⁴ The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place, and he offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ While he was in Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night, and He said, “Ask what you want from Me.”

⁶ Solomon answered, “You have shown great mercy to your servant David my father, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward You. And You have shown him great kindness in giving him a son to sit on his throne this day.

⁷ “Now, O Lord, my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, and I am still a little child and do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸ And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, so numerous that they cannot be numbered or counted. ⁹ Give Your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad, for who is able to judge among so great a people?”

¹⁰ It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. ¹¹ God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself wisdom so that you may have discernment in judging, ¹² I now do according to your words. I have given you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you in the past, and there shall never arise another like you. ¹³ I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no kings will compare to you all of your days. ¹⁴ If you will walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments as your father David did, then I will lengthen your days.” ¹⁵ Solomon awoke and found it was a dream.

Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings and made a feast for all of his servants.

²⁶ Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the cities for chariots and with the king at Jerusalem. ²⁷ The king made silver to be in Jerusalem as plentiful as stones, and he made cedars to be as plentiful as sycamore trees in the valley. ²⁸ Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt along with linen yarn. The king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price. ²⁹ He brought chariots from Egypt at a price of six hundred shekels of silver and a horse for a hundred and fifty.^[a] And he exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram, by their means.

²⁵ Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots and twelve thousand horses, and he put them in designated cities and with him in Jerusalem. ²⁶ He ruled over all the kings from the River^[a] to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. ²⁷ So the king made silver in Jerusalem as abundant as stones and cedar as plentiful as sycamore trees in the lowlands of the Shephelah. ²⁸ The horses of Solomon were imported from Egypt and from all other lands.