1 Kings
King James Version · 22 chapters · 816 verses · Old Testament
Glory, then a split
Solomon asks for wisdom instead of long life or riches, and is given riches and honour as well. He builds the temple, and the glory of the LORD fills it. Then seven hundred wives turn his heart, and the man who built the temple builds high places for their gods too. The kingdom tears in two the moment he dies: the northern tribes under Jeroboam, and Judah under Rehoboam. From there the book alternates between the two lines of kings, most of them bad. The second half belongs to Elijah, Ahab, Jezebel, and the contest on Mount Carmel over which God answers by fire.