1 Kings 3:5-28

New International Version

⁵At Gibeon the Lord appeared^(A) to Solomon during the night in a dream,^(B) and God said, “Ask^(C) for whatever you want me to give you.”

⁶Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful^(D) to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son^(E) to sit on his throne this very day.

⁷“Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child^(F) and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸Your servant is here among the people you have chosen,^(G) a great people, too numerous to count or number.^(H) ⁹So give your servant a discerning^(I) heart to govern your people and to distinguish^(J) between right and wrong. For who is able^(K) to govern this great people of yours?”

¹⁰The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹So God said to him, “Since you have asked^(L) for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment^(M) in administering justice, ¹²I will do what you have asked.^(N) I will give you a wise^(O) and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³Moreover, I will give you what you have not^(P) asked for—both wealth and honor^(Q)—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal^(R) among kings. ¹⁴And if you walk^(S) in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”^(T) ¹⁵Then Solomon awoke^(U)—and he realized it had been a dream.^(V)

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings^(W) and fellowship offerings.^(X) Then he gave a feast^(Y) for all his court.

A Wise Ruling

¹⁶Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. ¹⁸The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

¹⁹“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. ²⁰So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. ²¹The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

²²The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”

But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

²³The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”

²⁴Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. ²⁵He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

²⁶The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved^(Z) out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

²⁷Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

²⁸When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom^(AA) from God to administer justice.

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2 Chronicles 1:7-13

New International Version

⁷That night God appeared^(A) 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^(B) king in his place. ⁹Now, Lord God, let your promise^(C) 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.^(D) ¹⁰Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead^(E) 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,^(F) possessions 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, possessions and honor,^(G) such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.^(H)”

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

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Proverbs 1

New International Version

Purpose and Theme

1 The proverbs^(A) of Solomon^(B) son of David, king of Israel:^(C)

²for gaining wisdom and instruction;
    for understanding words of insight;
³for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
    doing what is right and just and fair;
⁴for giving prudence to those who are simple,^[a]^(D)
    knowledge and discretion^(E) to the young—
⁵let the wise listen and add to their learning,^(F)
    and let the discerning get guidance—
⁶for understanding proverbs and parables,^(G)
    the sayings and riddles^(H) of the wise.^[b]^(I)

⁷The fear of the Lord^(J) is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools^[c] despise wisdom^(K) and instruction.^(L)

Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom

Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

⁸Listen, my son,^(M) to your father’s^(N) instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.^(O)
⁹They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.^(P)

¹⁰My son, if sinful men entice^(Q) you,
    do not give in^(R) to them.^(S)
¹¹If they say, “Come along with us;
    let’s lie in wait^(T) for innocent blood,
    let’s ambush some harmless soul;
¹²let’s swallow^(U) them alive, like the grave,
    and whole, like those who go down to the pit;^(V)
¹³we will get all sorts of valuable things
    and fill our houses with plunder;
¹⁴cast lots with us;
    we will all share the loot^(W)”—
¹⁵my son, do not go along with them,
    do not set foot^(X) on their paths;^(Y)
¹⁶for their feet rush into evil,^(Z)
    they are swift to shed blood.^(AA)
¹⁷How useless to spread a net
    where every bird can see it!
¹⁸These men lie in wait^(AB) for their own blood;
    they ambush only themselves!^(AC)
¹⁹Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
    it takes away the life of those who get it.^(AD)

Wisdom’s Rebuke

²⁰Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,^(AE)
she raises her voice in the public square;
²¹on top of the wall^[d] she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:

²²“How long will you who are simple^(AF) love your simple ways?
    How long will mockers delight in mockery
    and fools hate^(AG) knowledge?
²³Repent at my rebuke!
    Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
    I will make known to you my teachings.
²⁴But since you refuse^(AH) to listen when I call^(AI)
    and no one pays attention^(AJ) when I stretch out my hand,
²⁵since you disregard all my advice
    and do not accept my rebuke,
²⁶I in turn will laugh^(AK) when disaster^(AL) strikes you;
    I will mock^(AM) when calamity overtakes you^(AN)—
²⁷when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
    when disaster^(AO) sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
    when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

²⁸“Then they will call to me but I will not answer;^(AP)
    they will look for me but will not find me,^(AQ)
²⁹since they hated knowledge
    and did not choose to fear the Lord.^(AR)
³⁰Since they would not accept my advice
    and spurned my rebuke,^(AS)
³¹they will eat the fruit of their ways
    and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.^(AT)
³²For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
    and the complacency of fools will destroy them;^(AU)
³³but whoever listens to me will live in safety^(AV)
    and be at ease, without fear of harm.”^(AW)

Footnotes

Proverbs 1:4 The Hebrew word rendered simple in Proverbs denotes a person who is gullible, without moral direction and inclined to evil.
Proverbs 1:6 Or understanding a proverb, namely, a parable, / and the sayings of the wise, their riddles
Proverbs 1:7 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote a person who is morally deficient.
Proverbs 1:21 Septuagint; Hebrew / at noisy street corners