1 Kings 3:1 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.
1 Kings 3:2 Only the people sacrificed in high places, because
there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days.
1 Kings 3:3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes
of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
1 Kings 3:4 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.
1 Kings 3:5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream
by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
1 Kings 3:6 And Solomon said, Thou hast showed 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.
1 Kings 3:7 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.
1 Kings 3:8 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.
1 Kings 3:9 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?
1 Kings 3:10 And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had
asked this thing.
1 Kings 3:11 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;
1 Kings 3:12 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.
1 Kings 3:13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast
not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the
kings like unto thee all thy days.
1 Kings 3:14 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.
1 Kings 3:15 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.
1 Kings 3:16 Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto
the king, and stood before him.
1 Kings 3:17 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.
1 Kings 3:18 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.
1 Kings 3:19 And this woman's child died in the night; because
she overlaid it.
1 Kings 3:20 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.
1 Kings 3:21 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.
1 Kings 3:22 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.
1 Kings 3:23 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.
1 Kings 3:24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they
brought a sword before the king.
1 Kings 3:25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two,
and give half to the one, and half to the other.
1 Kings 3:26 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.
1 Kings 3:27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the
living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
1 Kings 3:28 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.
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