1 And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and
took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had
made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall
of Jerusalem round about.
2 Only
the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the
name of the LORD, until those days.
3 And
Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he
sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
4 And
the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the
great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
5 In
Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what
I shall give thee.
6 And
Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy,
according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in
uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness,
that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this
day.
7 And
now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father:
and I am but a
little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
8 And
thy servant is in the
midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be
numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give
therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may
discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a
people?
10 And
the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And
God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for
thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the
life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern
judgment;
12 Behold,
I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an
understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither
after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 And
I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour:
so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
14 And
if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy
father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.
15 And
Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and
stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt
offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
16 Then
came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood
before him.
17 And
the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was
delivered of a child with her in the house.
18 And
it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was
delivered also: and we were together; there was no
stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.
19 And
this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
20 And
she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid
slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 And
when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when
I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did
bear.
22 And
the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy
son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my
son. Thus they spake before the king.
23 Then
said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the
dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the
living.
24 And
the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25 And
the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and
half to the other.
26 Then
spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned
upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no
wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
27 Then
the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it:
she is the
mother thereof.
28 And
all 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 judgment.
