The Lord Appears to Solomon

3 Solomon made an alliance^[a] with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter.^(A) Solomon brought her to the city of David^(B) until he finished building his palace,^(C) the Lord’s temple,^(D) and the wall surrounding Jerusalem.^{(E) 2} However, the people were sacrificing on the high places,^(F) because until that time a temple for the Lord’s name^(G) had not been built. ³ Solomon loved the Lord^(H) by walking in the statutes of his father David,^(I) but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

⁴ The king went to Gibeon^(J) to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.^{(K) 5} At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon^(L) in a dream at night.^(M) God said, “Ask.^(N) What should I give you?”

⁶ And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to your servant, my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity.^[b] You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne,^(O) as it is today.^(P)

⁷ “Lord my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place.^(Q) Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership.^{[c](R) 8} Your servant is among your people you have chosen,^(S) a people too many to be numbered or counted.^{(T) 9} So give your servant a receptive heart to judge^(U) your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?” ^(V)

¹⁰ Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life^[d] or riches for yourself,^(W) or the death^[e] of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to administer justice,^{(X) 12} I will therefore do what you have asked.^(Y) I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again.^{(Z) 13} In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor,^(AA) so that no king will be your equal during your entire life.^{(AB) 14} If you walk in my ways and keep my statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”^(AC)

¹⁵ Then Solomon woke up^(AD) and realized it had been a dream.^(AE) He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant,^(AF) and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.^(AG) Then he held a feast^(AH) for all his servants.

Solomon’s Wisdom

¹⁶ Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.^{(AI) 17} One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. ¹⁸ On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else^[f] was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. ¹⁹ During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. ²⁰ She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him in her arms, and she put her dead son in my arms. ²¹ When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.”

²² “No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.”

The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.” So they argued before the king.

²³ The king replied, “This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.’” ²⁴ The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king. ²⁵ And the king said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

²⁶ The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion^[g](AJ) for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don’t have him killed!”

But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!”

²⁷ The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.” ²⁸ All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God’s wisdom^(AK) was in him to carry out justice.

Solomon’s Request for Wisdom

1 Solomon son of David strengthened his hold on his kingdom.^(A) The Lord his God was with him and highly exalted him.^{(B) 2} Then Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel—the family heads.^{(C) 3} Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place that was in Gibeon^(D) because God’s tent of meeting, which the Lord’s servant Moses had made^(E) in the wilderness, was there. ⁴ Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place^[a] he had set up for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem,^{(F) 5} but he put^[b] the bronze altar, which Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, had made,^(G) in front of the Lord’s tabernacle. Solomon and the assembly inquired of him^[c] there. ⁶ Solomon offered sacrifices there in the Lord’s presence on the bronze altar at the tent of meeting; he offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.^(H)

⁷ That night^(I) God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask. What should I give you?”

⁸ And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and faithful love to my father David, and you have made me king in his place.^{(J) 9} Lord God, let your promise to my father David now come true.^(K) For you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.^{(L) 10} Now grant me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people,^(M) for who can judge this great people of yours?”

¹¹ God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart, and you have not requested riches, wealth, or glory, or for the life of those who hate you, and you have not even requested long life, but you have requested for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may judge my people over whom I have made you king, ¹² wisdom and knowledge are given to you. I will also give you riches, wealth, and glory, unlike what was given to the kings who were before you, or will be given to those after you.”^{(N) 13} So Solomon went to Jerusalem from^[d] the high place that was in Gibeon in front of the tent of meeting, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Horses and Wealth

¹⁴ Solomon^(O) accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen,^(P) which he stationed in the chariot cities^(Q) and with the king in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills. ¹⁶ Solomon’s horses came from Egypt and Kue.^[e] The king’s traders would get them from Kue at the going price. ¹⁷ A chariot could be imported from Egypt for fifteen pounds^[f] of silver and a horse for nearly four pounds.^[g] In the same way, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram through their agents.

BOOK II

(Psalms 42–72)

Psalm 42

Longing for God

For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

The Life-Giving Spirit

8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation^(A) for those in^(B) Christ Jesus,^{[a](C) 2} because the law^[b] of the Spirit of life^(D) in Christ Jesus has set you^[c] free from the law^[d] of sin and death.^{(E) 3} For what the law could not do^(F) since it was weakened by the flesh,^(G) God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh^(H) as a sin offering,^{[e](I) 4} in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled^(J) in us who do not walk according to the flesh^(K) but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh,^(L) but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. ⁶ Now the mindset of the flesh^(M) is death,^(N) but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mindset of the flesh is hostile^(O) to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. ⁸ Those who are in the flesh^(P) cannot please God. ⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.^(Q) If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,^(R) he does not belong to him. ¹⁰ Now if Christ is in you,^(S) the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit^[f] gives life^[g] because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead^(T) lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through^[h] his Spirit who lives in you.

The Holy Spirit’s Ministries

¹² So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, ¹³ because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,^(U) you will live. ¹⁴ For all those led by God’s Spirit^(V) are God’s sons.^{(W) 15} For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.^(X) Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption,^(Y) by whom we cry out, “Abba,^[i] Father!” ^{(Z) 16} The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit^(AA) that we are God’s children, ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs^(AB)—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him^(AC) so that we may also be glorified with him.

From Groans to Glory

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing^(AD) with the glory^(AE) that is going to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation^(AF) for God’s sons^(AG) to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected^(AH) to futility^(AI)—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it^(AJ)—in the hope ²¹ that the creation itself^(AK) will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains^(AL) until now. ²³ Not only that,^(AM) but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits^(AN)—we also groan within ourselves,^(AO) eagerly waiting for adoption,^(AP) the redemption of our bodies.^{(AQ) 24} Now in this hope^(AR) we were saved, but hope^(AS) that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ Now if we hope for what we do not see,^(AT) we eagerly wait for it with patience.

²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should,^(AU) but the Spirit himself intercedes for us^[j](AV) with inexpressible groanings. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts^(AW) knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

²⁸ We know that all things work together^[k] for the good^[l] of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.^{(AX) 29} For those he foreknew he also predestined^(AY) to be conformed to the image of his Son,^(AZ) so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.^{(BA) 30} And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified;^(BB) and those he justified, he also glorified.^(BC)

The Believer’s Triumph

³¹ What, then, are we to say about these things?^(BD) If God is for us, who is against us?^{(BE) 32} He did not even spare his own Son^(BF) but gave him up for us all.^(BG) How will he not also with him grant us everything? ³³ Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect?^(BH) God is the one who justifies.^{(BI) 34} Who is the one who condemns?^(BJ) Christ Jesus is the one who died,^(BK) but even more, has been raised;^(BL) he also is at the right hand of God^(BM) and intercedes for us.^{(BN) 35} Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction^(BO) or distress or persecution^(BP) or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors^(BS) through him who loved us.^{(BT) 38} For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,^(BU) nor angels nor rulers,^(BV) nor things present nor things to come,^(BW) nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God^(BX) that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.^(BY)