So they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful, young woman. They found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king.

All Israel is looking to you, Your Majesty, to tell them who should succeed you 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.”

Have the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king of Israel there. Then blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’

Follow him back here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will be king in place of me. I have appointed him to be the leader of Israel and Judah.”

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

You’ll succeed because Yahweh will keep the promise he made to me: ‘If your descendants are faithful to me with all their hearts and lives, you will never fail to have an heir on the throne of Israel.’

“You know what Joab (Zeruiah’s son) did to me and to the two commanders of Israel’s army—Abner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Jether. Joab killed them. When there was peace, he shed blood as if it were wartime. With their blood he stained the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet.

He ruled as king of Israel for 40 years. He ruled for 7 years in Hebron and for 33 years in Jerusalem.

He said, “You know the kingship was mine. All Israel expected me to be their king. But the kingship has been turned over to my brother because Yahweh gave it to him.

Yahweh will repay him for the slaughter he caused. Joab killed two honorable men who were better than he was. He used his sword to kill Abner (who was the son of Ner and the commander of Israel’s army) and Amasa (who was the son of Jether and the commander of Judah’s army). Joab did this without my father’s knowledge.

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 Administration

When King Solomon was the king of all Israel,

Solomon appointed 12 district governors in Israel. They were to provide food for the king and his palace. Each one had to supply food for one month every year.

The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They ate and drank and lived happily.

As long as Solomon lived, Judah and Israel (from Dan to Beersheba) lived securely, everyone under his own vine and fig tree.

King Solomon forced 30,000 men from all over Israel to work for him.

The Temple Built in Seven Years

Solomon began to build Yahweh’s temple 480 years after Israel left Egypt. He began building in the month of Ziv (the second month) of the fourth year of his reign over Israel.

I will live among the Israelites and never abandon my people.”

The Lord Comes to His Temple

Then Solomon assembled the respected leaders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the Israelite families. They came to King Solomon in Jerusalem to take the ark of Yahweh’s promise from the City of David (that is, Zion).

All the people of Israel gathered around King Solomon at the Festival of Booths in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.

When all the leaders of Israel had arrived, the priests picked up Yahweh’s ark.

while King Solomon with the whole assembly from Israel were offering countless sheep and cattle sacrifices in front of the ark.

There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses put there at Horeb, where Yahweh made a promise to the Israelites after they left Egypt.

Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel while they were standing.