Quotes About Wisdom

At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house.

On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also had a baby. We were alone, with no one in the house but the two of us.

During the night this womanís son died because she rolled over on him.

So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him in her bosom and put her dead son at my bosom.

The next morning, when I got up to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. But when I examined him, I realized that he was not the son I had borne.”

“No,” said the other woman, “the living one is my son and the dead one is your son.” But the first woman insisted, “No, the dead one is yours and the living one is mine.” So they argued before the king.

Then the king replied, “This woman says, ëMy son is alive and yours is dead,í but that woman says, ëNo, your son is dead and mine is alive.í”

The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought him a sword,

and the king declared, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she yearned with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she said, “give her the living baby. Do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!”

Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you kill him; she is his mother.”

When all Israel heard of the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

So King Solomon ruled over Israel,

and these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;

Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the governors; Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;

Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan;

Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him);

Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor (Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);

Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;

Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;

Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married Basemath, a daughter of Solomon);