3Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh's daughter. Solomon brought her to the city of David until he finished building his palace, the LORD's temple, and the wall surrounding Jerusalem.H8010H2859H6547H4428H4714H3947H6547H1323H935H5892H1732H3615H1129H1004H1004H3068H2346H3389H5439 2However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, because until that time a temple for the LORD's name had not been built.H5971H2076H1116H1004H1129H8034H3068H3117 3Solomon loved the LORD by walking in the statutes of his father David, but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.H8010H157H3068H3212H2708H1732H1H2076H6999H1116 4The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar.H4428H3212H1391H2076H1931H1419H1116H505H5930H8010H5927H4196 5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, "Ask. What should I give you?"H1391H3068H7200H8010H2472H3915H430H559H7592H5414 6And Solomon replied, "You have shown great and faithful love to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.H8010H559H6213H5650H1732H1H1419H2617H1980H6440H571H6666H3483H3824H8104H1419H2617H5414H1121H3427H3678H3117 7"LORD my God, You have now made Your servant king in my father David's place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership.H3068H430H5650H4427H1732H1H6996H5288H3045H3318H935 8Your servant is among Your people You have chosen, a people too numerous to be numbered or counted.H5650H8432H5971H977H7227H5971H4487H5608H7230 9So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"H5414H5650H8085H3820H8199H5971H995H2896H7451H3201H8199H3515H5971 10Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this.H1697H3190H5869H136H8010H7592H1697 11So God said to him, "Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice,H430H559H7592H1697H7592H7227H3117H7592H6239H7592H5315H341H7592H995H8085H4941 12I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again.H6213H1697H5414H2450H995H3820H6440H310H6965 13In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life.H5414H7592H6239H3519H376H4428H3117 14If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments just as your father David did, I will give you a long life."H3212H1870H8104H2706H4687H1H1732H1980H748H3117 15Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord's covenant, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.H8010H3364H2472H935H3389H5975H6440H727H1285H3068H5927H5930H6213H8002H6213H4960H5650 16Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.H935H8147H802H2181H4428H5975H6440 17One woman said, "Please my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house.H259H802H559H994H113H802H3427H259H1004H3205H1004 18On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else was with us in the house; just the two of us were there.H7992H3117H3205H802H3205H3162H2114H1004H2108H8147H1004 19During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him.H802H1121H4191H3915H7901 20She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him at her breast, and she put her dead son in my arms.H6965H8432H3915H3947H1121H681H519H3463H7901H2436H7901H4191H1121H2436 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to."H6965H1242H1121H3243H4191H995H1242H1121H3205 22"No," the other woman said. "My son is the living one; your son is the dead one." The first woman said, "No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one." So they argued before the king.H312H802H559H2416H1121H4191H1121H559H4191H1121H2416H1121H1696H6440H4428 23The king replied, "This woman says, 'This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,' but that woman says, 'No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.'"H559H4428H2063H559H1121H2416H1121H4191H2063H559H1121H4191H1121H2416 24The king continued, "Bring me a sword." So they brought the sword to the king.H4428H559H3947H2719H935H2719H6440H4428 25Solomon said, "Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other."H4428H559H1504H2416H3206H8147H5414H2677H259H2677H259 26The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion for her son. "My lord, give her the living baby," she said, "but please don't have him killed!" But the other one said, "He will not be mine or yours. Cut [him in two]!"H559H802H2416H1121H4428H7356H3648H1121H559H994H113H5414H2416H3205H4191H4191H559H1504 27The king responded, "Give the living baby to the first woman, and don't kill him. She is his mother."H4428H6030H559H5414H2416H3205H4191H4191H517 28All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God's wisdom was in him to carry out justice.H3478H8085H4941H4428H8199H3372H6440H7200H2451H430H7130H6213H4941
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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