1 Kings 3
1 And Solomon joins in marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and takes the daughter of Pharaoh, and brings her to the City of David, until he completes to build his own house, and the house of YHWH, and the wall of Jerusalem all around.
And Solomon became allied to Pharaoh king of Egypt by marriage, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
2 Only, the people are sacrificing in high places, for there has not been built a house for the Name of YHWH until those days.
Only the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days.
3 And Solomon loves YHWH, to walk in the statutes of his father David—only, he is sacrificing and making incense in high places—
And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father; only he sacrificed and offered in the high places.
4 and the king goes to Gibeon, to sacrifice there, for it [is] the great high place; Solomon causes one thousand burnt-offerings to ascend on that altar.
And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place; a thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
5 YHWH has appeared to Solomon in Gibeon, in a dream of the night, and God says, “Ask—what do I give to you?”
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said: 'Ask what I shall give thee.'
6 And Solomon says, “You have done with Your servant, my father David, great kindness, as he walked before You in truth and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You, and You keep this great kindness for him, and give to him a son sitting on his throne, as [at] this day.
And Solomon said: 'Thou hast shown unto Thy servant David my father great kindness, according 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, that Thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 And now, O YHWH my God, You have caused Your servant to reign instead of my father David; and I [am] a little child, I do not know [how] to go out and to come in;
And now, O LORD my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in.
8 and Your servant [is] in the midst of your people, whom You have chosen, a people numerous, that is not numbered nor counted for multitude,
And Thy servant is in the midst of Thy people which Thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 and You have given an understanding heart to Your servant, to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
Give Thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this Thy great people?'
10 And the thing is good in the eyes of the Lord, that Solomon has asked this thing,
And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 and God says to him, “Because that you have asked for this thing, and have not asked for many days for yourself, nor asked for riches for yourself, nor asked for the life of your enemies, and have asked for discernment for yourself to understand judgment,
And God said unto him: 'Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern justice;
12 behold, I have done according to your words; behold, I have given a wise and understanding heart to you, that there has not been [one] like you before you, and after you there does not arise [one] like you;
behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 and also, that which you have not asked for I have given to you, both riches and honor, that there has not been a man like you among the kings [for] all your days;
And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour — so that there hath not been any among the kings like unto thee — all thy days.
14 and if you walk in My ways to keep My statutes, and My commands, as your father David walked, then I have prolonged your days.”
And if thou wilt walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.'
15 And Solomon awakens, and behold, [it was] a dream; and he comes to Jerusalem, and stands before the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH, and causes burnt-offerings to ascend, and makes peace-offerings, and he makes a banquet for all his servants.
And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream; and he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
16 Then two women, harlots, come to the king, and they stand before him,
Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
17 and the first woman says, “O my lord, this woman and I are dwelling in one house, and I bring forth with her, in the house;
And the one woman said: 'Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18 and it comes to pass on the third day of my bringing forth, that this woman also brings forth, and we [are] together, there is no stranger with us in the house, except the two of us, in the house.
And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.
19 And the son of this woman dies at night, because she has lain on him,
And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlay it.
20 and she rises in the middle of the night, and takes my son from beside me—and your handmaid is asleep—and lays him in her bosom, and she has laid her dead son in my bosom;
And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 and I rise in the morning to suckle my son, and behold, [he is] dead; and I consider in the morning concerning it, and behold, it was not my son whom I bore.”
And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked well at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I did bear.'
22 And the other woman says, “No, but my son [is] the living, and your son the dead”; and this [one] says, “No, but your son [is] the dead, and my son the living.” And they speak before the king.
And the other woman said: 'Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son.' And this said: 'No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son.' Thus they spoke before the king.
23 And the king says, “This [one] says, This [is] my son, the living, and your son [is] the dead; and that [one] says, No, but your son [is] the dead, and my son the living.”
Then said the king: 'The one saith: This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead; and the other saith: Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.'
24 And the king says, “Take a sword for me”; and they bring the sword before the king,
And the king said: 'Fetch me a sword.' And they brought a sword before the king.
25 and the king says, “Cut the living child into two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
And the king said: 'Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.'
26 And the woman whose son [is] the living one says to the king (for her bowels yearned over her son), indeed, she says, “O my lord, give the living child to her, and do not put him to death at all”; and this [one] says, “Let him be neither mine or yours—cut [him].”
Then spoke the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned upon her son, and she said: 'Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.' But the other said: 'It shall be neither mine nor thine; divide it.'
27 And the king answers and says, “Give the living child to her [who wants him], and do not put him to death at all; she [is] his mother.”
Then the king answered and said: 'Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.'
28 And all [in] Israel hear of the judgment that the king has judged, and fear because of the king, for they have seen that the wisdom of God [is] in his heart to do judgment.
And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.
