Solomon Requests Wisdom
1 NowSolomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought herto the City of David until he had finished building hisown house, andthe house of theLord, andthe wall all around Jerusalem.
2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of theLorduntil those days.
3 And Solomonloved theLord,walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
4 Nowthe king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,for thatwasthe great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
5 At Gibeon theLordappeared to Solomonin a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because hewalked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and Youhave given him a son to sit on his throne, asitisthis day.
7 Now, OLordmy God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but Iamalittle child; I do not knowhowto go out or come in.
8 And Your servantisin the midst of Your people whom Youhave chosen, a great people, toonumerous to be numbered or counted.
9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heartto judge Your people, that I maydiscern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and havenot 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 behold, I have done according to your words;see, 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.
13 And I have alsogiven you what you have not asked: bothriches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
14 Soif you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments,as your father David walked, then I willlengthen your days.”
15 Then Solomonawoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of theLord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, andmade a feast for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wise Judgment
16 Now two womenwhowereharlots came to the king, andstood before him.
17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while shewasin the house.
18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And weweretogether; no onewaswith us in the house, except the two of us in the house.
19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.
20 So 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.
21 And 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.”
22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living oneismy son, and the dead oneisyour son.”
And the first woman said, “No! But the dead oneisyour son, and the living oneismy son.”
Thus they spoke before the king.
23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘Thisismy son, who lives, and your sonisthe dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your sonisthe dead one, and my sonisthe living one.’ ”
24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
26 Then the woman whose sonwasliving spoke to the king, forshe 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,butdividehim.”
27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; sheishis mother.”
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that thewisdom of Godwasin him to administer justice.