1 Kings 3:5–28
5 kAt Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon lin a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
6 mAnd Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he nwalked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You ohave given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a plittle child; I do not know how qto go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You rhave chosen, a great people, stoo numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 tTherefore give to Your servant an 2understanding heart uto judge Your people, that I may vdiscern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have wnot asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 xbehold, I have done according to your words; ysee, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also zgiven you what you have not asked: both ariches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So bif you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, cas your father David walked, then I will dlengthen 3your days.”
15 Then Solomon eawoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and fmade a feast for all his servants.
16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and gstood before him. 17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; 4no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”
22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”
And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.”
Thus 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 one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for hshe yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”
But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the iwisdom of God was in him to administer justice.