1 Kings 1:25

1:25 For today he has gone down and sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. At this moment¹ they are having a feast² in his presence, and they have declared, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’³

1 Kings 2:4

2:4 and the Lord will fulfill his promise to me,⁴ ‘If your descendants watch their step⁵ and live faithfully in my presence⁶ with all their heart and being,⁷ then,’ he promised,⁸ ‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’⁹

1 Kings 2:8

2:8 “Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim,¹⁰ who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim.¹¹ He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised¹² him by the Lord, ‘I will not strike you down¹³ with the sword.’

1 Kings 3:26

3:26 The real mother¹⁴ spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were aroused.¹⁵ She said, “My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don’t kill him!”¹⁶ But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him! Let them cut him in two!”

1 Kings 5:5-6

5:5 So I have decided¹⁷ to build a temple to honor the Lord¹⁸ my God, as the Lord instructed my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, is the one who will build a temple to honor me.’¹⁹ 5:6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate, for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like the Sidonians.”

1 Kings 6:6

6:6 The bottom floor of the extension was seven and a half feet²⁰ wide, the middle floor nine feet²¹ wide, and the third floor ten and a half²² feet wide. He made ledges²³ on the temple’s outer walls so the beams would not have to be inserted into the walls.²⁴

1 Kings 12:10

12:10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam²⁵ had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.’²⁶ Say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father!²⁷

1 Kings 12:16

12:16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse!²⁸ Return to your homes, O Israel!²⁹ Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!”³⁰ So Israel returned to their homes.³¹

1 Kings 12:24

12:24 ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’”³² They obeyed the Lord and went home as the Lord had ordered them to do.³³

1 Kings 18:36

18:36 When it was time for the evening offering,³⁴ Elijah the prophet approached the altar³⁵ and prayed: “O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove³⁶ today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.

1 Kings 20:31

20:31 His advisers³⁷ said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind.³⁸ Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads³⁹ and surrender⁴⁰ to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.”

¹tn Heb “look.”

²tn Heb “eating and drinking.”

³tn Heb “let the king, Adonijah, live!”

⁴tn Heb “then the Lord will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”

⁵tn Heb “guard their way.”

⁶tn Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”

⁷tn Or “soul.”

⁸tn Heb “saying.”

⁹tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”

¹⁰tn Heb “Look, with you is Shimei….”

¹¹tn Heb “and he cursed me with a horrible curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.”

¹²tn Or “swore an oath to.”

¹³tn Heb “kill you.”

¹⁴tn Heb “the woman whose son was alive.”

¹⁵tn Heb “for her compassions grew warm for her son.”

¹⁶tn The infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the main verb.

¹⁷tn Heb “Look, I am saying.”

¹⁸tn Heb “a house for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.

¹⁹tn Heb “a house for my name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.

²⁰tn Heb “five cubits.”

²¹tn Heb “six cubits.”

²²tn Heb “seven cubits.”

²³tn Or “offsets” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “offset ledges.”

²⁴tn Heb “so that [the beams] would not have a hold in the walls of the temple.”

²⁵tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁶tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”

²⁷tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger. As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.

²⁸sn We have no portion in David; no share in the son of Jesse. Their point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.

²⁹tn Heb “to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³⁰tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”

³¹tn Heb “went to their tents.”

³²tn Heb “for this thing is from me.”

³³tn Heb “and they heard the word of the Lord and returned to go according to the word of the Lord.”

³⁴tn Heb “at the offering up of the offering.”

³⁵tn The words “the altar” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

³⁶tn Heb “let it be known.”

³⁷tn Or “servants.”

³⁸tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.

³⁹sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.

⁴⁰tn Heb “go out.”