The Lord Makes Solomon Wise
(1 Kings 3.1-15)1 King Solomon, the son of David, was now in complete control of his kingdom, because the Lord God had blessed him and made him a powerful king.
2-5 At that time, the sacred tent that Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the desert was still kept at Gibeon, and in front of the tent was the bronze altar that Bezalel had made.
One day, Solomon told the people of Israel, the army commanders, the officials, and the family leaders, to go with him to the place of worship at Gibeon, even though his father King David had already moved the sacred chest from Kiriath-Jearim to the tent that he had set up for it in Jerusalem. Solomon and the others went to Gibeon to worship the Lord, 6 and there at the bronze altar, Solomon offered a thousand animals as sacrifices to please the Lord.
7 God appeared to Solomon that night in a dream and said, “Solomon, ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you.”
8 Solomon answered:
Lord God, you were always loyal to my father David, and now you have made me king of Israel. 9 I am supposed to rule these people, but there are as many of them as there are specks of dust on the ground. So keep the promise you made to my father 10 and make me wise. Give me the knowledge I'll need to be the king of this great nation of yours.
11 God replied:
Solomon, you could have asked me to make you rich or famous or to let you live a long time. Or you could have asked for your enemies to be destroyed. Instead, you asked for wisdom and knowledge to rule my people. 12 So I will make you wise and intelligent. But I will also make you richer and more famous than any king before or after you.
13 Solomon then left Gibeon and returned to Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel.
Solomon's Wealth
(1 Kings 10.26-29)14 Solomon had a force of 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.
15 While Solomon was king of Israel, there was silver and gold everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.
16-17 Solomon's merchants bought his horses and chariots in the regions of Musri and Kue. They paid 600 pieces of silver for a chariot and 150 pieces of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to the Hittite and Syrian kings.
1 Then Salomon the sonne of Dauid was confirmed in his kingdome: and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him highly. 2 And Salomon spake vnto all Israel, to the captaines of thousandes, and of hundreths, and to the iudges, and to all the gouernours in all Israel, euen the chiefe fathers. 3 So Salomon and all the Congregation with him went to the hie place that was at Gibeon: for there was the Tabernacle of the Congregation of God which Moses the seruant of the Lord had made in the wildernesse. 4 But the Arke of God had Dauid brought vp from Kiriath-iearim, when Dauid had made preparation for it: for he had pitched a tent for it in Ierusalem. 5 Moreouer the brasen altar that Bezaleel the sonne of Vri, the sonne of Hur had made, did hee set before the Tabernacle of the Lord: and Salomon and the Congregation sought it. 6 And Salomon offred there before the Lord vpon the brasen altar that was in the Tabernacle of the Congregation: euen a thousand burnt offrings offred he vpon it. 7 The same night did God appeare vnto Salomon, and sayde vnto him, Aske what I shall giue thee. 8 And Salomon sayde vnto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy vnto Dauid my father and hast made me to reigne in his stead. 9 Nowe therefore, O Lord God, let thy promise vnto Dauid my father be true: for thou hast made mee King ouer a great people, like to the dust of the earth. 10 Giue me now wisdome and knowledge, that I may go out and go in before this people: for who can iudge this thy great people? 11 And God sayde to Salomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, treasures nor honour, nor the liues of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life, but hast asked for thee wisdome and knowledge that thou mightest iudge my people, ouer whome I haue made thee King, 12 Wisdome and knowledge is granted vnto thee, and I will giue thee riches and treasures and honour, so that there hath not bene the like among the Kings which were before thee, neither after thee shall there be the like. 13 Then Salomon came from the hie place, that was at Gibeon, to Ierusalem from before the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and reigned ouer Israel. 14 And Salomon gathered the charets and horesemen: and he had a thousand and foure hundreth charets, and twelue thousande horsemen, whome he placed in the charet cities, and with the King at Ierusalem. 15 And the King gaue siluer and gold at Ierusalem as stones, and gaue cedar trees as the wilde figge trees, that are abundantly in the playne. 16 Also Salomon had horses brought out of Egypt and fine linen: the Kings marchants receiued the fine linen for a price. 17 They came vp also and brought out of Egypt some charet, worth sixe hundreth shekels of siluer, that is an horse for an hundreth and fiftie: and thus they brought horses to all the Kings of the Hittites, and to the Kings of Aram by their meanes.