Solomon requested wisdom

3 Solomon went to see the king of Egypt. Solomon made an agreement with him to marry his daughter. They also made an alliance/agreement that their armies would not attack each other. Then Solomon brought the king’s daughter to live in the part of Jerusalem called ‘The City of David’. She lived there until Solomon’s workers had finished building his house and the temple of Yahweh and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 At that time the temple of Yahweh had not yet been built, so the Israeli people were still offering sacrifices at many other places of worship. 3 Solomon loved Yahweh, and he obeyed all the instructions that his father David had given him. But he also offered sacrifices and burned incense at various altars.

4 One day the king went to Gibeon city to offer a sacrifice there, because that was where the most famous/important altar was. In previous years he had offered hundreds of sacrifices on that altar. 5 That night, Yahweh appeared to him in a dream. He asked Solomon, “What would you like me to give to you?”

6 Solomon replied, “You always greatly and faithfully loved my father David, who served you well. You did that because he ◄was faithful to/faithfully obeyed► you and acted righteously and honestly toward you. And you have showed how greatly and faithfully you loved him by giving to him me, his son, and now I am ruling [MTY] as he did before he died.

7 “Now, Yahweh my God, you have appointed me to be the king like my father was. But I am very young, like a little child [MET]. I do not know how to lead/rule my people at all [IDM]. 8 I am here among the people whom you have chosen. They are a very large group of people; there are very, very many of them, with the result that no one can count them [DOU]. 9 So please enable me to think clearly, in order that I may rule your people well. Enable me to know what is good and what is evil. If you do not do that, I will never [RHQ] be able to rule this great group of people who belong to you.”

10 Yahweh was very pleased that Solomon had requested that. 11 God said to him, “You did not request that you live for many years or that you become very rich or that you be able to kill all your enemies. Instead, you have requested that I enable you to be wise, in order that you will be able to know and to do what is right while you govern these people. 12 So, I will certainly do what you requested. I will enable you to be very wise [DOU]. The result will be that no one who has lived before you or who will live after you will be as wise as you are. 13 I will also give you things that you did not request: I will enable you to become very rich and honored, as long as you live. You will be richer and more honored than any other king. 14 If you conduct your life [IDM] as I want you to, and if you obey all my laws and commandments, as your father David did, I will enable you to live for many years.”

15 Then Solomon awoke, and he realized that God had spoken to him in a dream. Then he went to Jerusalem and stood in front of the Sacred Tent where the Sacred Chest was, and he offered many sacrifices that were completely burned on the altar and offerings to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. Then he made a feast for all his officials.