1 Kings 3; 1 Kings 4; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalms 72

1 Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). After marrying Pharaoh's daughter, Solomon brought her to the City of David until he finished building his own house, the LORD's house, and the wall around Jerusalem.

2 The people were still sacrificing at other worship sites because a temple for the name of the LORD had not yet been built.

3 Solomon loved the LORD and lived by his father David's rules. However, he still sacrificed and burned incense at these other worship sites.

4 King Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice because it was the most important place of worship. Solomon sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar.

5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. He said, "What can I give you?"

6 Solomon responded, "You've shown great love to my father David, who was your servant. He lived in your presence with truth, righteousness, and commitment. And you continued to show him your great love by giving him a son to sit on his throne today.

7 "LORD my God, although I'm young and inexperienced, you've made me king in place of my father David.

8 I'm among your people whom you have chosen. They are too numerous to count or record.

9 Give me a heart that listens so that I can judge your people and tell the difference between good and evil. After all, who can judge this great people of yours?"

10 The LORD was pleased that Solomon asked for this.

11 God 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.

12 So I'm going to do what you've asked. I'm giving you a wise and understanding heart so that there will never be anyone like you.

13 I'm also giving you what you haven't asked for--riches and honor--so that no other king will be like you as long as you live.

14 And if you follow me and obey my laws and commands as your father David did, then I will also give you a long life."

15 Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem and stood in front of the ark of the LORD's promise. He sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings and held a banquet for all his officials.

16 A short time later two prostitutes came to the king and stood in front of him.

17 One woman said to him, "Sir, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth [to a son] while she was with me in the house.

18 Two days later this woman also gave birth [to a son]. We were alone. No one else was with us. Just the two of us were in the house.

19 That night this woman's son died because she rolled over on top of him.

20 So she got up during the night and took my son, who was beside me, while I was asleep. She held him in her arms. Then she laid her dead son in my arms.

21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, he was dead! I took a good look at him and realized that he wasn't my son at all!"

22 The other woman said, "No! My son is alive--your son is dead." The first woman kept on saying, "No! Your son is dead--my son is alive." So they argued in front of the king.

23 The king said, "This one keeps saying, 'My son is alive--your son is dead,' and that one keeps saying, 'No! Your son is dead--my son is alive.'"

24 So the king told his servants to bring him a sword. When they brought it,

25 he said, "Cut the living child in two. Give half to the one and half to the other."

26 Then the woman whose son was still alive was deeply moved by her love for the child. She said to the king, "Please, sir, give her the living child. Please don't kill him!" But the other woman said, "He won't be mine or yours. Cut him [in two]."

27 The king replied, "Give the living child to the first woman. Don't kill him. She is his mother."

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

1 When King Solomon was the king of all Israel,

2 these were his officials: Azariah, son of Zadok, was the [chief] priest.

3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were scribes. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was the royal historian.

4 Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was commander of the army. Zadok and Abiathar were priests.

5 Azariah, son of Nathan, was in charge of the district governors. Zabud, son of Nathan, was the king's adviser.

6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace. Adoniram, son of Abda, was in charge of forced labor.

7 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.

8 Their names were Benhur, who was in charge of the hills of Ephraim,

9 Bendeker, who was in charge of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan, and

10 Benhesed, who was in charge of Arubboth, Socoh, and the entire region of Hepher.

11 Benabinadab had the entire region of Dor. (Solomon's daughter Taphath was his wife.)

12 Baana, son of Ahilud, had Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Beth Shean. (This was near Zarethan, below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah and over to Jokmeam.)

13 Bengeber was in charge of Ramoth Gilead; he had the settlements of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, in Gilead. He [also] had the territory of Argob in Bashan, 60 large cities with walls and bronze bars across their gates.

14 Ahinadab, son of Iddo, was in charge of Mahanaim.

15 Ahimaaz was in charge of Naphtali. (He also married Solomon's daughter Basemath.)

16 Baana, son of Hushai, was in charge of Asher and Aloth.

17 Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, was in charge of Issachar.

18 Shimei, son of Ela, was in charge of Benjamin.

19 Geber, son of Uri, was in charge of Gilead, the territory of King Sihon the Amorite and King Og of Bashan. (There was only one governor in that territory.)

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

21 Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the country of the Philistines and as far as the Egyptian border. These kingdoms paid taxes and were subject to Solomon as long as he lived.

22 Solomon's food supply for one day was 180 bushels of flour, 360 bushels of coarse flour,

23 10 fattened cows, 20 cows from the pasture, and 100 sheep in addition to deer, gazelles, fallow deer, and fattened birds.

24 He controlled all the territory west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza and all of its kings. So he lived in peace with all the neighboring countries.

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

26 Solomon had stalls for 40,000 chariot horses. He also had 12,000 chariot soldiers.

27 Each of the governors provided food for one month every year for King Solomon and all who ate at his table. The governors saw to it that nothing was in short supply.

28 They brought their quota of barley and straw for the chariot horses to the proper places.

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.

1 Solomon, son of David, strengthened his position over the kingdom. The LORD his God was with him and made him very powerful.

2 Solomon spoke to all Israel--to the commanders of regiments and battalions, judges, every prince, and the heads of Israel's families.

3 Then Solomon and the entire assembly went to the place of worship in Gibeon because God's tent of meeting was there. Moses, the LORD's servant, had made the tent in the desert.

4 (However, David had [already] brought God's ark from Kiriath Jearim to a place he had prepared for it. He had put up a tent for it in Jerusalem.)

5 The bronze altar that Bezalel, son of Uri and grandson of Hur, had made was in front of the LORD's tent. There Solomon and the assembly worshiped the LORD.

6 In the LORD's presence Solomon went to the bronze altar in front of the tent of meeting and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on it.

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.

1 O God, give the king your justice and the king's son your righteousness

2 so that he may judge your people with righteousness and your oppressed [people] with justice.

3 May the mountains bring peace to the people and the hills bring righteousness.

4 May he grant justice to the people who are oppressed. May he save the children of needy people and crush their oppressor.

5 May they fear you as long as the sun and moon [shine]-- throughout every generation.

6 May he be like rain that falls on [freshly] cut grass, like showers that water the land.

7 May righteous people blossom in his day. May there be unlimited peace until the moon no longer [shines].

8 May he rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

9 May the people of the desert kneel in front of him. May his enemies lick the dust.

10 May the kings from Tarshish and the islands bring presents. May the kings from Sheba and Seba bring gifts.

11 May all kings worship him. May all nations serve him.

12 He will rescue the needy person who cries for help and the oppressed person who has no one's help.

13 He will have pity on the poor and needy and will save the lives of the needy.

14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence. Their blood will be precious in his sight.

15 May he live long. May the gold from Sheba be given to him. May [the people] pray for him continually. May [they] praise him all day long.

16 May there be plenty of grain in the land. May it wave [in the breeze] on the mountaintops, its fruit like [the treetops of] Lebanon. May those from the city flourish like the grass on the ground.

17 May his name endure forever. May his name continue as long as the sun [shines]. May all nations be blessed through him and call him blessed.

18 Thank the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does miracles.

19 Thanks be to his glorious name forever. May the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!

20 The prayers by David, son of Jesse, end here.