Chronological
Solomon Asks for Wisdom
3 Then Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marriage, taking Pharaoh’s daughter, and bringing her to the city of David, until he finished building his own house, the House of Adonai, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people, however, were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no House built for the Name of Adonai until those days. 3 Now Solomon loved Adonai, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he kept sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. 4 So the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Upon this very altar Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings.
5 At Gibeon Adonai appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said: “Ask for what should I give you?”[a]
6 Solomon said: “You have shown my father Your servant David great lovingkindness, as he walked before You in truth, righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You. Indeed, You have kept this great lovingkindness for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. 7 So now, Adonai my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. I am but a youth. I don’t know how to go out or come in. 8 Your servant is amid Your people, whom You have chosen—a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 So give Your servant a mind of understanding to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil—for who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 Now it was pleasing in the eyes of Adonai that Solomon requested this thing. 11 So God said to him: “Because you asked for this thing—and have not asked for yourself long life, nor asked for yourself riches, nor asked for the life of your enemies, but asked for yourself understanding to discern justice— 12 behold, I have done according to your words. I have given you a wise and discerning mind, so that there has been none like you before you, nor shall anyone like you arise after you. 13 Moreover I have also given you what you did not request—both riches and honor—so that no one among the kings will be like you all your days. 14 Furthermore, if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
15 Then Solomon awoke and took note of the dream. So he went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he made a feast for all his courtiers.
Judging Between Two Women
16 Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One woman said: “My lord, please! This woman and I live in the same house, and I delivered a child while she was in the house. 18 On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth to a child. While we were together with no one else with us in the house, just the two of us in the house, 19 this woman’s child died during the night, because she lay on top of him. 20 Then she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your handmaid was asleep. She laid him at her breast and laid her dead child at my breast. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, he had just died! But when I looked at him closely in the morning, I realized that he was not the son I had borne!”
22 But the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son!”
But the first woman said, “No! The dead one is your son and the living one is my son!” Thus they spoke before the king.
23 Then said the king: “The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead,’ while 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 Then 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 the living one spoke up to the king—for her heart grew tender for her son—and said, “My lord, please! Give her the living child! Only don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “It will be neither mine nor yours! Cut it in two!”
27 Then the king responded by saying, “Give her the living child and certainly don’t kill him. She is the mother.” 28 When all Israel heard of the verdict that the king had given, they were in awe of the king. For they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
Solomon’s Official Staff
4 Now King Solomon reigned over all Israel, 2 and these were his officials: Azariah son of Zadok, the kohen; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, the recorder; 4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, in charge of the army; Zadok and Abiathar, kohanim; 5 Azariah son of Nathan, in charge of the officers; Zabud son of Nathan the kohen, the king’s personal attendant; 6 Ahishar, in charge of the household; Adoniram son of Abda in charge of the forced labor.
7 Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each had to make provision for a month in the year. 8 These were their names: Ben-Hur, in the hill-country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; 10 Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth (his were Socoh and all the land of Hehper); 11 Ben-Abinadab in all the height of Dor (Taphath, Solomon’s daughter was his wife); 12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as beyond Jokmeam; 13 Ben-Geber, in Ramot-Gilead (his were the villages of Jair son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and also his were the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, 60 great cities with walls and bronze bars); 14 Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also took Basemath, Solomon’s daughter, as wife); 16 Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and one who was the officer in the land.
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in abundance, eating and drinking and rejoicing.
Solomon Asks for Wisdom at Gibeon
1 Now Solomon the son of David firmly established himself over his kingdom. For Adonai his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.
2 Solomon spoke to all Israel—t0 the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges and to every leader in all Israel, the leading patriarchs— 3 and Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the Tent of Meeting of God was there, which Moses the servant of Adonai had made in the wilderness. 4 Now David had brought up the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5 But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur had made was there in front of the Tabernacle of Adonai, and Solomon and the assembly inquired of Him there. 6 So Solomon went up before Adonai to the bronze altar that was at the Tent of Meeting and offered 1,000 burnt offerings on it.
7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask! What should I give you?”
8 Solomon answered God, “You have shown great lovingkindness to my father David and now You have made me king in his place. 9 Now, Adonai Elohim, let Your word to my father David be fulfilled for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge that I may go out and come in before this people. For who can govern this great people of Yours?”
11 Then God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart and you have not asked for riches, possessions or honor, nor for the life of those who hate you and have not even asked for long life but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself—so you can govern My people over whom I have made you king— 12 wisdom and knowledge will be given to you. Moreover, I will give you riches, possessions and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you ever had and none after you will have.”
13 Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place that was at Gibeon, from in front of the Tent of Meeting. So he reigned over Israel.
Horses and Chariots from Egypt
14 Solomon accumulated chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 The king made silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the foothills. 16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Keve—the king’s merchants purchased them from Keve at a price. 17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 talents of silver and a horse for 150. So by the same means they were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.
Solomon Prepares to Build
18 Then Solomon vowed to build a House for the Name of Adonai, as well as a royal palace for himself.
A Powerful King for the Poor
Psalm 72
1 Of Solomon.
Give the king Your judgments, O God,
and Your righteousness to the king’s son.
2 May he judge Your people with righteousness,
and Your poor ones with justice.
3 Let the mountains bring shalom to the people,
and the hills righteousness.
4 May he vindicate the poor of the people,
save the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
5 Let them fear You while the sun endures,
and while the moon lasts, throughout all generations.
6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the ground.
7 Let the righteous flourish in his days.
Let shalom abound till the moon is no more.
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 Let desert dwellers bow before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute,
kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
11 So let all kings bow down before him,
and all nations serve him.
12 For he rescues the needy crying for help,
also the poor and the one with no helper.
13 He will take pity on the poor and needy,
and the souls of the needy he will save.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their soul,
for precious is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May he pray for him continually,
and bless him all day.
16 Let there be abundance of grain in the land.
Let it sway on the top of the hills,
let its fruit be like Lebanon,
and let people of the city flourish like grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever.
May his name increase before the sun,
and may all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.
18 Blessed be Adonai Elohim, God of Israel,
who alone does wonders.
19 Blessed be His glorious Name forever.
May all the earth be filled with His glory!
Amen and Amen!
20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are complete.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.