1 Kings 3
3
The Lord Appears to Solomon
1Solomon made an alliance # Lit Solomon made himself a son-in-law with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. # Dt 7:3; 1Kg 7:8; 9:24; Ezr 9:14 Solomon brought her to live in the city of David # 2Sm 5:7; 7:8; 9:10 until he finished building his palace, # 2Sm 7:1-2 the Lord’s temple, # 2Sm 6:1,14; 1Kg 6:37; 7:51 and the wall surrounding Jerusalem. # 1Kg 9:15 2However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, # Dt 12:13-14 because until that time a temple for the Lord’s name # Dt 14:23 had not been built. 3Solomon loved the Lord # Dt 6:5 by walking in the statutes of his father David, # 1Kg 3:14 but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
4The king went to Gibeon # Jos 9:3-27; 21:17 to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar. # 2Ch 1:3,6 5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon # 2Ch 1:7-13 in a dream at night. # Nm 12:6; 1Kg 9:2; 11:9 God said, “Ask. # Mt 7:7; Jn 15:7 What should I give you? ”
6And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and # Lit and with You integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, # 1Kg 1:48 as it is today. # 1Kg 2:4; 9:4; 2Ch 1:8
7“Lord my God, You have now made Your servant king in my father David’s place. # 2Ch 1:8 Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. # Lit am a little youth and do not know to go out or come in # 1Ch 29:1; Jr 1:6-7 8Your servant is among Your people You have chosen, # Ex 19:5-6; Dt 7:6 a # Lit chosen many people too numerous to be numbered or counted. # Gn 15:5; 22:17 9So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge # Dt 1:16-17 Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours? ” # 2Ch 1:10
10Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. 11So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life # Lit for many days or riches for yourself, # Jms 4:3 or the death # Lit life of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice, # 1Ch 22:12 12I will therefore do what you have asked. # 1Jn 5:14-15 I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. # 1Kg 4:29-31; 10:23-24 13In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, # Mt 6:33; Lk 12:31 so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life. # 1Kg 10:23 14If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.” # 1Kg 3:6; Pr 3:1-2
15Then Solomon woke up # Gn 41:7 and realized it had been a dream. # Dn 2:3; 4:5 He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, # 2Sm 6:12 and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. # 1Sm 11:15 Then he held a feast # 1Kg 8:65 for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom
16Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. # Dt 16:18-19; 2Sm 15:2-4 17One woman said, “Please my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. 18On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else # Lit No stranger was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. 19During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him at her breast, and she put her dead son in my arms. 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.”
22“No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.”
The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.” So they argued before the king.
23The king replied, “This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.’ ” 24The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king. 25Solomon said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion # Lit because her compassion grew hot # Gn 43:30; Jr 31:20; Hs 11:8 for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don’t have him killed! ”
But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two! ”
27The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.” 28All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God’s wisdom # 2Sm 14:20; 1Kg 3:9,11-12 was in him to carry out justice.
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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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