2 Chronicles 1
New King James Version
Solomon Requests Wisdom(A)
1 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.
2 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. 3 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. 4 (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. 5 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. 6 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.
7 (L)On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
8 And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great (M)mercy to David my father, and have made me (N)king in his place. 9 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
- 2 Chronicles 1:3 Place for worship
- 2 Chronicles 1:5 Some authorities it was there
- 2 Chronicles 1:13 Place for worship
- 2 Chronicles 1:17 Lit. by their hands
2 Chronicles 1
Complete Jewish Bible
1 Shlomo the son of David grew stronger in his rulership; Adonai his God was with him, making him greater and greater.
2 Shlomo spoke to all Isra’el — to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges and to every leader in all Isra’el, the heads of clans. 3 Shlomo and the whole community with him went to the high place at Giv‘on, because in that place was God’s tent of meeting, which Moshe the servant of Adonai had made in the desert. 4 But the ark of God David had brought up from Kiryat-Ye‘arim to the place he had prepared for it — he had set up a tent for it in Yerushalayim. 5 The bronze altar crafted by B’tzal’el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had been placed before the tabernacle of Adonai; and there Shlomo and the community consulted him. 6 On the bronze altar at the tent of meeting Shlomo offered a thousand burnt offerings before Adonai.
7 That night God appeared to Shlomo and said to him, “Tell me what I should give you.” 8 Shlomo said to God, “You showed much grace to your servant David my father and have made me king in his place. 9 Now, Adonai, God, you have been faithful to your promise to David my father; for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the grains of dust on the earth. 10 So now, give me wisdom and knowledge; so that I will be able to lead this people. For who is equal to judging this great people of yours?”
11 God said to Shlomo, “Because you set your heart on this — because, instead of asking for riches, wealth, honor, the death of those who hate you, or long life, you asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, so that you would be able to judge my people, over whom I made you king — 12 not only are wisdom and knowledge being given to you, but I will also give you riches, wealth and honor such as no king before you has ever had; and no king after you will have as much.” 13 So Shlomo came away from the high place at Giv‘on, from in front of the tent of meeting, to Yerushalayim; and he ruled over Isra’el.
14 Shlomo amassed chariots and horsemen; he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen; he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Yerushalayim. 15 The king made silver and gold in Yerushalayim as common as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as sycamore-fig trees in the Sh’felah. 16 Shlomo’s horses had been brought from Egypt and from Keve, with the king’s agents having bought them from the dealers in Keve at the going price. 17 A chariot brought from Egypt cost fifteen pounds of silver shekels and a horse three-and-three quarters pounds [of shekels]; all the kings of the Hittim and the kings of Aram purchased them at these prices through Shlomo’s agents.
18 (2:1) Shlomo then decided to build a house for the name of Adonai and a royal palace for himself.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.