¹ Solomon son of David then made himself secure over his kingdom. Yahweh his God was with him, making him more and more powerful.

² Solomon then 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 families.

³ Solomon, and the whole assembly with him, then went to the high place at Gibeon, where God's Tent of Meeting was, which Moses, servant of God, had made in the desert.

⁴ The ark of the covenant, however, David had brought from Kiriath-Jearim to the place which he had prepared for it, having pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.

⁵ The bronze altar which Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, had made was there, in front of Yahweh's Dwelling, where Solomon and the assembly consulted him.

⁶ There Solomon presented a burnt offering before Yahweh on the bronze altar of the Tent of Meeting, making on it one thousand burnt offerings.

⁷ That night God appeared to Solomon and said, 'Ask what you would like me to give you.'

⁸ Solomon replied to God, 'You showed most faithful love to David my father, and you have made me king in succession to him.

⁹ Yahweh God, the promise you made to David my father has now been fulfilled, since you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

¹⁰ Therefore give me wisdom and knowledge to act as leader of this people, for how otherwise could such a great people as yours be governed?'

¹¹ 'Since that is what you want,' God said to Solomon, 'since you have asked, not for riches, treasure, honour, the lives of your enemies, or even for a long life, but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people of whom I have made you king,

¹² therefore wisdom and knowledge are granted you. I give you riches too, and treasure, and honour such as no king had before you and none will have after you.'

¹³ So Solomon came away from the high place at Gibeon, from the Tent of Meeting, to Jerusalem and reigned over Israel.

¹⁴ Solomon then built up a force of chariots and cavalry; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses; these he kept in the chariot towns and near the king at Jerusalem.

¹⁵ In Jerusalem the king made silver and gold as common as stones, and cedar wood as plentiful as sycamore in the lowlands.

¹⁶ Solomon's horses were imported from Muzur and Cilicia. The king's dealers acquired them in Cilicia at the prevailing price.

¹⁷ A chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred silver shekels and a horse from Cilicia for a hundred and fifty. They also supplied the Hittite and Aramaean kings, who all used them as middlemen.

¹⁸ Solomon then gave the order to build a house for the name of Yahweh and a palace in which to reign.