1 Kings 3
3
Solomon first meets God
1Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, when he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to David’s City until he finished building his royal palace, the LORD’s temple, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2Unfortunately, the people were sacrificing at the shrines because a temple hadn’t yet been built for the LORD’s name in those days. 3Now Solomon loved the LORD by walking in the laws of his father David, with the exception that he also sacrificed and burned incense at the shrines.
4The king went to the great shrine at Gibeon in order to sacrifice there. He used to offer a thousand entirely burned offerings on that altar. 5The LORD appeared to Solomon at Gibeon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask whatever you wish, and I’ll give it to you.”
6Solomon responded, “You showed so much kindness to your servant my father David when he walked before you in truth, righteousness, and with a heart true to you. You’ve kept this great loyalty and kindness for him and have now given him a son to sit on his throne. 7And now, LORD my God, you have made me, your servant, king in my father David’s place. But I’m young and inexperienced. I know next to nothing. 8But I’m here, your servant, in the middle of the people you have chosen, a large population that can’t be numbered or counted due to its vast size. 9Please give your servant a discerning mind in order to govern your people and to distinguish good from evil, because no one is able to govern this important people of yours without your help.”
10It pleased the LORD that Solomon had made this request. 11God said to him, “Because you have asked for this instead of requesting long life, wealth, or victory over your enemies—asking for discernment so as to acquire good judgment— 12I will now do just what you said. Look, I hereby give you a wise and understanding mind. There has been no one like you before now, nor will there be anyone like you afterward. 13I now also give you what you didn’t ask for: wealth and fame. There won’t be a king like you as long as you live. 14And if you walk in my ways and obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did, then I will give you a very long life.”
15Solomon awoke and realized it was a dream. He went to Jerusalem and stood before the chest containing the LORD’s covenant. Then he offered entirely burned offerings and well-being sacrifices, and held a celebration for all his servants.
Solomon and the prostitutes
16Sometime later, two prostitutes came and stood before the king. 17One of them said, “Please, Your Majesty, listen: This woman and I have been living in the same house. I gave birth while she was there. 18This woman gave birth three days after I did. We stayed together. Apart from the two of us, there was no one else in the house. 19This woman’s son died one night when she rolled over him. 20She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him on her chest and laid her dead son on mine. 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the daylight, it turned out that it wasn’t my son—not the baby I had birthed.”
22The other woman said, “No! My son is alive! Your son is the dead one.”
But the first woman objected, “No! Your son is dead! My son is alive!” In this way they argued back and forth in front of the king.
23The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead.’ The other one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and my son is alive.’ 24Get me a sword!” They brought a sword to the king. 25Then the king said, “Cut the living child in two! Give half to one woman and half to the other woman.”
26Then the woman whose son was still alive said to the king, “Please, Your Majesty, give her the living child; please don’t kill him,” for she had great love for her son.
But the other woman said, “If I can’t have him, neither will you. Cut the child in half.”
27Then the king answered, “Give the first woman the living newborn. Don’t kill him. She is his mother.”
28All Israel heard about the judgment that the king made. Their respect for the king grew because they saw that God’s wisdom was in him so he could execute justice.
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
1 Kings 3
3
The Lord Makes Solomon Wise
(2 Chronicles 1.1-13)
1Solomon signed a treaty with the king of Egypt and married his daughter. She lived in the older part of Jerusalem#3.1 the older … Jerusalem: Hebrew “the city of David.” until the palace, the Lord's temple, and the wall around Jerusalem were completed.
2At that time, there was no temple for worshiping the Lord, and everyone offered sacrifices at the local shrines.#3.2 local shrines: The Hebrew text has “high places,” which were local places to worship God or foreign gods. 3Solomon loved the Lord and followed his father David's instructions, but Solomon also offered sacrifices and burned incense at the shrines.
4 #
Ws 9.1-18. The most important shrine was in Gibeon, and Solomon had offered more than 1,000 sacrifices on that altar.
5One night while Solomon was in Gibeon, the Lord God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Solomon, ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you.”
6Solomon answered:
My father David, your servant, was honest and did what you commanded. You were always loyal to him, and you gave him a son who is now king. 7Lord God, I'm your servant, and you've made me king in my father's place. But I'm very young and know so little about being a leader. 8And now I must rule your chosen people, even though there are too many of them to count.
9Please make me wise and teach me the difference between right and wrong. Then I will know how to rule your people. If you don't, there is no way I could rule this great nation of yours.
10-11God said:
Solomon, I'm pleased that you asked for this. You could have asked to live a long time or to be rich. Or you could have asked for your enemies to be destroyed. Instead, you asked for wisdom to make right decisions. 12So I'll make you wiser than anyone who has ever lived or ever will live.
13I'll also give you what you didn't ask for. You'll be rich and respected as long as you live, and you'll be greater than any other king. 14If you obey me and follow my commands, as your father David did, I'll let you live a long time.
15Solomon woke up and realized that God had spoken to him in the dream. He went back to Jerusalem and stood in front of the sacred chest, where he offered sacrifices to please the Lord#3.15 sacrifices to please the Lord: See Leviticus 1.1-17. and sacrifices to ask his blessing.#3.15 sacrifices to ask his blessing: See Leviticus 3.1-17. Then Solomon gave a feast for his officials.
Solomon Makes a Difficult Decision
16One day two women#3.16 women: Hebrew “prostitutes.” came to King Solomon, 17and one of them said:
Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house. Not long ago my baby was born at home, 18and three days later her baby was born. Nobody else was there with us.
19One night while we were all asleep, she rolled over on her baby, and he died. 20Then while I was still asleep, she got up and took my son out of my bed. She put him in her bed, then she put her dead baby next to me.
21In the morning when I got up to feed my son, I saw that he was dead. But when I looked at him in the light, I knew he wasn't my son.
22“No!” the other woman shouted. “He was your son. My baby is alive!”
“The dead baby is yours,” the first woman yelled. “Mine is alive!”
They argued back and forth in front of Solomon, 23until finally he said, “Both of you say this live baby is yours. 24Someone bring me a sword.”
A sword was brought, and Solomon ordered, 25“Cut the baby in half! That way each of you can have part of him.”
26“Please don't kill my son,” the baby's mother screamed. “Your Majesty, I love him very much, but give him to her. Just don't kill him.”
The other woman shouted, “Go ahead and cut him in half. Then neither of us will have the baby.”
27Solomon said, “Don't kill the baby.” Then he pointed to the first woman, “She is his real mother. Give the baby to her.”
28Everyone in Israel was amazed when they heard how Solomon had made his decision. They realized that God had given him wisdom to judge fairly.
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© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.