⁷ That night God appeared to Solomon. He said, “What can I give you?”

⁸ Solomon responded to God, “You’ve shown great love to my father David, and you’ve made me king in his place. ⁹ Now, Lord God, you’ve kept the promise you made to my father David. You’ve made me king of people who are as numerous as specks of dust on the ground. ¹⁰ Give me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people. After all, who can judge this great people of yours?”

¹¹ God replied to Solomon, “I know this request is from your heart. You didn’t ask for riches, fortunes, honor, or the death of those who hate you. You didn’t even ask for a long life. Instead, you’ve asked for wisdom and knowledge to judge my people, over whom I made you king. ¹² So wisdom and knowledge will be given to you. I will also give you riches, fortunes, and honor like no other king before or after you.”

¹³ Solomon went from the tent of meeting at the place of worship in Gibeon to Jerusalem. And he ruled Israel.

¹⁴ Solomon built up ⌞his army⌟ with chariots and war horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 war horses. He stationed ⌞some⌟ in chariot cities and ⌞others⌟ with himself in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as fig trees in the foothills.

¹⁶ Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue. The king’s traders bought them from Kue for a fixed price. ¹⁷ They imported each chariot from Egypt for 15 pounds of silver and each horse for 6 ounces of silver. For the same price they obtained horses to export to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom—keen insight and a mind as limitless as the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the eastern people and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone, than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Heman, Calcol, or Darda, Mahol’s sons. His fame spread to all the nations around him.

³² Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. ³³ He described and classified trees—from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He described and classified animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. ³⁴ People came from every nation to hear his wisdom; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard about his wisdom.