⁴ The king went to Gibeon^(A) to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared^(B) to Solomon during the night in a dream,^(C) and God said, “Ask^(D) for whatever you want me to give you.”

⁶ Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful^(E) to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son^(F) to sit on his throne this very day.

⁷ “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child^(G) and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen,^(H) a great people, too numerous to count or number.^{(I) 9} So give your servant a discerning^(J) heart to govern your people and to distinguish^(K) between right and wrong. For who is able^(L) to govern this great people of yours?”

¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked^(M) for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment^(N) in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked.^(O) I will give you a wise^(P) and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not^(Q) asked for—both wealth and honor^(R)—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal^(S) among kings. ¹⁴ And if you walk^(T) in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”^{(U) 15} Then Solomon awoke^(V)—and he realized it had been a dream.^(W)

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings^(X) and fellowship offerings.^(Y) Then he gave a feast^(Z) for all his court.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom^(A) and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand^(B) on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,^(C) and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.^{(D) 31} He was wiser^(E) than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. ³² He spoke three thousand proverbs^(F) and his songs^(G) numbered a thousand and five. ³³ He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop^(H) that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. ³⁴ From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings^(I) of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.^[a]

³⁸ In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details^(A) according to its specifications.^(B) He had spent seven years building it.

Solomon Builds His Palace

7 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.^(A)

Solomon’s Splendor^(A)

¹⁴ The weight of the gold^(B) that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,^{[a] 15} not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.

¹⁶ King Solomon made two hundred large shields^(C) of hammered gold; six hundred shekels^[b] of gold went into each shield. ¹⁷ He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas^[c] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.^(D)

¹⁸ Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. ¹⁹ The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. ²⁰ Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. ²¹ All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.^(E) Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. ²² The king had a fleet of trading ships^[d](F) at sea along with the ships^(G) of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

²³ King Solomon was greater in riches^(H) and wisdom^(I) than all the other kings of the earth. ²⁴ The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom^(J) God had put in his heart. ²⁵ Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift^(K)—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

²⁶ Solomon accumulated chariots and horses;^(L) he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,^[e] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. ²⁷ The king made silver as common^(M) in Jerusalem as stones,^(N) and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig^(O) trees in the foothills. ²⁸ Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue^[f]—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. ²⁹ They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.^[g] They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites^(P) and of the Arameans.

³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines,^(A) and his wives led him astray.^(B)