1 Kings 3:4-9
New English Translation
4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places.[a] Solomon would offer up[b] 1,000 burnt sacrifices on the altar there. 5 One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared[c] to Solomon in a dream. God said, “Tell[d] me what I should give you.” 6 Solomon replied, “You demonstrated[e] great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served[f] you faithfully, properly, and sincerely.[g] You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne.[h] 7 Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David’s place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced.[i] 8 Your servant stands[j] among your chosen people;[k] they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning mind[l] so he can make judicial decisions for[m] your people and distinguish right from wrong.[n] Otherwise[o] no one is able[p] to make judicial decisions for[q] this great nation of yours.”[r]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 3:4 tn Heb “for it was the great high place.”
- 1 Kings 3:4 tn Or, “customarily offered up.” The verb form is an imperfect, which is probably used here in a customary sense to indicate continued or repeated action in past time. See GKC 314 §107.b.
- 1 Kings 3:5 tn Or “revealed himself.”
- 1 Kings 3:5 tn Heb “ask.”
- 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “did.”
- 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “walked before.”
- 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “in faithfulness and in innocence and in uprightness of heart with you.”
- 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “and you have kept to him this great loyalty and you gave to him a son [who] sits on his throne as this day.”
- 1 Kings 3:7 tn Heb “and I do not know going out or coming in.”
- 1 Kings 3:8 tn There is no verb expressed in the Hebrew text; “stands” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
- 1 Kings 3:8 tn Heb “your people whom you have chosen.”
- 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
- 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to judge.”
- 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”
- 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.
- 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
- 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to judge.”
- 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “your numerous people.”
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