Chronological

3 and (then) by affinity, either alliance, he was joined to Pharaoh, king of Egypt; for he took the daughter of Pharaoh, and brought (her) into the city of David, till he [ful]filled building his house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem by compass.

² Nevertheless the people offered in high places; for the temple was not builded to the name of the Lord till into that day. (But the people still offered at the hill shrines; for the Temple was not yet built in honour of the name of the Lord unto that day.)

³ Soothly Solomon loved the Lord, and went in the behests of David, his father, except that Solomon offered in high places and burnt incense. (And Solomon loved the Lord, and followed his father David’s commands, except that Solomon offered sacrifices and burned incense at the hill shrines.)

⁴ And so Solomon went into Gibeon, to offer there; for that was the most high place (for that was the most important, or the most famous, hill shrine). Solomon offered upon that altar in Gibeon a thousand offerings into burnt sacrifice.

⁵ Soothly the Lord appeared to Solomon by sleep in the night, and said, Ask thou that, that thou wilt, that I give it to thee.

⁶ And Solomon said, Thou hast done great mercy with thy servant David, my father, as he went in thy sight, in truth, and [in] rightwiseness, and in rightful heart with thee; thou hast kept to him thy great mercy (thou hast shown him thy great love), and hast given to him a son, sitting on his throne, as it is today.

⁷ And now, Lord God, thou hast made thy servant to reign for David, my father; forsooth I am a little child (but I am like a little child), and not knowing mine out-going and mine in-coming.

⁸ And thy servant is in the midst of the people, which thou hast chosen, of [a] people without number, that may not be numbered and reckoned, for multitude. (And thy servant is in the midst of the people, whom thou hast chosen, of a people without number, who cannot be counted, or reckoned, for their multitude.)

⁹ Therefore thou shalt give to thy servant an heart able to be taught, that is, enlightened of thee, that he may deem thy people, and judge betwixt good and evil; for who may deem this people, thy people, this much people? (And so give thou to thy servant a heart able to be taught, that is, able to be enlightened by thee, so that he can judge, or rule, thy people, and judge between good and evil; for who can judge, or rule, this people, this great people of thine?)

¹⁰ Therefore the word pleased before the Lord, that Solomon had asked (for) such a thing.

¹¹ And the Lord said to Solomon, For thou askedest this word, and askedest not to thee many days, neither riches, neither the lives of thine enemies, but thou askedest to thee wisdom to deem doom, (And the Lord said to Solomon, For thou askedest for this thing, and askedest not for many days for thyself, nor riches, nor the lives of thy enemies, but thou askedest for wisdom to judge justly, or wisely,)

¹² lo! I have done to thee after thy words, and I have given to thee a wise heart and an understanding (one), in so much that no man before thee was like thee, neither shall rise (up) after thee.

¹³ But also I have given to thee these things, which thou askedest not, that is, riches, and glory, that no man be like thee in kings in all times afterward (so that there shall not be any man like thee among the kings in all thy days).

¹⁴ Forsooth if thou goest in my ways, and keepest my biddings and [my] commandments, as thy father went in them, (then) I shall make thy days long.

¹⁵ Therefore Solomon waked, and understood what the sweven was. And when he had come to Jerusalem, he stood before the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord, and he offered burnt sacrifices, and made peaceable sacrifices, and (made) a great feast to all his household/to all his menials. (And so Solomon awoke, and understood the dream. And when he had come to Jerusalem, he stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and he offered burnt sacrifices, and made peace offerings, and made a great feast for all his household/for all his menials.)

¹⁶ Then two women whores came to the king, and stood before him;

¹⁷ of which one said, My lord, I beseech, I and this woman dwelled in one house, and I childed at her in a couch (and I brought forth my child in a bed when she was there).

¹⁸ And in the third day after that I had childed, also this woman childed (And on the third day after that I had given birth, this woman also gave birth); and we were together in the house, and none other was (there) with us in the house, except us twain.

¹⁹ And the son of this woman was dead in the night, for she slept, and over-lay him; (And this woman’s son died in the night, for while she was sleeping, she rolled over, and laid upon him;)

²⁰ and she rose up in the fourth part of the night in silence, and took my son from the side of me, (while) thine handmaid (was) sleeping, and she laid it in her bosom; and she putted in my bosom her son, that was dead.

²¹ And when I had risen early, to give milk to my son, he appeared dead; whom I beheld more diligently by clear light, and I perceived, that he was not mine, whom I had engendered (whom I had begat).

²² The tother woman answered, It is not as thou sayest, but thy son is dead; forsooth my son liveth. The contrary, she said, Thou liest (But the other woman said, Thou liest); for my son liveth, and thy son is dead. And by this manner they strove before the king.

²³ Then the king said, This woman saith, My son liveth, and thy son is dead; and this woman answereth, Nay, but thy son is dead, and my son liveth.

²⁴ Therefore the king said, Bring ye to me a sword. And when they had brought a sword before the king,

²⁵ he said, Part ye the quick young child in two parts (Divide ye, or cut ye, the young living child in two), and give ye the half part to the one, and the half part to the tother.

²⁶ And the woman, whose son was quick, said to the king; for her entrails were moved on her son; Lord, I beseech, give ye to her the quick child, and do not ye slay him. The contrary, she said, Be he neither to me, neither to thee, but be he parted. (And the woman, whose son was living, said to the king; for she was moved with love for her son; Lord, I beseech thee, give ye to her the child alive, and do not ye kill him. But the other woman said, Be he neither to me, nor to thee, but be he divided, or cut in two.)

²⁷ The king answered, and said, Give ye to this (first) woman the young child quick, and be he not slain (Give ye this first woman the young child alive, and do not kill him); forsooth this is his mother.

²⁸ Therefore all Israel heard the doom, which the king had deemed; and they dreaded the king, and saw, that the wisdom of God was in him, to make doom. (And so all Israel heard the judgement, which the king had decreed; and they revered the king, and saw, that God’s wisdom was in him, to make judgements, or justice.)

4 Forsooth king Solomon was reigning on all Israel.

² And these were the princes which he had; Azariah, the son of Zadok, the priest; (And these were the leaders that he had; Azariah, the son of Zadok, was the priest who was over-the-year, that is, the calendar of events;)

³ Elihoreph, and Ahiah, (the) sons of Shisha, were scribes; Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was chancellor;

⁴ Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was prince upon the host (was the leader of the army); and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

⁵ Azariah, the son of Nathan, was upon them that stood nigh [to] the king (was over those who stood close to the king/was over the regional governors); Zabud, the son of Nathan, was [a] priest, a friend of the king;

⁶ and Ahishar was steward of the house; and Adoniram, the son of Abda, was upon the tributes (was in charge of the taxes, or the levies/was in charge of the forced labour).

⁷ Forsooth Solomon had twelve prefects, either chief ministers, on all Israel, that gave lifelode to the king, and to his house; soothly by each month by itself in the year, each prefect by himself ministered necessaries. (And Solomon had twelve prefects, or chief ministers, over all Israel, who gave sustenance, or food, to the king, and to his household; and each month of the year, one prefect by himself administered the necessities.)

⁸ And these be the names of them; Ben-hur, in the hill (country) of Ephraim;

⁹ Ben-dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and in Bethshemesh, and in Elon, and in Bethhanan (and in Elonbethhanan);

¹⁰ Ben-hesed, in Aruboth; and Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher, was (also) his;

¹¹ Ben-abinadab, whose was all Naphath, had Dor Taphath, the daughter of Solomon, to wife. (Ben-abinadab, whose had all of Naphath-dor, that is, the region of Dor, and he had Taphath, Solomon’s daughter, for a wife.)

¹² Baana, the son of Ahilud, governed Taanach, and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is beside Zartanah, under Jezreel, from Bethshean unto Abelmeholah, even against Jokneam (as far as Jokneam).

¹³ Ben-geber, in Ramoth of Gilead, had Havoth-jair, of the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; he was sovereign in all the country of Argob, which is in Bashan, to sixty great cities and walled, that had brazen locks. (Ben-geber, in Ramoth of Gilead, had Havoth-jair, that is, the tent villages of Jair, who was the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; he was the sovereign, or the ruler, in all the country of Argob, which is in Bashan, yea, to sixty great walled cities that had bronze locks.)

¹⁴ Ahinadab, the son of Iddo, was sovereign in Mahanaim;

¹⁵ Ahimaaz was in Naphtali, but also he had Basmath, the daughter of Solomon, in wedlock;

¹⁶ Baanah, the son of Hushai, was in Asher, and in Aloth;

¹⁷ Jehoshaphat, the son of Paruah, was in Issachar;

¹⁸ Shimei, the son of Elah, was in Benjamin:

¹⁹ Geber, the son of Uri, was in the land of Gilead, and in the land of Sihon, king of Amorites, and (in the land) of Og, king of Bashan, and upon all things that were in that land.

²⁰ (The people of) Judah and Israel were unnumberable, as the sand of the sea in multitude, eating, and drinking, and being glad.

²¹ Forsooth Solomon was in his lordship, and had all the realms, as from the flood of the land of Philistines, unto the last part of Egypt, of men offering gifts, that is, tributes, to him, and serving to him, in all the days of his life. (For Solomon was in his lordship, and had all the kingdoms, from the Euphrates River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the last part of Egypt; and the men of these places offered tribute, or taxes, to him, and served him, all the days of his life.)

²² Forsooth the meat of Solomon was by each day, thirty cors of clean flour of wheat, and sixty cors of meal, (And each day the food for Solomon and his household, was thirty cors of fine wheat flour, and sixty cors of meal,)

²³ ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen of the pasture(s), and an hundred wethers, besides (the) hunting of harts, of goats, and of bugles (and of buffalo, or wild oxen), and of birds made fat.

²⁴ For he held all the country that was beyond the flood, as from Tiphsah unto Azzah (from Tiphsah to Azzah), and all the kings of those countries; and he had peace by each part in compass.

²⁵ And Judah and Israel dwelled without any dread (And the people of Judah and Israel lived without any fear), each man under his vine, and under his fig tree, from Dan unto Beersheba, in all the days of Solomon.

²⁶ And Solomon had forty thousand cratches of horses for chariots, and twelve thousand of road horses; (And Solomon had forty thousand stalls for the horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand road horses;)

²⁷ and the foresaid prefects/the chief masters of the king nourished those horses. But also with great busyness they gave [the] necessaries to the board of king Solomon, in their time (But also with great diligence they gave the necessities for King Solomon’s table, each in his turn);

²⁸ also they brought barley, and forage of horses and of work beasts, into the place where the king was, after it was ordained to them. (they also brought barley, and forage, for the horses and the work beasts, to the place where the king was, as it was ordained to them.)

²⁹ Also God gave to Solomon wisdom, and prudence full much (and a great deal of prudence), and largeness of heart, as the sand that is in the brink of the sea.

³⁰ And the wisdom of Solomon passed the wisdom of all [the] east men, and Egyptians; (And Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the men of the East, and of all the Egyptians;)

³¹ and he was wiser than all men; he was wiser than Ethan (the) Ezrahite, and than Heman, and than Chalcol, and than Darda, the sons of Mahol; and he was named among all folks by compass.

³² And Solomon spake three thousand parables, and his songs were a thousand and five;

³³ and he disputed of trees, from a cedar which is in Lebanon, till to the hyssop that goeth out of the wall; he disputed of work beasts, and (of) birds, and of creeping beasts, and of fishes.

³⁴ And they came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of [the] earth, that heard his wisdom (who heard of his wisdom).

1 Therefore Solomon, the son of David, was comforted in his realm (And so Solomon, the son of David, was strengthened, or confirmed, in his kingdom), and the Lord was with him, and magnified him on high.

² And Solomon commanded to all Israel, to tribunes, and centurions, and to dukes, and to doomsmen of all Israel, and to the princes of families; (And Solomon commanded to all Israel, to the tribunes, and the centurions, and the leaders, and the judges of all Israel, and the leaders of the families;)

³ and Solomon went with all the multitude into the high place of Gibeon, where the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace of the Lord was, which tabernacle Moses, the servant of the Lord, made in wilderness. (and Solomon went with all the multitude to the hill shrine of Gibeon, where the Tabernacle of the Covenant of the Lord was, that is, the Tabernacle of the Witnessing, which Tabernacle Moses, the Lord’s servant, had made in the wilderness.)

⁴ Forsooth David had brought the ark of God from Kiriathjearim into the place which he had made ready to it, and where he had set a tabernacle to it, that is, in Jerusalem. (But David had brought the Ark of God from Kiriathjearim to the place which he had prepared for it, and where he had set up a Tent for it, that is, in Jerusalem.)

⁵ And the brazen altar, which Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord; which also Solomon and all the church sought. (And the bronze altar, which Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there in front of the Tabernacle of the Lord; and Solomon and all the congregation sought the Lord at that altar.)

⁶ And Solomon went up to the brazen altar, before the tabernacle of the bond of peace of the Lord, and offered in it a thousand sacrifices. (And Solomon went up to the bronze altar, before the Tabernacle of the Covenant of the Lord, and offered on it a thousand sacrifices.)

⁷ Lo! forsooth in that night God appeared to him, and said, Ask that that thou wilt, that I give to thee (Ask what thou wilt, that I give it to thee).

⁸ And Solomon said to God, Thou hast done great mercy with David, my father, and hast ordained me king for him. (And Solomon said to God, Thou hast shown great love for my father David, and hast made me king in his place.)

⁹ Now therefore, Lord God, thy word be fulfilled, which thou promisedest to David, my father; for thou hast made me king upon thy great people, which is so unnumberable as the dust of [the] earth. (And so now, Lord God, let thy word be fulfilled, which thou hast promised to my father David; for thou hast made me king upon thy great people, who be as innumerable as the dust of the earth.)

¹⁰ Give thou to me wisdom and understanding, that I go in and go out before thy people; for who may deem worthily this thy people, which is so great? (Give thou to me wisdom and understanding, so that I can come in and go out before thy people; for who can worthily judge this thy people, who be so great in number?)

¹¹ And God said to Solomon, For that this thing pleased more thine heart, and thou askedest not riches, and chattel, and glory, neither the lives of them that hate thee, but neither full many days of thy life; but thou hast asked (for) wisdom and knowing, that thou mayest deem my people, upon which I have ordained thee king, (And God said to Solomon, For that this thing more pleased thy heart, and thou hast asked not for riches, or possessions, or glory, or for the lives of those who hate thee, or for a great many days for thy own life; but thou hast asked for wisdom and knowledge, so that thou can judge my people, on whom I have ordained thee to be king,)

¹² wisdom and knowing (shall) be given to thee; and over this, I shall give to thee riches, and chattel, and glory (and in addition to this, I shall give to thee riches, and possessions, and glory), so that none among kings, neither before thee, nor after thee, (shall) be like thee.

¹³ Then Solomon came from the high place of Gibeon into Jerusalem, (from) before the tabernacle of the bond of peace, and he reigned upon Israel. (Then Solomon came from the hill shrine at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the Tabernacle of the Covenant, and he reigned upon Israel.)

¹⁴ And Solomon gathered together to him chariots and knights, and a thousand and four hundred chariots were made to him, and twelve thousand knights; and he made them to be in the cities of carts, and with the king in Jerusalem. (And Solomon gathered to himself chariots and horsemen, and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; and he ordained some of them to be in the cities for the chariots, and some of them to be with the king in Jerusalem.)

¹⁵ And the king gave in Jerusalem gold and silver as stones in plenty, and he gave cedar trees as sycamores, that come forth in field places in great multitude. (And the king made gold and silver to be as plentiful as stones in Jerusalem, and cedar trees to be like the sycamores that come forth in the fields in great multitude.)

¹⁶ And horses were brought to him from Egypt, and from Coa, by the merchants of the king, which went, and bought by price (who went there, and bought them for money),

¹⁷ a chariot of horses for six hundred pieces of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty. In like manner buying was made of all the realms of cities, and of the kings of Syria (In like manner, purchases were made from all the kings of the Hittites, and from the kings of Syria).

72 To Solomon. God, give thy doom to the king; and thy rightfulness to the son of the king. (A psalm, or a song, for Solomon. God, give thy judgement to the king; yea, thy righteousness to the king’s son.)

² To deem thy people in rightfulness; and thy poor men in doom. (To judge thy people with righteousness; and thy poor with justice.)

³ Mountains receive peace to the people; and little hills receive rightfulness. (May the mountains and the little hills, bring peace and prosperity to the people; in righteousness.)

⁴ He shall deem the poor men of the people, and he shall make safe the sons of poor men; and he shall make low the false challenger. (He shall judge the poor, and he shall save the sons and the daughters of the poor; and he shall bring down their oppressors.)

⁵ And he shall dwell with the sun, and before the moon, that is, without beginning, and (without) end; in generation and into generation (in all generations).

⁶ He shall come down as rain into a fleece; and as gutters dropping on the earth. (He shall come down like rain onto a field; and like showers dropping upon the earth.)

⁷ Rightfulness shall come forth in his days (Righteousness shall come forth in his days); and the abundance of peace, till the moon be taken away.

⁸ And he shall be lord from the sea till to the sea; and from the flood till to the ends of the world. (And he shall be lord from sea to sea; and from the Euphrates River unto the ends of the earth.)

⁹ Ethiopians shall fall down before him; and his enemies shall lick the earth. (Those who live in the desert shall bow down before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.)

¹⁰ The kings of Tarshish and isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and of Seba shall bring gifts. (The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall offer gifts, or tribute; the kings of Sheba and of Seba shall also bring him gifts, or tribute.)

¹¹ And all kings shall worship him; all folks shall serve him (all nations shall serve him).

¹² For he shall deliver a poor man from the mighty; and a poor man to whom there was none helper. (For he shall rescue the poor from the mighty; yea, the poor for whom there was no helper.)

¹³ He shall spare a poor man and needy; and he shall make safe the souls of poor men. (He shall spare the poor and the needy; yea, he shall save the souls, or the lives, of the poor.)

¹⁴ He shall again-buy the souls of them from usuries, and wickedness; and the name of them is honourable before him.

¹⁵ And he shall live, and men shall give to him of the gold of Arabia; and they shall ever worship of him, all day they shall bless him. (And long may he live, and may men give to him the gold of Sheba; they shall worship him forever, yea, all day long they shall bless him.)

¹⁶ Steadfastness shall be in the earth, in the highest place of mountains; the fruit thereof shall be enhanced above the Lebanon; and they shall blossom from the city, as the hay of earth doeth. (May corn grow in all the earth, even on the highest places of the mountains; may the crops there be numbered above that of Lebanon; and may the people in the city increase like the hay, or the grass, in the fields.)

¹⁷ His name be blessed into worlds; his name dwell before the sun. And all the lineages of earth shall be blessed in him; all folks shall magnify him. (May the king’s name be blessed forever; and his name remain as long as the sun. And may all the peoples of the earth ask to be blessed as he was; may all the nations magnify him.)

¹⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; which alone maketh marvels. (Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; who alone doeth these marvellous deeds.)

¹⁹ And blessed be the name of his majesty [into] without end; and all earth shall be filled with his majesty; be it done, be it done. (And blessed be his majestic name forever; let all the earth be filled with his majesty, or his glory; be it done, be it done.)

²⁰ The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, be ended.