1 Kings 3:5-15 - Solomon's Request For Wisdom

⁵ In Gibeon, Solomon had a vision of the Lord in a dream by night; and God said to him, Say what I am to give you.

⁶ And Solomon said, Great was your mercy to David my father, as his life before you was true and upright and his heart was true to you; and you have kept for him this greatest mercy, a son to take his place this day.

⁷ And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father; and I am only a young boy, with no knowledge of how to go out or come in. ⁸ And your servant has round him the people of your selection, a people so great that they may not be numbered, and no account of them may be given. ⁹ Give your servant, then, a wise heart for judging your people, able to see what is good and what evil; for who is able to be the judge of this great people?

¹⁰ Now these words and Solomon's request were pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ And God said to him, Because your request is for this thing, and not for long life for yourself or for wealth or for the destruction of your haters, but for wisdom to be a judge of causes; ¹² I have done as you said: I have given you a wise and far-seeing heart, so that there has never been your equal in the past, and never will there be any like you in the future. ¹³ And with this I have given you what you made no request for: wealth and honour, so that no king was ever your equal. ¹⁴ And if you go on in my ways, keeping my laws and my orders as your father David did, I will give you a long life.

¹⁵ And Solomon, awakening, saw that it was a dream; then he came to Jerusalem, where he went before the ark of the agreement of the Lord, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings; and he made a feast for all his servants.