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

1And Salomon made mariage wt Pharao the kynge of Egipte, & toke Pharaos doughter, and broughte her in to the cite of Dauid, tyll he had buylded his house, and the LORDES house, and the walles rounde aboute Ierusalem. 2But the people offred yet vpon the hye places: for as yet there was no house buylded vnto the name of the LORDE vnto that tyme.

3But Salomon loued the LORDE, and walked after the ordinaunces of Dauid his father: excepte onely that he offred and brent incense vpon the hye places. 4And the kynge wente vnto Gibeon, to do sacrifice there: for that was a goodly hye place. And Salomon offred a thousande burntofferynges vpon the same altare. 5And the LORDE appeared vnto Salomon at Gibeon in a dreame of the nighte, and God sayde: Axe what I shal geue ye.

6Salomo saide: Thou hast done greate mercy vnto my father Dauid thy seruaunt. Like as he walked before the in faithfulnes and righteousnes, and in a true hert with the, & this greate mercy hast thou layed vp for him, and geuen him a sonne to syt vpon his seate, as it is now come to passe. 7Now LORDE my God, thou hast made thy seruaunt kynge in my father Dauids steade: As for me, I am but a small yonge man, knowynge nether my outgoynge ner ingoynge. 8And thy seruaunt is amonge the people whom thou hast chosen: which is so greate, that no man can nombre them ner descrybe them for multitude. 9Geue thy seruaunt therfore an obedient hert, that he maye iudge thy people, & vnderstonde what is good & bad: for who is able to iudge this thy mightie people?

10This pleased the LORDE well, that Salomon axed soch a peticion. 11And God sayde vnto him: For so moch as thou axest this, and desyrest not longe lyfe, nether riches, nether ye soules of thine enemies, but vnderstodinge to heare iudgment, 12beholde, therfore haue I done acordynge to thy wordes. Beholde, I haue geuen the an hert of wysdome and vnderstondynge, so that soch one as thou hath not bene before the, nether shall ryse vp after the. 13Yee and that thou hast not prayed for, haue I geuen the also, namely, ryches, and honoure, so that amonge the kynges in yi tyme there is not soch one as thou. 14And yf thou wilt walke in my wayes, so that thou kepe myne ordinaunces and lawes, as Dauid thy father hath walked, then wyll I geue the a longe lyfe.

15And whan Salomon awaked, beholde, it was a dreame, and he came to Ierusale, and stode before the Arke of the LORDES couenaunt, and offred burntofferynges, and healthofferinges, and made a greate feast vnto his seruauntes.

Solomon Judges Wisely

16At the same tyme came there two harlottes vnto ye kynge, and stode before him. 17And the one woman sayde: Oh my lorde, I and this woman dwelt in one house, and I was delyuered of a childe in the house with her: 18& on the thirde daye after that I was delyuered, she was delyuered of a childe also. And we were together, so yt there was no straunger in ye house, but we two: 19& this womans sonne died in the nighte (for she smoored him in the slepe) 20and she rose vp in the nighte, and toke my sonne fro my syde (where thy handmayde slepte,) and layed it in hir arme, and hir deed sonne layed she in myne arme. 21And whan I rose vp in the mornynge to geue my sonne sucke, beholde, he was deed. But in the mornynge I loked well, and beholde, it was not my sonne, whom I had borne. 22The other woman sayde: Not so, my sonne lyueth, and thy sonne is deed. But she sayde: Not so, thy sonne is deed, and my sonne liueth. And thus spake they before the kynge.

23And the kynge sayde: This woma saieth: my sonne lyueth and thy sonne is deed: Yonder woman sayeth: Not so, thy sonne is deed, & my sonne lyueth. 24And the kynge saide: Fetch me a swerde. And whan the swerde was brought before the kynge, 25the kynge sayde: Parte the lyuynge childe in two partes, and geue this woman the one halfe, and yonder woman the other halfe. 26Then sayde the woman whose sonne lyued, vnto ye kinge: (for hir motherly hert was kyndled with pite ouer hir sonne) Oh my lorde, geue hir the childe alyue, and kyll it not. But the other sayde: Let it nether be myne ner thine, but let it be parted. 27Then answered the kynge, and sayde: Geue this woman the lyuynge childe, and slaye it not, for she is his mother. 28And all Israel herde of this iudgment that the kynge had geuen: and they feared the kynge, for they sawe that ye wysdome of God was in him to kepe iudgmet.