Solomon’s Rule Consolidated
3 Then (A)Solomon [a]formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter (B)and brought her to the city of David (C)until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and (D)the wall around Jerusalem. 2 (E)The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days.
3 Now (F)Solomon loved the Lord, (G)walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 4 (H)The king went to (I)Gibeon to sacrifice there, (J)for that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 (K)In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon (L)in a dream at night; and God said, “(M)Ask what you wish Me to give you.”
Solomon’s Prayer
6 Then Solomon said, “(N)You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, (O)according as he walked before You in [b]truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and (P)You have [c]reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O Lord my God, (Q)You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet (R)I am but a little child; (S)I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 (T)Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, (U)a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 9 So (V)give Your servant [d]an understanding heart to judge Your people (W)to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this [e]great people of Yours?”
God’s Answer
10 [f]It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have (X)not asked for yourself [g]long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself [h]discernment to understand justice, 12 behold, (Y)I have done according to your words. Behold, (Z)I 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. 13 (AA)I have also given you what you have not asked, both (AB)riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14 (AC)If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will (AD)prolong your days.”
15 Then (AE)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 burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and (AF)made a feast for all his servants.
Solomon Wisely Judges
16 Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, [i]this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. 18 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. 19 This woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on it. 20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne.” 22 Then the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But [j]the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23 Then the king said, “[k]The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and [l]the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’” 24 The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 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 child was the living one spoke to the king, for [m](AG)she was deeply stirred over her son and said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!” 27 Then the king said, “Give [n]the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had [o]handed down, they feared the king, for (AH)they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to [p]administer justice.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 3:1 Lit made himself a son-in-law of Pharaoh
- 1 Kings 3:6 Or faithfulness
- 1 Kings 3:6 Lit kept
- 1 Kings 3:9 Lit a hearing
- 1 Kings 3:9 Lit heavy
- 1 Kings 3:10 Lit the thing
- 1 Kings 3:11 Lit many days
- 1 Kings 3:11 Lit hearing
- 1 Kings 3:17 Lit I and this woman
- 1 Kings 3:22 Lit this one was saying
- 1 Kings 3:23 Lit this one
- 1 Kings 3:23 Lit this one
- 1 Kings 3:26 Lit her compassion grew warm
- 1 Kings 3:27 Lit her the living child
- 1 Kings 3:28 Lit judged
- 1 Kings 3:28 Lit do
Cross references
- 1 Kings 3:1 : 1 Kin 7:8; 9:16, 24; 2 Chr 8:11
- 1 Kings 3:1 : 1 Kin 9:24
- 1 Kings 3:1 : 1 Kin 7:1; 9:10
- 1 Kings 3:1 : 1 Kin 9:15
- 1 Kings 3:2 : Lev 17:3-5; Deut 12:2, 13, 14; 1 Kin 22:43
- 1 Kings 3:3 : Deut 6:5; 10:12, 13; 11:13; 30:16; Ps 31:23; 145:20; 1 Cor 8:3
- 1 Kings 3:3 : 1 Kin 2:3; 9:4; 11:4, 6, 38
- 1 Kings 3:4 : 2 Chr 1:3
- 1 Kings 3:4 : Josh 18:21-25
- 1 Kings 3:4 : 1 Chr 16:39; 21:29
- 1 Kings 3:5 : 1 Kin 9:2; 11:9
- 1 Kings 3:5 : Num 12:6; Matt 1:20; 2:13
- 1 Kings 3:5 : John 15:7
- 1 Kings 3:6 : 2 Sam 7:8-17; 2 Chr 1:8
- 1 Kings 3:6 : 1 Kin 9:4
- 1 Kings 3:6 : 1 Kin 1:48
- 1 Kings 3:7 : 1 Chr 22:9-13
- 1 Kings 3:7 : 1 Chr 29:1; Jer 1:6, 7
- 1 Kings 3:7 : Num 27:17
- 1 Kings 3:8 : Ex 19:6; Deut 7:6
- 1 Kings 3:8 : Gen 15:5; 22:17
- 1 Kings 3:9 : 2 Chr 1:10; Ps 72:1, 2; Prov 2:3-9; James 1:5
- 1 Kings 3:9 : 2 Sam 14:17; Heb 5:14
- 1 Kings 3:11 : James 4:3
- 1 Kings 3:12 : 1 John 5:14, 15
- 1 Kings 3:12 : 1 Kin 4:29-31; 5:12; 10:23, 24; Eccl 1:16
- 1 Kings 3:13 : 1 Kin 4:21-24; 10:23, 27; Matt 6:33; Eph 3:20
- 1 Kings 3:13 : Prov 3:16
- 1 Kings 3:14 : 1 Kin 3:6
- 1 Kings 3:14 : Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2
- 1 Kings 3:15 : Gen 41:7
- 1 Kings 3:15 : 1 Kin 8:65
- 1 Kings 3:26 : Gen 43:30; Is 49:15; Jer 31:20; Hos 11:8
- 1 Kings 3:28 : 1 Kin 3:9, 11, 12; Dan 1:17; Col 2:2, 3