Solomon’s Wisdom in Action

¹⁶ A short time later two prostitutes came to the king and stood in front of him. ¹⁷ One woman said to him, “Sir, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth ⌞to a son⌟ while she was with me in the house. ¹⁸ Two days later this woman also gave birth ⌞to a son⌟. We were alone. No one else was with us. Just the two of us were in the house. ¹⁹ That night this woman’s son died because she rolled over on top of him. ²⁰ So she got up during the night and took my son, who was beside me, while I was asleep. She held him in her arms. Then she laid her dead son in my arms. ²¹ When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, he was dead! I took a good look at him and realized that he wasn’t my son at all!”

²² The other woman said, “No! My son is alive—your son is dead.”

The first woman kept on saying, “No! Your son is dead—my son is alive.” So they argued in front of the king.

²³ The king said, “This one keeps saying, ‘My son is alive—your son is dead,’ and that one keeps saying, ‘No! Your son is dead—my son is alive.’ ”

²⁴ So the king told his servants to bring him a sword. When they brought it, ²⁵ he said, “Cut the living child in two. Give half to the one and half to the other.”

²⁶ Then the woman whose son was still alive was deeply moved by her love for the child. She said to the king, “Please, sir, give her the living child. Please don’t kill him!”

But the other woman said, “He won’t be mine or yours. Cut him ⌞in two⌟.”

²⁷ The king replied, “Give the living child to the first woman. Don’t kill him. She is his mother.”

²⁸ All Israel heard about the decision the king made. They respected the king very highly, because they saw he possessed wisdom from God to do what was right.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom—keen insight and a mind as limitless as the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the eastern people and all the wisdom of the Egyptians.

Put On All the Armor That God Supplies

¹⁰ Finally, receive your power from the Lord and from his mighty strength. ¹¹ Put on all the armor that God supplies. In this way you can take a stand against the devil’s strategies. ¹² This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world. ¹³ For this reason, take up all the armor that God supplies. Then you will be able to take a stand during these evil days.^[a] Once you have overcome all obstacles, you will be able to stand your ground.

¹⁴ So then, take your stand! Fasten truth around your waist like a belt. Put on God’s approval as your breastplate. ¹⁵ Put on your shoes so that you are ready to spread the Good News that gives peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all these, take the Christian faith as your shield. With it you can put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Also take salvation as your helmet and God’s word as the sword that the Spirit supplies.

¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit ^[b] in every situation. Use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert. Use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God’s people. ¹⁹ Also pray that God will give me the right words to say. Then I will speak boldly when I reveal the mystery of the Good News.

¹² God’s word is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts as deep as the place where soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet. God’s word judges a person’s thoughts and intentions. ¹³ No creature can hide from God. Everything is uncovered and exposed for him to see. We must answer to him.

Christ Is Superior to Other Chief Priests

¹⁴ We need to hold on to our declaration of faith: We have a superior chief priest who has gone through the heavens. That person is Jesus, the Son of God. ¹⁵ We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he didn’t sin. ¹⁶ So we can go confidently to the throne of God’s kindness ^[a] to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help us at the right time.