Kings III 3
1 And the wisdom of Solomon abounded exceedingly beyond the wisdom of all the ancients, and beyond all the wise men of Egypt: and he took the daughter of Pharao, and brought her into the city of David, until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord first, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
Therfor the rewme was confermyd in to the hondis of Salomon; and bi affynyte, `ether aliaunce, he was ioyned to Pharao, kyng of Egipt; for he took the douyter of Farao, and brouyte in to the citee of Dauid, til he `fillide bildynge his hows, and the hows of the Lord, and the wal of Jerusalem bi cumpas.
2 Nevertheless the people burnt incense on the high places, because a house had not yet been built to the Lord.
Netheles the puple offride in hiye places; for the temple was not bildid to the name of the Lord til in to that dai.
3 And Solomon loved the Lord, [so as] to walk in the ordinances of David his father; only he sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places.
Forsothe Salomon louyde the Lord, and yede in the comaundementis of Dauid, his fadir, out takun that Salomon offride in hiye placis, and brente encense `in hiye places.
4 And he arose and went to Gabaon to sacrifice there, for that [was] the highest place, and great: Solomon offered a whole burnt offering of a thousand [victims] on the altar in Gabaon.
Therfor Salomon yede in to Gabaon, to offre there; for thilke was the moost hiy place. Salomon offride on that auter in Gabaon a thousynde offryngis in to brent sacrifice.
5 And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and the Lord said to Solomon, Ask some petition for yourself.
Sotheli the Lord apperide to Salomon bi sleep in the nyyt, and seide, Axe thou `that, that thou wolt, that Y yyue to thee.
6 And Solomon said, You have dealt very mercifully with your servant David my father according as he walked before you in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you, and you have kept for him this great mercy, to set his son upon his throne, as [it is] this day.
And Salomon seide, Thou hast do greet merci with thi seruaunt Dauid, my fadir, as he yede in thi siyt, in treuthe, and riytfulnesse, and riytful herte with thee; thou hast kepte to hym thi greet merci, and hast youun to hym a sone, sittynge on his trone, as it is to dai.
7 And now, O Lord my God, you have appointed your servant in the room of David my father; and I am a little child, and know not my going out an my coming in.
And now, Lord God, thou hast maad thi seruaunt to regne for Dauid, my fadir; forsothe Y am a litil child, and not knowynge myn outgoynge and entryng.
8 But your servant [is] in the midst of your people, whom you have chosen, a great people, which as this day can’t be numbered.
And thi seruaunt is in the myddis of the puple, which thou hast chose, of puple with outen noumbre, that may not be noumbrid and rikened, for multitude.
9 You shall give therefore to your servant a heart to hear and to judge your people justly, and to discern between good and evil: for who will be able to judge this your great people?
Therfor thou schalt yyue to thi seruaunt an herte able to be tauyt, `that is, liytned of thee, that he may deme the puple, and iuge bitwixe good and yuel; for who may deme this puple, thi puple, this miche puple?
10 And it was pleasing before the Lord, that Solomon asked this thing.
Therfor the world pleside bifore the Lord, that Salomon hadde axid sich a thing.
11 And the Lord said to him, Because you have asked this thing of me, and have not asked for yourself long life, and have not asked wealth, nor have asked the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to hear judgment;
And the Lord seide to Salomon, For thou axidist this word, and axidist not to thee many daies, nether richessis, nether the lyues of thin enemyes, but thou axidist to thee wisdom to deme doom, lo!
12 behold, I have done according to your word: behold, I have given you an understanding and wise heart: there has not been [any one] like you before you, and after you there shall not arise one like you.
Y haue do to thee vpe thi wordis, and Y haue youe to thee a wyse herte and vndirstondynge, in so myche that no man bifor thee was lijk thee, nether schal rise aftir thee.
13 And I have given you what you have not asked, wealth and glory, so that there has not been any one like you among kings.
But also Y haue youe to thee these thingis, whiche thou axidist not, that is, richessis, and glorie, that no man be lijk thee in kyngis in alle tymes aftirward.
14 And if you will walk in my way, to keep my commandments and my ordinances, as David your father walked, then will I multiply your days.
Forsothe if thou goist in my weies, and kepist my biddyngis and comaundementis, as thi fadir yede, Y schal make thi daies long.
15 And Solomon awoke, and, behold, [it was] a dream: and he arose and came to Jerusalem, and stood before the altar that was in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord in Sion: and he offered whole burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings, and made a great banquet for himself and all his servants.
Therfor Salomon wakide, and vndirstood what the sweuen was. And whanne he hadde come to Jerusalem, he stood bifor the arke of boond of pees of the Lord, and he offride brent sacrifices, and made pesible sacrifices, and a greet feeste to alle hise meynees.
16 Then there appeared two harlots before the king, and they stood before him.
Thanne twei wymmen hooris camen to the kyng, and stoden bifor hym;
17 And the one woman said, Hear me, [my] lord; I and this woman lived in one house, and we were delivered in the house.
of whiche oon seide, My lord, Y biseche, Y and this womman dwelliden in oon hows, and Y childide at hir in a couche.
18 And it came to pass on the third day after I was delivered, this woman also was delivered: and we [were] together; and there was no one with us besides our two selves in the house.
Sotheli in the thridde dai aftir that Y childide, also this womman childide; and we weren togidere in the hows, and noon other was with vs in the hows, outakun vs tweyne.
19 And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
Forsothe the sone of this womman was deed in the nyyt, for sche slepte, and oppresside hym;
20 and she arose in the middle of the night, and took my son from my arms, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.
and sche roos in the fourthe part of the nyyt in silence, and took my sone fro the side of me, thin handmaide slepynge, and settide in hir bosum; forsothe sche puttide in my bosum hir sone, that was deed.
21 and I arose in the morning to suckle my son, and he was dead: and, behold, I considered him in the morning, and, behold, it was not my son whom I bore.
And whanne Y hadde ryse eerli, to yyue mylk to my sone, he apperide deed; whom Y bihelde diligentlier bi cleer liyt, and Y perseyuede, that he was not myn, whom Y hadde gendrid.
22 And the other woman said, No, but the living [is] my son, and the dead [is] your son. So they spoke before the king.
The tother womman answeride, It is not so as thou seist, but thi sone is deed; forsothe `my sone lyueth. Ayenward sche seide, Thou liest; for my sone lyueth, and thi sone is deed. And bi this maner thei stryueden bifore the kyng.
23 and the king said to them, You say, This [is] my son, [even] the living [one], and this woman's son [is] the dead one: and you say, No, but the living [is] my son, and the dead [is] your son.
Thanne the kyng seide, This womman seith, My sone lyueth, and thi sone is deed; and this womman answerith, Nay, but thi sone is deed; forsothe my sone lyueth.
24 And the king said, Fetch a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
Therfor the kyng seide, Brynge ye to me a swerd. And whanne thei hadden brouyt a swerd bifor the kyng,
25 And the king said, Divide the live child, the suckling, in two; and give half of it to one, and half of it to the other.
he seide, Departe ye the quyk yong child in to twei partis, and yyue ye the half part to oon, and the half part to the tother.
26 And the woman whose the living child was, answered and said to the king, (for her bowels yearned over her son) and she said, I pray you, [my] lord, give her the child, and in nowise kill it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor hers; divide [it].
Forsothe the womman, whos sone was quik, seide to the kyng; for her entrailis weren mouyd on hir sone; Lord, Y biseche, yyue ye to hir the quik child, and nyle ye sle hym. Ayenward sche seide, Be he nethir to me, nether to thee, but be he departid.
27 Then the king answered and said, Give the child to her that said, 'Give it to her, and by no means kill it:' she [is] its mother.
The kyng answeride, and seide, Yyue ye to this womman the yong child quyk, and be he not slayn; forsothe this is `his modir.
28 and all Israel heard this judgment which the king judged, and they feared before the king; because they saw that the wisdom of God [was] in him, to execute judgment.
Therfor al Israel herde the doom, which the kyng hadde demyd; and thei dredden the kyng, and sien, that the wisdom of God was in hym, to make doom.
