1 Kings 3
3
1 And so the kingdom was confirmed in the hand of Solomon, and he was joined with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, by affinity. For he took his daughter, and he led her into the city of David, until he completed building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem all around.
2 But still the people immolated in the high places. For no temple had been built to the name of the Lord, even to that day.
3 Now Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the precepts of David, his father, except that he immolated in the high places, and he burned incense.
4 And so, he went away to Gibeon, so that he might immolate there; for that was the greatest high place. Solomon offered upon that altar, at Gibeon, one thousand victims as holocausts.
5 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon, through a dream in the night, saying, "Request whatever you wish, so that I may give it to you."
6 And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy to your servant David, my father, because he walked in your sight in truth and justice, and with an upright heart before you. And you have kept your great mercy for him, and you have given him a son sitting upon his throne, just as it is this day.
7 And now, O Lord God, you have caused your servant to reign in place of David, my father. But I am a small child, and I am ignorant of my entrance and departure.
8 And your servant is in the midst of the people that you have chosen, an immense people, who are not able to be numbered or counted because of their multitude.
9 Therefore, give to your servant a teachable heart, so that he may be able to judge your people, and to discern between good and evil. For who will be able to judge this people, your people, who are so many?"
10 And the word was pleasing before the Lord, that Solomon had requested this kind of thing.
11 And the Lord said to Solomon: "Since you have requested this word, and you have not asked for many days or for wealth for yourself, nor for the lives of your enemies, but instead you have requested for yourself wisdom in order to discern judgment:
12 behold, I have done for you according to your words, and I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so much so that there has been no one like you before you, nor anyone who will rise up after you.
13 But also the things for which you did not ask, I have given to you, namely wealth and glory, so that no one has been like you among the kings in the all days before.
14 And if you will walk in my ways, and keep my precepts and my commandments, just as your father walked, I will lengthen your days."
15 Then Solomon awakened, and he understood that it was a dream. And when he had arrived in Jerusalem, he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and he offered holocausts and made victims of peace offerings, and he held a great feast for all his servants.
16 Then two women harlots went to the king, and they stood before him.
17 And one of them said: "I beg you, my lord, I and this woman were living in one house, and I gave birth, with her in the room.
18 Then, on the third day after I gave birth, she also gave birth. And we were together, with no other person with us in the house, only the two of us.
19 Then this woman's son died in the night. For while sleeping, she smothered him.
20 And rising up in the silent depths of the night, she took my son from my side, while I, your handmaid, was sleeping, and she set him in her bosom. Then she placed her dead son in my bosom.
21 And when I had arisen in the morning, so that I might give milk to my son, he appeared to be dead. But gazing upon him more diligently in the light of day, I realized that he was not mine, whom I had born."
22 And the other woman responded: "It is not such as you say. Instead, your son is dead, but mine is alive." To the contrary, she said: "You are lying. For my son lives, and your son is dead." And in this manner, they were contending before the king.
23 Then said the king: "This one says, 'My son is alive, and your son is dead.' And the other responds, 'No, instead your son is dead, but mine lives.' "
24 Therefore the king said, "Bring a sword to me." And when they had brought a sword before the king,
25 he said, "Divide the living infant in two parts, and give a half part to the one and a half part to the other."
26 But the woman, whose son was alive, said to the king, for her heart was moved concerning her son, "I beg you, my lord, give the living infant to her, and do not kill him." To the contrary, the other said, "Let it be neither for me, nor for you, instead divide it."
27 The king responded and said: "Give the living infant to this woman, and do not kill it. For she is his mother."
28 Then all of Israel heard about the judgment that the king had judged, and they feared the king, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to accomplish judgment.
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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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