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ings which cost me nothing! So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for six hundred shekels of gold.

These things did David; being therefore, as it is written, A man after God's own heart.

THE FIRST BOOK

OF THE KINGS

I KINGS II

I Chronicles xxviii

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Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying:

I am going the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man. Keep thou the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself. And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thouforsake him, it shall turn to thine hurt. And now, O Lord, give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, and to do all these things, for ever.

I KINGS III

(I Chronicles i)

The Lord appeared unto Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give thee? And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy,

according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great people?

And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern justice; behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, even riches and honour. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then will I also lengthen thy days.

And Solomon awoke: and he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and worshipped.

I KINGS VIII, IX

(II Chronicles vi, vii)

And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, that he assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel. And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, in the presence of all the assembly, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, and said:

The Lord hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house of habitation, a place for thee to dwell in for ever. But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee this day; that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place; and when thou hearest, forgive.

Moreover concerning the stranger, when he shall come out of a far country for thy name's sake (for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thine outstretched arm); when he shall come and pray

toward this house; hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and do according to all his prayer; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, and that they may know that this house is called by thy name.

If a man sin against his neighbour, and he come and pray before thine altar in this house; then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and do, and judge thy servants, reproving the wicked, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

If they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not), and if they shall bethink themselves, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly; if they return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul, and pray unto thee: then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling-place; and when thou hearest, forgive.

What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men ;) that they may fear thee all the days of their life.

And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication, the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

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