“1 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 the LORD, and
the wall of Jerusalem round about. 2 Only the people sacrificed in high
places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD,
until those days. 3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes
of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in 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 the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God
said, Ask what I shall give thee. 6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed
unto thy servant David my father great mercy, 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 kindness, that thou
hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as [it is] this day. 7 And
now, O LORD 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 therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge
thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to
judge this thy so great a 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 long life;
neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine
enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a
wise and an understanding heart; so that there was 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 honour:
so that there 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 the LORD, and
offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a
feast to all his servants.”
“16 Then came there two women, [that were] harlots, unto the king, and
stood before him. 17 And the one woman said, O 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 that 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 overlaid it. 20 And she
arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine 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 considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my
son, which 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, Bring
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 bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord,
give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said,
Let it be neither mine nor thine, [but] 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 judgment.” (1 Kings 3:1-28 AV)
© 2011-2018 Kathy L. McFarland. All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy