1Kings 3:1 - Prayer Tents



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1Kings 3
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Solomon Prays for Wisdom

3Solomon made an alliance with the king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. He brought her to live in David's City until he had finished building his palace, the Temple, and the wall around Jerusalem.H8010H2859H6547H4428H4714H3947H6547H1323H935H5892H1732H3615H1129H1004H1004H3068H2346H3389H5439 2A temple had not yet been built for the LORD, and so the people were still offering sacrifices at many different altars.H5971H2076H1116H1004H1129H8034H3068H3117 3Solomon loved the LORD and followed the instructions of his father David, but he also slaughtered animals and offered them as sacrifices on various altars.H8010H157H3068H3212H2708H1732H1H2076H6999H1116 4On one occasion he went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices because that was where the most famous altar was. He had offered hundreds of burnt offerings there in the past.H4428H3212H1391H2076H1931H1419H1116H505H5930H8010H5927H4196 5That night the LORD appeared to him in a dream and asked him, "What would you like me to give you?"H1391H3068H7200H8010H2472H3915H430H559H7592H5414 6Solomon answered, "You always showed great love for my father David, your servant, and he was good, loyal, and honest in his relation with you. And you have continued to show him your great and constant love by giving him a son who today rules in his place.H8010H559H6213H5650H1732H1H1419H2617H1980H6440H571H6666H3483H3824H8104H1419H2617H5414H1121H3427H3678H3117 7O LORD God, you have let me succeed my father as king, even though I am very young and don't know how to rule.H3068H430H5650H4427H1732H1H6996H5288H3045H3318H935 8Here I am among the people you have chosen to be your own, a people who are so many that they cannot be counted.H5650H8432H5971H977H7227H5971H4487H5608H7230 9So give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of yours?"H5414H5650H8085H3820H8199H5971H995H2896H7451H3201H8199H3515H5971 10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this,H1697H3190H5869H136H8010H7592H1697 11and so he said to him, "Because you have asked for the wisdom to rule justly, instead of long life for yourself or riches or the death of your enemies,H430H559H7592H1697H7592H7227H3117H7592H6239H7592H5315H341H7592H995H8085H4941 12I will do what you have asked. I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had before or will ever have again.H6213H1697H5414H2450H995H3820H6440H310H6965 13I will also give you what you have not asked for: all your life you will have wealth and honor, more than that of any other king.H5414H7592H6239H3519H376H4428H3117 14And if you obey me and keep my laws and commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life."H3212H1870H8104H2706H4687H1H1732H1980H748H3117 15Solomon woke up and realized that God had spoken to him in the dream. Then he went to Jerusalem and stood in front of the LORD's Covenant Box and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD. After that he gave a feast for all his officials.H8010H3364H2472H935H3389H5975H6440H727H1285H3068H5927H5930H6213H8002H6213H4960H5650

Solomon Judges a Difficult Case

16One day two prostitutes came and presented themselves before King Solomon.H935H8147H802H2181H4428H5975H6440 17One of them said, "Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a baby boy at home while she was there.H259H802H559H994H113H802H3427H259H1004H3205H1004 18Two days after my child was born, she also gave birth to a baby boy. Only the two of us were there in the house - no one else was present.H7992H3117H3205H802H3205H3162H2114H1004H2108H8147H1004 19Then one night she accidentally rolled over on her baby and smothered it.H802H1121H4191H3915H7901 20She got up during the night, took my son from my side while I was asleep, and carried him to her bed; then she put the dead child in my bed.H6965H8432H3915H3947H1121H681H519H3463H7901H2436H7901H4191H1121H2436 21The next morning, when I woke up and was going to nurse my baby, I saw that it was dead. I looked at it more closely and saw that it was not my child."H6965H1242H1121H3243H4191H995H1242H1121H3205 22But the other woman said, "No! The living child is mine, and the dead one is yours!" The first woman answered back, "No! The dead child is yours, and the living one is mine!" And so they argued before the king.H312H802H559H2416H1121H4191H1121H559H4191H1121H2416H1121H1696H6440H4428 23Then King Solomon said, "Each of you claims that the living child is hers and that the dead child belongs to the other one."H559H4428H2063H559H1121H2416H1121H4191H2063H559H1121H4191H1121H2416 24He sent for a sword, and when it was brought,H4428H559H3947H2719H935H2719H6440H4428 25he said, "Cut the living child in two and give each woman half of it."H4428H559H1504H2416H3206H8147H5414H2677H259H2677H259 26The real mother, her heart full of love for her son, said to the king, "Please, Your Majesty, don't kill the child! Give it to her!" But the other woman said, "Don't give it to either of us; go on and cut it in two."H559H802H2416H1121H4428H7356H3648H1121H559H994H113H5414H2416H3205H4191H4191H559H1504 27Then Solomon said, "Don't kill the child! Give it to the first woman - she is its real mother."H4428H6030H559H5414H2416H3205H4191H4191H517 28When the people of Israel heard of Solomon's decision, they were all filled with deep respect for him, because they knew then that God had given him the wisdom to settle disputes fairly.H3478H8085H4941H4428H8199H3372H6440H7200H2451H430H7130H6213H4941


Good News Translation. Scripture taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. More details.
Old Testament
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