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.
Solomon allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house, the house of Yahweh, and the wall around Jerusalem.
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.
The people were sacrificing at the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name of Yahweh.
3 And Solomon loves YHWH, to walk in the statutes of his father David—only, he is sacrificing and making incense in high places—
Solomon showed his love for Yahweh by walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at 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.
The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place there. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on 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?”
Yahweh appeared at Gibeon to Solomon in a dream by night; he said, “Ask! What should I give you?”
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.
So Solomon said, “You have shown great covenant faithfulness to your servant, David my father, because he walked before you in trustworthiness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart. You have kept for him this great covenant faithfulness and have given him a son to sit on his throne today.
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;
Now Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father, though I am only a little child. I do not know 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,
Your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
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?”
So give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, so that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?”
10 And the thing is good in the eyes of the Lord, that Solomon has asked this thing,
This request of Solomon pleased the Lord.
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,
So God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself 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;
See, now I will do all you asked of me when you gave me your request. I give you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, and no one like you will rise up after you.
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;
I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your 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.”
If you will walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your 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.
Then Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. He came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
16 Then two women, harlots, come to the king, and they stand before him,
Then two women who were prostitutes came to 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;
One woman said, “Oh, my master, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to 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.
It happened on the third day after I gave birth that this woman also gave birth. We were together. There was no one else with us in the house, but only the two of us in the house.
19 And the son of this woman dies at night, because she has lain on him,
Then this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him.
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;
So she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast.
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.”
When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, he was dead. But when I had looked at him carefully in the morning, he was not my son, whom I had borne.”
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.
Then the other woman said, “No, the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” The first woman said, “No, the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” This is how 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 the king said, “One of you says, 'This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,' and the other says, 'No, your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'”
24 And the king says, “Take a sword for me”; and they bring the sword before the king,
The king said, “Bring me a sword.” So 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.”
Then the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to this woman 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 the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king, for her heart was full of compassion for her son, and she said, “Oh, my master, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other woman said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.”
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 the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.”
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.
When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, they feared the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him for giving judgments.
