Solomon's Prayer for Wisdom

3 ^(A)Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into ^(B)the city of David until he had finished ^(C)building his own house ^(D)and the house of the Lord ^(E)and the wall around Jerusalem. ^2 (F)The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.

³ Solomon ^(G)loved the Lord, ^(H)walking 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, ^(I)for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ^5 (J)At Gibeon ^(K)the Lord appeared to Solomon ^(L)in 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 ^(M)he 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 ^(N)have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. ⁷ And now, O Lord my God, ^(O)you have made your servant king in place of David my father, ^(P)although I am but a little child. I do not know ^(Q)how to go out or come in. ^8 (R)And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, ^(S)too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. ^9 (T)Give your servant therefore an understanding mind ^(U)to govern your people, that I may ^(V)discern 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, ^(W)I now do according to your word. Behold, ^(X)I 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 (Y)I give you also what you have not asked, ^(Z)both 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, ^(AA)as your father David walked, then ^(AB)I will lengthen your days.”

¹⁵ And Solomon ^(AC)awoke, 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 Wisdom

¹⁶ Then two prostitutes came to the king ^(AD)and stood before him. ¹⁷ The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. ¹⁸ Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house. ¹⁹ And this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him. ²⁰ And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. ²¹ When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne.” ²² But the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” Thus they spoke before the king.

²³ Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” ²⁴ And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. ²⁵ And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” ²⁶ Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because ^(AE)her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” ²⁷ Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” ²⁸ And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that ^(AF)the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.

Sons and Heirs

4 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,^[a] though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, ^(A)were enslaved to the elementary principles^[b] of the world. ⁴ But ^(B)when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, ^(C)born ^(D)of woman, born ^(E)under the law, ^5 (F)to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive ^(G)adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent ^(H)the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then ^(I)an heir through God.

Paul's Concern for the Galatians

⁸ Formerly, when you ^(J)did not know God, you ^(K)were enslaved to those that by nature ^(L)are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather ^(M)to be known by God, ^(N)how can you turn back again to ^(O)the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ^10 (P)You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid ^(Q)I may have labored over you in vain.

¹² Brothers,^{[c] (R)}I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. ^(S)You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was ^(T)because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you ^(U)at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me ^(V)as an angel of God, ^(W)as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by ^(X)telling you the truth?^{[d] 17} They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and ^(Y)not only when I am present with you, ^19 (Z)my little children, ^(AA)for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ ^(AB)is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Example of Hagar and Sarah

²¹ Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, ^(AC)one by a slave woman and ^(AD)one by a free woman. ²³ But ^(AE)the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while ^(AF)the son of the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴ Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two ^(AG)covenants. ^(AH)One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;^[e] she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But ^(AI)the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written,

²⁸ Now you,^[f] brothers, ^(AK)like Isaac, ^(AL)are children of promise. ²⁹ But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh ^(AM)persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, ^(AN)so also it is now. ³⁰ But what does the Scripture say? ^(AO)“Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” ³¹ So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but ^(AP)of the free woman.

Christ Has Set Us Free

5 For ^(AQ)freedom Christ has ^(AR)set us free; ^(AS)stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to ^(AT)a yoke of ^(AU)slavery.

² Look: I, Paul, say to you that ^(AV)if you accept circumcision, ^(AW)Christ will be of no advantage to you. ³ I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that ^(AX)he is obligated to keep the whole law. ⁴ You are ^(AY)severed from Christ, ^(AZ)you who would be justified^[g] by the law; ^(BA)you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly ^(BB)wait for the hope of righteousness. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus ^(BC)neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but ^(BD)only faith working through love.

^7 (BE)You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying ^(BF)the truth? ⁸ This persuasion is not from ^(BG)him who calls you. ^9 (BH)A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ^10 (BI)I have confidence in the Lord that you will ^(BJ)take no other view, and ^(BK)the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. ¹¹ But if I, brothers,^[h] still preach^[i] circumcision, ^(BL)why am I still being persecuted? In that case ^(BM)the offense of the cross has been removed. ¹² I wish ^(BN)those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. ^(BO)Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love ^(BP)serve one another. ¹⁴ For ^(BQ)the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ^(BR)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you ^(BS)bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Keep in Step with the Spirit

¹⁶ But I say, ^(BT)walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify ^(BU)the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For ^(BV)the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, ^(BW)to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are ^(BX)led by the Spirit, ^(BY)you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now ^(BZ)the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, ^(CA)divisions, ²¹ envy,^[j] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that ^(CB)those who do^[k] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But ^(CC)the fruit of the Spirit is ^(CD)love, joy, peace, patience, ^(CE)kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 (CF)gentleness, ^(CG)self-control; ^(CH)against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus ^(CI)have crucified the flesh with its ^(CJ)passions and desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, ^(CK)let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ^26 (CL)Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Bear One Another's Burdens

6 Brothers,^{[l] (CM)}if anyone is caught in any transgression, ^(CN)you who are spiritual should restore him in ^(CO)a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. ^2 (CP)Bear one another's burdens, and ^(CQ)so fulfill ^(CR)the law of Christ. ³ For ^(CS)if anyone thinks he is something, ^(CT)when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴ But let each one ^(CU)test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. ⁵ For ^(CV)each will have to bear his own load.

^6 (CW)Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. ^7 (CX)Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for ^(CY)whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ⁸ For ^(CZ)the one who sows to his own flesh ^(DA)will from the flesh reap corruption, but ^(DB)the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹ And ^(DC)let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, ^(DD)if we do not give up. ¹⁰ So then, ^(DE)as we have opportunity, let us ^(DF)do good to everyone, and especially to those who are ^(DG)of the household of faith.

Final Warning and Benediction

¹¹ See with what large letters I am writing to you ^(DH)with my own hand. ^12 (DI)It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh ^(DJ)who would force you to be circumcised, and only ^(DK)in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³ For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. ¹⁴ But far be it from me to boast ^(DL)except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which^[m] the world ^(DM)has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵ For ^(DN)neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but ^(DO)a new creation. ¹⁶ And as for all who walk by this rule, ^(DP)peace and mercy be upon them, and upon ^(DQ)the Israel of God.

¹⁷ From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

^18 (DR)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be ^(DS)with your spirit, brothers. Amen.