1 Kings 3-4

New International Version

Solomon Asks for Wisdom^(A)

3 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married^(B) his daughter.^(C) He brought her to the City of David^(D) until he finished building his palace^(E) and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. ² The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places,^(F) because a temple had not yet been built for the Name^(G) of the Lord. ³ Solomon showed his love^(H) for the Lord by walking^(I) according to the instructions^(J) given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.^(K)

⁴ The king went to Gibeon^(L) to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared^(M) to Solomon during the night in a dream,^(N) and God said, “Ask^(O) for whatever you want me to give you.”

⁶ Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful^(P) to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son^(Q) to sit on his throne this very day.

⁷ “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child^(R) and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen,^(S) a great people, too numerous to count or number.^{(T) 9} So give your servant a discerning^(U) heart to govern your people and to distinguish^(V) between right and wrong. For who is able^(W) to govern this great people of yours?”

¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked^(X) for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment^(Y) in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked.^(Z) I will give you a wise^(AA) and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not^(AB) asked for—both wealth and honor^(AC)—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal^(AD) among kings. ¹⁴ And if you walk^(AE) in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”^{(AF) 15} Then Solomon awoke^(AG)—and he realized it had been a dream.^(AH)

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings^(AI) and fellowship offerings.^(AJ) Then he gave a feast^(AK) for all his court.

A Wise Ruling

¹⁶ Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷ One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. ¹⁸ The 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.

¹⁹ “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. ²⁰ So 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. ²¹ The 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.”

²² The 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.

²³ The 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.’”

²⁴ Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. ²⁵ He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

²⁶ The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved^(AL) out of love 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!”

²⁷ Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

²⁸ When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom^(AM) from God to administer justice.

Solomon’s Officials and Governors

4 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. ² And these were his chief officials:^(AN)

⁷ Solomon had twelve district governors^(AW) over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. ⁸ These are their names:

Solomon’s Daily Provisions

²⁰ The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand^(BQ) on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.^{(BR) 21} And Solomon ruled^(BS) over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River^(BT) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.^(BU) These countries brought tribute^(BV) and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

²² Solomon’s daily provisions^(BW) were thirty cors^[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors^[b] of meal, ²³ ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.^{(BX) 24} For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah^(BY) to Gaza, and had peace^(BZ) on all sides. ²⁵ During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,^(CA) lived in safety,^(CB) everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.^(CC)

²⁶ Solomon had four^[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses,^(CD) and twelve thousand horses.^[d]

²⁷ The district governors,^(CE) each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. ²⁸ They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom^(CF) and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand^(CG) on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,^(CH) and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.^{(CI) 31} He was wiser^(CJ) than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. ³² He spoke three thousand proverbs^(CK) and his songs^(CL) numbered a thousand and five. ³³ He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop^(CM) that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. ³⁴ From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings^(CN) of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.^[e]