CHAPTER 3
Later, Solomon
formed an alliance
with
Pharaoh
king
of Egypt
by marrying
his
daughter.
Solomon brought
her to
the City
of David
until
he finished
building
his palace
and
the house
of the LORD,
as well as
the wall
around
Jerusalem.
The people,
however,
were still sacrificing
on the high places
because
a house
for the Name
of the LORD
had not
yet
been built.
And Solomon
loved
the LORD,
walking
in the statutes
of his father
David—
except that
he
sacrificed
and burned incense
on the high places.
Now the king
went
to Gibeon
to sacrifice
there,
for
it was
the great
high place.
Solomon
offered
a thousand
burnt offerings
on
the
altar there.
One night
at Gibeon
the LORD
appeared
to
Solomon
in a dream,
and God
said,
“Ask,
and I will give it
to you!”
Solomon
replied,
“You
have shown
great
loving devotion
to
Your servant,
my father
David,
because
he walked
before You
in truth,
righteousness,
and uprightness
of heart.
And You have kept
this
great
loving devotion
by giving
him
a son
to sit
on
his throne
this
very day.
And now,
O LORD
my God,
You
have made Your servant
king
in my father
David’s
place.
But I am
only a little
child,
not
knowing how
to exit
or enter.
Therefore give
Your servant
an understanding
heart
to judge
Your people
and to discern
between
good
and evil.
For
who
is able
to govern
this
great
people of Yours?”
So God
said
to him,
“Since
you have asked for
this
instead of
requesting
long
life
or
wealth for yourself
or
death
for your enemies—
but you have asked
for discernment
to administer
justice—
behold,
I 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.
Moreover,
I will give
you what
you did not
request—
both
riches
and
honor—
so that
during all
your days
no
man
in any kingdom
will be
your equal.
So if
you walk
in My ways
and keep
My statutes
and commandments,
just as
your father
David
did,
then I will prolong
your days.”
Then Solomon
awoke,
and indeed it had been
a dream.
So he returned
to Jerusalem,
stood
before
the ark
of the covenant
of the Lord,
and offered
burnt offerings
and peace offerings.
Then he held
a feast
for all
his servants.
One
woman
said,
“Please,
my lord,
this
woman
and I
live
in the same
house,
and I gave birth
while she was
in the house.
On the third
day
after I gave birth,
this woman
also
had a baby.
We
were alone,
with
no
one
in the house
but
the two
of us.
So she got up
in the middle
of the night
and took
my son
from my side
while
I was asleep.
She laid him
in her bosom
and put
her dead
son
at my bosom.
The next morning,
when I got up
to nurse
my son,
I discovered
he was dead.
But when I examined him,
I realized
that he was
not
the son
I had borne.”
“No,”
said
the other
woman,
“the living one is
my son
and the dead one is
your son.”
But the first woman
insisted,
“No,
the dead one is
yours
and the living one is
mine.”
So they argued
before
the king.
Then the king
replied,
“This
woman says,
‘My son
is alive
and yours
is dead,’
but that
woman says,
‘No,
your son
is dead
and mine
is alive.’”
Then the woman
whose
son
was alive
spoke
to
the king
because
she yearned
with compassion
for
her son.
“My lord,”
she said,
“give
her
the living
baby.
Please
do not
kill him!”
But the other
woman said,
“He will not
be
mine
or
yours.
Cut him in two!”
Then the king
gave his ruling:
“Give
the living
baby
to the first woman.
By no means
should you kill him;
she
is his mother.”
When all
Israel
heard
of the judgment
the king
had given,
they stood in awe
of
him,
for
they saw
that
the wisdom
of God
was in him
to administer
justice.