“Sir,” she answered, “You took an oath to Yahweh your Elohim. You said that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne.

I will do today exactly what I swore to you by Yahweh Elohim of Israel. Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne.”

“So be it!” Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, answered the king. “Yahweh your Elohim says so too.

Furthermore, the royal officials have come to congratulate His Majesty King David, saying, ‘May your Elohim make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his reign greater than your reign.’ The king himself bowed down on his bed

and said, ‘Praise Yahweh Elohim of Israel who has let me see the heir to my throne.’”

Fulfill your duty to Yahweh your Elohim. Obey his directions, laws, commands, rules, and written instructions as they are recorded in Moses’ Teachings. Then you’ll succeed in everything you do wherever you may go.

King Solomon took an oath by Yahweh and said, “May Elohim strike me dead if Adonijah doesn’t pay with his life for this request!

In Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. Elohim said, “What can I give you?”

“Yahweh my Elohim, although I’m young and inexperienced, you’ve made me king in place of my father David.

Elohim replied, “You’ve asked for this and not for a long life, or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies. Instead, you’ve asked for understanding so that you can do what is right.

All Israel heard about the decision the king made. They respected the king very highly, because they saw he possessed wisdom from Elohim to do what was right.

Solomon’s Wisdom

Elohim gave Solomon wisdom—keen insight and a mind as limitless as the sand on the seashore.

“You know that my father David was surrounded by war. He couldn’t build a temple for the name of Yahweh our Elohim until Yahweh let him defeat his enemies.

But Yahweh my Elohim has surrounded me with peace. I have no rival and no trouble.

Now I’m thinking of building a temple for the name of Yahweh my Elohim as Yahweh spoke to my father David: ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne to succeed you, will build a temple for my name.’

“Thanks be to Yahweh Elohim of Israel. With his mouth he made a promise to my father David; with his hand he carried it out. He said,

“My father David had his heart set on building a temple for the name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel.

Yahweh has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David’s place, and I sit on the throne of Israel as Yahweh promised. I’ve built the temple for the name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel.

and said, “Yahweh Elohim of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep your promise of mercy to your servants, who obey you wholeheartedly.

“Now, Yahweh Elohim of Israel, keep your promise to my father David, your servant. You said, ‘You will never fail to have an heir sitting in front of me on the throne of Israel if your descendants are faithful to me as you have been faithful to me.’

“So now, Elohim of Israel, may the promise you made to my father David, your servant, come true.

“Does Elohim really live on earth? If heaven itself, the highest heaven, cannot hold you, then how can this temple that I have built?

Nevertheless, my Yahweh Elohim, please pay attention to my prayer for mercy. Listen to my cry for help as I pray to you today.

May Yahweh our Elohim be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us.

May these words which I have prayed to Yahweh be near Yahweh our Elohim day and night. Then he will give me and his people Israel justice every day as it is needed.