I Kings 3

1. And Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem.

2. Only the people sacrificed in 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 statutes of David his father. Only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

4. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great 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, according as he walked before You in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with You. And You have kept this great kindness for him,
that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.

7. And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father. And I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in!

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

9. Now therefore, give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil, for who is able to judge this, Your great people?”

10. And the word was good in the eyes of the LORD that Solomon had asked this thing.

11. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life and have not asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to judge justly,

12. Behold, I have done according to your words. Lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there was none like you before you and after you none shall arise like you.

13. And I also have 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. Therefore, if you will walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments,as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

15. And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD and offered up burnt offerings,and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

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

17. And the one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I live in one house.And I gave birth to a child with her in the house.

18. And it came to pass the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth to a child. And we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, except the two of us in the house.

19. Then this woman’s child died in the night because she laid on it.

20. And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant was sleeping, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

21. When I arose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead. And when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I bore.

22. And the other woman said, “No, but the living is my son, and the dead is your son.” And this one said, “No, but the dead is your son, and the living is my son.” So they spoke before the king.

23. And the king said, “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. And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” And they brought a sword before the king.

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

26. And the woman whose son was the living child said to the king, for her womb yearned over her son. And she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill it.” But the other said, “Let it be neither mine nor yours; divide it!”

27. Then the king answered and said, “Give her the living child, and in no way kill it. She is the mother of it.”

28. And 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 judgment.