3 Solomon ^bloved the Lord, ^cwalking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, ^dfor that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 ^eAt Gibeon ^fthe Lord appeared to Solomon ^gin a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because ^hhe walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and ⁱhave given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, ^jyou have made your servant king in place of David my father, ^kalthough I am but a little child. I do not know ^lhow to go out or come in. 8 ^mAnd your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, ⁿtoo many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 ^oGive your servant therefore an understanding mind ^pto govern your people, that I may ^qdiscern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, ^rI now do according to your word. Behold, ^sI give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 ^tI give you also what you have not asked, ^uboth riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, ^vas your father David walked, then ^wI will lengthen your days.”

15 And Solomon ^xawoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

1 ^vSolomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into ^wthe city of David until he had finished ^xbuilding his own house ^yand the house of the Lord ^zand the wall around Jerusalem.

Solomon Turns from the Lord

1 Now ^wKing Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, ^x“You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and ^yhis heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, ^zas was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after ^aAshtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after ^bMilcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for ^cChemosh the abomination of Moab, and for ^dMolech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.