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Solomon Asks for Wisdom
Solomon 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.
Solomon 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.
The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord.
Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days.
Solomon 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.
And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
The 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.
Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
Solomon 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.
And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
“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.
Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.
And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
So 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?”
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.
The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
So 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,
Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,
I 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.
behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for — both wealth and honor — so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.
And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
And 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.”
Then Solomon awoke — and he realized 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.
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.
Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
A Wise Ruling
Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
Solomon’s Wise Judgment
Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him.
Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him.
One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me.
And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house.
The 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.
“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him.
And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.
So 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.
So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
The 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.”
And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”
The 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.
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”
And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.”
Thus they spoke before the king.
And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.”
Thus they spoke before the king.
The 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.’ ”
And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ”
Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king.
Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
The 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!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”
But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
When 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.
And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.