1 Kings 3
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 3
Solomon Asks for Wisdom. 1 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her into the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord and the walls surrounding Jerusalem.
2 [a]In the meantime, the people sacrificed upon the high places,[b] for a temple to the name of the Lord had not yet been built. 3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he sacrificed and burned incense upon the high places.
4 The king went to Gibeon to perform a sacrifice there, for that was an important high place. Solomon offered up one thousand burnt offerings upon that altar.
5 The Lord appeared to Solomon that night in a dream at Gibeon. God said, “Ask me for whatever you want.” 6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, David, my father, because he walked before you in fidelity and righteousness. His heart was upright before you. You have even continued to show him this great kindness by having given him a son to sit upon his throne up to this very day. 7 Now, O Lord, my God, you have established your servant as king in the place of David, my father, but I am only a small child and do not know how to go out and come in. 8 Your servant is among the people you have chosen, a great people. There are so many of them that they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore, give your servant a discerning heart to judge your people and to distinguish between what is good and what is bad, for who would be able to judge this, your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked for this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked for this thing, and you have not asked for a long life for yourself, or that you be rich, or for the life of your enemies, but you asked for understanding to discern what is just, 12 behold, I am fulfilling your request. I will give you such a wise and understanding heart that there was never anyone like you before your times, nor will anyone like you rise up afterwards.[c]
13 “I will also give you those things for which you did not ask, both riches and honor, so that no other king will be like you as long as you live. 14 If you walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and commandments, just as David, your father, walked, then I will prolong your life.”
15 Solomon woke up, and it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and he celebrated a feast with all his servants.
16 Solomon’s Wisdom. Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of the women said, “O my lord, I and this woman live in the same house. I had a child while this woman was in the house.
18 “Three days after I had my child, this woman also had a child. We were there together, and there was no one else with us in the house, only the two of us. 19 This woman’s child died during the night because she rolled over upon it. 20 She got up in the middle of the night, and she took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast, and she put her dead son by my breast. 21 When I got up the next morning to nurse my son, he was dead. I examined him carefully in the morning, and behold, it was not the son whom I had borne.”
22 The other woman said, “No! My son is the living one; your son is the dead one!” The first woman said, “No! Your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one!” They argued this way before the king.
23 The king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, the living one, and that is your son, the dead one,’ while the other one says, ‘No! Your son is dead, my son is alive.’ ” 24 The king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword to the king. 25 The king said, “Divide the living child in two. Give one-half to one of them, and one-half to the other.”
26 The woman whose child was alive was moved to compassion for her son and she said to the king, “O my lord, give her the living child. Do not kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you will have him. Cut him in two!”
27 The king then said, “Give her the living child. Do not kill him. She is his mother.” 28 When all of Israel heard about how the king had judged the case, they were filled with awe toward the king. They realized that he had the wisdom of God by the way he was able to judge properly.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 3:2 The celebration of worship apart from the place where the Ark resided was not yet forbidden; the editor deplores it, however, because he could see from what happened that the practice had favored idolatry.
- 1 Kings 3:2 High places: continued a Canaanite practice; the worship of the Lord there was contaminated by the worship of Baal (Jdg 6:25f).
- 1 Kings 3:12 The Lord’s overwhelming gratuitous response to Solomon’s request for an understanding heart sets him apart forever and demonstrates the extent to which God blesses those who are faithful and serve with a clean heart.
1 Kings 3
American Standard Version
3 And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of Jehovah, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. 2 Only the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was no house built for the name of Jehovah until those days. 3 And Solomon loved Jehovah, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. 5 In Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 6 And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great lovingkindness, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great lovingkindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 And now, O Jehovah my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in. 8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9 Give thy servant therefore an [a]understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy [b]great people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself [c]long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to [d]discern justice; 12 behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an [e]understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. 13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor, so that there [f]shall not be any among the kings like unto thee, all thy days. 14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. 15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream: and he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
16 Then there came two women that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. 17 And the one woman said, Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. 18 And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. 19 And this woman’s child died in the night, because she lay upon it. 20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I did bear. 22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.
23 Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. 24 And the king said, Fetch me a sword. And they brought a sword 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 spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, It shall be neither mine nor thine; divide it. 27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 3:9 Hebrew hearing.
- 1 Kings 3:9 Hebrew heavy.
- 1 Kings 3:11 Hebrew many days.
- 1 Kings 3:11 Hebrew hear.
- 1 Kings 3:12 Hebrew hearing.
- 1 Kings 3:13 Or, hath not been
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