1Kings 3:1 - Prayer Tents

3Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem.H8010H2859H6547H4428H4714H3947H6547H1323H935H5892H1732H3615H1129H1004H1004H3068H2346H3389H5439 2The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD.H5971H2076H1116H1004H1129H8034H3068H3117 3Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.H8010H157H3068H3212H2708H1732H1H2076H6999H1116 4The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.H4428H3212H1391H2076H1931H1419H1116H505H5930H8010H5927H4196 5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."H1391H3068H7200H8010H2472H3915H430H559H7592H5414 6Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.H8010H559H6213H5650H1732H1H1419H2617H1980H6440H571H6666H3483H3824H8104H1419H2617H5414H1121H3427H3678H3117 7"Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.H3068H430H5650H4427H1732H1H6996H5288H3045H3318H935 8Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.H5650H8432H5971H977H7227H5971H4487H5608H7230 9So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"H5414H5650H8085H3820H8199H5971H995H2896H7451H3201H8199H3515H5971 10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.H1697H3190H5869H136H8010H7592H1697 11So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice,H430H559H7592H1697H7592H7227H3117H7592H6239H7592H5315H341H7592H995H8085H4941 12I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.H6213H1697H5414H2450H995H3820H6440H310H6965 13Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.H5414H7592H6239H3519H376H4428H3117 14And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life."H3212H1870H8104H2706H4687H1H1732H1980H748H3117 15Then Solomon awoke--and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord's covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.H8010H3364H2472H935H3389H5975H6440H727H1285H3068H5927H5930H6213H8002H6213H4960H5650 16Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.H935H8147H802H2181H4428H5975H6440 17One of them said, "My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me.H259H802H559H994H113H802H3427H259H1004H3205H1004 18The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.H7992H3117H3205H802H3205H3162H2114H1004H2108H8147H1004 19"During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him.H802H1121H4191H3915H7901 20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.H6965H8432H3915H3947H1121H681H519H3463H7901H2436H7901H4191H1121H2436 21The next morning, I got up to nurse my son--and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne."H6965H1242H1121H3243H4191H995H1242H1121H3205 22The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours." But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine." And so they argued before the king.H312H802H559H2416H1121H4191H1121H559H4191H1121H2416H1121H1696H6440H4428 23The king said, "This one says, 'My son is alive and your son is dead,' while that one says, 'No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.'"H559H4428H2063H559H1121H2416H1121H4191H2063H559H1121H4191H1121H2416 24Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king.H4428H559H3947H2719H935H2719H6440H4428 25He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."H4428H559H1504H2416H3206H8147H5414H2677H259H2677H259 26The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!" But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!"H559H802H2416H1121H4428H7356H3648H1121H559H994H113H5414H2416H3205H4191H4191H559H1504 27Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother."H4428H6030H559H5414H2416H3205H4191H4191H517 28When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.H3478H8085H4941H4428H8199H3372H6440H7200H2451H430H7130H6213H4941