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 joineth in marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and taketh the daughter of Pharaoh, and bringeth her in unto the city of David, till he completeth to build his own house, and the house of Jehovah, 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.
Only, the people are sacrificing in high places, for there hath not been built a house for the name of Jehovah till 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 loveth Jehovah, to walk in the statutes of David his father — only, in high places he is sacrificing and making perfume —
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 goeth to Gibeon, to sacrifice there, for it [is] the great high place; a thousand burnt-offerings cause to ascend doth Solomon on 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 Gibeon hath Jehovah appeared unto Solomon, in a dream of the night, and God saith, 'Ask — what do I give to 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 saith, 'Thou hast done with Thy servant David my father great kindness, as he walked before Thee in truth and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with Thee, and Thou dost keep for him this great kindness, and dost give to him a son sitting on his throne, as [at] 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 Jehovah my God, Thou hast caused thy servant to reign instead of David my father; and I [am] a little child, I do not know to go out and to 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, whom Thou hast chosen, a people numerous, that is not 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?
and Thou hast given to Thy servant an understanding heart, to judge Thy people, to discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this Thy great people?'
10 Now these words and Solomon's request were pleasing to the Lord.
And the thing is good in the eyes of the Lord, that Solomon hath 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 saith unto him, 'Because that thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thee many days, nor asked for thee riches, nor asked the life of thine enemies, and hast asked for thee discernment to understand 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.
lo, I have done according to thy words; lo, I have given to thee a heart, wise and understanding, that like thee there hath not been before thee, and after thee there doth not arise like 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, that which thou hast not asked I have given to thee, both riches and honour, that there hath not been like thee a man 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 dost walk in My ways to keep My statutes, and My commands, as David thy father walked, then I have prolonged 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 awaketh, and lo, a dream; and he cometh in to Jerusalem, and standeth before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and causeth to ascend burnt-offerings, and maketh peace-offerings. And he maketh a banquet for all his servants,
16 Then two loose women of the town came and took their places before the king;
then come in do two women, harlots, unto the king, and stand 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 saith, 'O, my lord, I and this woman are dwelling in one house, and I bring forth 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 cometh to pass on the third day of my bringing forth, that this woman also bringeth forth, and we [are] together, there is no stranger with us in the house, save we two, in the house.
19 In the night, this woman, sleeping on her child, was the cause of its death.
And the son of this woman dieth at night, because she hath lain upon it,
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 riseth in the middle of the night, and taketh my son from beside me — and thy handmaid is asleep — and layeth it in her bosom, and her dead son she hath 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 I rise in the morning to suckle my son, and lo, dead; and I consider concerning it in the morning, and lo, it was not my son whom I did bear.'
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 saith, 'Nay, but my son [is] the living, and thy son the dead;' and this [one] saith, 'Nay, but thy son [is] the dead, and my son the living.' And they speak 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.
And the king saith, 'This [one] saith, This [is] my son, the living, and thy son [is] the dead; and that [one] saith, Nay, but thy son [is] the dead, and my son the living.'
24 Then he said, Get me a sword. So they went and put a sword before the king.
And the king saith, 'Take for me a sword;' and they bring 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 saith, 'Cut the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the 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.
And the woman whose son [is] the living one saith unto the king (for her bowels yearned over her son), yea, she saith, 'O, my lord, give to her the living child, and put it not at all to death;' and this [one] saith, 'Let it be neither mine or thine — cut [it].'
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.
And the king answereth and saith, 'Give ye to her the living child, and put it not at all to death; 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 all Israel hear of the judgment that the king hath judged, and fear because of the king, for they have seen that the wisdom of God [is] in his heart, to do judgment.
