1 Kings 3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Lord Appears to Solomon
3 Solomon made an alliance[a] with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter.(A) Solomon brought her to live in the city of David(B) until he finished building his palace,(C) the Lord’s temple,(D) and the wall surrounding Jerusalem.(E) 2 However, the people were sacrificing on the high places,(F) because until that time a temple for the Lord’s name(G) had not been built. 3 Solomon loved the Lord(H) by walking in the statutes of his father David,(I) but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
4 The king went to Gibeon(J) to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar.(K) 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon(L) in a dream at night.(M) God said, “Ask.(N) What should I give you?”
6 And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and[b] integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne,(O) as it is today.(P)
7 “Lord my God, You have now made Your servant king in my father David’s place.(Q) Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership.[c](R) 8 Your servant is among Your people You have chosen,(S) a[d] people too numerous to be numbered or counted.(T) 9 So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge(U) Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”(V)
10 Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. 11 So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life[e] or riches for yourself,(W) or the death[f] of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice,(X) 12 I will therefore do what you have asked.(Y) I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again.(Z) 13 In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor,(AA) so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life.(AB) 14 If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”(AC)
15 Then Solomon woke up(AD) and realized it had been a dream.(AE) He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant,(AF) and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.(AG) Then he held a feast(AH) for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom
16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.(AI) 17 One woman said, “Please my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. 18 On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else[g] was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. 19 During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him at her breast, and she put her dead son in my arms. 21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.”
22 “No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.”
The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.” So they argued before the king.
23 The king replied, “This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.’” 24 The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king. 25 Solomon said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26 The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion[h](AJ) for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don’t have him killed!”
But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!”
27 The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.” 28 All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God’s wisdom(AK) was in him to carry out justice.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 3:1 Lit Solomon made himself a son-in-law
- 1 Kings 3:6 Lit and with You
- 1 Kings 3:7 Lit am a little youth and do not know to go out or come in
- 1 Kings 3:8 Lit chosen many
- 1 Kings 3:11 Lit for many days
- 1 Kings 3:11 Lit life
- 1 Kings 3:18 Lit No stranger
- 1 Kings 3:26 Lit because her compassion grew hot
列王紀上 3
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
所羅門求智慧
3 所羅門娶了埃及法老的女兒，與法老結盟。他在自己的王宮、耶和華的殿和耶路撒冷的城牆完工之前，讓她一直住在大衛城。 2 那時候，用來尊崇耶和華之名的殿還沒有建成，以色列人仍然在邱壇獻祭。 3 所羅門愛耶和華，遵行他父親大衛的律例，只是仍然在邱壇獻祭燒香。
4 有一次，所羅門王上基遍獻了一千頭祭牲作燔祭，因為那裡有最重要的邱壇。 5 在基遍，耶和華晚上在夢中向所羅門顯現，對他說：「你想要什麼，只管向我求。」
6 所羅門說：「你的僕人——我父大衛本著誠實、公義、正直的心在你面前行事，你就向他大施恩慈，並且一如既往地以厚恩待他，讓他兒子今天繼承他的王位。 7 我的上帝耶和華啊，你讓僕人繼承我父親大衛的王位，但僕人還年幼無知，不懂得如何治理國家。 8 僕人住在你所揀選的子民中，這些子民多得不可勝數。 9 求你賜我智慧治理你的子民，並能辨別是非；不然，我又怎能治理你這眾多的子民呢？」 10 主喜悅所羅門的祈求， 11 對他說：「既然你不為自己求壽、求財富，也不求滅絕仇敵，只求有智慧治理我的子民， 12 我必應允你，賜給你空前絕後的智慧和悟性。 13 你沒有求富貴和尊榮，但我會一併賜給你，使你有生之年在列王中無人能比。 14 你若像你父親大衛一樣遵行我的道，遵守我的律例和誡命，我必使你長壽。」
15 所羅門醒來，發現是在做夢。他回到耶路撒冷，站在耶和華的約櫃前獻上燔祭和平安祭，又宴請群臣。
智斷死嬰案
16 一天，兩個妓女到王面前告狀。 17 其中一個說：「我主啊，我跟這女人同住，我生了一個男孩，當時她也在場。 18 我生產後三天，她也生了一個男孩。我們住在一起，除了我們二人，屋裡沒有別人。 19 一天晚上，她不小心壓死了自己的孩子。 20 她半夜起來，趁我熟睡的時候抱走了我身邊的孩子，放在她懷中，把她的死孩子放在我懷中。 21 天快亮的時候，我起來給孩子餵奶，發現孩子死了。天亮後，我仔細察看孩子，發現孩子不是我生的。」 22 另一個女人說：「不對！活孩子是我的，死孩子是你的。」第一個女人說：「不對！死孩子是你的，活孩子是我的。」兩個女人在王面前爭吵起來。 23 王見她們二人都說活孩子是自己的，死孩子是對方的， 24 就命人拿刀來。侍從把刀拿來後， 25 王下令將那活孩子劈成兩半，讓她們各得一半。 26 活孩子的母親心疼自己的孩子，就說：「我主啊，把孩子給她吧，千萬不要殺他！」但另一個女人卻說：「孩子不歸我，也不歸你，把他劈開吧！」
27 王說：「不可殺這孩子，把他交給剛才為孩子求情的女人吧！她是孩子的母親。」 28 以色列人聽見王這樣斷案，都敬畏他，因為他們知道他有上帝所賜的智慧，可以秉公執法。
1 Kings 3
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.
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
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
