2Then Solomon spoke to all Israel—to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families—3and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God's Tent of Meeting was there, which Moses the LORD's servant had made in the desert.4Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.5But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the LORD; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there.6Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

7That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

8Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place.9Now, LORD God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.10Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

11God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king,12therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”

13Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting. And he reigned over Israel.

14Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,Or charioteers which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.15The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.16Solomon's horses were imported from EgyptOr possibly Muzur, a region in Cilicia; also in verse 17 and from KueProbably Cilicia— the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.17They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekelsThat is, about 15 pounds (about 7 kilograms) of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.That is, about 3 3/4 pounds (about 1.7 kilograms) They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

3Solomon sent this message to HiramHebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verses 11 and 12 king of Tyre:
“Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in.4Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on Sabbaths and New Moons and at the appointed feasts of the LORD our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.

5“The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods.6But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

7“Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled craftsmen, whom my father David provided.

8“Send me also cedar, pine and algumProbably a variant of almug; possibly juniper logs from Lebanon, for I know that your men are skilled in cutting timber there. My men will work with yours9to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent.10I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand corsThat is, probably about 125,000 bushels (about 4,400 kiloliters) of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand bathsThat is, probably about 115,000 gallons (about 440 kiloliters) of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.”

11Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:
“Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you their king.”

12And Hiram added:
“Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the LORD and a palace for himself.

13“I am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill,14whose mother was from Dan and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your craftsmen and with those of my LORD, David your father.

15“Now let my LORD send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil and wine he promised,16and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them in rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”

17Solomon took a census of all the aliens who were in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600.18He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.

3The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wideThat is, about 90 feet (about 27 meters) long and 30 feet (about 9 meters) wide (using the cubit of the old standard).4The portico at the front of the temple was twenty cubitsThat is, about 30 feet (about 9 meters); also in verses 8, 11 and 13 long across the width of the building and twenty cubitsSome Septuagint and Syriac manuscripts; Hebrew and a hundred and twenty high.
He overlaid the inside with pure gold.5He paneled the main hall with pine and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm tree and chain designs.