所罗门王求智慧

大卫的儿子所罗门巩固了自己的王位。因为他的上帝耶和华与他同在,使他极其伟大。

所罗门召集所有以色列人,包括千夫长、百夫长、审判官、首领和族长, 与他们一起去基遍的丘坛,因为那里有上帝的会幕,是耶和华的仆人摩西在旷野制造的。 大卫已经把上帝的约柜从基列·耶琳搬到耶路撒冷,因为他在那里为约柜搭了一个帐篷。 户珥的孙子、乌利的儿子比撒列造的铜坛在基遍耶和华的会幕前,所罗门和会众就在那里求问耶和华。 所罗门上到耶和华会幕前的铜坛那里,献上一千头祭牲作为燔祭。

当天晚上,上帝向所罗门显现,问他:“你要我给你什么?只管求吧。” 所罗门回答说:“你厚待我父大卫,并让我继位。 耶和华上帝啊,求你成就你给我父大卫的应许。你立我为王,使我统治这多如地上尘土的百姓。 10 现在,求你赐我智慧和知识以带领他们。不然,谁能治理这么多的百姓呢?” 11 上帝对所罗门说:“你既然有此心愿,不为自己求富贵、资财、尊荣、长寿,也没有求灭绝你的敌人,只求智慧和知识以治理我的子民——我交在你王权之下的百姓, 12 我必赐你智慧和知识,并且我还要赐你空前绝后的富贵、资财和尊荣。”

13 于是,所罗门从基遍丘坛的会幕前回到耶路撒冷治理以色列。

所罗门王的兵力和财富

14 所罗门组建了战车和骑兵,有一千四百辆战车、一万二千名骑兵,驻扎在屯车城和他所在的耶路撒冷。 15 王使耶路撒冷的金银多如石头,使香柏木多如丘陵的无花果树。 16 所罗门的马匹都是由王室商队从埃及和古厄按定价买来的。 17 他们从埃及买来的车马,每辆车六百块银子,每匹马一百五十块银子,他们也把车马卖给赫人诸王和亚兰诸王。

King Solomon speaks to his people

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]

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. 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. 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. 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. 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

That night, God showed himself to Solomon. God said, ‘Ask me to give you whatever you want.’

Solomon answered God, ‘You always showed your faithful love to my father David. Now you have chosen me to be king after him. 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. 1:1 King David died about 970 BC. A short time before his death, he made Solomon king of all Israel.
  2. 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.
  3. 1:17 The horses from Egypt were very big and strong. They were the best horses to pull chariots.

Solomon Requests Wisdom(A)

Now (B)Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and (C)the Lord his God was with him and (D)exalted him exceedingly.

And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to (E)the captains of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ houses. Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to [a]the high place that was at (F)Gibeon; for the tabernacle of meeting with God was there, which Moses the servant of the Lord had (G)made in the wilderness. (H)But David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. Now (I)the bronze altar that (J)Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, [b]he put before the tabernacle of the Lord; Solomon and the assembly sought Him there. And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and (K)offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

(L)On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great (M)mercy to David my father, and have made me (N)king in his place. Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, (O)for You have made me king over a people like the (P)dust of the earth in multitude. 10 (Q)Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may (R)go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?”

11 (S)Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as (T)none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”

Solomon’s Military and Economic Power(U)

13 So Solomon came to Jerusalem from [c]the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tabernacle of meeting, and reigned over Israel. 14 (V)And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 (W)Also the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland. 16 (X)And Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price. 17 They also acquired and imported from Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty; thus, [d]through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 1:3 Place for worship
  2. 2 Chronicles 1:5 Some authorities it was there
  3. 2 Chronicles 1:13 Place for worship
  4. 2 Chronicles 1:17 Lit. by their hands