King Solomon
(Shlomo) - the son of King David and Bathsheba (Bat-Sheba), the third king of Judah. The period of his reign (approximately 967-928 BC) is considered the period of greatest growth and prosperity for the united Kingdom of Israel. In 967-965 BC. Solomon apparently ruled together with King David and after his death became the sole ruler.
David promised the throne to the son of his beloved wife Bathsheba - Solomon
, and the prophet Nathan (Nathan) already at the birth of Solomon singled him out among the other sons of David and considered him worthy of the mercy of the Almighty. David's eldest son, Adonijah, knowing about this promise of David, tried to seize power during his father's lifetime, but his plan did not come true, since the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba convinced David to hasten in anointing Solomon as king. King David did not punish Adonijah and took an oath from Solomon that he would not do anything bad to his brother, provided that he did not lay claim to Solomon’s throne. After David's death, Adonijah approached Bathsheba with a request to marry Abishag (King David's servant at the end of his life). Solomon saw in this Adonijah’s claim to his throne, since, according to custom, the right to the throne is the one who gets the king’s wife or concubine, and ordered Adonijah to be killed.
King Solomon
He was famous for his wisdom; animals, birds and spirits obeyed him. One night, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and promised to fulfill his every desire. Solomon asks: “Give Your servant an understanding heart, to judge Your people and discern between what is good and what is evil.” “And God said to him: because you asked for this and did not ask for a long life, did not ask for wealth, did not ask for the souls of your enemies, but asked for understanding to be able to judge - behold, I will do according to your word: Behold, I have given you a heart that is wise and understanding, so that there was none like you before you, and after you there will not arise one like you; and what you did not ask I give you, both riches and glory, so that there will be no one like you among kings all your days; and if you walk in My way, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, I will also prolong your days.” (Kings).
King Solomon was a peaceful ruler and during his reign (he ruled for 40 years) there was not a single major war. He inherited a large and strong state and he had to support and strengthen it. At the beginning of his reign, he married the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh, thereby strengthening the southern borders of his state. Subsequently, he repeatedly took as wives women of other nations to maintain good neighborly relations with neighboring states (Solomon's harem consisted of 700 wives and 300 concubines).
King Solomon was a good diplomat, builder and trader. He transformed an agricultural country into a strong, economically developed state that had great influence in the international arena. He rebuilt and strengthened Jerusalem and other cities of his kingdom, erected the First Temple of Jerusalem, introduced cavalry and chariots into the Jewish army for the first time, built a merchant fleet, developed crafts and in every possible way supported trade with other countries.
Solomon surrounded his reign with luxury and wealth, “and the king made the silver in Jerusalem equal in value to simple stones.” Ambassadors from various countries arrived in Jerusalem to conclude peace and trade agreements with Israel and brought rich gifts.
But during his reign, Solomon also made mistakes that led to the collapse of the state after his death. Grandiose construction and rapid economic development required labor, “and King Solomon imposed duties on all Israel; the duty consisted of thirty thousand people.” Solomon divided the country into 12 tax districts, obliging them to support the royal court and army. The tribe of Judah, from which Solomon and David came, was exempt from taxes, which caused discontent among representatives of the remaining tribes of Israel. Solomon's extravagance and craving for luxury led to the fact that he was unable to pay off King Hiram, with whom he entered into an agreement during the construction of the Temple, and was forced to give him several of his cities as debt. The priests also had reasons for dissatisfaction. King Solomon had many wives of different races and religions, and they brought their deities with them. Solomon built temples for them where they could worship their gods, and at the end of his life he himself began to participate in pagan cults. The Midrash (Oral Torah) says that when King Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh, the Archangel Gabriel descended from heaven and stuck a pole into the depths of the sea, around which an island was formed, on which Rome was subsequently built, conquering Jerusalem. At the end of his life, God appeared to Solomon and said: “Because this is happening to you, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant; but in your days I will not do this for the sake of David your father; I will pluck him out of the hand of your son” (Book of Kings). After the death of King Solomon, his kingdom fell apart into two weak states, Israel and Judah, waging constant internecine wars.
The name of King Solomon is associated with many myths and legends, let's look at some of them.
SOLOMON
Solomon was eighteen years old when he sat on the throne of his father David, but his reign was very firm. Solomon’s brother Adonijah came to Bathsheba and said: “Persuade your son to give me Abishag as my wife.” Bathsheba asked Solomon about this, and the king said: “What are you asking for him only to Abishag?” Ask also for the kingdom. Adonijah is deceitful. Solomon sent his commander Benaiah, and he killed Adonijah. And Solomon married the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh.
WISDOM OF SOLOMON
One night God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said: “Ask what to give you.” And Solomon answered: “I became king instead of David, but I am a small boy and don’t know anything.” My people can neither be numbered nor surveyed. Give me, your servant, a reasonable heart to judge the people, to distinguish between good and evil. “It’s good that you didn’t ask for a long life for yourself, or wealth, or the souls of your enemies,” said God. “It’s good that you asked for reason for yourself so that you can judge.” I will give you a reasonable heart, which has never existed before and will never exist after you. But I will also give you what you did not ask for - wealth and fame. And you will keep my statutes and commandments, and I will prolong your days. In the morning King Solomon brought sacrifices and made a great feast. And then two women came to him. The first one said: “We live in the same house.” Both gave birth to sons. This woman's son died: she slept with him at night. She woke up, took my son, and gave me her own, dead one. Then the second woman shouted: “No!” Mine is alive and yours is dead. And so they cursed in front of King Solomon and pulled the baby in different directions. “Come on, cut the child with a sword,” King Solomon ordered. - Let everyone have half. And then the first of them screamed in horror: “Give the child to her, just let him live!” - No! Neither me nor you! Cut him with your sword! - said the second. “Now the mother has shown herself,” said King Solomon and turned to the first woman: “Take your son, mother!” The people heard about this judgment, and people began to fear King Solomon, for they felt the wisdom of God in him. And the wisdom of King Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the sons of the East. King Solomon spoke three thousand parables, and his songs were a thousand and five.
SOLOMON THE CREATOR Solomon entered into an agreement with Hiram, who ruled in Tire. Hiram floated cedar and cypress wood across the sea, and Solomon supplied him with wheat. Solomon imposed duties on the entire people: they needed heavy bearers, stonemasons, and supervisors for supervision. Huge expensive stones were brought to Jerusalem for the foundation of buildings, and these stones were then hewn. In the fourth year of his reign, King Solomon began to build the temple according to the drawings that David left him. The temple took seven years to build. A coppersmith was invited from Tire to make vessels for service in the temple. The tabernacle was transferred from the City of David and placed in the temple in Jerusalem. When the priests left the sanctuary, the temple was filled with a cloud.
QUEEN OF SHAB
The Queen of Sheba heard about the glory of King Solomon and came to him to test him with riddles. She brought with her incense, gold and precious stones. King Solomon explained all her words, and the Queen of Sheba did not know anything that King Solomon did not know. She saw his house, his table and servants, and the queen was delighted: “I didn’t believe the words about you until I came and saw everything with my own eyes.” But they didn’t tell me half of what you actually have here. You exceed the word of mouth. She gave King Solomon unprecedented incense, and he gave her everything she wanted.
SINS OF KING SOLOMON King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women, and when he grew old, his wives persuaded him to other gods. King Solomon began to serve Astarte, the Sidonian goddess, and built a temple for Chemosh, the god of Moab, and Molech, the god of the Ammonites. God was angry with King Solomon: “Because you did not keep my covenant, I will tear your kingdom away from you.” I will leave your son one small part. But for the sake of David your father, all this will happen after your death.
Jeroboam Jeroboam was a courageous man, and Solomon made him overseer of the quitrents. It happened that Jeroboam left Jerusalem, and in the field he met the prophet Ahijah. Ahijah tore his clothes into twelve pieces and said: “Take ten pieces for yourself, for God is taking the kingdom from the hands of Solomon and giving you ten tribes.” Solomon wanted to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to Egypt and lived there until the death of King Solomon.
THE DEATH OF KING SOLOMON Solomon reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. They buried him in the City of David. After King Solomon, his son Rehoboam ascended the throne.
SCHIPT All the Israelites gathered in the city of Shechem to make Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king. “Your father has placed a heavy yoke on us,” the Israelites told Rehoboam. - Make our life easier, and we will serve you faithfully. - Come to me in three days. “I’ll think about it,” Rehoboam replied. Rehoboam called the elders, and they said to him: “If you are a servant of the people today, they will forever be your slave.” Lighten the people's burden! Rehoboam called the young people for council. “Tell the elders: my father beat you with whips, and I will punish you with scorpions.” Your father’s yoke was hard for you, mine will be even harder. And Rehoboam listened to the young men. As soon as he announced his decision, the children of Israel dispersed to their tents and revolted from the house of David. Rehoboam reigned in Judah, Jeroboam reigned in Israel. All their days they were at enmity with each other.
XVI. Wiser than all people
"He was wiser than all people." His fear was over all kings. Peoples and tribes became his tributaries, enemies and haters became his friends. Rich and powerful, the owner of countless lands, silver and gold in countless quantities - he explained parables, made it possible to comprehend the hidden, told the secrets of the depths of the infinite. His name thundered among the rulers, among the wise - his exploits. Kings came to look at his face and eagerly listen to words of wisdom from his lips. To him, righteous and pure, knowing the mysteries of heaven, nobles sent their sons and daughters as servants and maids. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the animals and beasts of the field themselves came to the slaughterhouse to be slaughtered for Solomon’s table. He was given the great key to all the gates of wisdom and understanding of the heart. He understood the language of the birds, and the beasts, and the beasts of the field. Deer and gazelles were his walkers, lions and leopards were his squires.
THE PROPHETS ELIJAH AND ELISHA
Time passed, and King Ahab reigned on the throne of Israel. He took as his wife Jezebel, a Phoenician, the daughter of the king of Sidon. King Ahab began to serve and worship the god Baal, built an altar for him in Samaria, and Ahab’s wife destroyed the prophets, the sons of Israel. Ahab sinned more than all other kings, and then the prophet Elijah said to the king: “In the coming years there will be neither dew nor rain, except according to my word.” And God ordered Elijah to hide in the east near the stream Horath. “You will drink from this stream, and the ravens will feed you,” God told Elijah. The prophet came to the stream, and, indeed, ravens brought him bread and meat morning and evening, and he drank from the stream. After a while the stream dried up because there was dryness everywhere. “Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon,” God said to Elijah. “There is a widow in that village who will feed you.” At the gates of Zarephath Elijah met a woman gathering wood. Elijah called her and said: “Give me some water.” The woman walked into the water, and the prophet shouted after her: “Grab me a piece of bread too.” - I don’t have anything baked. Just a handful of flour in a tub and a spoonful of butter in a jug. Now I’ll gather some wood, bake a pancake for myself and my son, and with that we’ll die. “Don’t be afraid,” said Elijah. “Do as you say, but first bake me a small cake.” Your jar of flour will not run out, and your jar of oil will not run out, until it rains. She obeyed, and in fact there was enough butter and flour for them all the days. Soon this woman’s son fell ill and his breathing stopped. The widow burst into tears and began to reproach Elijah: “You came and killed my son from the world.” The prophet laid the boy on his bed, cried out to God three times, and the boy came to life. - The word of God is true in your mouth! — the woman was happy. Three years have passed. There was a terrible famine in Samaria. And God said to Elijah: “Show yourself to King Ahab!” I will send rain on the earth. Elijah went to King Ahab. - Is it you, the threat of the Israelis? - asked King Ahab. “Isn’t it because of you that this terrible dryness is happening?” “I’m not the storm, but you and your family, because you worship Baal,” answered the prophet Elijah. “Let everyone now go to Mount Carmel.” The prophets of Baal went there. King Ahab did as Elijah said, and on Mount Carmel Elijah addressed the people: “How long will you be limping on both legs?” Follow God, if there is a God! And if there is Baal, follow him! And the people didn’t know what to say. “I am the only prophet of the Lord left; there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal here.” Give us two bulls. Let them prepare one for the sacrifice, and I the other, but let them not add fire, and I will not add fire either. Let us each turn to our own god. The god who responds with fire is the real God. - Let it be so! - the people answered. “You begin,” Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “because there are more of you.” They prepared an ox and called upon Baal from morning until noon, but there was no answer. “Shout louder,” chuckled the prophet Elijah. “Perhaps your god is lost in thought or on the road, or perhaps he is sleeping, so he will wake up.” They screamed as hard as they could, stabbed themselves with knives and spears, blood flowed from them in a stream, but there was no answer to them. Then the prophet Elijah restored the destroyed altar, made a ditch around it, laid firewood, and a butchered ox on top of it. Then he ordered water to be poured onto the altar until it overflowed over the edge of the ditch. And the prophet Elijah called: “Hear me, Lord!” Let the people know that you are alive! A strong fire broke out and instantly consumed the victim and the tree, and even the water in the ditch boiled and dried up. - Seize the prophets of Baal! - Elijah cried. - Let not one hide! They were taken to the Kishon River and killed there. The sky was covered with clouds and rain poured down. Soon Elijah anointed the plowman Elisha as a prophet.
NABOOTH'S VINEYARD Near the palace of King Ahab there was a vineyard of a certain Naboth. And King Ahab said to Naboth: “Give me your vineyard for a garden, I will pay you or give you a better vineyard than this, in another place.” “This is the inheritance of my fathers,” Naboth answered. - Will not give it back. The king was upset and went home. - Why are you upset? - Jezebel's wife told him. “You will have Naboth’s vineyard.” She wrote letters to the elders on behalf of King Ahab and sealed them with the royal seal. “Invite Naboth and put him in first place,” Jezebel wrote. “Sit two worthless people opposite him, who will shout: “You blasphemed God and the king!” And then take Naboth out and stone him to death. That's what the elders did. Just when King Ahab wanted to go to the vineyard, the prophet Elijah met him. - You found me, my enemy! - King Ahab exclaimed. - Found. You did something wrong. God told me to tell you that he will destroy all the men in your family, and your wife Jezebel will be eaten by dogs. King Ahab heard these words, tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, slept and ate in it. Then God said to the prophet Elijah: “Because Ahab has humbled himself, I will not bring trouble upon him.”
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XXII. Throne of Solomon
“And the king made a great throne of ivory.” The throne was covered with the best gold from Ophir and strewn with pearls, onyx, opals, topazes, emeralds, carbuncles and other semi-precious stones in white, green and red tones. The structure of the throne was as follows: The top was rounded at the back, high above the seat. There are six steps, and on them are figures made of pure gold. On the first step lie: on one side - a lion, on the other - an ox. On the second stage are the wolf and the lamb. On the third there is a leopard and a kid. On the fourth there is a bear and a deer. On the fifth are an eagle and a dove. On the sixth - a hawk and a sparrow. The back ended with the figure of a turtledove holding a hawk in her claws. Above the upper curve is a lamp with all its accessories: lamps, tongs, ashtrays, cups and embossed flowers. On the right side there are seven stems with the names of the seven patriarchs of the human race: Adam, Noah, Shem the firstborn, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Job with them. And on the left side are seven stalks, and on them are the names of the seven righteous men of the universe: Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses, Aaron, Eldad and Medad, and Hur with them. At the top of the lamp there was a golden reservoir of oil, from which the oil for the temple lamps was taken, and under it there was a large bowl of oil for lighting the same lamp; on the cup was inscribed: “Elius”, on two stems from it were the names of the sons of Elius: “Hophni” and “Phineas”, and on the drain pipes inside the stems: “Nadab” and “Abihu”. On the sides of the throne there were two pulpits - for the high priest and for his governor, and seventy pulpits in front of the throne - for seventy elders, judges of the Sanhedrin. At the level with the temples of the seated man are the figures of two naiads. On both sides of the throne were twenty-four vines, forming a canopy over it; behind the vines are date palms decorated with white linen fabrics and ivory peacocks on them. Here, hollow inside, are the figures of two lions, filled with incense. Incense began to ooze as Solomon ascended the steps of the throne. Inside the throne was a mechanism that came into action as soon as the king stepped foot on the first step. At that same moment, the lion extended his paw and his leg, and the king, leaning on them as if on a railing, climbed to the next step. The same thing was repeated at each of the six stages. When the king reached the top step, the eagles flew down and seated him on the throne, after which the largest of the eagles placed a crown on his head. At that moment, a silver serpent hidden in the mechanism began to move - lions and eagles strengthened the canopy over the king, and a dove placed on a special column rose from its place, opened the ark and placed the scroll of the Covenant taken out from there into the hands of Solomon. Then the high priest and the elders, greeting the king, took their places on both sides of the king and began to conduct judicial affairs. The appearance of false witnesses caused a special effect of all mechanisms: their wheels began to rotate with extraordinary speed and force. The lowing of oxen, the growling of lions and tigers and the roar of bears merged with the bleating of lambs, the cries of kids, the cry of hawks, and the twittering of sparrows. Wolves, deer, eagles, peacocks rushed from side to side... Trembling and horror gripped the false witnesses. “Because of us,” they said, “the whole world will collapse!” - and involuntarily began to show one pure truth. Subsequently, this throne was taken, along with other booty, by Pharaoh Necho and taken to Egypt. The minute Pharaoh... stepped on the first step, raised the lion's paw and hit him in the thigh so hard that he remained lame for the rest of his life. Hence its name Necho. The throne was taken from Egypt by the wicked Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon, and during the first attempt to ascend to the throne, the lion knocked Nebuchadnezzar to the ground with a blow of his paw. After the destruction of Babylon, the throne was taken by Darius and taken to Media, but Darius did not try to sit on it. The throne was brought to Egypt by Alexander the Great, taken from there by Yeniphon, and during its transportation on a ship, one of the legs was damaged, and not a single craftsman in the world was able to repair it.
XXVI. From kings to paupers
Solomon kept Asmodeus with him until all work on the construction of the temple was completed. One day, when they were alone, Solomon asked Asmodeus: “Tell me, why are you stronger than us people?” To this Asmodeus replied: “Free me from the chains and give me your ring, and then I will be able to show you why we are stronger than people.” Solomon took off his chains and gave him his ring. Asmodeus stepped on Solomon and swallowed him. Then he rested one wing on the ground, the other on the sky and, throwing out Solomon, swung and threw him four hundred parsas. Remembering this moment, Solomon said in Ecclesiastes: “What profit does a man have for all his labors under the sun?” And this was my share from all my labors! I had nothing left except the staff. “I was king over Israel,” but now I am king only over my staff... Solomon went to ask for alms at other people’s doorsteps. “I,” he said, “a preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.” “King Solomon,” they answered him, “sits on his throne in Jerusalem, and you are playing the fool.” And they beat him with reeds, and gave him a bowl of krupnik to eat. And Solomon said: “This is my share from all my labors!” When Solomon appeared before the Sanhedrin, the wise elders said in bewilderment: “Ordinary holy fools are not characterized by one-subject insanity.” What is this person like? They asked Benaiah: “Did the king call you?” “No,” Benaya answered. They sent to Solomon’s wives: “What’s wrong with the king?” Did he come to you? “Of course, he came,” came the answer. They sent him there again: “Check his legs.” “He didn’t take off his shoes all the time,” Solomonov’s wives answered. Then everything was revealed... Then they accepted Solomon and returned to him the ring and chain with the mark of Shem-Gamforash. Asmodeus, seeing this, disappeared.
XXV. Shamir
“And when a house was built, it was built from solid, hewn stones; neither a hammer, nor an ax, nor any other iron tool was heard during its construction.” Solomon knew that the location of the Shamir worm was known only to Asmodeus, the prince of devils. Asmodeus lived in a cave under the mountain, and there was a well there, covered with a stone with the seal of Asmodeus on it. Day after day, Asmodeus ascended to heaven, where he studied heavenly wisdom, from there he returned to earth to study earthly wisdom, after which he came to his well and, having first made sure that the seal was intact, moved the stone away, drank water and, again closing and sealing the well , left. Solomon called Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, gave him a chain and a ring on which Shem-Gamphorash was inscribed, and gave him a sheep's fleece and a bottle of wine and sent him to Asmodeus. Benai came to Asmodeus' cave, and this is what he did: below the place where the well reached, he dug a hole and, having drained all the water there, caulked the hole with wool; Having then made a hole on top of the well, he poured wine from the skins into the mouth. Having finished this, he climbed a tree and began to wait for Asmodeus to arrive. Asmodeus appeared, examined the seal, opened the well and saw: instead of water there was wine. “Well, no,” said Asmodeus, “Wine is mocking, strong drink is violent, and the one who gets carried away with them is foolish.” He walked away and didn’t drink. But thirst began to torment him unbearably. Asmodeus could not stand it, drank all the wine from the well, got drunk and fell into a deep sleep. Benaya came down from the tree and tied him with a chain. Asmodeus woke up and began to rage. - Shut up! - said Benaya. - The name of your Lord is above you! The name of the Lord is above you! He took him and led him. We reached a palm tree; Asmodeus scratched himself on her and knocked her down; They passed by one house, and Asmodeus knocked it down. They met a lost blind man, and Asmodeus helped him get out onto the road. Then they came across a staggering, drunken man, and Asmodeus led him onto the road. When meeting the wedding train, noisy and cheerful, Asmodeus began to cry. A certain man ordered sandals from a shoemaker, saying: “Sew me sandals that will last me seven years!” - Asmodeus laughed. They passed by the sorcerer while he was performing his magic, and then Asmodeus burst out laughing. They brought Asmodeus to Solomon. Asmodeus took the reed, measured out four cubits and, throwing the reed in front of Solomon, said: “This is the space that will remain with you after death, but now you have conquered the whole world and you are not content with this - you also wanted to enslave me!” “I don’t ask for anything from you,” answered Solomon, “except one thing.” I am going to build the temple of the Lord, and I need “Shamir” for this. “Shamir,” answered Asmodeus, “is not with me, but with the spirit of the sea, and the spirit of the sea trusts him, under oath, only to the rooster Bar.” - What does the rooster Bar do with Shamir? — Arriving in an uninhabited rocky area, he puts “Shamir” on a cliff, the cliff splits; If Bar throws tree seeds into the crevice, a settlement will arise in that place. We found the nest of the rooster Bar. Covered the nest with frosted glass. The rooster Bar appeared. Seeing the impossibility of getting into the nest, he took “Shamir” and put it on the glass so that it would break. They threw a clod of earth at the rooster, Bar, and he dropped “Shamir”; They picked up the worm and took it away. The rooster Bar saw that he had not kept his oath, so he went and hanged himself. Benai asked Asmodeus: “Why, when you met a blind man who had lost his way, did you help him get onto the road?” “It was announced in heaven about this blind man that he is a true righteous man and that anyone who brings him even a brief relief will gain eternal life for his soul.” - Why did you bring a drunk man onto the road? “It was announced in heaven that he was an incorrigible wicked man, and I gave him a momentary pleasure in earthly life in order to finally deprive him of the slightest share in eternal life.” - Why did you cry when you met the wedding train? “Because the groom is destined to die without living even thirty days after the wedding, and his wife is destined to wait thirteen years until her young brother-in-law grows up.” - Why did you laugh when you heard how that man, ordering sandals for himself, demanded that they last him for seven years? “He himself won’t live seven years, but he’s stocking up on sandals for seven years!” - Why did you laugh at the sorcerer? “In the place where the sorcerer was sitting then, a very rich treasure is buried.” And he tells himself and about the treasure that is under him, and does not suspect!..
XXVII. A serving of greens
During Solomon’s wanderings in the guise of a beggar, a certain man approached him and began to respectfully ask him to come as a guest to his house: “My lord, king!” Deign to come and look at me today. The man brought Solomon to his house, invited him to the upper room and ordered a roasted calf and many other dishes to be served on the table. During dinner, the owner began to remind Solomon about his various deeds as the king of Israel: “Do you remember, they say, this and that that you did when you were still king?” Solomon groaned and sobbed sadly at these memories; I cried all the time during dinner and left that house crying. The next day another man approached Solomon and also began to ask him: “My lord, king!” Do me the honor of looking upon me today. “Isn’t that why you’re calling me,” answered Solomon, “to do to me as your friend did?” “Sir,” this one answered, “I am a poor man; If you do me the honor of coming to my place, I can offer you only a little greenery - all that I have. If you agree to this, then come into my home. When they arrived, the host washed the guest’s face, hands and feet and served his dinner, which consisted of a small portion of greens. While Solomon was eating, the owner spoke words of comfort to him. - Sovereign! - he said. “The Lord swore to your father that the reign of his descendants will not end.” And this is how it is usually with the Lord: he punishes and has mercy. And I believe that the Most Holy Blessed One will return you to your kingdom. Having returned to royal power, Solomon, remembering what had been said, wrote down for his parables: “Better is the green treat that the poor man offered me, than the fattened ox that the rich man treated me to just to remind me of my woeful situation.”
XXIV. Pharaoh's daughter
On the night of the day when the construction of the temple was completed, Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh, Bithia. Thus, two celebrations coincided: the celebration of the consecration of the temple and the wedding feast of Solomon. And the wedding feast of Pharaoh’s daughter surpassed in splendor and luxury the first celebration of the temple of the Lord. At that time the Lord had the intention of destroying Jerusalem, as the Scripture says: “This city has existed for my wrath and annoyance since the day it was built.” According to legend from Rabbi Khonia, Bithia danced eighty different dances that night before Solomon. According to another legend, she brought a thousand musical instruments and while the musicians were playing them at the feast that night, she said, explaining to Solomon: “This hymn is performed with us in honor of such and such a deity, and this one in honor of such and such. And what else did she do? She placed a canopy over Solomon’s bed, sprinkled on the inside with precious stones that sparkled in the night shadow like stars and planets. Every time Solomon, having woken up, was about to get up, he mistook the shine of the stones for the shine of the stars - and so he slept until the fourth hour after sunrise. According to legend from Rabbi Levi, on that day the tamid was performed only at four hours after sunrise, and the keys to the temple were with Solomon and kept under his head. The people were deeply upset by the impossibility of proceeding in a timely manner to the celebration of the consecration of the temple, but no one dared to wake up the king. They went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and told her. Bathsheba came, woke up Solomon and roughly punished him; She took off her sandals from her feet and, throwing blows, said: “What, my child? And what is the fruit of my womb?!” “Solomon became related to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter as his wife.” At the hour when Solomon took Pharaoh's daughter for himself, the Archangel Gabriel descended and lowered the reed into the sea; a shoal formed on that spot, on which Rome was later founded.
