1 Kings 3

Revised Geneva Translation

3 Solomon then made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And 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 of Jerusalem all around.

² The people still sacrificed in the high places, because there was no House built to the Name of the LORD until those days.

³ And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the ordinances of David his father. Except, he sacrificed and offered incense in the high places.

⁴ And the king went to Gibeon, to sacrifice there, for that was the chief high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings upon that altar.

⁵ In Gibeon, the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, by night. And God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”

⁶ And Solomon said, “You have shown to Your servant David, my father, great mercy when he walked before You in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You. And You have kept this great mercy for him and have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

⁷ “And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David, my father. And I am but a young child and do not know how to go out and in.

⁸ “And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, who cannot be told nor numbered for multitude.

⁹ “Give, therefore, to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, so that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge this, Your mighty people?”

¹⁰ And this pleased the LORD well, that Solomon had desired this thing.

¹¹ And God said to him, “Because you have asked for this thing—and have not asked for long life for yourself or for riches for yourself or for the life of your enemies—but have asked for understanding for yourself, to hear judgment,

¹² “behold, I have done according to your words. Lo, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has been no one like you before. Nor shall there arise anyone like you after you.

¹³ And I have also given you that for which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that among the kings there shall be no one like you all your days.

¹⁴ “And if you will walk in My ways, to keep My Ordinances and My Commandments, as your father David walked, I will prolong your days.”

¹⁵ And when Solomon awoke, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and offered Burnt Offerings, and made Peace Offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

¹⁶ Then two harlots came to the king and stood before him.

¹⁷ And one woman said, “Oh my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. And I delivered a child with her in the house.

¹⁸ “And the third day after I had delivered, this woman delivered also. And we were in the house together. No stranger was with us in the house except us two.

¹⁹ “And this woman’s son died in the night. For she lay on him.

²⁰ “And she rose at midnight and took my son from my side while your handmaid slept and laid him in her bosom and laid her dead son in my bosom.

²¹ ‘And when I arose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead. And when I had looked closely at him in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I had borne.”

²² Then the other woman said, “No! But my son lives! And your son is dead!” Again, she said, “No! But your son is dead and mine alive!” Thus they spoke before the king.

²³ Then the king said, “She says, ‘This who lives is my son, and the dead is your son.’ And the other says, ‘No, but the dead is your son, and the living is my son.’”

²⁴ Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” And they brought out a sword before the king.

²⁵ And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give one half to one, and the other half to the other.”

²⁶ Then, the woman whose child was living spoke to the king, for her compassion was kindled toward her son. And she said, “Oh my lord, give her the living child and do not kill him!” But the other said, “Let it be neither mine nor yours, but divide it.”

²⁷ Then the king answered, and said, “Give her the living child, and do not kill him. This is his mother.”

²⁸ And all Israel heard 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.