Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
(2 Chronicles 1:1–13; Psalm 45:1–17; Psalm 72:1–20)

1Solomon made affinitie with Pharao king of Egypt, & toke Pharaos daughter, and brought her into the citie of Dauid, vntil he had made an ende of buylding his owne house, and the house of the Lorde, and the wall of Hierusalem round about. 2Onely the people sacrificed in hygh places, because there was no house built vnto the name of the Lorde vntill those dayes.

3And Solomon loued the Lorde, walking in the ordinaunces of Dauid his father: saue onely that he sacrificed and offered incense vpon aulters in hygh places. 4And the king went to Gibeon, to offer there, for that was the speciall hygh place: And a thousande burnt offringes dyd Solomon offer vpon that aulter. 5And in Gibeon the Lorde appeared to Solomon in a dreame by night, and God sayd: Aske what thou wilt, that I may geue it thee.

6And Solomon sayde: Thou hast shewed vnto thy seruaut Dauid my father great mercie, when he walked before thee in trueth, in righteousnesse, and in plainnesse of heart with thee, and thou hast kept for him this great mercy, that thou hast geuen him a sonne to sit on his seate, as it is come to passe this day. 7And nowe O Lord my God, it is thou that hast made thy seruaunt king in steade of Dauid my father: And I am but young, & wote not howe to go out and in. 8And thy seruaunt is in the middest of thy people which thou hast chosen: and veryly the people are so many, that they cannot be told nor nubred for multitude. 9Geue therfore thy seruaunt an vnderstanding heart to iudge thy people, that I may discerne betweene good & bad: For who is able to iudge this thy so mightie a people?

10And this pleased the Lorde well that Solomon had desired this thing, 11And God sayde vnto him: Thou hast not asked for thy selfe long lyfe, neither hast asked riches for thy selfe, nor hast asked the lyfe of thy enemies, but hast asked for thy selfe vnderstanding & discretion in iudgement: 12Behold, I haue done according to thy wordes, lo I haue geuen thee a wyse & an vnderstanding heart, so that there was none lyke thee before thee, neither after thee shal any aryse lyke vnto thee. 13And I haue also geuen thee that which thou hast not asked, euen rychesse and honour, so that ther shalbe no king lyke vnto thee all thy dayes. 14And if thou wilt walke in my wayes, to kepe myne ordinaunces and my commaundementes, as thy father Dauid dyd walke, I will lengthen thy dayes.

15When Solomon awoke, beholde it was a dreame: And he came to Hierusalem and stoode before the arke of the couenaunt of the Lorde, & offred burnt offringes and peace offringes, and made a feast to all his seruauntes.

Solomon Judges Wisely

16Then came there two women that were harlottes, vnto the king, & stoode before him. 17And the one woman sayde: Oh my lorde, I and this woman dwell in one house, and I was deliuered of a childe, with her in the house: 18And the thirde day after that I was deliuered, she was deliuered also: and we were together, & no straunger with vs in the house, saue we two. 19And this wiues childe died in the night, for she smothered it. 20And she rose at midnight and toke my sonne from my syde while thyne handmayde slept, and layde it in her bosome, and put her dead childe in my bosome. 21And when I rose in the mornyng to geue my chylde sucke, beholde it was dead: But when I had loked vpon it in the morning, beholde, it was not my sonne which I dyd beare. 22And the other woman sayd: It is not so, but my sonne liueth, and thy sonne is dead. And she sayde againe: No, but thy sonne is dead, and my sonne is alyue. And thus they pleaded before the king.

23Then sayde the king: The one sayth, this that is alyue is my sonne, and the dead is thyne: And the other sayth, nay: but thy sonne is the dead, and the liuing childe is myne. 24And the king sayde: Bring me a sworde. And they brought out a sworde before the king. 25And the king sayde: Deuide the liuing child in two, and geue the one halfe to the one, aud the other to the other. 26Then spake the woman whose the liuing childe was, vnto the king (for her bowelles yerned vpon her sonne) and sayde: I besech thee my lorde geue her the liuing childe, and in no wyse slay it: But the other sayde, Let it be neither myne nor thyne, but deuide it. 27Then the king aunswered and sayde: Geue her the liuing childe, and slay it not, for she is the mother therof. 28And all they of Israel hearde of the iudgement which the king had iudged, and feared the king: for they sawe that the wysdome of God was in him to do iustice.