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Some time after this, David having sinned in proudly numbering the people, the Lord sent the prophet Gad to offer him the choice of three scourges; either seven years of famine, or to flee three months before his enemies, or a pestilence for three days. "And David said, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man." So the Lord sent a pestilence, and there died of the people, from Dan even to Beer'-sheba, seventy thousand men. When David was drawing near his end, Adoni'jah, his fourth son, attempted to usurp the kingdom; but David having sent for Solomon, his son by Bath'sheba, caused him to be anointed king. He also delivered to him the plan of the temple, with the gold and silver, and other materials which he had prepared for its erection, and charged him to be constantly faithful to God. He died in the seventy-first year of his age, having reigned forty years. 2d Sam. xxiv.; 1st Kings, i. ii.

B.C. 1014.

SOLOMON, the most magnificent and the most celebrated of the Jewish kings, was eighteen years old when he succeeded to his father. His first act was to put his brother Adoni'jah to death; he also banished Abi'athar the high priest, and executed Joab for favouring Adonijah's usurpation. He married the daughter of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Having offered a thousand burnt-offerings at Gibeon, God appeared to him in a dream, and said, "Ask what I shall give thee." Solomon asked wisdom and understanding. A circumstance occurred early in his reign which displayed his admirable talents as a judge. Two women that lived in the same house had each an infant son-one of the children having died in the nighttime, the mother rose and placed the dead child beside the other woman, and took the living child to herself. case came before Solomon for judgment, who, finding that the women each laid claim to the living child as her own, said, "Let the living child be divided, and a half given to each." Then the woman, whose the living child was, cried, " O, my Lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it:" but the other said, "Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it." Give her the child who

66

The

wishes to save it," said the king; "she is the mother." And all the people acknowledged the wisdom of their monarch. 1st Kings, ii. iii.

Solomon's reign was peaceful and glorious. His dominion extended from the Euphrates to Egypt; and the neighbouring princes were either his tributaries or allies. Hi'ram, king of Tyre, sent ambassadors to congratulate him on his accession, and when in the second year of his reign, he prepared, in obedience to the command of his father David, to build the temple of the Lord, Hiram furnished him with a great number of workmen; for Tyre was at this time a famous city, renowned for its opulence, its commerce, and its advancement in the arts. The temple was finished in seven years and a half, in a style of magnificence which procured for it the admiration of the world. The number of workmen employed was upwards of 180,000; and the materials were of the most costly description-gold, silver, brass, marble, and cedar. When the edifice was finished, the ark of the covenant was brought from the city of David (Mount Zion, which formed the south part of the city of Jerusalem), and deposited by the priests in the holy place. The dedication was postponed till the following year, which happened to be the year of the Jubilee; when the ceremony was performed by Solomon with great pomp and solemnity. The sacrifices offered on the occasion were 22,000 oxen, and 120,000 sheep. 1st Kings, iv.—viii.

Solomon next built a splendid palace for himself, and another for his queen. He also built the walls of Jerusalem, fortified Hazor, Megiddo, Gezer, the two Beth ho'rons, upper and lower, and Tadmor or Palmy'ra in the Syrian desert. The Ca'naanitish nations, the Hittites, Hivites, Amorites, and Per'izzites, who still remained in the land, were by Solomon reduced to subjection, and made to labour on the public works. He also fitted out a fleet at Ezi'on-ge'ber and Elath on the Red Sea, and with mariners furnished by Hiram king of Tyre, traded to Ophir for gold, peacocks, apes, spices, ivory, and ebony. His fame for wisdom and magnificence was spread through all countries, and many visited him from distant regions; among these, the Queen of Sheba, whose dominions are

supposed to have been situated in Arabia or Ethiopia. 1 Kings, ix. x.

For this he "Since thou

The conduct of Solomon in the latter years of his reign has left a deep stain on his character. He took to himself wives and concubines, to the number of 1000 women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hitites, who perverted the mind of the king, so that he worshipped the false gods of those idolatrous nations, viz. Ash'taroth, a female divinty of the Sidonians; Moloch of the Ammonites, and Che'mosh of the Moabites, and built temples for them on the Mount of Olives. incurred the anger of the Lord, who said, hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and give it to thy servant." The kingdom of Edom had been subject to the kings of Israel since its conquest by Joab in the time of David; but now Hadad the Edomite regained the throne of his ancestors, and formed an alliance against Solomon with Resin, who had seized upon Damascus. He was also threatened with internal sedition. Jeroboam the son of Ne'bat being suspected of an attempt upon the crown, was obliged to flee into Egypt, where he remained till Solomon's death. Solomon having reigned forty years, died at the age of fifty-eight, and was succeeded by his son Rehoboam. 1st Kings, xi.

Immediately upon his accession, REHOBOAM, by his haughty and tyrannical conduct, alienated from him the affections of a great portion of his subjects. The taxes necessary to sustain the magnificence of the preceding reign, had not been borne without murmuring; and when the people, petitioning their new king for relief, received for answer, 66 my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions," they broke out into open revolt; and ten of the tribes renouncing their allegiance to the house of David, chose Jeroboam, who had returned from Egypt, for their king. This scene took place in Shechem, and Rehoboam having fled to Jerusalem, continued to rule over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the only two that remained faithful to him; whilst Jeroboam, fixing his residence at Shechem, reigned over the other ten tribes under the title of the king of Israel. 1st Kings, xii.

Yrs.

V.-Kingdom of Israel. 254 Years.

A.M. 3029-3283.

B.C. 971-717

KINGS OF ISRAEL, DISTINGUISHING THE DIFFERENT
DYNASTIES, AND LENGTH OF EACH REIGN.

20 Jeroboam.

2 Nadab, his son, murdered with all his relations by his general,

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2Elah, his son, murdered by his servant Zimri.

Zimri, seven days.

12 Omri, general of the army.

22 Ahab, his son.

2 Ahaziah, his son.

12 Joram or Jehoram, his brother, slain by Jehu.

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Jehoahaz, his son.

Jehoash, his son.

Jeroboam II., his son.

Interreign.-Zechariah, his son, six months, murdered by Shallum. Shallum, one month, murdered by Menahem.

10

2m

28mm

Menahem.

Pekahiah, his son, murdered by Pekah.
Pekah, murdered by Hoshea.

........................... Hoshea, taken captive.

THE kingdom of Israel, founded in revolt, continued during its whole duration a scene of violence, and constantly renewed usurpation almost unparalleled in history. Jeroboam, after a reign of twenty years, left the kingdom to his son Nadab, who, in the second year of his reign, was murdered by his general, Ba'asha who usurped the kingdom. The usurper ruled twenty-four years, but his son Elah only two, when he was murdered by Zimri, one of his officers. Zimri's triumph lasted seven days. Omri, general of the army, besieged him in Tirzah, and in despair he set fire to the palace and perished in the flames. The sovereignty continued in Omri's family for three generations, the sceptre being successively swayed by himself, his son Ahab, and his grandsons, Ahazi'ah and Joram. Joram, after a reign of twelve years, was slain by Jehu captain of his host, and the kingdom_remained in the family of Jehu to the fifth generation. Jehu reigned twenty-eight years; his son Jeho'ahaz, seventeen years; Joash, son of Jeho’ahaz, sixteen years; and Jeroboam 11.,

son of Joash, forty-one years; whose son Zechari'ah, after a brief reign of six months, was murdered by Shallum, son of Ja'besh. Shallum, after a reign of one month, was in his turn murdered by Men'ahem, son of Gadi. Menahem reigned ten years, leaving the kingdom to his son Pekahi'ah, who, in the second year, was murdered by Pekah, son of Ramali'ah, one of his captains. Pekah reigned twenty-eight years, when he was murdered by Hoshe'a, son of Elah; and it was in the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea that the ten tribes were carried captive into Assyria by Shalmanezer. 1st and 2d Kings, 2d Chron.

Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, fearing that his people, if they went up to worship at Jerusalem, might return to their allegiance to the house of David, set up two golden calves, the one at Dan, and the other at Beth'el, the two extremities of his dominions. To them he directed the worship of his people, saying, "Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of Egypt." It was for this idolatry that he is so often mentioned in scripture as "Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin." Jeroboam's successors followed in the same course; and Ahab, son of Omri, having married Jez'ebel, daughter of the king of Sidon, she introduced the worship of the idols of her country. She even put to death the prophets of the true God, one hundred only being saved by Obadi'ah, steward of the royal household, who hid them in a cave, and fed them with bread and water; whilst the prophets of Ba'al and Ash'taroth or Astar'te, were entertained at court by the king and queen. The cruelty and perjury by which she compassed the death of Naboth, for the sake of his vineyard which lay contiguous to Ahab's palace at Jez'reel, her persecutions of the prophets, and her zeal in the cause of idolatry, have rendered the name of Jez'ebel a term of reproach, even to the present day. It was in this reign that Elijah or Eli'as, the famous prophet of Tish'be in Gilead, performed his miracles, and delivered his predictions. His prediction that there should not be rain nor dew for three years and six months, and his prayer which brought rain at the end of that period-his famous sacrifice on Mount Carmel, by which he convinced the people that Jehovah alone is the true God, and taking

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