“You have demonstrated abundant gracious love to your servant David, my father, as he lived in your presence truthfully, righteously, and uprightly in his heart. In addition, you have kept on showing this abundant gracious love by giving him a son to sit on his throne today. ⁷ Now, Lord my God, you have set me as king to replace my father David, but I’m still young. I don’t have any leadership skills.^{[c] 8} Your servant lives in the midst of your people that you have chosen, a great people that is too numerous to be counted. ⁹ So give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, so I can discern between good and evil. Otherwise, how will I be able to govern this great people of yours?”

“Because you asked for this, and you didn’t ask for a long life for yourself, and you didn’t ask for the lives of your enemies, but instead you’ve asked for discernment so you can understand how to govern, ¹² look how I’m going to do precisely what you asked. I’m giving you a wise and discerning mind, so that there will have been no one like you before you and no one will arise after you like you. ¹³ I’m also giving you what you haven’t requested: both riches and honor, so that no other king will be comparable to you during your lifetime. ¹⁴ If you will live life my way, keeping my statutes and my commands, just like your father David did, I’ll also increase the length of your life.”