1 Kings 3
3
Solomon Asks for Wisdom
1Solomon 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. 2The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord. 3Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
4The 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. 5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
6Solomon 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.
7“Now, 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. 8Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9So 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?”
10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11So 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, 12I 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. 13Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15Then 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.
A Wise Ruling
16Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18The 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.
19“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20So 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. 21The 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.”
22The 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.
23The 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.’ ”
24Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love 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!”
27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
28When 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.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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Melaḵim Aleph (1 Kings) 3
3
1And Shelomoh joined in marriage with Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, and took the daughter of Pharaoh, and brought her to the City of Dawiḏ until he had completed building his own house, and the House of יהוה, and the wall all around Yerushalayim.
2Only, the people slaughtered at the high places, for a house for the Name of יהוה had not been built until those days.
3And Shelomoh loved יהוה, walking in the laws of his father Dawiḏ, except that he slaughtered and burned incense at the high places.
4And the sovereign went to Gib‛on to slaughter there, for that was the great high place. Shelomoh offered a thousand ascending offerings on that slaughter-place.
5At Gib‛on יהוה appeared to Shelomoh in a dream by night, and Elohim said, “Ask what I should give you.”
6And Shelomoh said, “You have shown great loving-commitment to your servant Dawiḏ my father, as he walked before You in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You. And You have guarded for him this great loving-commitment, and did give him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7“And now, O יהוה my Elohim, You have set up Your servant to reign instead of my father Dawiḏ. But I am a little child, I do not know how to go out or to 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“Shall You then give to Your servant an understanding heart to rule Your people, to discern between good and evil? For who is able to rule this great people of Yours?”
10And the word was good in the eyes of יהוה, that Shelomoh had asked this.
11So Elohim said to him, “Because you have asked this, 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 discernment to understand right-ruling,
12see, I shall do according to your words. See, I shall give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there was none like you before you, and none like you shall arise after you.
13“And I shall also give you what you have not asked: both riches and esteem, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the sovereigns all your days.
14“And if you walk in My ways, to guard My laws and My commands, as your father Dawiḏ walked, then I shall prolong your days.”
15And Shelomoh awoke, and see, it was a dream! And he came into Yerushalayim and stood before the ark of the covenant of יהוה, and offered up ascending offerings and made peace offerings. And he made a feast for all his servants.
16Then two women, whores, came to the sovereign, and stood before him.
17And one woman said, “O my master, this woman and I dwell in the same house. And I gave birth while she was in the house.
18“And it came to be, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together. There was no one else with us in the house, only the two of us in the house.
19“Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.
20“And she rose up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your female servant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21“And I rose up in the morning to nurse my son and saw he was dead. But I looked at him closely in the morning, and saw he was not my son whom I had borne.”
22And 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! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” And they spoke before the sovereign.
23And the sovereign said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one,’ while the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ”
24And the sovereign said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the sovereign.
25And the sovereign said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
26And the woman whose son was living spoke to the sovereign, for she was overcome with compassion for her son. And she said, “O my master, 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.”
27And the sovereign answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him – she is his mother.”
28And all Yisra’ĕl heard of the right-ruling which the sovereign had rendered. And they feared the sovereign, for they saw that the wisdom of Elohim was in him to do right-ruling.
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