I Kings 3
3
Solomon Requests Wisdom
1Now #1 Kin. 7:8; 9:24Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her #2 Sam. 5:7to the City of David until he had finished building his #1 Kin. 7:1own house, and #1 Kin. 6the house of the Lord, and #1 Kin. 9:15, 19the wall all around Jerusalem. 2#(Deut. 12:2–5, 13, 14); 1 Kin. 11:7; 22:43Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days. 3And Solomon #(Rom. 8:28)loved the Lord, #(1 Kin. 3:6, 14)walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
4Now #1 Kin. 9:2; 2 Chr. 1:3the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, #1 Chr. 16:39; 21:29for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5#1 Kin. 9:2; 11:9; 2 Chr. 1:7At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon #Num. 12:6; Matt. 1:20; 2:13in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
6#2 Chr. 1:8And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he #1 Kin. 2:4; 9:4; 2 Kin. 20:3walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You #2 Sam. 7:8–17; 1 Kin. 1:48have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a #1 Chr. 22:5; Jer. 1:6, 7little child; I do not know how #Num. 27:17; 2 Sam. 5:2to go out or come in. 8And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You #(Ex. 19:6; Deut. 7:6)have chosen, a great people, too #Gen. 13:6; 15:5; 22:17numerous to be numbered or counted. 9#2 Chr. 1:10; (James 1:5)Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart #Ps. 72:1, 2to judge Your people, that I may #2 Sam. 14:17; Is. 7:15; (Heb. 5:14)discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have #(James 4:3)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#(1 John 5:14, 15)behold, I have done according to your words; #1 Kin. 4:29–31; 5:12; 10:24; Eccl. 1:16see, 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. 13And I have also #(Matt. 6:33; Eph. 3:20)given you what you have not asked: both #1 Kin. 4:21, 24; 10:23; 1 Chr. 29:12riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14So #(1 Kin. 6:12)if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, #1 Kin. 15:5as your father David walked, then I will #Ps. 91:16; Prov. 3:2lengthen your days.”
15Then Solomon #Gen. 41:7awoke; 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 #Gen. 40:20; 1 Kin. 8:65; Esth. 1:3; Dan. 5:1; Mark 6:21made a feast for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wise Judgment
16Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and #Num. 27:2stood before him. 17And 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. 18Then 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. 19And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20So 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. 21And 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.”
22Then 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.
23And 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.’ ” 24Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
26Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for #Gen. 43:30; Is. 49:15; Jer. 31:20; Hos. 11:8she 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.”
27So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the #1 Kin. 3:9, 11, 12; 2 Chr. 1:12; Dan. 1:17; (Col. 2:2, 3)wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
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I Kings 3: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
1 Kings 3
3
Solomon’s Walk with Yahweh
1Solomon intermarried with Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and he took the daughter of Pharaoh and brought her to the city of David until he finished building his house, the house of Yahweh, and the walls of Jerusalem all around. 2But the people were sacrificing on the high places, for the house for the name of Yahweh had not yet been built in those days. 3Solomon loved Yahweh, by walking in the statutes of David his father; only he was sacrificing and offering incense on the high places. 4So the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice, for the great high place was there. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
Solomon’s Request for Wisdom
5Yahweh appeared to Solomon at Gibeon in a dream at night, and God said, “Ask what I should give to you.” 6Then Solomon said, “You have shown great loyal love with your servant David my father, as he walked before you in faithfulness and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with you. You have shown for him this great loyal love, and you have given a son to him who is sitting on his throne as it is this day. 7So then, O Yahweh, you are my God. You have made your servant king in place of David my father though I am a young boy. I do not know going out or coming in. 8Your servant is in the middle of your people whom you have chosen; a great people who cannot be counted or numbered because of abundance. 9Give to your servant a listening heart to judge your people, to discern between good and bad, because who is able to judge this, your difficult people?”
10The word was good in the eyes of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11And God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and you did not ask for yourself a long life#Literally “many days” and you did not ask riches for yourself and you did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you have asked for yourself the ability to make wise judgments;#Literally “understanding to hear judgment” 12behold, I do hereby do according to your word. I hereby give you a wise and discerning heart; there was no one like you before you, nor afterwards will one like you arise. 13Too, what you have not asked I give to you: both riches and honor, so that no man among the kings will be like you all of your days. 14If you will walk in my ways by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David your father walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15Then Solomon awoke, and look, it was a dream, and he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and he offered burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings, and he held a feast for all of his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom Tested: The Two Prostitutes
16Then two prostitutes came to the king, and they stood before him. 17The one woman said, “Please my lord, I and this woman are living in one house, and I gave birth, with her in the house. 18It happened on the third day after my giving birth, this woman also gave birth, and we were together. There was not anyone with us in the house, only the two of us were in the house. 19Then the son of this woman died in the night because she laid on him. 20So she got up in the middle of the night, and she took my son from beside me while your servant was asleep, and she put him in her lap, and she put her dead son in my lap. 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! When I looked closely at him in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I had borne.” 22Then the other woman said, “No, for my son is the living one, and your son is the dead one.” The other kept on saying, “No, for your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one,” and so they argued in front of the king. 23Then the king said, “This one is saying, ‘This is my son, the living one, but your son is the dead one,’ and the other one keeps saying, ‘But no! Your son is the dead one, and my son is living!’ ” 24So the king said, “Bring me a sword,” and they brought the sword before the king. 25Then the king said, “Divide the living child into two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26Then the woman whose son was the living one spoke to the king because her compassion was aroused for her son, and she said, “Please, my lord, give her the living child, but certainly do not kill him!” The other one was saying, “As for me, so for you! Divide him!” 27Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to her, and do not kill him; she is his mother.” 28When all of Israel heard the judgment that the king had rendered, they stood in awe#Literally “feared the face” of the king, because they realized that the wisdom of God was in him to execute justice.
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