^7 (A)As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? ^(B)A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. ⁹ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, ^(C)and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ For this is he of whom it is written:

¹¹ “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ^12 (E)And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. ^13 (F)For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to receive it, he is ^(G)Elijah who is to come. ^15 (H)He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

^16 (I)“But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, ¹⁷ and saying:

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a ^[b]winebibber, ^(J)a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ^(K)But wisdom is justified by her ^[c]children.”

⁵ Azariah the son of Nathan, over ^(A)the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, ^(B)a priest and ^(C)the king’s friend; ⁶ Ahishar, over the household; and ^(D)Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.

⁷ And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year. ⁸ These are their names: ^[a]Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; ^9 [b]Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; ^10 [c]Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; ^11 [d]Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; ¹² Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; ^13 [e]Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged ^(E)the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged ^(F)the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; ¹⁴ Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; ^15 (G)Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; ¹⁶ Baanah the son of ^(H)Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; ¹⁷ Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; ^18 (I)Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; ¹⁹ Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in ^(J)the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.

Prosperity and Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign

²⁰ Judah and Israel were as numerous ^(K)as the sand by the sea in multitude, ^(L)eating and drinking and rejoicing. ²¹ So ^(M)Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from ^(N)the^[f] River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. ^(O)They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

^22 (P)Now Solomon’s ^[g]provision for one day was thirty ^[h]kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, ²³ ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

²⁴ For he had dominion over all the region on this side of ^[i]the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over ^(Q)all the kings on this side of the River; and ^(R)he had peace on every side all around him. ²⁵ And Judah and Israel ^(S)dwelt^[j] safely, ^(T)each man under his vine and his fig tree, ^(U)from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

^26 (V)Solomon had ^[k]forty thousand stalls of ^(W)horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. ²⁷ And ^(X)these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. ²⁸ They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.

²⁹ And ^(Y)God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men ^(Z)of the East and all ^(AA)the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ For he was ^(AB)wiser than all men—^(AC)than Ethan the Ezrahite, ^(AD)and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. ^32 (AE)He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his ^(AF)songs were one thousand and five. ³³ Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. ³⁴ And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, ^(AG)came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

²⁶ I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—^(A)that it is good for a man to remain as he is: ²⁷ Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. ²⁸ But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.

²⁹ But ^(B)this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, ³⁰ those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, ³¹ and those who use this world as not ^(C)misusing it. For ^(D)the form of this world is passing away.

³² But I want you to be without ^[a]care. ^(E)He who is unmarried ^[b]cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. ³³ But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. ³⁴ There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman ^(F)cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. ³⁵ And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.

³⁶ But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his ^[c]virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry. ³⁷ Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his ^[d]virgin, does well. ^38 (G)So then he who gives ^[e]her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.

^39 (H)A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, ^(I)only in the Lord. ⁴⁰ But she is happier if she remains as she is, ^(J)according to my judgment—and ^(K)I think I also have the Spirit of God.