Praised be the name of the Lord our God, who has allotted wisdom to the one, riches to another, soldierly virtues to a third.
I, Ethan the son of Hoshaiah, from the town of Ezrah, was called this day to King Solomon, and was brought in his presence by Elihoreph and Ahiah the sons of Shisha, scribes; and found with him Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder, and Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the captain of the host.
And I prostrated myself at the King's feet, and he bade me to rise. Thus it came to pass that I saw King Solomon as one man sees another, face to face; and though he sat upon his throne, between the Cherubim, he appeared smaller than I had thought him, smaller even than his late father, King David; but his countenance was of a yellowish colour. And the King gazed at me from beady eyes, saying, “You are Ethan ben Hoshaiah, from the town of Ezrah?”
“The same, my lord. And your servant.”
“I hear it being said from Dan even unto Beer-sheba, Ethan, that you are one of the wisest men in Israel?”
But I replied, “Who may claim to be wiser than the Wisest of Kings, Solomon?”
At which his delicate lips curled peevishly, and he said, “I will tell you a dream, Ethan, which I had the other night after sacrificing and burning incense in the high place at Gibeon.” And to Elihoreph and Ahiah, the scribes, and to Jehoshaphat ben Ahilud, the recorder, “Mark this dream, for I want it entered into the annals.”
Whereupon Elihoreph and Ahiah took from their gowns stylus and tablets of wax, and waited to take down the royal words. And this is the dream of King Solomon.
“In Gibeon Yahveh appeared to me by night, and Yahveh said, Ask what I shall give you. And I said, You have shown unto your servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before you in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart; and you have kept for him this great kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.”
The King stopped toying with the noses of the Cherubim, and shoved forward his feet which were encased in red sandals of fine goatskin.
“And now, O Lord my God, I said to Yahveh, you have made your servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people which you have chosen, a great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.”
The King straightened, and the light from the window glistened on the gold-embroidered cap he wore on his dark, thinning hair.
“Therefore, O Lord my God, I said to Yahveh, give to your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge so great a people as yours? And Lord Yahveh said unto me, Because you have asked this thing, and not for yourself long life, nor riches, nor the perdition of your enemies, behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so there was none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like you.”
And the King rose and quickly scanned the faces of his ministers, and he saw their devout seriousness. Satisfied, he concluded, “And I shall also give you that which you have not asked, Lord Yahveh told me, to wit, both riches and honour, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David did walk, then I will lengthen your days.”