1 Kings 3:1-28
3 And Solomon contracted an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt,—and took the daughter of Pharaoh, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of Yahweh, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
2 Save only that the people were sacrificing in the high places,—because there had not been built a house unto the Name of Yahweh, until those days,
3 Solomon loved Yahweh, by walking in the statutes of David his father,—save only that in the high places he himself was sacrificing and offering incense.
4 So then the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place,—a thousand ascending-sacrifices did Solomon offer up on that altar.
5 In Gibeon Yahweh appeared unto Solomon in a dream by night,—and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 Then said Solomon—Thou didst deal with thy servant David my father in great lovingkindness, 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 lovingkindness, that thou hast given unto him a son to sit upon his throne as it is this day.
7 Now, therefore, O Yahweh 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 and come in.
8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom thou hast chosen,—a numerous people, that cannot be numbered or summed up for multitude.
9 Wilt thou then give unto thy servant a heart that hearkeneth to judge thy people, to discern between good and bad,—for who is able to judge this thine honoured people?
10 And the thing was good in the eyes of 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 many days, nor asked for thyself riches, nor asked the lives of thine enemies,—but hast asked for thyself discernment in hearing a cause,
12 lo! I have done according to thy word,—lo! I have given unto thee a wise and discerning heart, so that like thee hath been none before thee, and after thee shall rise up none like thee.
13 Moreover also, what thou hast not asked have I given unto thee, both riches and honour,—so that there hath been none like thee among the kings all thy days.
14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David thy father walked, then will I lengthen out thy days.
15 And Solomon awoke, and lo! it was a dream. So he entered into Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and caused to go up ascending-sacrifices and offered peace-offerings, and made a banquet for all his servants.
16 Then came there in two unchaste women unto the king,—and stood before him.
17 And the one woman said—Pardon, my lord! I and this woman dwell in one house,—and I gave birth to a child near her in the house.
18 And it came to pass, the third day after I bare, that this woman also gave birth to a child,—we two being together, there was no stranger with us in the house, none but we two in the house.
19 And this woman’s son died in the night,—because she overlaid it.
20 Then arose she in the middle of the night, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid was sleeping, and laid it in her own bosom,—but her dead son laid she in my bosom.
21 And when I arose in the morning to give suck unto my child, lo! it was dead! but when I looked at it narrowly in the morning, lo! it was not my son that I had borne.
22 Then said the other woman—Nay! but my son is the living, and thy son the dead. But this one kept on saying—Nay, verily! but thy son is the dead, and my son the living. Thus spake they before the king.
23 Then said the king, The one woman is saying, This is my son the one that liveth, and thy son is the one that is dead,—and the other is saying, Nay! but thy son is the dead one, and my son the living.
24 And the king said—Bring me a sword! So they brought a sword before the king.
25 Then said the king, Divide the living child in twain,—and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26 Then spake the woman whose was the living child unto the king—for tender became her compassions over her son—so she said—Pardon, my lord! Give her the living child, and do not kill it. But the other kept on saying—Neither mine nor thine shall it be, divide it.
27 Then responded the king and said—Give her the living child, ye shall not kill it,—she is its mother.
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had delivered, and they stood in awe before the king,—for they saw, that the wisdom of God was in him to execute justice.