When David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel…. And he charged Solomon his son, saying, "I go the way of all the earth: be… strong therefore, and show yourself a man; and keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn yourself: That the LORD may continue his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.’"

And David said to Solomon, "My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house unto the name of the LORD my God: But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘…you shall not build a house unto my name, because you have shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Look, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest…his name shall be Solomon…. He shall build a house for my name….’

"Now, my son, the LORD be with you; and prosper you, and build the house of the LORD your God, as he has said of you…. Look, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a million talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and you may add to it…. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the LORD be with you."

David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, "Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not given you rest on every side? Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build …the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy utensils of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD."

So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty-three years reigned he in Jerusalem. Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.

And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burned incense in high places. And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David.

In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, "Ask what I shall give you."

And Solomon said, "You have shown unto your servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before you in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you; and you have kept for him this great kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

"And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people, which you have chosen, a great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this your so great a people?"

And God said unto Solomon, "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life; neither have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies; but have asked for yourself understanding to discern judgment; Look, I have done according to your words: lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like unto you.

"And I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches, and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto you all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David did walk, then I will lengthen your days."

So king Solomon was king over all Israel. And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided food for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision.

Judah and Israel were many, as the sand, which is by the sea in number, eating and drinking, and making merry. And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Judah and Israel lived safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

And when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. And Solomon answered her all her questions: there was not anything…which he told her not. And she said to the king, "It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom. However, …behold, the half was not told me: your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame, which I heard.

"Blessed be the LORD your God, which delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore made he you king, to do judgment and justice." So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

And it came to pass in the four hundred-eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel…he began to build the house of the LORD. And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar...he overlaid with gold.

And in the eleventh year…was the house finished throughout all the parts of it, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto…the most holy place, even under the wings of the angels.

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven: And he said, "LORD God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keeps covenant and mercy with your servants that walk before you with all their heart: Who has kept with your servant David my father that you promised him: you spoke also with your mouth, and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is this day.

"Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with your servant David my father that you promised him, saying, ‘There shall not fail you a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that your children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as you have walked before me.’

"And listen…to the prayer of your servant, and of your people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear you in heaven your dwelling place: and when you hear, forgive.

"If any man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before your altar in this house: Then hear you in heaven, and do, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

"When your people Israel be struck down before the enemy, because they have sinned against you, and shall turn again to you, and confess your name, and pray, and seek favor unto you in this house: Then hear you in heaven, and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which you gave unto their fathers.

"When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against you; if they pray toward this place, and confess your name, and turn from their sin, when you afflict them: Then hear you in heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants, and of your people Israel, that you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon your land, which you have given to your people for an inheritance.

"If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there be; What prayer and request for grace so ever be made by any man, or by all your people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread out his hands toward this house: Then hear you in heaven your dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart you know; (for you, even you only, know the hearts of all the children of men) that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land, which you gave unto our fathers.

REFERENCES

1 Chronicles 23:1; 1 Kings 2:1b-4, 1 Chronicles 22:9-10a, 14, 16b-18a, 19; 1 Kings 1:10-12; 1 Kings 3:3; 1 Kings 3:1a; 1 Kings 3:5-9, 11-14; 1 Kings 4:1, 7, 20-21, 25-26, 29, 34; 1 Kings 10:1,3, 6-7, 9, 13b; 1 Kings 6:1, 22, 38; 1 Kings 8:1, 6, 10-11, 22-25, 30-40.

CHAPTER 29