1 KINGS 3:1-28
1 Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem.
2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days.
3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 “Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
8 “And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
9 “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,
12 “behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
13 “And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
14 “So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
15 Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him.
17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house.
18 “Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house.
19 “And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.
20 “So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 “And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”
22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'”
24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
1 KINGS 4:29-34
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.
30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than all men…; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.
32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.
33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish.
34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
JOB 12:7-13, 16-22
7 “ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to you.
9 Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this,
10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?
11 Does not the ear test words and the mouth taste its food?
12 Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding.
13 “With Him are wisdom and strength, he has counsel and understanding.
16 With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His.
17 He leads counselors away plundered, and makes fools of the judges.
18 He loosens the bonds of kings, and binds their waist with a belt.
19 He leads princes away plundered, and overthrows the mighty.
20 He deprives the trusted ones of speech, and takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 He pours contempt on princes, and disarms the mighty.
22 He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to light.
JOB 28:12-28
12 “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It cannot be purchased for gold, nor can silver be weighed for its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 “From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’
23 God understands its way, and He knows its place.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heavens,
25 To establish a weight for the wind, and apportion out the waters by measure.
26 When He made a law for the rain, and a path for the thunderbolt,
27 then He saw wisdom and declared it; he prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.
28 And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.'”
PROVERBS 1:2-7
2 To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding,
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity;
4 To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion–
5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…
PROVERBS 3:13-26, 34-35
13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding;
14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.
19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes– keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 So they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck.
23 Then you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.
34 Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.
35 The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.
PROVERBS 5:11-15, 18-23
11 …you mourn at last, when your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 And say: “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised correction!
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
14 I was on the verge of total ruin, in the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well.
18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth.
19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He ponders all his paths.
22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin.
23 He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
PROVERBS 7:1-4
1 My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your nearest kin
PROVERBS 8:1-36
1 Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, beside the way, where the paths meet.
3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entrance of the doors:
4 “To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart.
6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, and from the opening of my lips will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
9 They are all plain to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold;
11 For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.
15 By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth.
17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver.
20 I traverse the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their treasuries.
22 “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old.
23 I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, or the primeval dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 When He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men.
32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it.
34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the LORD;
36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death.”
PSALM 19:7
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple…
PROVERBS 2:1-11
1 My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you,
1 CORINTHIANS 13:8-10
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
PSALM 111:10
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:18-23
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”;
20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours:
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come– all are yours.
23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:12
12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.
ROMANS 12:16
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
JAMES 1:5-8
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-16
1 …I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.