Good Omens Extended Universe

by becuzmdsaidineededpersonality

Good Omens Extended Universe Guide: An extended universe is a piece of fanfiction that goes into a large amount of detail in parts that were left out from a piece of fiction based on headcanons mostly. Part I: Before the Fall: Chapters 1-20 Two angels from different angelic ranks find themselves in a conflict of sides and soon have to decide where their values and loyalties lie as

98. Chapter 98

Crawly awoke to a rather clumsy angel almost falling over from all the scrolls he was carrying.

"What in Hell's bells are you doing now?"

"Well, I have to deliver Korah's missing psalm to King Solomon so it gets put in the book of Psalms." He pressed his hands to the side of his temples and let out an exasperated sigh. "I forgot all about it and now I can't find it. I can't believe I am so stupid at times."

"You're right. You are being stupid. Just miracle it into your hands. Honestly."

"Oh yeah." Aziraphale snapped his fingers and a scroll flew from across the room into the angel's outstretched hand almost hitting Crawly in the process. Without a second to lose Aziraphale flew down the stairs and took off towards the palace stumbling and tripping over himself the entire way. Crawly just shook his head but couldn't hold back the softest of grins spreading accoss his face. He hadn't gotten any messages from Hell yet. It may just be the wine talking but perhaps they didn't notice or suspect a thing.

So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. And these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok — the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha — secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud — remember; Benaiah son of Jehoiada - commander in chief; Zadok and Abiathar — priests; Azariah son of Nathan — in charge of the district governors; Zabud son of Nathan — a priest and adviser to the king; Ahishar — palace administrator; Adoniram son of Abda — in charge of forced labor. Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. 8 These are their names: Ben-Hur — in the hill country of Ephraim; Ben-Deker — in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth shemesh and Elon Bethhanan; Ben-Hesed — in Arubboth Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his; Ben-Abinadab — in Naphoth Dor he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon; Baana son of Ahilud — in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam; Ben-Geber — in Ramoth Gilead the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars; Ahinadab son of Iddo — in Mahanaim; Ahimaaz—In Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon); Baana are of Hushai—In Asher and in Aloth; Jehoshaphat are of Paruah — in Issachar; Shimei they are of Ela — in Benjamin; Geber son of Uri — in Gilead the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor over the district. How Aziraphale kept track of them all Crawly did not know.

The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon's subjects all his life.

Solomon's daily provisions were thirty cors of the finest flour and sixty cors of meal, ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peaceon all sides. During Solomon's lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree. Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.

The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king's table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite — wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. From all nations, people came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

The angel did paperwork day in and day out. The days he spent in the city performing mircles and at night it was all records this and memos and reports that mostly consisting of name mumble-jumble. He must admit he was disappointed for he thought sharing the same space would have a little more contact than performing mircles to light candles or helping to sort paperwork. Whenever Crawly had an assignment he would pop out for a few months.

Aziraphale somewhat enjoyed having the demon in his living space. He was kind of sort of like a helper. Sort of like what a modern human would call an old-time Siri. Whenever Aziraphale was getting overly anxious and couldn't think straight the demon was there to give him a hand. Even though the demon proved to be a hindrance whenever he was unconscious of all things. There was something fastinating to Aziraphale about watching the demon's chest rise and fall and hearing him snore. He never got sleeping but the demon looked so peaceful and angry at the same time. It was an odd sensation in his chest when he watched to say the least.

When Hiramking of Tire heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. Solomon sent back this message to Hiram: "You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not builda temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversaryor disaster. I intend, therefore, to build a templefor the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when I said, 'Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.'

"So give orders that cedarsof Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians. "

When Hiram heard Solomon's message, he was greatly pleased and said, "Praise be to the Lord today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation. "

So Hiram sent word to Solomon: "I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and juniper logs. My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food for my royal household. "

In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as foodfor his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. The Lord gave Solomon wisdom,just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.

King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel — thirty thousand men. I have them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniramwas in charge of the forced labor. Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, as well as thirty-three hundred foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers. At the king's command they removed from the quarry large blocks of high-grade stoneto provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and workers from Byblos cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month,he began to build the temple of the Lord .

The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high. The porticoat the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits, and projected ten cubits from the front of the temple. He made narrow windows high up in the temple walls. Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms. The lowest floor was five cubits wide, the middle floor six cubits and the third floor seven. He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

The entrance to the lowest floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedarplanks And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.

The word of the Lord cameto Solomon: "As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promiseI gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel. "

So Solomon built the temple and completed item. He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper. He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long. The inside of the temple was cedar,carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was giving way; no stone was to be seen.

He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenantof the Lord there. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar. Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim out of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits — ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip. The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape. The height of each cherub was ten cubits. He placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. I have overlaid the cherubim with gold.

On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim,palm trees and open flowers. He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.

For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary. And on the two olive-wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold. In the same way, for the entrance to the main hall he made doorframes out of olive wood that were one fourth of the width of the hall. He also made two doors out of juniper wood, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings. And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.

The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. They had spent seven years building it.

It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace. They built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanona hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high, with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns — forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.

They have made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide. In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.

They built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge,and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling. And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had married. All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces. The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits and some eight. Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord with its portico.

King Solomon sent to Tire and brought Huram,whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tire and a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom,with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him.

He cast two bronze pillars,each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference. He also made two capitalsof cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits [ i ] high. A network of interwoven chains adorned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. He made pomegranates in two rows encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars. He did the same for each capital. The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits high. twenty On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranatesin rows all around. I have erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz. The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars was completed

He made the Seaof cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a lineof thirty cubits to measure around it. Below the rim, gourds encircled it — ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

The Sea stood on twelve bulls,three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. It was a handbreadth in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.

He also made ten movable standsof bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high. This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights. On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim — and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work. Each standhad four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half. Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round. The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half. The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.

Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand. He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around. This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.

He then made ten bronze basins,each holding forty baths and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands. I have placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north. I have placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple. He also made the pots and shovels and sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished all the work he had performed for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord : the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars; the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars; the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars); the ten stands with their ten basins; the Sea and the twelve bulls under it; the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls. All these objects that Huram made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of burnished bronze. The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Sukkoth and Zarethan. Solomon left all these things unweighed, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined

Solomon also made allthe furnishings that were in the Lord 's temple: the golden altar; the golden table on which was the bread of the Presence; the lampstands of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary); the gold floral work and lamps and tongs; the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers; and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple. When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated—The silver and gold and the furnishings—And I've placed them in the treasuries of the Lord 's temple.

Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord 's covenant from Zion, the City of David. All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month. When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the prieststook up the ark, and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meetingand all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levitescarried them up, and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

The priests then brought the ark of the Lord 's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord . And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple. Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever."

While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. Then he said: "Praise be to the Lord ,the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 'Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, but I have chosen David to rule my people Israel. ' "My father David had it in his heart to build a templefor the Name of the Lord , the God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, 'You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. However, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood — he is the one who will build the temple for my Name. ' "The Lord has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord , the God of Israel. I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt. " Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: " Lord , the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below — you who keep your covenant of lovewith your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it — as it is today.

"Now Lord , the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, 'You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.' And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father eats true.

"But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you How much less this temple I have built! Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. May your eyes be open towards this temple night and day, this place of which you said, 'My Name shall be there, 'so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays towards this place. Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray towards this place. Do from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

"When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.

"When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

"When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

"When famine or plague come to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers,or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel — being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their handstoward this temple— then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgiveand act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you knowtheir hearts (for you alone know every human heart), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.

"As for the foreignerwho does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— for they will hear of your great name and your mighty handand your outstretched arm — when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

"When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they prayto the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

"When they sin against you — for there is no one who does not sin—And you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captiveto their own lands, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you towards the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy; for they are your people and your inheritance, who you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.

"May your eyes be open to your servant's plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you. For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance,just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, Sovereign Lord , brought our ancestors out of Egypt. " When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord , he rose from before the altar of the Lord , where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying: "Praise be to the Lord , who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promiseshe gave through his servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our heartsto him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord , be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoplesof the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. And may your hearts be fully committedto the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time. "

Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord . Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord : twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord .

On that same day, the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord , and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings.

So Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him — a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, the Lord appearedto him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. The Lord said to him: "I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. "As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel. '

"But if you or your descendants turn awayfrom me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridiculeamong all peoples. This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalledand will scoff and say, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them — that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them. '"

Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself. I have conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.

Solomon sent this message to Hiram King of Tire: "Send me logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. Now I am about to build a templefor the Name of the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths, at the New Moonsand at the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel. "The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

"Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided.

"Send me also cedar, juniper and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil."

Hiram king of Tire replied by letter to Solomon:"Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king. "

And Hiram added: "Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth!He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

"I am sending you Huram-Abi,a man of great skill, whose mother was from Danand whose father was from Tire. I have trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blueand crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father.

"Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oiland wine he promised, and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem. "

Solomon took a census of all the foreigners residing in Israel, after the censushis father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. I have assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.

The temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David. He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide using the cubit of the old standard. The portico at the front of the temple was twenty cubits long across the width of the building and twenty cubits high.

They have overlaid the inside with pure gold. He paneled the main hall with juniper and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm treeand chain designs. They have adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim. He overlaid the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

They've built the Most Holy Place, its length corresponding to the width of the temple — twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. I have overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold. The gold nails weighed fifty shekels. He also overlaid the upper parts with gold.

For the Most Holy Place he made a pairof sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold. The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and touched the temple wall, while its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the other cherub. Similarly one wing of the second cherub was five cubits long and touched the other temple wall, and its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the first cherub. The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main hall.

He made the curtain of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim worked into it. For the front of the temple he made two pillars,which together were thirty-five cubits long, each with a capital five cubits high. He made interwoven chains and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranatesand attached them to the chains. He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.

twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it. Below the rim, figures of bulls encircled it — ten to a cubit. The bulls were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. It was a handbreadth in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held three thousand baths.

He then made ten basins for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. In them the things to be used for the burnt offerings were rinsed, but the Sea was to be used by the priests for washing. He made ten gold lampstands according to the specifications for them and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

They have made tablesand placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold sprinkling bowls. He made the courtyard of the priests, and the large court and the doors for the court, and overlaid the doors with bronze. They have placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.

And Huram also made the pots and shovels and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of God: the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars; the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars; the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network, decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars); the stands with their basins; the Sea and the twelve bulls under it; the pots, shovels, meat forks and all related articles. All the objects that Huram-Abimade for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of polished bronze. The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Sukkothand Zarethan. All these things that Solomon made amounted to so much that the weight of the bronze Could not be calculated.

Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in God's temple: the golden altar; the tables on which was the bread of the Presence; the lampstands of pure gold with their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed; the gold floral work and lamps and tongs (they were solid gold); the pure gold wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers; and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the main hall.

When all the work Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated—The silver and gold and all the furnishings — and they've placed them in the treasuries of God's temple. Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the arkof the Lord 's covenant from Zion, the City of David. And all the Israelites Came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month.

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, and they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The Levitical priestscarried them up; and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

The priests then brought the arkof the Lord 's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The Cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. There was nothing in the ark except the two tabletsthat Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives — stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord . Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: "He is good; his love endures forever. "

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.

Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; 2 I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever."

While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. Then he said: "Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel, who with his hands has fulfilled what I promised with his mouth to my father David. For he said, 'Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over my people Israel. 6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there, and I have chosen David to rule my people Israel. ' "My father David had it in his heartto build a temple for the Name of the Lord , the God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, 'You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. However, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood — he is the one who will build the temple for my Name. ' "The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord , the God of I have placed the ark, in which is the covenantof the Lord that he made with the people of Israel. "

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. Now he had made a bronze platform,five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had placed it in the center of the outer court. He stood on the platform and then knelt downbefore the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands towards heaven. He said: " Lord , the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth — you who keep your covenant of lovewith your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it — as it is today.

"Now, Lord , the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, 'You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me according to my law,as you have done. ' And now, Lord , the God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David come true.

"But will God really dwellon earth with humans? The heavens,even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! Yet, Lord my God, give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. May your eyes be open towards this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Namethere. May you hearthe prayer your servant prays towards this place. Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.

"When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oathand they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.

"When your people Israel have been defeatedby an enemy because they have sinned against you and when they turn back and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication before you in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors.

"When the heavens are shut up and there is no rainbecause your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, then hear from heaven and forgivethe sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

"When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel— being aware of their afflictions and pains, and spreading out their hands towards this temple— then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart), so that they will fear you and walk in obedience to you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.

"As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty handand your outstretched arm — when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

"When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they prayto you towards this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

"When they sin against you — for there is no one who does not sin—And you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; and if they have a change of heartin the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, about the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Yam; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.

"Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. Now arise, Lord God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation, may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness. Lord God, do not reject your anointed one. Remember the great love promised to David your servant. "

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled The temple The priests could not enterthe temple of the Lord because the gloryof the Lord filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord , saying, "He is good; his love endures forever. "

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord . And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. The priests took their positions, as did the Leviteswith the Lord 's musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, "His love endures forever." Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord , and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.

So Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him — a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festivalfor seven days more. On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.

When Solomon had finishedthe temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, the Lord appeared to him at night and said: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosenand consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel. ' But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land,which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridiculeamong all peoples. This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the Lord , the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—That is why I brought all this disaster on them. '"

Even after all that he still had time to sit with Aziraphale and write out two Psalms. He was the wisest man on Earth at the time so why the heck not Crawly assumed. It was disappointing almost. He rarely got to see Aziraphale anymore. But if the angel was staying out of trouble by doing all this stuff for Heaven and the people so be it. Plus he got in some good detailed reports about the other side to Hell as well so it wasn't all bad. Getting on Beelzebub's less worse side for "finding out" God had sent a part of Herself to reside on Earth. The humans and Aziraphale called it the Holy Spirit and although the temple and all the other buildings sounded interesting Crawly never went to see it for himself because he wanted to stay as far away from that mess as possible without abandoning the angel to go fight some demons on his own.

At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace, Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram had given him, and settled Israelites in them. Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath. He rebuilt Upper Beth Horonand Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, as well as Baalathand all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses —whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusitesthese people were not Israelites. Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these people remaining in the land — whom the Israelites had not destroyed — to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. They were also King Solomon's chief officials — two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.

Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, "My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy."

On the altar of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord, according to the daily requirement for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons and the three annual festivals — the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day's requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God had ordered. They did not deviate from the king's commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.

All Solomon's work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lord was finished. Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon's men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.

After having to go for the lovely temptation of making the Appalachian and Cucluca tribe in the Americas fight each other all without lifting a finger Crawly came back to Aziraphale's dwelling to find him there. He bit back a smile and sauntered over to him flailing his dark robe about and fluffy out his long red curls. For why he didn't have a reason. He always became this insufferable attention whore whenever this angel came in the room. He didn't know why. He still got that feeling of butterflies trapped in his stomach whenever he saw him for the first time in a long time.

Aziraphale didn't notice of course as he was too busy seemingly putting every blank canvas and parchment he could find into the world's most unorganized stack and run his fingers through messy blonde curls that had seen a brush or soap and water in almost thirty years. Had it really been that long? Crawly had to say he was a tad bit disappointed and expected a little more from their shared living space. What that was exactly he wasn't sure? This wasn't exactly the kind of thing you asked demons about unless you wanted a broomstick shoved up your asshole and humans were well humans so they were of no use in these situations. And when he asked Aziraphale or rather accused him the most he got was an annoyed unclear response. So guess he was just stuck until he figured this stupid and increasingly annoying thing out.

"So I was thinking since there seems to be a break in all this-"

Aziraphale promptly spun around ready to hurl something and his face turned up into what seemed like a look of disappointment upon seeing Crawly with his hands seductively on his hips. "Oh it's only you." and went back to whatever on God's green earth he was doing.

"Well give me some credit, I did just take credit for two tribes who will be brutally killing each other for the next three years over a spot of suitable farming land. But I am sure you would prefer some dusty ass human who drones on and on about the prophets of God and such matters. In fact I know you would love it."

"I apologize Crawly. It is just I have so much to do and it seems so very little time."

"So much to do? The temple is built plus extra stuff the humans and archangels dragged you into! You should be on vacation or at least get a good night's rest. Or rest for a week. I personally find myself enjoying a monthly nap. Good on the old eyes and such."

"We don't need to sleep Crawly."

"But you do need to take a break."

"No rest for the good Crawly."

"No kidding. What are you up to now?"

"Well as you mentioned it is more of a break from all the expansions and keeping track of all this government has put such a strain on Solomon. Being the smartest man on Earth and having to answer all those questions."

"Well, you helped with some of it too so you should take a break. I am sure whatever you are planning can at least wait till tomorrow."

"No it can't Gabriel wants another psalm in from Solomon about blessings and we haven't even gotten started on the proverbs yet. Human life spans are so short and this kind of wisdom can simply not go to waste. I won't allow it. I think 29 will suffice. I also was thinking of adding one more proverb not even written by Solomon but instead by a guy named Agur. Oh, and of course King Lemuel has to write one as well. So about 31 in total will suffice. What do you think? Oh, bother. Why am I asking you? You are a demon after all. What would you know about writing psalms and proverbs?"

"Well, nothing. You are correct. I am not into all that artsy-fartsy stuff. But this seems like a lot. How long is this going to take? And why can't high and mighty archangel Gabriel come down here and do it himself?"

Aziraphale turned to Crawly and let out a loud gasp.

"What?"

"You simply can not talk about the archangel Gabriel that way! He is literally the best and most amazing and powerful and gracious angel around. Besides Metatron. But at least he isn't as cold as they are."

"Which is all the more reason I should be insulting him left and right. I am a demon after all."

Aziraphale rolled his eyes and promptly threw himself out the window after barely managing to pick up all the paper and scrolls he intended to take on his little quest. Crawly watched him spread his gorgeous white wings that caught on the moonlight and seemed to glow over the city as he rushed over to the palace and where else. How could something that fussy be so goshdarn beautiful to watch at the same time? It was all lost on Crawly.