Old Testament · Historical Books · World English Bible
1st Kings
"Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
— 1 Kings 3:9 
The Reading LensEvery verse pulled to the top of a book is chosen by three questions: Where is God’s heart here? Who is He protecting? Who is being saved by the action? It marks the place where those answers come into clearest focus — a “look at this, in this book.”
About the Book
1 Kings opens in glory and ends in division. Solomon builds the temple and the kingdom reaches its height of wisdom and wealth — then his heart turns, the kingdom splits in two, and a long line of mostly-faithless kings begins. Into that decline steps the prophet Elijah.
The hero verse is the young king's prayer. Offered anything, Solomon asks not for riches or long life or the death of his enemies, but for a discerning heart to govern justly and tell right from wrong. God is so pleased that He grants it — and the rest besides.
22 Chapters
Solomon Made King
Adonijah grasps for the throne; David crowns Solomon.
David's Charge
David's last words; Solomon secures the kingdom.
A Discerning Heart
Start HereOffered anything, Solomon asks for wisdom — then judges between the two mothers.
“Give your servant a discerning heart... to distinguish between right and wrong.” — v.9
Solomon's Officials
The administration and prosperity of the kingdom.
Preparations for the Temple
An alliance with Hiram of Tyre for timber and labor.
Building the Temple
Seven years to raise the house of the LORD.
Palace and Furnishings
Solomon's house, the bronze pillars, the great basin.
The Ark Brought In
Solomon's dedication prayer; glory fills the temple.
God's Covenant Warning
Blessing for faithfulness, exile for turning away.
The Queen of Sheba
She comes to test his wisdom and is overwhelmed.
Solomon's Decline
Foreign wives turn his heart; the kingdom's unraveling begins.
The Kingdom Divided
Rehoboam's folly splits Israel from Judah.
The Man of God from Judah
A prophet's warning against Jeroboam's altar.
Prophecy Against Jeroboam
Judgment on his house; Rehoboam's troubled reign.
Kings of Judah and Israel
Abijam, Asa, and the wars between the kingdoms.
Israel's Unstable Kings
A bloody succession leading to Ahab.
Elijah and the Widow
Fed by ravens, then by a widow's never-empty jar at Zarephath.
Elijah on Mount Carmel
Fire from heaven; the prophets of Baal exposed.
The Still Small Voice
Elijah flees, despairing, and God meets him in a whisper.
Ahab's Wars with Aram
Victories given, and a king who spares whom God condemned.
Naboth's Vineyard
Jezebel's judicial murder for a plot of land.
Micaiah's Prophecy
The lone true prophet; Ahab falls in battle.