders acquired them from Sia at the standard price. 00:08:11.553 --> 00:08:16.383 At that time, chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver 00:08:17.343 --> 00:08:20.373 and horses for 150 pieces of silver. 00:08:21.393 --> 00:08:25.353 They were then exported to the kings of the Hittites and the Kings of Aram. 00:08:27.363 --> 00:08:30.183 This concludes today's immerse reading experience. 00:08:30.333 --> 00:08:31.353 Thank you for joining us.