1 Kings 4

• 1. So Solomon was king over all Israel,
• 2. and these were his high officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.
• 3. Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were court secretaries. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.
• 4. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.
• 5. Azariah son of Nathan presided over the district governors. Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, was a trusted adviser to the king.
• 6. Ahishar was manager of palace affairs. Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the labor force.
• 7. Solomon also had twelve district governors who were over all Israel. They were responsible for providing food from the people for the king's household. Each of them arranged provisions for one month of the year.
• 8. These are the names of the twelve governors: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim.
• 9. Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan.
• 10. Ben-hesed, in Arubboth, including Socoh and all the land of Hepher.
• 11. Ben-abinadab, in Naphoth-dor. (He was married to Taphath, one of Solomon's daughters.)
• 12. Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, all of Beth-shan near Zarethan below Jezreel, and all the territory from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and over to Jokmeam.
• 13. Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead, including the Towns of Jair (named for Jair son of Manasseh) in Gilead, and in the Argob region of Bashan, including sixty great fortified cities with gates barred with bronze.
• 14. Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim.
• 15. Ahimaaz, in Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath, another of Solomon's daughters.)
• 16. Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth.
• 17. Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar.
• 18. Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin.
• 19. Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, including the territories of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan. And there was one governor over the land of Judah.
• 20. The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink.
• 21. King Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far south as the border of Egypt. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.
• 22. The daily food requirements for Solomon's palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal,
• 23. ten oxen from the fattening pens, twenty pasture-fed cattle, one hundred sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and choice fowl.
• 24. Solomon's dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace throughout the entire land.
• 25. Throughout the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And from Dan to Beersheba, each family had its own home and garden.
• 26. Solomon had four thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand horses.
• 27. The district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court, each during his assigned month.
• 28. They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables.
• 29. God gave Solomon great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge too vast to be measured.
• 30. In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt.
• 31. He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, Calcol, and Darda--the sons of Mahol. His fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations.
• 32. He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs.
• 33. He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
• 34. And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.

1 Kings 5

• 1. King Hiram of Tyre had always been a loyal friend of David, so when he learned that David's son Solomon was the new king of Israel, Hiram sent ambassadors to congratulate him.
• 2. Then Solomon sent this message back to Hiram:
• 3. "You know that my father, David, was not able to build a Temple to honor the name of the LORD his God because of the many wars he waged with surrounding nations. He could not build until the LORD gave him victory over all his enemies.
• 4. But now the LORD my God has given me peace on every side, and I have no enemies and all is well.
• 5. So I am planning to build a Temple to honor the name of the LORD my God, just as he instructed my father that I should do. For the LORD told him, `Your son, whom I will place on your throne, will build the Temple to honor my name.'
• 6. Now please command that cedars from Lebanon be cut for me. Let my men work alongside yours, and I will pay your men whatever wages you ask. As you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like you Sidonians!"
• 7. When Hiram received Solomon's message, he was very pleased and said, "Praise the LORD for giving David a wise son to be king of the great nation of Israel."
• 8. Then he sent this reply to Solomon: "I have received your message, and I will do as you have asked concerning the timber. I can supply you with both cedar and cypress.
• 9. My servants will bring the logs from the Lebanon mountains to the Mediterranean Sea and build them into rafts. We will float them along the coast to whatever place you choose. Then we will break the rafts apart and deliver the timber to you. You can pay me with food for my household."
• 10. So Hiram produced for Solomon as much cedar and cypress timber as he desired.
• 11. In return Solomon sent him an annual payment of 100,000 bushels of wheat for his household and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.
• 12. So the LORD gave great wisdom to Solomon just as he had promised. And Hiram and Solomon made a formal alliance of peace.
• 13. Then King Solomon enlisted 30,000 laborers from all Israel.
• 14. He sent them to Lebanon in shifts, 10,000 every month, so that each man would be one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of this labor force.
• 15. Solomon also enlisted 70,000 common laborers, 80,000 stonecutters in the hill country,
• 16. and 3,600 foremen to supervise the work.
• 17. At the king's command, the stonecutters quarried and shaped costly blocks of stone for the foundation of the Temple.
• 18. Men from the city of Gebal helped Solomon's and Hiram's builders prepare the timber and stone for the Temple.

Ephesians 2

• 1. Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins.
• 2. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
• 3. All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God's anger just like everyone else.
• 4. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much,
• 5. that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved!)
• 6. For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms--all because we are one with Christ Jesus.
• 7. And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus.
• 8. God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
• 9. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
• 10. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
• 11. Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders by birth. You were called "the uncircumcised ones" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.
• 12. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from God's people, Israel, and you did not know the promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.
• 13. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.
• 14. For Christ himself has made peace between us Jews and you Gentiles by making us all one people. He has broken down the wall of hostility that used to separate us.
• 15. By his death he ended the whole system of Jewish law that excluded the Gentiles. His purpose was to make peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new person from the two groups.
• 16. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
• 17. He has brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and to us Jews who were near.
• 18. Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
• 19. So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family.
• 20. We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
• 21. We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
• 22. Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Ezekiel 35

• 1. Again a message came to me from the LORD:
• 2. "Son of man, turn toward Mount Seir, and prophesy against its people.
• 3. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am your enemy, O Mount Seir, and I will raise my fist against you to destroy you completely.
• 4. I will demolish your cities and make you desolate, and then you will know that I am the LORD.
• 5. Your continual hatred for the people of Israel led you to butcher them when they were helpless, when I had already punished them for all their sins.
• 6. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come!
• 7. I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return.
• 8. I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your streams will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword.
• 9. I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
• 10. "For you said, `The lands of Israel and Judah will be ours. We will take possession of them. What do we care that the LORD is there!'
• 11. Therefore, as surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will pay back your angry deeds with mine. I will punish you for all your acts of anger, envy, and hatred. And I will bring honor to my name by what I do to you.
• 12. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard every contemptuous word you spoke against the mountains of Israel. For you said, `They have been destroyed; they have been given to us as food to eat!'
• 13. In saying that, you boasted proudly against me, and I have heard it all!
• 14. "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The whole world will rejoice when I make you desolate.
• 15. You rejoiced at the desolation of Israel's inheritance. Now I will rejoice at yours! You will be wiped out, you people of Mount Seir and all who live in Edom! Then you will know that I am the LORD!

New Living Translation: 275 of 365 days.