Solomon

Solomon succeeded David after the failed attempt of Adonijah to claim the throne. At Gibeon, God invited him to ask for a gift, and Solomon requested wisdom to govern. His celebrated judgment between two women demonstrated that wisdom, and his reputation spread widely. Solomon organized the kingdom, expanded trade, undertook major building projects, and constructed the Temple in Jerusalem, where the ark was installed and Solomon offered a lengthy dedicatory prayer. The Queen of Sheba came to test his wisdom and praised what she saw. Yet Solomon accumulated many foreign wives who turned his heart toward other gods in his old age. Because of this unfaithfulness, God announced that most of the kingdom would be torn from his son's rule after Solomon's death.