1 Kings 3
1 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.
And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, 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 Netheles the puple offride in hiye places; for the temple was not bildid to the name of the Lord til in to that dai.
Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days.
3 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.
And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
4 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.
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 Sotheli the Lord apperide to Salomon bi sleep in the nyyt, and seide, Axe thou `that, that thou wolt, that Y yyue to thee.
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give you.
6 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.
And Solomon said, You have showed unto your servant David my father great mercy, 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 kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 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.
And now, O LORD my God, you have made your 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 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.
And your servant is in the midst of your people which you have chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 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?
Give therefore your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this your so great a people?
10 Therfor the world pleside bifore the Lord, that Salomon hadde axid sich a thing.
And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 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!
And God said unto him, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life; neither have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies; but have asked for yourself understanding to discern judgment;
12 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.
Behold, I have done according to your words: lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like unto you.
13 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.
And I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto you all your days.
14 Forsothe if thou goist in my weies, and kepist my biddyngis and comaundementis, as thi fadir yede, Y schal make thi daies long.
And if you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David did walk, then I will lengthen your days.
15 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.
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 Thanne twei wymmen hooris camen to the kyng, and stoden bifor hym;
Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
17 of whiche oon seide, My lord, Y biseche, Y and this womman dwelliden in oon hows, and Y childide at hir in a couche.
And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18 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.
And it came to pass the third day after that 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 Forsothe the sone of this womman was deed in the nyyt, for sche slepte, and oppresside hym;
And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
20 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.
And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while your handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 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.
And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.
22 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.
And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is your son. And this said, No; but the dead is your son, and the living is my son. Thus they spoke before the king.
23 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.
Then said the king, The one says, This is my son that lives, and your son is the dead: and the other says, Nay; but your son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24 Therfor the kyng seide, Brynge ye to me a swerd. And whanne thei hadden brouyt a swerd bifor the kyng,
And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25 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.
And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26 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.
Then spoke the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor yours, but divide it.
27 The kyng answeride, and seide, Yyue ye to this womman the yong child quyk, and be he not slayn; forsothe this is `his modir.
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
28 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.
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 judgment.
