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1 Kings 3-4
New King James Version
1 Kings 3-4
New King James Version
Solomon Requests Wisdom(A)
3 Now (B)Solomon made [a]a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her (C)to the City of David until he had finished building his (D)own house, and (E)the house of the Lord, and (F)the wall all around Jerusalem. 2 (G)Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days. 3 And Solomon (H)loved the Lord, (I)walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
4 Now (J)the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, (K)for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 (L)At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon (M)in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
6 (N)And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he (O)walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You (P)have 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 (Q)little child; I do not know how (R)to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You (S)have chosen, a great people, (T)too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 (U)Therefore give to Your servant an [b]understanding heart (V)to judge Your people, that I may (W)discern 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 (X)not 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 (Y)behold, I have done according to your words; (Z)see, 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 (AA)given you what you have not asked: both (AB)riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So (AC)if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, (AD)as your father David walked, then I will (AE)lengthen[c] your days.”
15 Then Solomon (AF)awoke; 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 (AG)made a feast for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wise Judgment
16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and (AH)stood 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; [d]no 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 (AI)she 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 (AJ)wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
Solomon’s Administration
4 So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, [e]scribes; (AK)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; 4 (AL)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and (AM)Abiathar, the priests; 5 Azariah the son of Nathan, over (AN)the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, (AO)a priest and (AP)the king’s friend; 6 Ahishar, over the household; and (AQ)Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.
7 And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year. 8 These are their names: [f]Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; 9 [g]Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; 10 [h]Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; 11 [i]Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; 13 [j]Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged (AR)the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged (AS)the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 (AT)Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 16 Baanah the son of (AU)Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 (AV)Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in (AW)the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.
Prosperity and Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous (AX)as the sand by the sea in multitude, (AY)eating and drinking and rejoicing. 21 So (AZ)Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from (BA)the[k] River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. (BB)They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 (BC)Now Solomon’s [l]provision for one day was thirty [m]kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.
24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of [n]the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over (BD)all the kings on this side of the River; and (BE)he had peace on every side all around him. 25 And Judah and Israel (BF)dwelt[o] safely, (BG)each man under his vine and his fig tree, (BH)from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26 (BI)Solomon had [p]forty thousand stalls of (BJ)horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And (BK)these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. 28 They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.
29 And (BL)God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men (BM)of the East and all (BN)the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was (BO)wiser than all men—(BP)than Ethan the Ezrahite, (BQ)and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 (BR)He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his (BS)songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, (BT)came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 3:1 an alliance
- 1 Kings 3:9 Lit. hearing
- 1 Kings 3:14 prolong
- 1 Kings 3:18 Lit. no stranger
- 1 Kings 4:3 secretaries
- 1 Kings 4:8 Lit. Son of Hur
- 1 Kings 4:9 Lit. Son of Deker
- 1 Kings 4:10 Lit. Son of Hesed
- 1 Kings 4:11 Lit. Son of Abinadab
- 1 Kings 4:13 Lit. Son of Geber
- 1 Kings 4:21 The Euphrates
- 1 Kings 4:22 Lit. bread
- 1 Kings 4:22 Each about 5 bushels
- 1 Kings 4:24 The Euphrates
- 1 Kings 4:25 lived in safety
- 1 Kings 4:26 So with MT, most other authorities; some LXX mss. four thousand; cf. 2 Chr. 9:25
1 Kings 3-4
New International Version
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)
Azariah(AO) son of Zadok—the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;(AP)
Jehoshaphat(AQ) son of Ahilud—recorder;
4 Benaiah(AR) son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;
Zadok(AS) and Abiathar—priests;
5 Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;
Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;
6 Ahishar—palace administrator;(AT)
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:
Ben-Hur—in the hill country(AX) of Ephraim;
9 Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim,(AY) Beth Shemesh(AZ) and Elon Bethhanan;
10 Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh(BA) and all the land of Hepher(BB) were his);
11 Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor(BC) (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);
12 Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan(BD) next to Zarethan(BE) below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah(BF) across to Jokmeam;(BG)
13 Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair(BH) son of Manasseh in Gilead(BI) were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities(BJ) with bronze gate bars);
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;(BK)
15 Ahimaaz(BL)—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);
16 Baana son of Hushai(BM)—in Asher and in Aloth;
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;
18 Shimei(BN) son of Ela—in Benjamin;
19 Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon(BO) king of the Amorites and the country of Og(BP) king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.
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]
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 5 1/2 tons or about 5 metric tons
- 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
- 1 Kings 4:26 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 9:25); Hebrew forty
- 1 Kings 4:26 Or charioteers
- 1 Kings 4:34 In Hebrew texts 4:21-34 is numbered 5:1-14.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.