< Βασιλειῶν Γʹ 3 >
Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh of Egypt. He married Pharaoh's daughter and brought her to live in the City of David until he finished building his palace, the Lord's Temple, and the walls surrounding Jerusalem.
2 πλὴν ὁ λαὸς ἦσαν θυμιῶντες ἐπὶ τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς ὅτι οὐκ ᾠκοδομήθη οἶκος τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου ἕως νῦν
In those days, however, the people still sacrificed on the high places because a Temple to honor the Lord hadn't yet been built.
3 καὶ ἠγάπησεν Σαλωμων τὸν κύριον πορεύεσθαι ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασιν Δαυιδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ πλὴν ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς ἔθυεν καὶ ἐθυμία
Solomon showed he loved the Lord by following the instructions of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned offerings on the high places.
4 καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ ἐπορεύθη εἰς Γαβαων θῦσαι ἐκεῖ ὅτι αὐτὴ ὑψηλοτάτη καὶ μεγάλη χιλίαν ὁλοκαύτωσιν ἀνήνεγκεν Σαλωμων ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐν Γαβαων
The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for it was the leading high place. Solomon presented one thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.
5 καὶ ὤφθη κύριος τῷ Σαλωμων ἐν ὕπνῳ τὴν νύκτα καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Σαλωμων αἴτησαί τι αἴτημα σαυτῷ
The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon. God said to him, “Ask what you want me to give you.”
6 καὶ εἶπεν Σαλωμων σὺ ἐποίησας μετὰ τοῦ δούλου σου Δαυιδ τοῦ πατρός μου ἔλεος μέγα καθὼς διῆλθεν ἐνώπιόν σου ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἐν εὐθύτητι καρδίας μετὰ σοῦ καὶ ἐφύλαξας αὐτῷ τὸ ἔλεος τὸ μέγα τοῦτο δοῦναι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη
Solomon replied, “You showed your servant David, my father, great trustworthy love because he lived his life before you with faithfulness, doing what was right and committed to principle. You have continued to show this great trustworthy love by giving him a son to sit on his throne to this day.
7 καὶ νῦν κύριε ὁ θεός μου σὺ ἔδωκας τὸν δοῦλόν σου ἀντὶ Δαυιδ τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι παιδάριον μικρὸν καὶ οὐκ οἶδα τὴν ἔξοδόν μου καὶ τὴν εἴσοδόν μου
Now, Lord God, you have made me king in place of my father David. But I am like an inexperienced young boy who doesn't know what to do.
8 ὁ δὲ δοῦλός σου ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ σου ὃν ἐξελέξω λαὸν πολύν ὃς οὐκ ἀριθμηθήσεται
I, your servant, am here in among your chosen people, a great people that are so many they cannot be counted.
9 καὶ δώσεις τῷ δούλῳ σου καρδίαν ἀκούειν καὶ διακρίνειν τὸν λαόν σου ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦ συνίειν ἀνὰ μέσον ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ ὅτι τίς δυνήσεται κρίνειν τὸν λαόν σου τὸν βαρὺν τοῦτον
So please give me a mind that's receptive so I can rule your people well, understanding the difference between right and wrong, for who can rule this difficult people of yours?”
10 καὶ ἤρεσεν ἐνώπιον κυρίου ὅτι ᾐτήσατο Σαλωμων τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο
The Lord considered that what Solomon asked for was good.
11 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς αὐτόν ἀνθ’ ὧν ᾐτήσω παρ’ ἐμοῦ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο καὶ οὐκ ᾐτήσω σαυτῷ ἡμέρας πολλὰς καὶ οὐκ ᾐτήσω πλοῦτον οὐδὲ ᾐτήσω ψυχὰς ἐχθρῶν σου ἀλλ’ ᾐτήσω σαυτῷ σύνεσιν τοῦ εἰσακούειν κρίμα
So God told him, “Because you asked for this, and you didn't ask for a long life, or wealth, or the death of your enemies, but instead you asked for understanding to know what is right,
12 ἰδοὺ πεποίηκα κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου ἰδοὺ δέδωκά σοι καρδίαν φρονίμην καὶ σοφήν ὡς σὺ οὐ γέγονεν ἔμπροσθέν σου καὶ μετὰ σὲ οὐκ ἀναστήσεται ὅμοιός σοι
I am giving you what you asked for. I am giving you a mind that is wise, with an understanding of what is right, more than anyone else before you or after you.
13 καὶ ἃ οὐκ ᾐτήσω δέδωκά σοι καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ δόξαν ὡς οὐ γέγονεν ἀνὴρ ὅμοιός σοι ἐν βασιλεῦσιν
I am also giving you what you did not ask for, wealth and status—so much so that no king will compare to you for the whole of your life.
14 καὶ ἐὰν πορευθῇς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μου φυλάσσειν τὰς ἐντολάς μου καὶ τὰ προστάγματά μου ὡς ἐπορεύθη Δαυιδ ὁ πατήρ σου καὶ πληθυνῶ τὰς ἡμέρας σου
And if you follow my ways by keeping my laws and my commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”
15 καὶ ἐξυπνίσθη Σαλωμων καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐνύπνιον καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ παραγίνεται εἰς Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἔστη κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ κατὰ πρόσωπον κιβωτοῦ διαθήκης κυρίου ἐν Σιων καὶ ἀνήγαγεν ὁλοκαυτώσεις καὶ ἐποίησεν εἰρηνικὰς καὶ ἐποίησεν πότον μέγαν ἑαυτῷ καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ
Then Solomon woke up and realized he'd had a dream. He went back to Jerusalem, and stood in front of the Ark of the Lord's Agreement and he presented burnt offerings and friendship offerings, and he held a feast for all his officials.
16 τότε ὤφθησαν δύο γυναῖκες πόρναι τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ἔστησαν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ
Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him for judgment.
17 καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ ἡ μία ἐν ἐμοί κύριε ἐγὼ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὕτη οἰκοῦμεν ἐν οἴκῳ ἑνὶ καὶ ἐτέκομεν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ
One of the women spoke up, saying, “If it please Your Majesty: I share a house with this woman. I had a baby while she was living in the house.
18 καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ τεκούσης μου καὶ ἔτεκεν καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὕτη καὶ ἡμεῖς κατὰ τὸ αὐτό καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐθεὶς μεθ’ ἡμῶν πάρεξ ἀμφοτέρων ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ
Three days after the birth of my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were together; there was no one else in the house, just the two of us.
19 καὶ ἀπέθανεν ὁ υἱὸς τῆς γυναικὸς ταύτης τὴν νύκτα ὡς ἐπεκοιμήθη ἐπ’ αὐτόν
During the night this woman's son died because she rolled over on him.
20 καὶ ἀνέστη μέσης τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ ἔλαβεν τὸν υἱόν μου ἐκ τῶν ἀγκαλῶν μου καὶ ἐκοίμισεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ αὐτῆς καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν τεθνηκότα ἐκοίμισεν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ μου
She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while I was sleeping. She lay him close beside her to cuddle him, and she lay her dead son close beside me.
21 καὶ ἀνέστην τὸ πρωὶ θηλάσαι τὸν υἱόν μου καὶ ἐκεῖνος ἦν τεθνηκώς καὶ ἰδοὺ κατενόησα αὐτὸν πρωί καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν ὁ υἱός μου ὃν ἔτεκον
When I got up in the morning to nurse my son I saw that he was dead. When I looked closely at him in the light I realized it wasn't my son.”
22 καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἑτέρα οὐχί ἀλλὰ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ζῶν ὁ δὲ υἱός σου ὁ τεθνηκώς καὶ ἐλάλησαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως
The other woman argued, “No! My son is the one that's alive. Your son is the one that's dead.” The first woman objected, “No! Your son is the one that's dead. My son is the one that's alive.” They went on quarrelling in front of the king.
23 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐταῖς σὺ λέγεις οὗτος ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ζῶν καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ταύτης ὁ τεθνηκώς καὶ σὺ λέγεις οὐχί ἀλλὰ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ζῶν καὶ ὁ υἱός σου ὁ τεθνηκώς
The king intervened, saying, “So this woman says ‘My son is the one that's alive. Your son is the one that's dead,’ while the other woman says, ‘No! Your son is the one that's dead. My son is the one that's alive.’”
24 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς λάβετέ μοι μάχαιραν καὶ προσήνεγκαν τὴν μάχαιραν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως
“Bring me a sword,” the king ordered. So they brought him a sword.
25 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς διέλετε τὸ παιδίον τὸ θηλάζον τὸ ζῶν εἰς δύο καὶ δότε τὸ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ ταύτῃ καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ ταύτῃ
“Cut the child that's alive in two, and give half to one woman and half to another,” he commanded.
26 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ἡ γυνή ἧς ἦν ὁ υἱὸς ὁ ζῶν καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ὅτι ἐταράχθη ἡ μήτρα αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτῆς καὶ εἶπεν ἐν ἐμοί κύριε δότε αὐτῇ τὸ παιδίον καὶ θανάτῳ μὴ θανατώσητε αὐτόν καὶ αὕτη εἶπεν μήτε ἐμοὶ μήτε αὐτῇ ἔστω διέλετε
But the woman whose son was alive had so much love for him as a mother that she cried out to the king, “Please, Your Majesty, give her the boy! Don't kill him!” But the other woman said, “He won't be mine or yours—cut him in two!”
27 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ εἶπεν δότε τὸ παιδίον τῇ εἰπούσῃ δότε αὐτῇ αὐτὸ καὶ θανάτῳ μὴ θανατώσητε αὐτόν αὐτὴ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ
The king gave his verdict. “Give the child that's alive to the first woman,” he ordered. “On no account kill him, for she is his real mother.”
28 καὶ ἤκουσαν πᾶς Ισραηλ τὸ κρίμα τοῦτο ὃ ἔκρινεν ὁ βασιλεύς καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ βασιλέως ὅτι εἶδον ὅτι φρόνησις θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ τοῦ ποιεῖν δικαίωμα
When everyone in Israel heard about the verdict the king had delivered, they had great respect for the king, because they recognized the wisdom God had given him to judge rightly.