When Solomon was finished building God's temple, he built a big palace for himself.

When Solomon finished building his own house and everything he wanted to do for the Lord’s temple, the Lord came to Solomon one night and showed Himself to him.

The Lord told Solomon, I have heard your prayers and have chosen this temple for a place for gifts that show My love to people.

When I stop the rain from heaven or send out the locusts or send trouble on people, If My people who are called by My name, will make themselves small in their own hearts and turn to me and seek to look me in My face and turn away from whatever bad thing they are doing,

Then I will hear from heaven and forgive the bad they did and fix whatever trouble they have.

Now My eyes will always be open and watching this place and My ears will always be open to hear their prayers in this place.

I have made this place special so that I will be here forever. My eyes and My heart will always be here.

And you, Solomon, if you walk before Me like your father David did and do all that I say, I will set strong your royal throne and power over the people like I did with David.

And you will always have someone from your family ruling on this throne for Me, over My people.

But if you turn away from Me and bow to and do what other gods say, then I will pull up this nation by its roots from this land I have given them,

And I will turn away from this temple that I have made special to My name.

I will make it look silly and make it a joke among the people of the world.

Though this temple now looks wonderful and grand to all people, I will make it so awful that everyone will go by and say, Why has the Lord done this to this house and these people?

The people will answer back, Because they turned away from the Lord who brought them out of Egypt and have hugged and bowed down to other gods, serving them.

That’s why God let this place be ruined.

Then Solomon built cities in Israel and sent ships out on the ocean that brought him back 450 heavy bags of gold.

He made slaves of the people who lived in Israel that were left from the bad ones who lived in the land of Israel before God gave the land to Israel. But he didn’t make slaves of any of Israel’s people.

He made them his leaders and generals.

Solomon kept God’s ways and had the feasts and parties at God’s house, like God said, doing all the stuff that showed God’s great love for us. It was a very happy time for all God’s people.

The queen from the land called Sheba heard how great God had made Solomon and didn’t believe it, so she went to see him and find out for herself.

She asked Solomon hard questions and he answered all of her question with right answers.

When she saw how wise Solomon was and the palace he built and the Lord’s temple he built and how he ran the country of Israel, she was amazed.

She said, When I heard in my country about how great you are I didn’t believe it.But what I was told wasn't even half of it?

How happy your people must be who are always with you.

How great the Lord God is, who was very happy with you and put you on this throne to rule as king for Him.

Because the Lord God loves Israel so much

and wants to hold them up high forever,

He has made you king over them, to keep everything in the nation just and right.

The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon 120 big bags of gold, 

and many spices, and special wood

and beautiful jewel stones.

Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba gifts also, whatever she asked, and then she went back to her home country.

So much gold came to Solomon every year that he made shields for his soldiers out of the gold.

He made for himself a great throne of ivory and covered the outside with gold and six steps going up to the throne with two lions on each step.

God made Solomon greater and wiser and richer than all the kings of the earth. And the kings of the earth came to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart and brought Solomon rich presents of the best things from their countries.

Solomon was king for forty years and then rested with his fathers and his son named Rehoboam was king in his place.