« | 1 Kings 9 | » |
1 Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all that he wanted to build.
2 Then the Lord came to Solomon a second time, as He had come to him at Gibeon.
3 The Lord said to him, "I have heard your prayer which you have prayed to Me. I have set apart this house you have built by putting My name there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there always.
4 As for you, walk before Me as your father David walked, with a true heart doing what is right. Do all that I have told you. Obey My Laws. If you do,
5 then I will make the throne of your rule over Israel last forever. It will be just as I promised your father David, saying, 'You will never be without a man on the throne of Israel.'
6 But if you or your sons turn away from following Me, and do not keep My Laws which I have given you, and go after other gods and worship them, if you do,
7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them. And I will put away from My eyes the house which I have set apart for My name. Israel will become a word of shame among all peoples.
8 This house will be broken to pieces. Everyone who passes by will be surprised and make a sound of wonder, and say, 'Why has the Lord done this to this land and to this house?'
9 And they will say, 'Because they turned away from the Lord their God, Who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt. They took in other gods and worshiped them and served them. So the Lord has brought all this trouble upon them.' "
10 At the end of twenty years, Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord and the king's house.
11 Hiram king of Tyre had given Solomon all the cedar and cypress trees and gold that he wanted. Then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
12 But when Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities Solomon had given him, they did not please him.
13 He said, "What are these cities you have given me, my brother?" So they are called the land of Cabul to this day.
14 The gold Hiram sent to the king weighed as much as 120 men.
15 Now King Solomon made men work to build the house of the Lord, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Meggido and Gezer.
16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer and burned it with fire. He killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and then gave it as a wedding-gift to his daughter, Solomon's wife.
17 So Solomon built Gezer again, and the lower part of Beth-horon,
18 and Baalath and Tamar in the desert, in the land of Judah.
19 Solomon built all the storecities that he had, the cities for his war-wagons, the cities for his horsemen, and all he wanted to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land under his rule.
20 Now there were people left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of the people of Israel.
21 And their children were left after them in the land. The people of Israel were not able to destroy all of them. So Solomon made these people work for him, even to this day.
22 But Solomon did not make the people of Israel work for him. For they were men of war, his servants, his rulers, his captains, his war-wagon drivers, and his horsemen.
23 These were the heads of the captains over Solomon's work. There were 550 of them who ruled over the people doing the work.
24 But Pharaoh's daughter went up from the city of David to her own house which Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.
25 Three times a year Solomon gave burnt gifts and peace gifts on the altar he built to the Lord. He burned special perfume on the altar before the Lord. So he finished the house.
26 King Solomon built a group of ships in Ezion-geber, near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
27 Hiram sent his servants with the ships, sailors who knew the sea. He sent them with the servants of Solomon.
28 They went to Ophir and brought out gold weighing as much as 420 small men. And they brought it to King Solomon.
The New Life Version (NLV)
The New Life Version (NLV) is a unique English translation of the Bible designed to be exceptionally easy to read and understand. First published in 1969, the NLV was created by Gleason Ledyard, a missionary and linguist, to make the Scriptures accessible to people who have limited English proficiency or are new to the language. Ledyard’s aim was to provide a Bible that even those with minimal education could read and comprehend, thus opening the door for a wider audience to engage with the biblical texts.
A defining characteristic of the New Life Version is its use of a limited vocabulary of about 850 basic English words, along with some necessary theological terms. This restricted vocabulary ensures that the language remains simple and straightforward, making the text accessible to young readers, new Christians, and those for whom English is a second language. The translators also avoided idiomatic expressions and complex sentence structures, further enhancing clarity and understanding. This makes the NLV a particularly valuable resource for educational and missionary work.
The NLV also emphasizes faithfulness to the original texts, despite its simplified language. The translation aims to maintain the integrity and message of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts. By carefully choosing words that accurately convey the meaning of the original texts while ensuring simplicity, the NLV provides a balance between accessibility and fidelity. Additionally, the NLV includes explanatory footnotes and cross-references that help readers understand the context and deeper meanings of the passages, making it a useful tool for both personal study and group teaching.
However, the New Life Version is not without its critics. Some scholars and traditionalists argue that the limited vocabulary and simplified language can lead to a loss of nuance and depth found in the original texts. They suggest that the NLV’s focus on simplicity may sometimes oversimplify complex theological concepts. Despite these criticisms, the New Life Version remains a valuable translation for its intended audience, offering a clear and approachable rendition of the Bible that helps a wide range of readers engage with the Scriptures and grow in their faith.