1Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem.2The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord.3Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.4The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’6Solomon answered, ‘You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.7‘Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.8Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.9So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?’10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.11So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice,12I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.13Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for – both wealth and honour – so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.14And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.’15Then Solomon awoke – and he realised it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.
A wise ruling
16Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.17One of them said, ‘Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me.18The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no-one in the house but the two of us.19‘During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him.20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.21The next morning, I got up to nurse my son – and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.’22The other woman said, ‘No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.’ But the first one insisted, ‘No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.’ And so they argued before the king.23The king said, ‘This one says, “My son is alive and your son is dead,” while that one says, “No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.” ’24Then the king said, ‘Bring me a sword.’ So they brought a sword for the king.25He then gave an order: ‘Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.’26The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, ‘Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!’ But the other said, ‘Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!’27Then the king gave his ruling: ‘Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.’28When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
English Standard Version
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
1Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.2The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.3Solomon loved the Lord, walking 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, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon 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 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 have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.7And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.8And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.9Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may 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, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.13I give you also what you have not asked, 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, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”15And Solomon awoke, 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 and 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 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 the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
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