1 Kings 3

Solomon’s Rule Consolidated

1Now 1Solomon 2formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter 3and brought her to the city of David 4until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord, and 5the wall around Jerusalem. 26The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days.

3Now 7Solomon loved the Lord, 8walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he was sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. 4And 9the king went to 10Gibeon to sacrifice there, 11because that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 512In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon 13in a dream at night; and God said, “14Ask what you wish Me to give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer

6Then Solomon said, “15You have shown great faithfulness to Your servant David my father, 16according as he walked before You in 17truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward You; and 18You have 19reserved for him this great faithfulness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7And now, Lord my God, 20You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet 21I am like a little boy; 22I do not know how to 23go out or come in. 8And 24Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, 25a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 9So 26give Your servant 27an understanding heart to judge Your people, 28to discern between good and evil. For who is capable of judging this 29great people of Yours?”

God’s Answer

10Now 30it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11And God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have 31not asked for yourself 32a long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 12behold, 33I have done according to your words. Behold, 34I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. 1335I have also given you what you have not asked, both 36riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14And 37if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will 38prolong your days.”

15Then 39Solomon 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 burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and 40held a feast for all his servants.

Solomon Wisely Judges

16Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17The one woman said, “Pardon me, my lord: 41this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child 42while she was in the house. 18And it happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house. 19Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant was asleep, and she laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! But when I examined him closely in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne!” 22Then the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But 43the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” So they spoke before the king.

23Then the king said, “44The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and 45the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’” 24And the king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25And the king said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26But the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for 4647she was deeply stirred over her son, and she said, “Pardon me, my lord! Give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other woman was saying, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cut him!” 27Then the king replied, “Give 48the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” 28When all Israel heard about the judgment which the king had 49handed down, they feared the king, because 50they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to 51administer justice.