Editing Books of Kings (section)

===1 Kings===

====The Davidic succession (1:1–2:46)====
[[David]] is by now old, and so his attendants look for a virgin to look after him. They find [[Abishag]], who looks after him but they do not have sexual relations. [[Adonijah]], David's fourth son, born after [[Absalom]], decides to claim the throne. With the support of [[Joab]], David's general, and [[Abiathar]], the priest, he begins a coronation procession. He begins the festivities by offering sacrifices at [[Ein Rogel|En Rogel]] in the presence of his brothers and the royal officials, but does not invite [[Nathan (prophet)|Nathan the prophet]]; [[Benaiah#Benaiah, son of Jehoiada|Benanaiah]], captain of the king's bodyguard, or the bodyguard itself; or even his own brother [[Solomon]].

Nathan comes to [[Bathsheba]], Solomon's mother, and informs her what is going on. She goes to David and reminds him that he said Solomon would be his successor. As she is speaking to him, Nathan enters and explains the full situation to David. David reaffirms his promise that Solomon will be king after him and arranges for him to be anointed at the [[Gihon Spring]]. The anointing is performed by [[Zadok]] the priest. Following this, the population of Jerusalem proclaims Solomon king. This is heard by Adonijah and his fellow feasters, but they do not know what is happening until Abiathar's son Jonathan arrives and informs them. With Solomon officially enthroned, Adonijah fears for his life and claims [[sanctuary]]; Solomon decides to spare him unless he does something evil.

David advises his son on how to be a good king and to punish David's enemies, and then dies. Adonijah comes to Bathsheba and asks to marry Abishag. Solomon suspects this request is to strengthen Adonijah's claim to the throne and has Benaiah put him to death. He then takes away Abiathar's priesthood as punishment for supporting Adonijah, thus fulfilling the prophecy made to [[Eli (biblical figure)|Eli]] at the start of [[Books of Samuel#1 Samuel|1 Samuel]].

Joab hears what is going on and himself claims sanctuary, but when he refuses to come out of the tabernacle, Solomon instructs Benaiah to kill him there. He then replaces Joab with Benaiah and Abiathar with Zadok. Solomon then instructs [[Shimei ben Gera]], the [[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjaminite]] who cursed David as he was fleeing from Absalom, to move to Jerusalem and not to leave. One day, two of Shimei's slaves run away to [[Gath (city)|Gath]] and Shimei pursues them. When he returns to Jerusalem, Solomon has him put to death for leaving Jerusalem.

====Solomon in all his glory (3:1–11:43)====
=====Solomon the sage (3:1–4:34)=====
Solomon makes an alliance with [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] and marries the [[Pharaoh's daughter (wife of Solomon)|Pharaoh's daughter]]. After this, he continues the ancient practice of travelling between the [[high place]]s and offering sacrifices. When he is at [[Gibeon (ancient city)|Gibeon]], God speaks to him in a dream and offers him anything he asks for. Solomon, being young, asks for "an understanding heart to judge" (שָׁפַט).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8199.htm |website=Strong's Hebrew Concordance |title=8199. shaphat |quote=Judges people 1 Kings 3:9 (twice in verse)}}</ref><ref>Rendered "govern" in the [[New Revised Standard Version]] {{cite book |last=Auld |first= A. Graeme |title=I & II Kings |date=1986 |publisher=The Saint Andrew Press |location=Edinburgh, Scotland |page=23 |quote=The hardest terms to translate in the whole passage are the related Hebrew verb and noun rendered "govern" (1 Kings 3:9) and right (v. 11) The Hebrew word ''shaphat'' has overtones of both ruling and judging.}}</ref> God is pleased and grants him not only "a wise...heart" ([[Hakham|חכם]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2450.htm |website=Strong's Hebrew Concordance |title=2450. chakam}}</ref> but also wealth, honor, and longevity, on the condition that Solomon is righteous like his father David. Solomon returns to Jerusalem and holds a feast for his servants in front of the [[Ark of the Covenant]].

After the [[Judgement of Solomon|Judgment of Solomon]] amazes the Israelites, he appoints a cabinet and reorganizes the governance of Israel at a local level. The nation of Israel prospers and Solomon's provisions increase.

=====Solomon the builder (5:1–9:25)=====
Over a period of seven years, Solomon works to fulfill David's vow of building [[Temple of Solomon|a temple to God]] with wood provided by the king of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]], [[Hiram I]], an old friend of David's. He also builds himself a palace, which takes him thirteen years. Once the Temple is finished, Solomon hires a Tyrian half-[[Tribe of Naphtali|Naphtalite]] named [[Hiram Abiff|Huram]] to create the furnishings.

When finished, the things which David prepared for the Temple are brought in, and Solomon organizes a ceremony during which the priests carry the [[Ark of the Covenant]] into the Temple. A cloud fills the Temple, preventing the priests from continuing the ceremony. Solomon explains that this is the presence of God, and takes the opportunity to make a [[Prayer of Solomon|dedication speech]]. The dedication is completed with sacrifices, and a celebration is held for fourteen days. God speaks to Solomon and accepts his prayer, re-affirming his vow to David that his House will be kings forever unless they begin worshipping idols.

Solomon gives twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram as thanks for his help, but they are virtually worthless. He begins building and improvement works in various cities in addition to his major projects in Jerusalem and puts the remaining [[Canaan]]ites into slavery.

=====Solomon the trader (9:26–10:29)=====
Solomon builds a navy.

The [[Queen of Sheba]] hears of Solomon's wisdom and travels to Jerusalem to meet him. Upon arriving, she praises him, saying she did not fully believe the stories about Solomon until she came to see him. The Queen gives Solomon 120 talents and a large amount of spices and precious stones, prompting Hiram to send a large amount of valuable wood and precious stones in response. Solomon also gives the Queen gifts and she returns to her country. Solomon by now has 666 talents of gold, and decides to forge shields and cups. He also maintains trading relations with Hiram, from whose country he receives many exotic goods. Overall, Israel becomes a net exporter of golden goods.

=====His decline (11:1–43)=====
Solomon amasses 700 wives and 300 concubines, many from foreign countries, including from countries God told the Israelites not to intermarry with. Solomon begins to adopt elements from their religions, and builds shrines in Jerusalem to foreign deities. God informs Solomon that because he has broken his commandments, the entire kingdom except one tribe will be taken away from his son.

At the same time, Solomon begins to amass enemies. A young prince named [[Hadad the Edomite|Hadad]] who managed to escape Joab's attempted genocide of the Edomites, hears Joab and David are dead, and returns to [[Edom]] to lead his people. Meanwhile, to the north, the Syrian king [[Rezon the Syrian|Rezon]], whose [[Zobah]]ite army was defeated by David, allies himself with Hadad and causes havoc for Israel from his base in [[Damascus]].

On the home front, [[Jeroboam]], who supervised the building of Solomon's palace terraces and the reconstruction of the city walls, encounters the prophet [[Ahijah the Shilonite]] on the road out of Jerusalem. Ahijah tears his cloak into twelve parts and gives ten of them to Jeroboam, saying that Jeroboam will rule over ten tribes of Israel upon Solomon's death as punishment for Solomon's idol worship. In response, Solomon tries to kill Jeroboam, but he flees to Egypt. Solomon dies after having reigned for forty years and is succeeded by his son [[Rehoboam]].

====The political and religious schism (12:1–13:34)====
Rehoboam travels to [[Shechem]] to be proclaimed king. Upon hearing this, Jeroboam returns from Egypt and joins Rehoboam's older advisors in asking for the people to be treated better than under Solomon. Instead, Rehoboam turns to his friends for advice, and proclaims that he will treat the people worse. This greatly displeases the Israelites. When he sends a new minister of forced labour named [[Adoniram]], they stone him to death. Rehoboam returns to safety in Jerusalem. The Israelites proclaim Jeroboam king. [[Tribe of Judah|Judah]] remains loyal to Rehoboam, and he also controls Benjamin. From these two tribes, Rehoboam amasses an army to attack the north, but the prophet [[Shemaiah (prophet)|Shemaiah]] prevents the war.

Back in Shechem, Jeroboam becomes worried about the possible return of his tribes to loyalty to the House of David, and decides the best way to prevent this is to stop them worshipping the  [[Yahweh|God of Israel]], since he considers the point at which they are most likely to defect to be when they travel to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. To this end, he sets up golden calves at altars at [[Bethel]] and [[Dan (ancient city)|Dan]] and appoints his own priests and festivals. One day, a prophet comes by and announces that some day a Davidic king named [[Josiah]] will be born and violently abolish Jeroboam's religion. Seeking to seize him, Jeroboam stretches out his hand, but it becomes withered and, as a sign, the altar splits open and its ashes pour out. Despite all this, Jeroboam does not change his ways. Later, the prophet is tested by a false prophet from Samaria and fails, dying in a lion attack as punishment. The Samarian prophet mourns his demise and requests to be buried next to him upon his own death.

====The two kingdoms until Elijah (14:1–16:34)====
Jeroboam's son Abijah becomes ill, so Jeroboam tells his wife to go in disguise to Ahijah, who has become blind with age. God tells Ahijah of the arrival of Jeroboam's wife. Ahijah prophesies the end of the [[House of Jeroboam]], beginning with the death of Abijah, who will be the only member of the royal house to be buried. He prophesies that a usurper king will arise who will accomplish this. Jeroboam dies, and is succeeded by his son [[Nadab of Israel|Nadab]].

Meanwhile, in the [[Kingdom of Judah]], the people set up high places, sacred stones and [[Asherah poles]] to foreign gods, and even allow male [[sacred prostitution|temple prostitution]]. The pharaoh [[Shishak]] sacks Jerusalem and takes all the royal and Temple treasures, including Solomon's gold shields, prompting Rehoboam to make bronze ones to replace them. Rehoboam dies and is succeeded by his son [[Abijah of Judah|Abijah]], a grandson of [[Absalom]]. Abijah is as bad as his father, but God continues to protect him and his family because of the promise He made to David. When Abijah dies, he is succeeded by his son [[Asa of Judah|Asa]].

Asa, in contrast to his father and grandfather, is a good king, on par with David. He abolishes male temple prostitution and destroys idols, and even deposed his grandmother as [[Queen mother]] due to idolatry. He moves a collection of gold and silver objects back into the Temple. However, when  he goes to war against [[Baasha of Israel]], he gives the royal and Temple gold and silver to [[Ben-Hadad I|Ben-Hadad]], king of [[Aram-Damascus|Aram]], to get him to break a treaty with Israel and attack with him. Ben-Hadad is surprisingly successful, and Baasha must withdraw from [[Ramah in Benjamin|Ramah]], leading Asa to issue a decree that Ramah's fortifications be taken down and used to build [[Geba (city)|Geba]] and [[Mizpah in Benjamin|Mizpah]]. Asa dies an old man and is succeeded by his son [[Jehoshaphat]].

Back in [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Israel]], Nadab is on the throne. Like his father, he is evil. Baasha, son of an [[Tribe of Issachar|Issacharite]] named Ahijah, plots to kill him and succeeds in a sneak attack, taking him by surprise during the Siege of [[Gibbethon]], a [[Philistines|Philistine]] city. He then proceeds to kill Jeroboam's whole family, fulfilling the prophecy of Ahijah the prophet. However, Baasha commits the same sins as Jeroboam. God therefore informs the prophet [[Jehu (prophet)|Jehu]] that he will also end the [[House of Baasha]]. Baasha dies and is succeeded by his son [[Elah (king)|Elah]], who soon falls victim to a plot led by his charioteer [[Zimri (king)|Zimri]]. Zimri becomes king after Elah's killing, and fulfills the prophecy of Jehu; however, Zimri's army now proclaims its commander [[Omri]] as king and returns to [[Tirzah (ancient city)|Tirzah]] to lay siege to it. Seeing he is losing, Zimri [[Arson|sets fire]] to the palace.

The start of Omri's reign faces factionalism, with half his subjects supporting [[Tibni]], son of Gibnath as king. He buys the hill of Shemer, upon which he builds the city of [[Samaria (ancient city)|Samaria]]. However, he is the worst king yet. When he dies, he is succeeded by his son [[Ahab]], who himself overtakes Omri in his evilness. Upon his marriage to [[Jezebel]], daughter of [[Ithobaal I|Ethbaal]], king of [[Sidon]], he introduces the worship of Baal, building him a temple and setting up an Asherah pole. Meanwhile, a nobleman named Hiel of [[Bethel]] activates the curse proclaimed by [[Joshua]] by rebuilding [[Jericho]], resulting in the death of his oldest and youngest sons.

====The Elijah cycle (17:1–22:54)====
=====The great drought (17:1–18:46)=====
A new prophet arises in Israel, named [[Elijah]], who informs Ahab of a years-long [[drought]] about to begin. God then tells Elijah to hide in the [[Chorath|Kerith]] Ravine, where he drinks from the stream and is fed by [[raven]]s. When the brook dries up, God tells Elijah to travel to [[Sarepta|Zarephath]], where a widow will feed him. She is more than happy to give him water, but when he asks for bread, she informs him that she is just about to make a small loaf – only enough that she and [[Raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath|her son]] may eat it as their last meal. Elijah instructs her to make him some anyway, telling her that she will not run out of food until the famine is over. Soon, the widow's son becomes ill and dies. At the widow's insistence, Elijah raises him from the dead.

Three years later, God tells Elijah to return to Ahab because the drought is coming to an end. On the way, Elijah meets his administrator [[Obadiah (1 Kings)|Obadiah]], who was hiding prophets during Jezebel's persecutions, and asks him to tell Ahab of his arrival. Seeking to end the worship of Baal for good, Elijah tells Ahab to invite four hundred priests of Baal and four hundred of [[Asherah]] to the top of [[Mount Carmel]]. There, he upbraids the people for their duplicity, telling them to choose either worship of the God of Israel or of Baal.

He then proposes a challenge: he and the priests will each prepare a sacrifice, and then call upon their respective gods to send fire to burn it. When the priests attempt to call down fire, none comes. On the other hand, despite having the Israelites pour much water over his altar, when Elijah prays for fire God sends it, accepting the sacrifice. Elijah orders the priests of Baal be killed, and informs Ahab of the coming rain. Climbing to the top of the mountain, Elijah sends his servant to look out to sea. After returning seven times, the servant eventually sees a small cloud rising far out at sea. Elijah tells the servant to inform Ahab to return to [[Tel Jezreel|Jezreel]] in his chariot, while Elijah manages to run ahead of him.

=====Elijah at Horeb (19:1–21)=====
When she hears what has happened, Jezebel threatens to kill Elijah, causing him to run for his life. In the wilderness near [[Beersheba]], Elijah, fed up, asks God to kill him. Instead, an [[angel]] supplies him with food, which gives him the strength to continue a further forty days until he reaches [[Mount Horeb]], where he falls asleep in a cave. When Elijah wakes up, God tells him He is about to pass by. An earthquake occurs and a fire starts, but neither contain God.

Instead, God appears in the form of a whisper. After hearing Elijah's concerns about being killed, he instructs him to go to Damascus, where he is to anoint [[Hazael]] as king of Aram, [[Jehu]] as king of Israel and [[Elisha]] as Elijah's own successor. Elijah finds Elisha plowing with [[ox]]en. Elisha says goodbye to his parents, kills his oxen and cooks them by burning his plowing equipment. He distributes the meat to his neighbours and sets off to follow Elijah.

=====The Aramean wars (20:1–43)=====
[[Hadadezer|Ben-Hadad II]], the new king of Aram, raises an army and sends messengers demanding all Ahab's gold and silver, and the best of his wives and children. While agreeing to this demand, after consulting his advisors he decides not to accept a follow-up demand requesting anything else of value in his palace or his officials' houses. In response to this situation, Ben-Hadad attacks Samaria. At this point, Ahab receives a prophecy that his junior officers will defeat Ben-Hadad if Ahab starts the battle. Ben-Hadad tells his men to take the advancing troops alive, but each junior officer kills his Aramean equivalent.

The Arameans, including Ben-Hadad, begin a retreat, but Ahab's army inflicts heavy losses. The prophet who brought the first prophecy tells Ahab to improve his defences, since the Arameans will attack again. Ben-Hadad's advisors reason that the reason they lost was because God lives in the hills, leading them to attack [[Aphek (biblical)|Aphek]], a city on the plains, the following spring. In response to this, God agrees to give the Israelites another victory to demonstrate his omnipresence. After a disastrous first day, Ben-Hadad sends messengers to Ahab, begging him to spare him. Ahab sends for Ben-Hadad, who offers to return the land his father took from Israel. The two kings sign a treaty and Ben-Hadad leaves.

After failing to get another prophet to strike him with his weapon, resulting in that prophet's death by lion, a prophet manages to get someone else to do it and appears before Ahab, telling him a parable about how his failing to guard a man in battle means he now must pay a talent. When he removes his headband, and Ahab sees he is a prophet, he tells Ahab that he will die because he spared Ben-Hadad, who God had told him to kill.

=====Naboth's vineyard (21:1–28)=====
Some time later, Ahab attempts to buy a [[vineyard]] belonging to [[Naboth]] the Jezreelite. When Naboth will not sell it to him on account of it being his inheritance, Ahab sulks and refuses to eat. Jezebel proclaims a day of [[fasting]], upon which two [[Perjury|false witnesses]] accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king. He is [[Stoning|stoned]] to death, allowing Ahab to take possession of the vineyard. In response, God tells Elijah to confront Ahab and inform him that he will die in the vineyard and that his descendants and Jezebel will be wiped out. This has marked the peak of Ahab's evilness, and indeed the evilness of any king of Israel. Ahab repents, so God allows the disaster Elijah prophesied to come during the reign of his son instead.

=====Another war with Aram (22:1–38)=====
Three years pass with peace between Aram and Israel. Aram still possesses [[Ramoth-Gilead]] and, when Jehoshaphat agrees for the Judahite army to accompany him on a campaign during a state visit, Ahab decides to take it back. Four hundred prophets agree this is a good idea, but Jehoshaphat asks to speak with a prophet of God. Ahab reluctantly calls [[Micaiah]], whom he dislikes for never prophesying in his favour. When he arrives, a prophet named Zedekiah uses a strange hat with horns to claim that Ahab will have victory over the Arameans.

Michaiah tells Ahab that if he attacks Ramoth-Gilead, he will die and Israel will be leaderless but that this is part of God's plan. Zedekiah slaps him, leading Michaiah to prophesy impending destruction, and Ahab tells his jailer to put Michaiah in prison with no food or water until Ahab returns safely.

Ahab and Jehoshaphat begin their campaign, agreeing that Ahab will be disguised while Jehoshaphat will wear his royal robes. The Arameans, being under instructions to kill no one except Ahab, begin pursuing Jehoshaphat but cease their pursuit when they see he is not Ahab. Ahab is hit between the plates of his armour by a random Aramean arrow. He withdraws from the battle and dies that evening. He is buried, his chariot is washed in a pool where prostitutes bathe, and his blood is licked by dogs.

=====After the death of Ahab (22:39–53)=====
Ahab's son [[Ahaziah of Israel|Ahaziah]] succeeds him.

Jehoshaphat has been a good king his entire reign, following the example of his father Asa. He has not destroyed the high places, but he has kept peace with Israel. He has also gotten rid of the remaining male temple prostitutes and there is now a provincial governor rather than a king in Edom. He has built a merchant navy, but it was wrecked at [[Ezion-Geber]]. Ahaziah suggests they join forces in this regard, but Jehoshaphat refuses. He dies and is succeeded by his son [[Jehoram of Judah|Jehoram]].

Ahaziah does evil and allows the idol worship which flourished under his father to continue.