2 Chronicles 1

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

1:2–13pp—1Ki 3:4–15 1:14–17pp—1Ki 10:26–29; 2Ch 9:25–28

1Solomon son of David established^a himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with^b him and made him exceedingly great.^c

²Then Solomon spoke to all Israel^d—to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families—³and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon,^e for God’s tent of meeting^f was there, which Moses^g the Lord’s servant had made in the wilderness. ⁴Now David had brought up the ark^h of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tentⁱ for it in Jerusalem. ⁵But the bronze altar^j that Bezalel^k son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the Lord; so Solomon and the assembly inquired^l of him there. ⁶Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the Lord in the tent of meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

⁷That night God appeared^m to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

⁸Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made meⁿ king in his place. ⁹Now, Lord God, let your promise^o to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.^{p 10}Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead^q this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

¹¹God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth,^r possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, ¹²therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor,^s such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.^t”

¹³Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting. And he reigned over Israel.

¹⁴Solomon accumulated chariots^u and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,^a which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. ¹⁵The king made silver and gold^v as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. ¹⁶Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue^b—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. ¹⁷They imported a chariot^w from Egypt for six hundred shekels^c of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.^d They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.