2 Chronicles 1

1 ¹ Solomon the son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, and our Father was with him and made him exceedingly great.

² Solomon spoke to all Israel — to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the families ³ —and Solomon, with the whole assembly, went to the high place at Gibeon, for the tent of meeting of our Father was there, which Moses the servant of our Father had made in the wilderness. ⁴ But David had brought up the ark of our Father from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. ⁵ And the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made was there before the tabernacle of our Father; so Solomon and the assembly sought our Father there. ⁶ Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before our Father, at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

⁷ That night our Father appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask what I should give you."

⁸ Solomon said to our Father, "You have shown great covenant love to David my father, and you have made me king in his place." ⁹ Now, my Father, let your promise to David my father be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰ Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who can govern this great people of yours?

¹¹ Our Father said to Solomon, "Because this was in your heart, and you did not ask for riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of those who hate you, and you did not even ask for long life, but asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king ¹² —wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. And I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings before you had, and none after you will have."

¹³ So Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem; and he reigned over Israel.

¹⁴ Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as the sycamore-figs of the western foothills. ¹⁶ Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king's traders bought them from Kue at the going price. ^a a v16 Kue was a region in what is now southern Turkey, prized in the ancient world for its horses. ¹⁷ They imported a chariot from Egypt for about fifteen pounds of silver, and a horse for about four pounds of silver; and so, through them, they exported these to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.