Solomon Requests Wisdom

1 Solomon son of David strengthened himself in his kingdom; the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.^(A)

² Solomon summoned all Israel, the commanders of the thousands and of the hundreds, the judges, and all the leaders of all Israel, the heads of families.^{(B) 3} Then Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for God’s tent of meeting, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness, was there.^{(C) 4} (But David had brought the ark of God up from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.)^{(D) 5} Moreover, the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur had made was there in front of the tabernacle of the Lord. And Solomon and the assembly inquired at it.^{(E) 6} Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.^(F)

⁷ That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I should give you.”^{(G) 8} Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to my father David and have made me succeed him as king.^{(H) 9} O Lord God, let your promise to my father David now be fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.^{(I) 10} Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of yours?”^{(J) 11} God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you and have not even asked for long life but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may rule my people over whom I have made you king,^{(K) 12} wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.”^{(L) 13} So Solomon came from^[a] the high place at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Military and Commercial Activity

¹⁴ Solomon gathered together chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.^{(M) 15} The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamores of the Shephelah.^{(N) 16} Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue; the king’s traders received them from Kue at the prevailing price.^{(O) 17} They imported from Egypt (and then exported) a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver and a horse for one hundred fifty, so through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

Preparations for Building the Temple

2 ^[b]Solomon decided to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself.^{(P) 2 [c]}Solomon conscripted seventy thousand laborers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hill country, with three thousand six hundred to oversee them.^(Q)

Alliance with Huram of Tyre

³ Solomon sent word to King Huram of Tyre, “Once you dealt with my father David and sent him cedar to build himself a house to live in.^{(R) 4} I am now about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for offering fragrant incense before him, and for the regular offering of the rows of bread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed festivals of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel.^{(S) 5} The house that I am about to build will be great, for our God is greater than other gods.^{(T) 6} But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him except as a place to make offerings before him?^{(U) 7} So now send me an artisan skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to join the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.^{(V) 8} Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting Lebanon timber. My servants will work with your servants^{(W) 9} to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am about to build will be great and wonderful. ¹⁰ I will provide for your servants, those who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of crushed wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths^[d] of wine, and twenty thousand baths^[e] of oil.”^(X)

¹¹ Then King Huram of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them.”^{(Y) 12} Huram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son endowed with discretion and understanding who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.^(Z)

¹³ “I have dispatched Huram-abi, a skilled artisan endowed with understanding, ¹⁴ the son of one of the Danite women, his father a Tyrian. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your artisans, the artisans of my lord, your father David.^{(AA) 15} Now, as for the wheat, barley, oil, and wine of which my lord has spoken, let him send them to his servants.^{(AB) 16} We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa; you will take it up to Jerusalem.”^(AC)

¹⁷ Then Solomon took a census of all the aliens who were residing in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had taken, and there were found to be one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred.^{(AD) 18} Seventy thousand of them he assigned as laborers, eighty thousand as stonecutters in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred as overseers to make the people work.^(AE)