1 Kings 3
1 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.
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 In those days, however, the people still sacrificed on the high places because a Temple to honor the Lord hadn't yet been built.
The people were sacrificing at the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name of Yahweh.
3 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.
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 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.
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 The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon. God said to him, “Ask what you want me to give you.”
Yahweh appeared at Gibeon to Solomon in a dream by night; he said, “Ask! What should I give you?”
6 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.
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 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.
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 I, your servant, am here in among your chosen people, a great people that are so many they cannot be counted.
Your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
9 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?”
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 The Lord considered that what Solomon asked for was good.
This request of Solomon pleased the Lord.
11 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,
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 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.
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 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.
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 follow my ways by keeping my laws and my commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”
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 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.
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 Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him for judgment.
Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
17 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.
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 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.
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 During the night this woman's son died because she rolled over on him.
Then this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him.
20 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.
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 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.”
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 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.
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 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.’”
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 “Bring me a sword,” the king ordered. So they brought him a sword.
The king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
25 “Cut the child that's alive in two, and give half to one woman and half to another,” he commanded.
Then the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to this woman and half to the other.”
26 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!”
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 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.”
Then the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.”
28 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.
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.
