1 Kings
Chapter Three
1 ¶ Now Solomon made
a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh's daughter; then he
brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house,
and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem.
2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house
built for the name of the LORD until those days.
3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except
that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high
place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
5 ¶ At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God
said, "Ask! What shall I give you?"
6 And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my
father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness
of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have
given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 "Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father
David, but I am 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 great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
9 "Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your
people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this
great people of Yours?"
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 Then God said to him: "Because you have asked this thing, and have not
asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked
the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern
justice,
12 "behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you
a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before
you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
13 "And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and
honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
14 "So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments,
as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days."
15 Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem
and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered up burnt offerings,
offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
16 ¶ Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before
him.
17 And one woman said, "O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house;
and I gave birth while she was in the house.
18 "Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this
woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house,
except the two of us in the house.
19 "And this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him.
20 "So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side,
while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child
in my bosom.
21 "And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead.
But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I
had borne."
22 Then the other woman said, "No! But the living one is my son, and the
dead one is your son." And the first woman said, "No! But the dead
one is your son, and the living one is my son." Thus they spoke before
the king.
23 And the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son, who lives, and your
son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! But your son is the dead one,
and my son is the living one.'"
24 Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword
before the king.
25 And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to
one, and half to the other."
26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with
compassion for her son; and she said, "O my lord, give her the living child,
and by no means kill him!" But the other said, "Let him be neither
mine nor yours, but divide him."
27 So 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 Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they
feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer
justice.
Go to Chapter Four
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