For the next seven days Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters. A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebo hamath in the north and the Brook of Egypt in the south.

那时所罗门和以色列众人，就是从哈马口直到埃及小河，所有的以色列人都聚集成为大会，守节七日。

那时所罗门守节七日，从哈马口直到埃及溪谷的以色列众人都与他同在一起，成了一个极其盛大的会。

那时所罗门守节七日，从哈马口直到埃及溪谷的以色列众人都与他同在一起，成了一个极其盛大的会。

所罗门和从哈马口直至埃及小河而来的全体以色列人聚成一大群会众，一起守节期七天。

那时，所罗门和全体以色列人，就是来自哈马口，直到埃及小河的一群极大的会众，一起举行了七天的节期。

那時所羅門和以色列眾人，就是從哈馬口直到埃及小河，所有的以色列人都聚集成為大會，守節七日。

那時所羅門守節七日，從哈馬口直到埃及溪谷的以色列眾人都與他同在一起，成了一個極其盛大的會。

那時所羅門守節七日，從哈馬口直到埃及溪谷的以色列眾人都與他同在一起，成了一個極其盛大的會。

所羅門和從哈馬口直至埃及小河而來的全體以色列人聚成一大群會眾，一起守節期七天。

那時，所羅門和全體以色列人，就是來自哈馬口，直到埃及小河的一群極大的會眾，一起舉行了七天的節期。

那時所羅門和以色列眾人同在一起，從哈馬口到埃及谿谷、一羣極大的大眾、一同過了節七天。

所羅門與以色列眾、自哈馬道、至埃及溪、集為大會、守節期七日、

是時所羅門及以色列族眾、自哈末至埃及河咸集、同守節禮七日、

當時以色列人自哈末至伊及溪、集成至大之會、所羅門率之守節期七日、

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.

At that time Solomon celebrated the Feast of Booths for seven days. The whole community of Israel was with him. It was a huge crowd. People came from as far away as Lebo Hamath and the Wadi of Egypt.

At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt.

So Solomon and all Israel with him— a very great assembly, from the entrance to Hamath to the Brook of Egypt— observed the festival at that time for seven days.

So Solomon held the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly that came from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt.

At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt.

So Solomon held the feast at that time seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt.

So Solomon and all Israel with him— a very great assembly, from the entrance to Hamath to the Brook of Egypt— observed the festival at that time for seven days.

Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt.

At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival for seven days. This great assembly included people from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt in the south.

So Solomon held the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt.

So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said,“ I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—

Then Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters in the presence of the Lord our God. A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebo hamath in the north and the Brook of Egypt in the south. The celebration went on for fourteen days in all— seven days for the dedication of the altar and seven days for the Festival of Shelters.

From Azmon the boundary will turn toward the Brook of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.“ Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.“ Your northern boundary will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and run east to Mount Hor,then to Lebo hamath, and on through Zedad

On October 9 the family leaders of all the people, together with the priests and Levites, met with Ezra the scribe to go over the Law in greater detail.As they studied the Law, they discovered that the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in shelters during the festival to be held that month.He had said that a proclamation should be made throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, telling the people to go to the hills to get branches from olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees. They were to use these branches to make shelters in which they would live during the festival, as prescribed in the Law.So the people went out and cut branches and used them to build shelters on the roofs of their houses, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of God’s Temple, or in the squares just inside the Water Gate and the Ephraim Gate.So everyone who had returned from captivity lived in these shelters during the festival, and they were all filled with great joy! The Israelites had not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua son of Nun.Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God on each of the seven days of the festival. Then on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, as was required by law.

Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.The daily food requirements for Solomon’s palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal;also 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry.Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders.During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, each family had its own home and garden.

“ Five days later, on the fifteenth day of the same month, you must call another holy assembly of all the people, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. It is the beginning of the Festival of Shelters, a seven day festival to the Lord.On the first day of the festival, you must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old male lambs, all with no defects.Each of these offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil— six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams,and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs.You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.“ On the second day of this seven day festival, sacrifice twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old male lambs, all with no defects.Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.“ On the third day of the festival, sacrifice eleven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old male lambs, all with no defects.Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.“ On the fourth day of the festival, sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old male lambs, all with no defects.Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.“ On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old male lambs, all with no defects.Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.“ On the sixth day of the festival, sacrifice eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old male lambs, all with no defects.Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.“ On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old male lambs, all with no defects.Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.“ On the eighth day of the festival, proclaim another holy day. You must do no ordinary work on that day.You must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one year old male lambs, all with no defects.Each of these offerings must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

“ Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. Begin celebrating the Festival of Shelters on the fifteenth day of the appointed month— five days after the Day of Atonement. This festival to the Lord will last for seven days.On the first day of the festival you must proclaim an official day for holy assembly, when you do no ordinary work.For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. The eighth day is another holy day on which you present your special gifts to the Lord. This will be a solemn occasion, and no ordinary work may be done that day.(“ These are the Lord’s appointed festivals. Celebrate them each year as official days for holy assembly by presenting special gifts to the Lord— burnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices, and liquid offerings— each on its proper day.These festivals must be observed in addition to the Lord’s regular Sabbath days, and the offerings are in addition to your personal gifts, the offerings you give to fulfill your vows, and the voluntary offerings you present to the Lord.)“ Remember that this seven day festival to the Lord— the Festival of Shelters— begins on the fifteenth day of the appointed month, after you have harvested all the produce of the land. The first day and the eighth day of the festival will be days of complete rest.On the first day gather branches from magnificent trees— palm fronds, boughs from leafy trees, and willows that grow by the streams. Then celebrate with joy before the Lord your God for seven days.You must observe this festival to the Lord for seven days every year. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed in the appointed month from generation to generation.For seven days you must live outside in little shelters. All native born Israelites must live in shelters.This will remind each new generation of Israelites that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters,

“ O people of Israel, I am about to bring an enemy nation against you,” says the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.“ They will oppress you throughout your land— from Lebo hamath in the north to the Arabah Valley in the south.”

But how could he be? For we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will know where he comes from.”While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he called out,“ Yes, you know me, and you know where I come from. But I’m not here on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don’t know him.But I know him because I come from him, and he sent me to you.”Then the leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him.“ After all,” they said,“ would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?”When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus.But Jesus told them,“ I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me.You will search for me but not find me. And you cannot go where I am going.”The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement.“ Where is he planning to go?” they asked.“ Is he thinking of leaving the country and going to the Jews in other lands? Maybe he will even teach the Greeks!What does he mean when he says,‘ You will search for me but not find me,’ and‘ You cannot go where I am going’?”On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds,“ Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare,‘ Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”( When he said“ living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

So a huge crowd assembled at Jerusalem in midspring to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

“ You must observe the Festival of Shelters for seven days at the end of the harvest season, after the grain has been threshed and the grapes have been pressed.This festival will be a happy time of celebrating with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows from your towns.For seven days you must celebrate this festival to honor the Lord your God at the place he chooses, for it is he who blesses you with bountiful harvests and gives you success in all your work. This festival will be a time of great joy for all.

In the end, the enemies of Jerusalem who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each year to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.Any nation in the world that refuses to come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will have no rain.If the people of Egypt refuse to attend the festival, the Lord will punish them with the same plague that he sends on the other nations who refuse to go.Egypt and the other nations will all be punished if they don’t go to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.

and the larger territory of the Canaanites, extending from the stream of Shihor on the border of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron. It includes the territory of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The land of the Avvitesin the south also remains to be conquered. In the north, the following area has not yet been conquered: all the land of the Canaanites, including Mearah( which belongs to the Sidonians), stretching northward to Aphek on the border of the Amorites;the land of the Gebalites and all of the Lebanon mountain area to the east, from Baal gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo hamath;