1 Kings 3
1 Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter as his wife, keeping her in the town of David, till the house he was building for himself, and the house of the Lord and the wall round Jerusalem, were complete.
And Solomon intermarried with Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and took the daughter of Pharaoh, and brought her into the city of David, until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
2 But all this time the people were making their offerings in the high places, because no house had been put up to the name of the Lord till those days.
But the people sacrificed still on the high-places; because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord, until those days.
3 And Solomon, in his love for the Lord, kept the laws of David his father; but he made offerings and let them go up in smoke on the high places.
And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only that he sacrificed and burnt incense on the high-places.
4 And the king went to Gibeon to make an offering there, because that was the chief high place: it was Solomon's way to make a thousand burned offerings on that altar.
And the king went to Gib'on to sacrifice there; for that was the great high-place: one thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
5 In Gibeon, Solomon had a vision of the Lord in a dream by night; and God said to him, Say what I am to give you.
In Gib'on the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream of the night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 And Solomon said, Great was your mercy to David my father, as his life before you was true and upright and his heart was true to you; and you have kept for him this greatest mercy, a son to take his place this day.
And Solomon said, Thou hast shown unto thy servant David my father great kindness, just as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, and thou hast given him a son who sitteth on his throne, as it is this day.
7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father; and I am only a young boy, with no knowledge of how to go out or come in.
And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in the place of David my father: and I am but a young lad; I know not how to go out or come in.
8 And your servant has round him the people of your selection, a people so great that they may not be numbered, and no account of them may be given.
And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot he numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give your servant, then, a wise heart for judging your people, able to see what is good and what evil; for who is able to be the judge of this great people?
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, to discern between good and bad; for who would [otherwise] be able to judge this thy great people?
10 Now these words and Solomon's request were pleasing to the Lord.
And the speech was pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said to him, Because your request is for this thing, and not for long life for yourself or for wealth or for the destruction of your haters, but for wisdom to be a judge of causes;
And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; and hast not asked for thyself riches, nor hast asked the life of thy enemies; but hast asked for thyself discernment to understand [how to give] judgment:
12 I have done as you said: I have given you a wise and far-seeing heart, so that there has never been your equal in the past, and never will there be any like you in the future.
Behold, I have done according to thy word; lo, I have given thee a wise and a discerning heart; so that like unto thee there was none before thee, nor after thee shall any one arise like unto thee.
13 And with this I have given you what you made no request for: wealth and honour, so that no king was ever your equal.
And also what thou hast not asked have I given thee, both riches and honor: so that like unto thee there shall not have been any one among the kings all thy days.
14 And if you go on in my ways, keeping my laws and my orders as your father David did, I will give you a long life.
And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then will I lengthen thy days.
15 And Solomon, awakening, saw that it was a dream; then he came to Jerusalem, where he went before the ark of the agreement of the Lord, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings; and he made a feast for all his servants.
And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream; and he went to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt-offerings, and prepared peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
16 Then two loose women of the town came and took their places before the king;
Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and placed themselves before him.
17 And one of them said, O my lord, I and this woman are living in the same house; and I gave birth to a child by her side in the house.
And the one woman said, Pardon, my Lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18 And three days after the birth of my child, this woman had a child: we were together, no other-person was with us in the house but we two only.
And it came to pass on the third day after I was delivered, that also this woman was delivered: and we were together, there was no stranger with us in the house, only we two were in the house.
19 In the night, this woman, sleeping on her child, was the cause of its death.
And this woman's son died in the night; because she had overlaid him.
20 And she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was sleeping; and she took it in her arms and put her dead child in my arms.
And she arose in the midst of the night, and took my son from beside me, while thy hand-maid slept, and laid him in her bosom, and her dead son she laid in my bosom.
21 And when I got up to give my child the breast, I saw that it was dead; but in the morning, looking at it with care, I saw that it was not my son.
And when I rose in the morning to give my son suck, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I had born.
22 And the other woman said, No; but the living child is my son and the dead one yours. But the first said, No; the dead child is your son and the living one mine. So they kept on talking before the king.
And the other woman said, It is not so; my son is the living one, and thy son is the dead; and this one said, It is not so; thy son is the dead, and my son is the living: thus they spoke before the king.
23 Then the king said, One says, The living child is my son, and yours is the dead: and the other says, Not so; but your son is the dead one and mine is the living.
Then said the king, This one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is dead: and the other saith, It is not so; thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24 Then he said, Get me a sword. So they went and put a sword before the king.
And the king said, Fetch me a sword: and they brought the sword before the king.
25 And the king said, Let the living child be cut in two and one half given to one woman and one to the other.
And the king said, Hew the living child in two, and give the one half to one, and the other half to the other.
26 Then the mother of the living child came forward, for her heart went out to her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the child; do not on any account put it to death. But the other woman said, It will not be mine or yours; let it be cut in two.
Then spoke the woman whose son was the living unto the king, for her love had become enkindled for her son, and she said, O pardon, my Lord, give her the living child, and only do not slay it; but the other said, Neither mine nor thine shall it be, hew it asunder.
27 Then the king made answer and said, Give her the child, and do not put it to death; she is the mother of it.
The king then answered and said, Give her the living child, and do not slay it: she is its mother.
28 And news of this decision which the king had made went through all Israel; and they had fear of the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to give decisions.
And when all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had given, they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to exercise justice.
