1 Kings 3

New International Version

Solomon Asks for Wisdom^(A)

3 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married^(B) his daughter.^(C) He brought her to the City of David^(D) until he finished building his palace^(E) and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. ²The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places,^(F) because a temple had not yet been built for the Name^(G) of the Lord. ³Solomon showed his love^(H) for the Lord by walking^(I) according to the instructions^(J) given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.^(K)

⁴The king went to Gibeon^(L) to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵At Gibeon the Lord appeared^(M) to Solomon during the night in a dream,^(N) and God said, “Ask^(O) 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^(P) to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son^(Q) 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^(R) and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸Your servant is here among the people you have chosen,^(S) a great people, too numerous to count or number.^(T) ⁹So give your servant a discerning^(U) heart to govern your people and to distinguish^(V) between right and wrong. For who is able^(W) 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^(X) for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment^(Y) in administering justice, ¹²I will do what you have asked.^(Z) I will give you a wise^(AA) 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^(AB) asked for—both wealth and honor^(AC)—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal^(AD) among kings. ¹⁴And if you walk^(AE) in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”^(AF) ¹⁵Then Solomon awoke^(AG)—and he realized it had been a dream.^(AH)

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings^(AI) and fellowship offerings.^(AJ) Then he gave a feast^(AK) 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^(AL) 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^(AM) from God to administer justice.

1 Kings 4

New International Version

Solomon’s Officials and Governors

4 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. ²And these were his chief officials:^(A)

Azariah^(B) son of Zadok—the priest;

³Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;^(C)

Jehoshaphat^(D) son of Ahilud—recorder;

⁴Benaiah^(E) son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;

Zadok^(F) and Abiathar—priests;

⁵Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;

Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;

⁶Ahishar—palace administrator;^(G)

Adoniram^(H) son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.^(I)

⁷Solomon had twelve district governors^(J) over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. ⁸These are their names:

Ben-Hur—in the hill country^(K) of Ephraim;

⁹Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim,^(L) Beth Shemesh^(M) and Elon Bethhanan;

¹⁰Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh^(N) and all the land of Hepher^(O) were his);

¹¹Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor^(P) (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);

¹²Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan^(Q) next to Zarethan^(R) below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah^(S) across to Jokmeam;^(T)

¹³Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair^(U) son of Manasseh in Gilead^(V) were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities^(W) with bronze gate bars);

¹⁴Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;^(X)

¹⁵Ahimaaz^(Y)—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);

¹⁶Baana son of Hushai^(Z)—in Asher and in Aloth;

¹⁷Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;

¹⁸Shimei^(AA) son of Ela—in Benjamin;

¹⁹Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon^(AB) king of the Amorites and the country of Og^(AC) king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.

Solomon’s Daily Provisions

²⁰The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand^(AD) on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.^(AE) ²¹And Solomon ruled^(AF) over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River^(AG) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.^(AH) These countries brought tribute^(AI) and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

²²Solomon’s daily provisions^(AJ) were thirty cors^[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors^[b] of meal, ²³ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.^(AK) ²⁴For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah^(AL) to Gaza, and had peace^(AM) on all sides. ²⁵During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,^(AN) lived in safety,^(AO) everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.^(AP)

²⁶Solomon had four^[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses,^(AQ) and twelve thousand horses.^[d]

²⁷The district governors,^(AR) each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. ²⁸They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹God gave Solomon wisdom^(AS) and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand^(AT) on the seashore. ³⁰Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,^(AU) and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.^(AV) ³¹He was wiser^(AW) than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. ³²He spoke three thousand proverbs^(AX) and his songs^(AY) numbered a thousand and five. ³³He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop^(AZ) that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. ³⁴From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings^(BA) of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.^[e]

Footnotes

1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 5 1/2 tons or about 5 metric tons
1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
1 Kings 4:26 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 9:25); Hebrew forty
1 Kings 4:26 Or charioteers
1 Kings 4:34 In Hebrew texts 4:21-34 is numbered 5:1-14.

Psalm 137

New International Version

Psalm 137

¹By the rivers of Babylon^(A) we sat and wept^(B)
    when we remembered Zion.^(C)
²There on the poplars^(D)
    we hung our harps,^(E)
³for there our captors^(F) asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded^(G) songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”^(H)

⁴How can we sing the songs of the Lord^(I)
    while in a foreign land?
⁵If I forget you,^(J) Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.
⁶May my tongue cling to the roof^(K) of my mouth
    if I do not remember^(L) you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem^(M)
    my highest joy.

⁷Remember, Lord, what the Edomites^(N) did
    on the day Jerusalem fell.^(O)
“Tear it down,” they cried,
    “tear it down to its foundations!”^(P)
⁸Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,^(Q)
    happy is the one who repays you
    according to what you have done to us.
⁹Happy is the one who seizes your infants
    and dashes them^(R) against the rocks.

Proverbs 17

New International Version

17 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.^(A)

²A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

³The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,^(B)
but the Lord tests the heart.^(C)

⁴A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

⁵Whoever mocks the poor^(D) shows contempt for their Maker;^(E)
whoever gloats over disaster^(F) will not go unpunished.^(G)

⁶Children’s children^(H) are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.

⁷Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!^(I)

⁸A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
they think success will come at every turn.^(J)

⁹Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,^(K)
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.^(L)

¹⁰A rebuke impresses a discerning person
more than a hundred lashes a fool.

¹¹Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
the messenger of death will be sent against them.

¹²Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.^(M)

¹³Evil will never leave the house
of one who pays back evil^(N) for good.^(O)

¹⁴Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.^(P)

¹⁵Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent^(Q)—
the Lord detests them both.^(R)

¹⁶Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
when they are not able to understand it?^(S)

¹⁷A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.^(T)

¹⁸One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
and puts up security for a neighbor.^(U)

¹⁹Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

²⁰One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

²¹To have a fool for a child brings grief;
there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.^(V)

²²A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed^(W) spirit dries up the bones.^(X)

²³The wicked accept bribes^(Y) in secret
to pervert the course of justice.^(Z)

²⁴A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes^(AA) wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.^(AB)

²⁶If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,^(AC)
surely to flog honest officials is not right.

²⁷The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,^(AD)
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.^(AE)

²⁸Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.^(AF)

Revelation 2

New International Version

To the Church in Ephesus

2 “To the angel^[a] of the church in Ephesus^(A) write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand^(B) and walks among the seven golden lampstands.^(C) ²I know your deeds,^(D) your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested^(E) those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.^(F) ³You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,^(G) and have not grown weary.

⁴Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.^(H) ⁵Consider how far you have fallen! Repent^(I) and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand^(J) from its place. ⁶But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,^(K) which I also hate.

⁷Whoever has ears, let them hear^(L) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,^(M) I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,^(N) which is in the paradise^(O) of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸“To the angel of the church in Smyrna^(P) write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last,^(Q) who died and came to life again.^(R) ⁹I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!^(S) I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not,^(T) but are a synagogue of Satan.^(U) ¹⁰Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you,^(V) and you will suffer persecution for ten days.^(W) Be faithful,^(X) even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.^(Y)

¹¹Whoever has ears, let them hear^(Z) what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.^(AA)

To the Church in Pergamum

¹²“To the angel of the church in Pergamum^(AB) write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.^(AC) ¹³I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me,^(AD) not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,^(AE) who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.^(AF)

¹⁴Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:^(AG) There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam,^(AH) who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols^(AI) and committed sexual immorality.^(AJ) ¹⁵Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.^(AK) ¹⁶Repent^(AL) therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.^(AM)

¹⁷Whoever has ears, let them hear^(AN) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,^(AO) I will give some of the hidden manna.^(AP) I will also give that person a white stone with a new name^(AQ) written on it, known only to the one who receives it.^(AR)

To the Church in Thyatira

¹⁸“To the angel of the church in Thyatira^(AS) write:

These are the words of the Son of God,^(AT) whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.^(AU) ¹⁹I know your deeds,^(AV) your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

²⁰Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,^(AW) who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.^(AX) ²¹I have given her time^(AY) to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.^(AZ) ²²So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery^(BA) with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. ²³I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds,^(BB) and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.^(BC)

²⁴Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you,^(BD) ²⁵except to hold on to what you have^(BE) until I come.’^(BF)

²⁶To the one who is victorious^(BG) and does my will to the end,^(BH) I will give authority over the nations^(BI)— ²⁷that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter^(BJ) and will dash them to pieces like pottery’^[b]^(BK)—just as I have received authority from my Father. ²⁸I will also give that one the morning star.^(BL) ²⁹Whoever has ears, let them hear^(BM) what the Spirit says to the churches.

Footnotes

Revelation 2:1 Or messenger; also in verses 8, 12 and 18
Revelation 2:27 Psalm 2:9

1 Kings 3

New International Version

Solomon Asks for Wisdom^(A)

A Wise Ruling

Cross references

1 Kings 4

New International Version

Solomon’s Officials and Governors

Solomon’s Daily Provisions

Solomon’s Wisdom

Footnotes

Cross references

Psalm 137

New International Version

Psalm 137

Cross references

Proverbs 17

New International Version

Cross references

Revelation 2

New International Version

To the Church in Ephesus

To the Church in Smyrna

To the Church in Pergamum

To the Church in Thyatira

Footnotes

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Psalm 137 New International Version

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