1 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 Yahweh, and the wall of
Jerusalem round about. 2 Only the people sacrificed in the high places,
because there was no house built for the name of Yahweh until those days.
3 Solomon loved Yahweh, walking in the statutes of David his father: only
he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. 4 The king went to
Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand
burnt offerings did Solomon offer on that altar. 5 In Gibeon Yahweh
appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give
you. 6 Solomon said, You have shown to your servant David my father great
loving kindness, according as he walked before you in truth, and in
righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you; and you have kept for
him this great loving kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his
throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your
servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I don’t
know how to go out or come in. 8 Your servant is in the midst of your
people which you have chosen, a great people, that can’t be numbered nor
counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding
heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who
is able to judge this your great people? 10 The speech pleased the Lord,
that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 God said to him, Because you have
asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, neither have
asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have
asked for yourself understanding to discern justice; 12 behold, I have
done according to your word: behold, I have given you a wise and an
understanding heart; so that there has been none like you before you, neither
after you shall any arise like you. 13 I have also given you that which
you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any
among the kings like you, all your days. 14 If you will walk in my ways,
to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David did walk, then
I will lengthen your days. 15 Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream:
and he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh,
and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast
to all his servants. 16 Then there came two women who were prostitutes, to
the king, and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, Oh, my lord, I and
this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the
house. 18 It happened the third day after 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 This woman’s child died in the
night, because she lay on it. 20 She arose at midnight, and took my son
from beside me, while your handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid
her dead child in my bosom. 21 When I rose in the morning to give my child
suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning,
behold, it was not my son, whom I bore. 22 The other woman said, No; but
the living is my son, and the dead is your son. This said, No; but the dead
is your son, and the living is my son. Thus they spoke before the king.
23 Then said the king, The one says, This is my son who lives, and your
son is the dead: and the other says, No; but your son is the dead, and my son
is the living. 24 The king said, Get me a sword. They brought a sword
before the king. 25 The king said, Divide the living child in two, and
give half to the one, and half to the other. 26 Then spoke the woman whose
the living child was to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she
said, Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill it. But the
other said, It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it. 27 Then the
king answered, Give her the living child, and in no way kill it: she is the
mother of it. 28 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 justice.
World English Bible - Public Domain |
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