1 Kings 3
3
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
1 # ch. 7:8; 9:16, 24; 2 Chr. 8:11 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into #See ch. 2:10 the city of David until he had finished #ch. 7:1 building his own house #See ch. 6 and the house of the Lord #ch. 9:15and the wall around Jerusalem. 2#ch. 22:43; [Deut. 12:2, 3]The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
3Solomon #Deut. 6:5; 30:16, 20; [Ps. 31:23] loved the Lord, #ver. 6, 14walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. 4And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, #2 Chr. 1:3, 6, 13; [1 Chr. 16:39; 21:29]for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5#For ver. 5-14, see 2 Chr. 1:7-12 At Gibeon #ch. 9:2; 11:9 the Lord appeared to Solomon #[Num. 12:6; Matt. 1:20; 2:13, 19]in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because #ch. 2:4; 9:4; [Ps. 15:2] he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and #ch. 1:48have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7And now, O Lord my God, #[1 Chr. 28:5] you have made your servant king in place of David my father, #[1 Chr. 29:1] although I am but a little child. I do not know #Num. 27:17how to go out or come in. 8#Deut. 7:6 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, #Gen. 13:16; 15:5too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9#[Prov. 2:6, 9; James 1:5] Give your servant therefore an understanding mind #Ps. 72:1, 2 to govern your people, that I may #[2 Sam. 14:17; Isa. 7:15; Heb. 5:14]discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12behold, #[1 John 5:14, 15] I now do according to your word. Behold, #ch. 4:29-31; 5:12; 10:23, 24; Eccles. 1:16I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13#[Matt. 6:33] I give you also what you have not asked, #ch. 4:21-24; 10:23, 27; [Prov. 3:16]both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, #ver. 6; ch. 15:5 as your father David walked, then #[Ps. 91:16; Prov. 3:2]I will lengthen your days.”
15And Solomon #Gen. 41:7awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom
16Then two prostitutes came to the king #Num. 27:2and stood before him. 17The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. 18Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house. 19And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. 21When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne.” 22But the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” 24And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. 25And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because #Gen. 43:30; Jer. 31:20; [Isa. 49:15]her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” 27Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” 28And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that #ver. 9, 11, 12; [Ezra 7:25]the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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1 Kings 3
3
1Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into David’s city until he had finished building his own house, Yahweh’s house, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2However, the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was not yet a house built for Yahweh’s name. 3Solomon loved Yahweh, walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. 4The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask for what I should give you.”
6Solomon said, “You have shown to your servant David my father great loving kindness, because he walked before you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you. You have kept for him this great loving kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. 7Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father. I am just a little child. I don’t know how to go out or come in. 8Your servant is among your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can’t be numbered or counted for multitude. 9Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this great people of yours?”
10This request pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have you asked for riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12behold, I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, and after you none will arise like you. 13I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you for all your days. 14If you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
15Solomon awoke; and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, and offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
16Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king, and stood before him. 17The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. I delivered a child with her in the house. 18The third day after I delivered, this woman delivered also. We were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, just us two in the house. 19This woman’s child died in the night, because she lay on it. 20She arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me while your servant slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead; but when I had looked at him in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I bore.”
22The other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”
The first one said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” They argued like this before the king.
23Then the king said, “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.’”
24The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
25The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.”
26Then the woman whose the living child was spoke to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill him!”
But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.”
27Then the king answered, “Give the first woman the living child, and definitely do not kill him. She is his mother.”
28All Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
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