1Kings 3

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

3Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters. He brought her to live in the City of David until he could finish building his palace and the Temple of the LORD and the wall around the city.H8010H2859H6547H4428H4714H3947H6547H1323H935H5892H1732H3615H1129H1004H1004H3068H2346H3389H54392At that time the people of Israel sacrificed their offerings at local places of worship, for a temple honoring the name of the LORD had not yet been built.H5971H2076H1116H1004H1129H8034H3068H31173Solomon loved the LORD and followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship.H8010H157H3068H3212H2708H1732H1H2076H6999H11164The most important of these places of worship was at Gibeon, so the king went there and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings.H4428H3212H1391H2076H1931H1419H1116H505H5930H8010H5927H41965That night the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, "What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!"H1391H3068H7200H8010H2472H3915H430H559H7592H54146Solomon replied, "You showed faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued your faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne.H8010H559H6213H5650H1732H1H1419H2617H1980H6440H571H6666H3483H3824H8104H1419H2617H5414H1121H3427H3678H31177"Now, O LORD my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn't know his way around.H3068H430H5650H4427H1732H1H6996H5288H3045H3318H9358And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted!H5650H8432H5971H977H7227H5971H4487H5608H72309Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?"H5414H5650H8085H3820H8199H5971H995H2896H7451H3201H8199H3515H597110The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom.H1697H3190H5869H136H8010H7592H169711So God replied, 'Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—H430H559H7592H1697H7592H7227H3117H7592H6239H7592H5315H341H7592H995H8085H494112I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!H6213H1697H5414H2450H995H3820H6440H310H696513And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!H5414H7592H6239H3519H376H4428H311714And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life."H3212H1870H8104H2706H4687H1H1732H1980H748H311715Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Lord's Covenant, where he sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he invited all his officials to a great banquet.H8010H3364H2472H935H3389H5975H6440H727H1285H3068H5927H5930H6213H8002H6213H4960H5650

Solomon Judges Wisely

16Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled.H935H8147H802H2181H4428H5975H644017"Please, my lord," one of them began, "this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house.H259H802H559H994H113H802H3427H259H1004H3205H100418Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house.H7992H3117H3205H802H3205H3162H2114H1004H2108H8147H100419"But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it.H802H1121H4191H3915H790120Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her.H6965H8432H3915H3947H1121H681H519H3463H7901H2436H7901H4191H1121H243621And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't my son at all."H6965H1242H1121H3243H4191H995H1242H1121H320522Then the other woman interrupted, "It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine." "No," the first woman said, "the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours." And so they argued back and forth before the king.H312H802H559H2416H1121H4191H1121H559H4191H1121H2416H1121H1696H6440H442823Then the king said, "Let's get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other.H559H4428H2063H559H1121H2416H1121H4191H2063H559H1121H4191H1121H241624All right, bring me a sword." So a sword was brought to the king.H4428H559H3947H2719H935H2719H6440H442825Then he said, "Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!"H4428H559H1504H2416H3206H8147H5414H2677H259H2677H25926Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, "Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!" But the other woman said, "All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!"H559H802H2416H1121H4428H7356H3648H1121H559H994H113H5414H2416H3205H4191H4191H559H150427Then the king said, "Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!"H4428H6030H559H5414H2416H3205H4191H4191H51728When all Israel heard the king's decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice.H3478H8085H4941H4428H8199H3372H6440H7200H2451H430H7130H6213H4941