I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself,“ I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work.

我曾用智慧试验这一切事；我说，要得智慧，智慧却离我远。

我曾用智慧试验这一切事，我说：“要得智慧。”智慧却离我远。

我曾用智慧试验这一切事，我说：“要得智慧。”智慧却离我远。

我用智慧试验过这一切。我说：“我要做智者”，谁知智慧却离我甚远。

这一切我都用智慧试验过。我说：“我要得智慧”，智慧却远离我。

我曾以智慧试验过这一切；我说：“我要有智慧”，智慧却离我遥远。

我曾用智慧試驗這一切事；我說，要得智慧，智慧卻離我遠。

我曾用智慧試驗這一切事，我說：「要得智慧。」智慧卻離我遠。

我曾用智慧試驗這一切事，我說：「要得智慧。」智慧卻離我遠。

我用智慧試驗過這一切。我說：「我要做智者」，誰知智慧卻離我甚遠。

這一切我都用智慧試驗過。我說：“我要得智慧”，智慧卻遠離我。

這一切我都用智慧試驗過；我說：『我可有智慧了』；事實上還差得遠呢。

我曾以智慧試驗過這一切；我說：「我要有智慧」，智慧卻離我遙遠。

凡此諸事、我嘗以智驗之、自謂我將得智、惟智遠我、

我察萬事、欲求大道、而道離我甚遠。

我嘗以智慧察此諸事、意謂我欲得真見解、而離我甚遠、

All this I tested by wisdom and I said,“ I am determined to be wise”— but this was beyond me.

I used wisdom to test all these things. I said,“ I’ve made up my mind to be wise.” But it was more than I could accomplish.

All this I have tested by wisdom. I said,“ I will be wise,” but it was far from me.

I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved,“ I will be wise,” but it was beyond me.

I tested all this with wisdom, and I said,“ I will be wise,” but wisdom was far from me.

All this I have proved by wisdom. I said,“ I will be wise”; But it was far from me.

All this have I proved in wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved,“ I will be wise,” but it was beyond me.

All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it[ was] far from me.

I have examined all this by wisdom; I said,“ I am determined to comprehend this”– but it was beyond my grasp.

All this I have proved in wisdom. I said,“ I will be wise;” but it was far from me.

Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.

So God replied,“ Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!

“ God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites.The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel,“ You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway.He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been.Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done.On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.