1 Kings 3
New American Standard Bible
Solomon’s Rule Consolidated
3 Now (A)Solomon [a]formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter (B)and brought her to the city of David (C)until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord, and (D)the wall around Jerusalem. 2 (E)The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days.
3 Now (F)Solomon loved the Lord, (G)walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he was sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. 4 And (H)the king went to (I)Gibeon to sacrifice there, (J)because that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 (K)In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon (L)in a dream at night; and God said, “(M)Ask what you wish Me to give you.”
Solomon’s Prayer
6 Then Solomon said, “(N)You have shown great faithfulness to Your servant David my father, (O)according as he walked before You in [b]truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward You; and (P)You have [c]reserved for him this great faithfulness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 And now, Lord my God, (Q)You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet (R)I am like a little boy; (S)I do not know how to [d]go out or come in. 8 And (T)Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, (U)a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 9 So (V)give Your servant [e]an understanding heart to judge Your people, (W)to discern between good and evil. For who is capable of judging this [f]great people of Yours?”
God’s Answer
10 Now [g]it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have (X)not asked for yourself [h]a long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 12 behold, (Y)I have done according to your words. Behold, (Z)I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. 13 (AA)I have also given you what you have not asked, both (AB)riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14 And (AC)if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will (AD)prolong your days.”
15 Then (AE)Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and (AF)held a feast for all his servants.
Solomon Wisely Judges
16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Pardon me, my lord: [i]this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child [j]while she was in the house. 18 And it happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house. 19 Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant was asleep, and she laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. 21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! But when I examined him closely in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne!” 22 Then the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But [k]the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” So they spoke before the king.
23 Then the king said, “[l]The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and [m]the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’” 24 And the king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 But the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for [n](AG)she was deeply stirred over her son, and she said, “Pardon me, my lord! Give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other woman was saying, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cut him!” 27 Then the king replied, “Give [o]the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard about the judgment which the king had [p]handed down, they feared the king, because (AH)they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to [q]administer justice.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 3:1 Lit made himself a son-in-law of Pharaoh
- 1 Kings 3:6 Or faithfulness
- 1 Kings 3:6 Lit kept
- 1 Kings 3:7 I.e., conduct daily business
- 1 Kings 3:9 Or a heart that listens
- 1 Kings 3:9 Lit heavy
- 1 Kings 3:10 Lit the thing was
- 1 Kings 3:11 Lit many days
- 1 Kings 3:17 Lit I and this woman
- 1 Kings 3:17 Lit with her in
- 1 Kings 3:22 Lit this one was saying
- 1 Kings 3:23 Lit this one
- 1 Kings 3:23 Lit this one
- 1 Kings 3:26 Lit her compassion grew hot
- 1 Kings 3:27 Lit her the living
- 1 Kings 3:28 Lit judged
- 1 Kings 3:28 Lit do
1 Kings 3
Revised Standard Version
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
3 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt; he took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father; only, he sacrificed and burnt incense at the high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings upon that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “Thou hast shown great and steadfast love to thy servant David my father, because he walked before thee in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward thee; and thou hast kept for him this great and steadfast love, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this thy great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom in Judgment
16 Then two harlots came to the king, and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. 18 Then on the third day after I was delivered, this woman also gave birth; and we were alone; there was no one else with us in the house, only we two were in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on it. 20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while your maidservant slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, it was dead; but when I looked at it closely in the morning, behold, it was not the child that I had borne.” 22 But the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” 24 And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means slay it.” But the other said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.” 27 Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means slay it; she is its mother.” 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him, to render justice.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.