1 Kings 3–11

Chapter 3

And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon, and he made affinity with Pharao, the king of Egypt: for he took his daughter, and brought her into the city of David: until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.

²But yet the people sacrificed in the high places: for there was no temple built to the name of the Lord until that day.

³And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the precepts of David, his father; only he sacrificed in the high places, and burnt incense.

⁴He went therefore to Gabaon, to sacrifice there: for that was the great high place: a thousand victims for holocausts, did Solomon offer upon that altar, in Gabaon.

⁵And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, saying: Ask what thou wilt that I should give thee.

⁶And Solomon said: Thou hast shewed great mercy to thy servant David, my father, even as he walked before thee in truth, and justice, and an upright heart with thee: and thou hast kept thy great mercy for him, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

⁷And now, O Lord God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David, my father: and I am but a child, and know not how to go out and come in;

⁸And thy servant is in the midst of the people which thou hast chosen, an immense people, which cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

⁹Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people, and discern between good and evil. For who shall be able to judge this people, thy people, which is so numerous?

¹⁰And the word was pleasing to the Lord, that Solomon had asked such a thing.

¹¹And the Lord said to Solomon: Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life nor riches, nor the lives of thy enemies, but hast asked for thyself wisdom to discern judgment;

¹²Behold I have done for thee according to thy words, and have given thee a wise and understanding heart, in so much that there hath been no one like thee before thee, nor shall arise after thee.

¹³Yea, and the things also which thou didst not ask, I have given thee; to wit, riches and glory: so that no one hath been like thee among the kings in all days heretofore.

¹⁴And if thou wilt walk in my ways, and keep my precepts and my commandments, as thy father walked, I will lengthen thy days.

¹⁵And Solomon awaked, and perceived that it was a dream: and when he was come to Jerusalem, he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered holocausts, and sacrificed victims of peace offerings, and made a great feast for all his servants.

¹⁶Then there came two women that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him.

¹⁷And one of them said: I beseech thee, my lord, I and this woman dwelt in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the chamber.

¹⁸And the third day after I was delivered, she also was delivered; and we were together, and no other person with us in the house; only we two.

¹⁹And this woman’s child died in the night: for in her sleep she overlaid him.

²⁰And rising in the dead time of the night, she took my child from my side, while I, thy handmaid, was asleep, and laid it in her bosom: and laid her dead child in my bosom.

²¹And when I arose in the morning, to give my child suck, behold it was dead: but considering him more diligently, when it was clear day, I found that it was not mine which I bore.

²²And the other woman answered: It is not so as thou sayst, but thy child is dead, and mine is alive. On the contrary, she said; Thou liest: for my child liveth, and thy child is dead. And in this manner they strove before the king.

²³Then said the king: The one saith, My child is alive, and thy child is dead. And the other answereth: Nay; but thy child is dead, and mine liveth.

²⁴The king therefore said: Bring me a sword. And when they had brought a sword before the king,

²⁵Divide, said he, the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.

²⁶But the woman, whose child was alive, said to the king; (for her bowels were moved upon her child) I beseech thee, my lord, give her the child alive, and do not kill it. But the other said: Let it be neither mine nor thine; but divide it.

²⁷The king answered, and said: Give the living child to this woman, and let it not be killed; for she is the mother thereof.

²⁸And all Israel heard the judgment which the king had judged, and they feared the king, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment.

Chapter 4

And king Solomon reigned over all Israel:

²And these were the princes which he had: Azarias, the son of Sadoc, the priest:

³Elihoreph, and Ahia, the sons of Sisa, scribes: Josaphat, the son of Ahilud, recorder:

⁴Banaias, the son of Joiada, over the army: and Sadoc, and Abiathar, priests.

⁵Azarias, the son of Nathan, over them that were about the king: Zabud, the son of Nathan, the priest, the king’s friend:

⁶And Ahisar, governor of the house: and Adoniram, the son of Abda, over the tribute.

⁷And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and for his house hold: for every one provided necessaries, each man his month in the year.

⁸And these are their names: Benhur, in mount Ephraim.

⁹Bendecar, in Macces, and in Salebim, and in Bethsames, and in Elon, and in Bethanan.

¹⁰Benhesed, in Aruboth: his was Socho, and all the land of Epher.

¹¹Benabinadab, to whom belonged all Nephath-Dor: he had Tapheth, the daughter of Solomon, to wife.

¹²Bana, the son of Ahilud, who governed Thanac, and Mageddo, and all Bethsan, which is by Sarthana, beneath Jezrael, from Bethsan unto Abelmehula, over against Jecmaan.

¹³Bengaber, in Ramoth Galaad: he had the town of Jair, the son of Manasses, in Galaad: he was chief in all the country of Argob, which is in Basan, threescore great cities with walls, and brazen bolts.

¹⁴Ahinadab, the son of Addo, was chief in Manaim.

¹⁵Achimaas, in Nephthali: he also had Basemath, the daughter of Solomon, to wife.

¹⁶Baana, the son of Husi, in Aser, and in Baloth.

¹⁷Josaphat, the son of Pharue, in Issachar.

¹⁸Semei, the son of Ela, in Benjamin.

¹⁹Gaber, the son of Uri, in the land of Galaad, in the land of Sehon, the king of the Amorrhites, and of Og, the king of Basan, over all that were in that land.

²⁰Juda and Israel were innumerable, as the sand of the sea in multitude; eating and drinking, and rejoicing.

²¹And Solomon had under him all the kingdoms, from the river to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt: and they brought him presents, and served him all the days of his life.

²²And the provision of Solomon, for each day, was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal;

²³Ten fat oxen, and twenty out of the pastures, and a hundred rams; besides venison of harts, roes, and buffles, and fatted fowls.

²⁴For he had all the country which was beyond the river, from Thaphsa to Gazan, and all the kings of those countries: and he had peace on every side round about.

²⁵And Juda, and Israel, dwelt without any fear, every one under his vine, and under his fig tree, from Dan to Bersabee, all the days of Solomon.

²⁶And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of chariot horses, and twelve thousand for the saddle.

²⁷And the foresaid governors of the king fed them; and they furnished the necessaries also for king Solomon’s table, with great care, in their time.

²⁸They brought barley also, and straw for the horses and beasts, to the place where the king was, according as it was appointed them.

²⁹And God gave to Solomon wisdom, and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, as the sand that is on the sea shore.

³⁰And the wisdom of Solomon surpassed the wisdom of all the Orientals, and of the Egyptians;

³¹And he was wiser than all men: wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Dorda, the sons of Mahol, and he was renowned in all nations round about.

³²Solomon also spoke three thousand parables: and his poems were a thousand and five.

³³And he treated about trees, from the cedar that is in Libanus, unto the hyssop that cometh out of the wall: and he discoursed of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

³⁴And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who heard of his wisdom.

Chapter 5

And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent his servants to Solomon: for he heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram had always been David’s friend.

²Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

³Thou knowest the will of David, my father, and that he could not build a house to the name of the Lord his God, because of the wars that were round about him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.

⁴But now the Lord my God hath given me rest round about; and there is no adversary nor evil occurrence.

⁵Wherefore I purpose to build a temple to the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying: Thy son, whom I will set upon the throne, in thy place, he shall build a house to my name.

⁶Give orders, therefore, that thy servants cut me down cedar trees, out of Libanus, and let my servants be with thy servants: and I will give thee the hire of thy servants whatsoever thou wilt ask: for thou knowest how there is not among my people a man that has skill to hew wood like to the Sidonians.

⁷Now when Hiram had heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced exceedingly, and said: Blessed be the Lord God this day, who hath given to David a very wise son over this numerous people.

⁸And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: I have heard all thou hast desired of me; and I will do all thy desire concerning cedar trees, and fir trees.

⁹My servants shall bring them down from Libanus to the sea: and I will put them together in floats, on the sea, and convey them to the place, which thou shalt signify to me, and will land them there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt allow…