2 Chronicles 1
Common English Bible
Solomon first meets God
1 Solomon, David’s son, was securely established over his kingdom because the Lord his God was with him and made him very great. 2 Solomon summoned all Israel, including the officers of the army,[a] the judges, and every Israelite leader who was the head of a family. 3 Then Solomon, accompanied by the whole assembly, went to the shrine at Gibeon because that is where God’s meeting tent was, the tent that the Lord’s servant Moses had made in the wilderness. 4 Now David had already brought God’s chest from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it because he had pitched a tent for the chest in Jerusalem. 5 But the bronze altar that Bezalel, Uri’s son and Hur’s grandson, had made was there in front of the Lord’s dwelling, so that is where Solomon and the assembly worshipped. 6 Solomon went there to the bronze altar in the Lord’s presence at the meeting tent and offered a thousand entirely burned offerings upon it.
7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “Ask whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”
8 “You showed so much kindness to my father David,” Solomon replied to God, “and you have made me king in his place. 9 Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be fulfilled because you have made me king over a people as numerous as the earth’s dust. 10 Give me wisdom and knowledge so I can lead this people, because no one can govern this great people of yours without your help.”
11 God said to Solomon, “Since this is what you wish, and because you’ve asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I’ve made you king—rather than asking for wealth, riches, fame, victory over those who hate you, or even a long life— 12 your request for wisdom and knowledge is granted. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame beyond that of any king before you or after you.” 13 Then Solomon went from[b] the shrine in Gibeon, from the meeting tent to Jerusalem where he ruled over Israel.
Solomon’s wealth
14 Solomon acquired more and more chariots and horses until he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he stationed in chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 In Jerusalem, the king made silver and gold as common as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore trees that grow in the foothills. 16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue, purchased from Kue by the king’s agents at the going price. 17 They would import a chariot from Egypt for six hundred pieces of silver and a horse for one hundred fifty, and then export them to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 1:2 Or officers over thousands and hundreds
- 2 Chronicles 1:13 LXX, Vulg; MT to
2 Chronicles 1
EasyEnglish Bible
King Solomon speaks to his people
1 David's son Solomon made himself a strong ruler over his kingdom.[a] The Lord his God was with Solomon, so that he became a great king.[b]
2 Solomon called all the people of Israel to come together. They included the army officers who had authority over 1,000 men, and those who had authority over 100 men. They also included the judges, the leaders in Israel and the leaders of families. 3 Then Solomon went with all those people to Gibeon town to worship God. The special tent that the Lord's servant Moses had made in the desert was there. It was the tent where God met with his people. 4 Before that, King David had brought God's Covenant Box from Kiriath-Jearim to Jerusalem. He had prepared a place for it in a tent there. 5 But the bronze altar that Bezalel had made was in Gibeon, in front of the Lord's tent. (Bezalel was the son of Uri, and the grandson of Hur.) So Solomon and the people went to meet the Lord there in Gibeon. 6 Solomon went up to the bronze altar which was in front of the Lord's special tent. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on the altar to the Lord.
God meets with Solomon
7 That night, God showed himself to Solomon. God said, ‘Ask me to give you whatever you want.’
8 Solomon answered God, ‘You always showed your faithful love to my father David. Now you have chosen me to be king after him. 9 Now, Lord God, please do as you promised to my father David. You have chosen me to rule as king over a great nation with as many people as the dust on the ground. 10 So please give me wisdom and knowledge, so that I can be a good leader of these people. I will only be able to rule this great nation of your people if you do that for me.’
11 God said to Solomon, ‘I am pleased that you have not asked to have riches or many valuable things. You have not asked me to give you great honour or for me to punish your enemies with death. You have not asked for a long life. Instead you asked me to give you wisdom and knowledge to rule over my people that I have chosen you to rule as king. 12 Because of that, I will give to you wisdom and knowledge, as you asked. But I will also give you riches, valuable things and honour. You will have more of those than any king who has lived before you and more than any king who will live after you.’
13 Solomon left the special tent in Gibeon where God met with his people. He returned to Jerusalem. There he ruled over Israel as king.
Solomon buys horses and chariots
14 Solomon brought together many chariots and horses for his soldiers to ride. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept some of them in Jerusalem where he lived as king. He kept the others in cities that he had chosen for this. 15 While Solomon ruled as king, there was as much silver and gold in Jerusalem as stones! There was as much wood from cedar trees as there were fig trees that grew in the low hills in the west. 16 Solomon brought his horses from Egypt and from Kue. He sent traders to Kue to buy them for him. 17 They paid 600 pieces of silver for each chariot that they bought in Egypt. They paid 150 pieces of silver for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria.[c]
Footnotes
- 1:1 King David died about 970 BC. A short time before his death, he made Solomon king of all Israel.
- 1:1 When we write Lord like this, it is a special name for God. Sometimes people write it as ‘Yahweh’, or as ‘Jehovah’. It is his own name that he told Moses. See Exodus 3:14. It means ‘I am who I am’. This shows that God has always been there and he always will be there.
- 1:17 The horses from Egypt were very big and strong. They were the best horses to pull chariots.
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