1 T hen Solomon made a marriage agreement with Pharaoh the king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the city of David. She stayed there until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem.

And Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and 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.

2 T he people were still giving their different gifts on altars, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.

But the people sacrificed in the high places, for there was no house yet built to the Name of the Lord.

3 N ow Solomon loved the Lord. He walked in the Laws of his father David. But he gave gifts and burned special perfume on different altars.

Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes and practices of David his father, only he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places.

4 T he king went to give a gift on the altar in worship at Gibeon, for that was where the most important altar was. Solomon gave a thousand burnt gifts on that altar.

The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. One thousand burnt offerings Solomon offered on that altar.

5 T he Lord came to Solomon in a special dream in Gibeon during the night. God said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.”

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

6 T hen Solomon said, “You have shown great loving-kindness to Your servant David my father because he was faithful and right and good and pure in heart before You. And You have kept for him this great and lasting love. You have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.

Solomon said, You have shown to Your servant David my father great mercy and loving-kindness, according as he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart with You; and You have kept for him this great kindness and steadfast love, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.

7 N ow, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child. I do not know how to start or finish.

Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father, and I am but a lad; I know not how to go out (begin) or come in (finish).

8 Y our servant is among Your people which You have chosen. They are many people. There are too many people to number.

Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people who cannot be counted for multitude.

9 S o give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and know the difference between good and bad. For who is able to judge Your many people?”

So give Your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge and rule this Your great people?

10 I t pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

11 G od said to him, “You have asked this, and have not asked for a long life for yourself. You have not asked for riches, or for the life of those who hate you. But you have asked for understanding to know what is right. Because you have asked this,

God said to him, Because you have asked this and have not asked for long life or for riches, nor for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to recognize what is just and right,

12 I have done what you said. See, I have given you a wise and understanding heart. No one has been like you before, and there will be no one like you in the future.

Behold, I have done as you asked. I have given you a wise, discerning mind, so that no one before you was your equal, nor shall any arise after you equal to you.

13 I give you what you have not asked, also. I give you both riches and honor. So there will be no king like you all your days.

I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings equal to you all your days.

14 A nd if you walk in My ways and keep My Laws and Word as your father David did, I will allow you to live a long time.”

And if you will go My way, keep My statutes and My commandments as your father David did, then I will lengthen your days.

15 S olomon awoke, and saw it was a dream. He came to Jerusalem and stood before the Lord’s special box of the agreement. There he gave burnt gifts and peace gifts, and made a special supper for all his servants. Solomon’s Wisdom

Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. He came to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

16 T hen two women who sold the use of their bodies came to the king and stood in front of him.

Then two women who had become mothers out of wedlock came and stood before the king.

17 O ne of the women said, “O my lord, this woman and I live in the same house. And I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.

And 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 O n the third day after I gave birth, this woman gave birth to a child also. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house. There were only the two of us.

And the third day after I was delivered, this woman also was delivered. And we were together; no stranger was with us, just we two in the house.

19 T his woman’s son died during the night, because she lay on him.

And this woman’s child died in the night because she lay on him.

20 S o she got up in the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him in her arms, and her dead son in my arms.

And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me while your handmaid slept and laid him in her bosom and laid her dead child in my bosom.

21 W hen I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I saw that he was dead. But when I came nearer and looked, I saw that he was not my son who was born to me.”

And when I rose to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I had considered him in the morning, behold, it was not the son I had borne.

22 T hen the other woman said, “No! The living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But the first woman said, “No! The dead one is your son and the living one is my son.” They spoke this way in front of the king.

But the other woman said, No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son! And this one said, No! But the dead son is your son, and the living is my son. Thus they spoke before the king.

23 T hen the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one.’ The other says, ‘No! Your son is the dead one. My son is the living one.’”

The king said, One says, This is my son that is alive and yours is the dead one. The other woman says, No! But your son is the dead one and mine is the living one.

24 A nd the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword to the king.

And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword to the king.

25 A nd the king said, “Divide the living child in two. Give half to the one woman and half to the other.”

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

26 T hen the mother of the living child had much pity for her son and said to the king, “O, my lord, give her the living child. Do not kill him.” But the other woman said, “He will not be mine or yours. Divide him.”

Then the mother of the living child said to the king, for she yearned over her son, O my lord, give her the living baby, and by no means slay him. But the other said, Let him not be mine or yours, but divide him.

27 T hen the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child. Do not kill him. She is his mother.”

Then the king said, Give her the living baby, and by no means slay him. She is the child’s mother.

28 W hen all Israel heard how the king had decided, they were afraid of him. For they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do what is right and fair.

And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had made, and they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.