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1 Kings 3
Evangelical Heritage Version
1 Kings 3
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Beginning of Solomon’s Reign
3 Solomon had made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He married Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the City of David until he had finished building his own house, the Lord’s house, and the wall around Jerusalem.
2 The people were still offering sacrifices at the high places[a] because a house for the Name of the Lord had not yet been built in those days. 3 Solomon loved the Lord, so he followed the instructions of his father David, though he was still offering sacrifices and burning incense at the high places.
Solomon Asks for Wisdom
4 So the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, because it was the most important high place. Solomon offered one thousand whole burnt offerings on that altar. 5 The Lord appeared to Solomon in Gibeon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
6 Solomon said, “You have shown great mercy and faithfulness[b] to your servant, my father David, just as he walked before you in truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward you. You have shown this great mercy and faithfulness to him and have given him a son who is seated on his throne to this very day. 7 O Lord my God, now you have made your servant king in the place of my father David, but I am a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And I, your servant, am among your people whom you have chosen, a great people, who cannot be counted or numbered because they are so many. 9 Now give to your servant a perceptive heart to judge your people, to distinguish between good and evil, for who is able to judge this great people of yours?”
10 In the eyes of the Lord, Solomon’s request was good. 11 So God said to him, “Because you have asked for this, and you have not asked for a long life, nor have you asked for riches, nor have you asked for the lives of your enemies, but you have asked for discernment to reach just verdicts, 12 therefore I will act according to your words. Yes, I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you before you, nor will anyone like you rise up after you. 13 In addition, I will give you what you have not asked for: such riches and honor that there will not be anyone like you among the other kings throughout all your days. 14 If you walk in my ways by keeping my statutes and commands just as your father David did, then I will give you a long life.”
15 Then Solomon woke up and realized it was a dream. So Solomon went to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.[c] He offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and he made a feast for all his officials.
Solomon Demonstrates God’s Wisdom
16 Later, two prostitutes came and stood before the king.
17 One woman said, “Hear me, my lord! This woman and I live in the same house. While she was living in the house, I gave birth. 18 Three days after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together. There was no one else in the house with us. Only the two of us were there. 19 One night this woman’s son died because she lay on top of him. 20 Then she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while I, your servant, was sleeping. She laid him next to her, and her dead son she laid next to me. 21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, there he was—dead! But when I examined him closely in the morning, I saw it was not my son, to whom I had given birth!”
22 But the other woman said, “No! The living child is really my son, and your son is the dead one!”
But the first one kept saying, “No! Your son is really the dead one, and my son is the living one!” They kept arguing like this before the king.
23 The king said, “This woman says, ‘My son is the living one, and your son is the dead one.’ But this other woman says, ‘No, your son is really the dead one, and my son is the living one.’” 24 So the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword to the king.
25 Then the king said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to this woman and half to that woman.”
26 But the woman to whom the living child belonged spoke up, because her feelings for her son were very strong. She said, “Listen to me, my lord. Give her the living child. Please don’t kill him.”
But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!”
27 The king answered, “Give the living child to the first woman, and do not kill him. She is his mother.”
28 All Israel heard about the judgment which the king had rendered. They were filled with awe[d] in his presence, because they saw that God’s wisdom was in him to administer justice.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 3:2 A high place is a shrine smaller than a temple. High places were often open-air shrines, located near the city gate or on a nearby hill.
- 1 Kings 3:6 The Hebrew word chesed has connotations of both mercy and faithfulness, so the translation here includes both concepts. Chesed (mercy) is used in the Old Testament in much the same way that charis (grace) is used in the New Testament, as the most common word for God’s saving love.
- 1 Kings 3:15 Variant Lord
- 1 Kings 3:28 Or were amazed
1 Kings 3
EasyEnglish Bible
1 Kings 3
EasyEnglish Bible
Solomon asks for wisdom
3 Solomon made an agreement with Pharaoh, who was the king of Egypt.[a] Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter. He brought her to live in the City of David.[b] She lived there until Solomon could finish building his own house, the Lord's temple, and the wall around Jerusalem.
2 Because there was not yet a temple where people could give honour to the Lord, they offered sacrifices at altars in other places.
3 Solomon loved the Lord and he obeyed the rules of his father David. But he offered sacrifices and he burned incense at altars in country places.[c] 4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices there.[d] That was the place where the most important altar was. Solomon offered burnt offerings a thousand times on the altar there. 5 One night in Gibeon, the Lord showed himself to Solomon in a dream. God said, ‘Ask me to give you whatever you want.’
6 Solomon answered, ‘You always showed your faithful love to your servant, my father David. He served you faithfully as a good, honest man. You have continued to show your faithful love to him even now. You have given him a son to rule as king on his throne. 7 Lord my God, I am only a young man. I have not learned how to rule well. But you have now made me become king, as my father David was king.[e] 8 I am here as your servant to lead the people that you have chosen for yourself. It is a great nation and it has too many people to count. 9 So please give me a wise mind that understands things well. Then I will be able to rule your people properly. I will know the difference between right things and wrong things. I will only be able to rule this great nation of your people if you do that for me.’
10 The Lord God was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11-12 So God said to him, ‘You have not asked me to give you a long life, or to make you very rich. You have not asked me to punish your enemies with death. Instead you have asked for a wise mind so that you can rule well. Because of that, I will give you what you have asked for. Yes, I now give to you a wise mind that understands things well. You will be wiser than anyone who has already lived and wiser than anyone who will live after you.
13 I will give you even more than this. I will make you rich and famous, even though you did not ask for that. As long as you live, there will be no other king who is greater than you. 14 And if you serve me faithfully, I will also give you a long life. But you must obey my rules and my commands, as your father David did.’
15 Then Solomon woke up. He realized that it was a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and he stood in front of the Lord's Covenant Box. He offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to God there. Then he gave a feast for all his officers.
Solomon shows that he is wise
16 Two women who were prostitutes came to meet with the king. They stood in front of him to tell him their problem.
17 One woman said, ‘My lord I live in the same house with this woman. I gave birth to a baby while she lived there with me. 18 Three days later, she also gave birth to a baby. We were alone in the house. Only the two of us were there, no one else. 19 But in the night, this woman lay on her son and he died. 20 So she got up during the night and she took my son from my side. I was still asleep. She put my son beside her. She put her dead son beside me. 21 When I got up in the morning to feed my son, I saw that he was dead! So I looked carefully at him in the morning light. Then I realized that he was not my son. He was not the son that I had given birth to!’
22 Then the other woman said, ‘No, that is not true! It is my son who is alive. Your son is dead!’
But the first woman answered, ‘No! The dead baby is your son. My son is alive!’
They continued to argue like that in front of the king.
23 Then the king said, ‘One of you says, “My son is alive and your son is dead.” But the other one says, “No! Your son is dead and my son is alive.” ’
24 So the king said, ‘Bring a sword to me!’ So they brought a sword to the king. 25 Then the king commanded, ‘Cut the child who is alive into two pieces. Give one piece to one woman and the other piece to the other woman.’
26 Then the mother of the child who was alive spoke to the king. She loved her son very much. So she said to the king, ‘My lord, please do not kill the baby! Instead, give him to the other woman.’
But the other woman said, ‘Neither of us should have him. Cut him in two pieces!’
27 So King Solomon said, ‘Do not kill the child! Give him to the first woman. She is his mother.’ 28 Everybody in Israel heard about what the king had decided. So they respected the king's authority. They realized that God had given him wisdom to judge fairly.
Footnotes
- 3:1 In this kind of agreement, their countries agreed to be friends of each other. There should be no wars between them.
- 3:1 Solomon's wife lived in her own house in the City of David. She lived there for 13 years, until Solomon built his palace. See 1 Kings 7:1.
- 3:3 ‘country places’ or ‘high places’. These were places where there was an altar for people to worship their gods. Sometimes they were on a hill.
- 3:4 Gibeon was about 10 kilometres north-west of Jerusalem.
- 3:7 There was not yet a temple in Jerusalem with an altar to offer sacrifices to God. When they built the temple, it was the only right place for people to make sacrifices to God.
1 Kings 3
New International Version
1 Kings 3
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.
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
EasyEnglish Bible (EASY)
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.