3:1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem.
3:2 The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD.
3:3 Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
3:4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
3:5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
3:6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
3:7 “Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.
3:8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.
3:9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
3:10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.
3:11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice,
3:12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.
3:13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for–both riches and honor–so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.
3:14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”
3:15 Then Solomon awoke–and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.
3:16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
3:17 One of them said, “My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me.
3:18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
3:19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him.
3:20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.
3:21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son–and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
3:22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
3:23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”
3:24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king.
3:25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
3:26 The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
3:27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
3:28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
3:1 And Solomon allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and he took Pharaoh s daughter and brought her to the city of David until he completed the building of his house and the house of Jehovah and the wall of Jerusalem all around.
3:2 The people however were sacrificing in the high places, for there had still not been built a house for the name of Jehovah up to those days.
3:3 And Solomon loved Jehovah, walking in the statutes of David his father; however he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places.
3:4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer on that altar.
3:5 In Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, Ask what I should give you.
3:6 And Solomon said, You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth and righteousness and in uprightness of heart with You; and You have kept for him this great lovingkindness and have given him a son to sit upon his throne, as it is this day.
3:7 And now, O Jehovah my God, You have made Your servant king in the place of David my father, though I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
3:8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people, whom You have chosen, a vast people that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.
3:9 Give therefore to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?
3:10 And this word seemed good in the sight of the Lord, that Solomon had asked for this matter.
3:11 And God said to him, Because you have asked for this matter and have not asked for long life for yourself and have not asked for riches for yourself and have not asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for discernment for yourself to understand justice;
3:12 I now do according to your words. I now give you a heart of wisdom and understanding, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor will one rise up after you like you.
3:13 And I also give you that for which you did not ask, both riches and glory, so that there will be no one among kings like you all your days.
3:14 And if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as David your father walked, I will extend your days.
3:15 Then Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he went to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah, and he offered up burnt offerings and offered peace offerings and made a feast for all his servants.
3:16 At that time two harlots came to the king and stood before him.
3:17 And the one woman said, Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house, and I gave birth while she was in the house.
3:18 And on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house; only we two were in the house.
3:19 And this woman s son died during the night, because she lay on him.
3:20 So she rose up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your female servant was sleeping and laid him in her bosom, and her dead son she laid in my bosom.
3:21 Then when I rose up in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I examined him in the morning, that was not my son whom I had given birth to.
3:22 And the other woman said, No! The live one is my son, and the dead one is your son. And the first said, No! The dead one is your son, and the live one is my son. And they went on arguing like this before the king.
3:23 Then the king said, This one says, This is my son, the live one, and the dead one is your son; and that one says, No! The dead one is your son, and the live one is my son.
3:24 And the king said, Get me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
3:25 And the king said, Divide the live child between the two, and give half to one and half to the other.
3:26 And the woman whose son was the live one said to the king (for her compassions for her son burned within), Oh, my lord, give the live child to her, and do not by any means kill him! But the other said, He shall neither be mine nor yours; divide him.
3:27 And the king answered and said, Give her the live child, and do not by any means kill him; she is his mother.
3:28 And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had exercised, and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was within him to execute justice.