THE FIRST BOOK OF
THE KINGS,
1 Kings 3 ©
Solomon’s marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh, v. 1, etc. His worship, 2. The LORD appears to him in a dream, to Whom he prays for wisdom, 5. He obtains it, together with riches and honor, 10. And gives evidence of his wisdom by the sentence passed upon the two women who were at variance about a child, 16.
AND Solomon made affinitya with Pharaoh king of Egypt, andb1took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the 2city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the 3house of the LORD, 4and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
5Only the people sacrificed 6in high places, because there was noc house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days.
And Solomon loved the LORD, walking 7in the statutes of David his father: 8only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
And thed king went to 9Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the 10great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
¶In Gibeone the LORD appeared to Solomon 11in a dream 12by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee 13in 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.
And now,f 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 14to go out or come in.
Andg thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a 15great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
Give therefore thy servant an 16understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy 17so great a people?
And the speech 18pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
Andh God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself 19long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the 20life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding 21to discern judgment;
Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo,i I have given thee 22a wise and an understanding heart; so 23that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
Andj 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 24all thy days.
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.
And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the 25ark of the covenant of the LORD, and 26offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his 27servants.
¶Then came there two women, that were 28harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
And the one woman said, 29O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
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.
And this woman's child died in the night; because she 30overlaid it.
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.
And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had 31considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.
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.
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.
And the king said, 32Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her 33bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise 34slay it. But the other said, Let 35it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the 36wisdom of God was 37in him, to do judgment.