| NET Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh's daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem. | 1Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem. |
| 2Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places, because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the LORD. | 2The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD. |
| 3Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the LORD by following the practices of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. | 3Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. |
| 4The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places. Solomon would offer up a thousand burnt sacrifices on the altar there. | 4And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. |
| 5One night in Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream. God said, "Tell me what I should give you." | 5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” |
| 6Solomon replied, "You demonstrated great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served you faithfully, properly, and sincerely. You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne. | 6And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. |
| 7Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in my father David's place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced. | 7And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. |
| 8Your servant stands among your chosen people; they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. | 8And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. |
| 9So give your servant a discerning mind so he can make judicial decisions for your people and distinguish right from wrong. Otherwise no one is able to make judicial decisions for this great nation of yours." | 9Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” |
| 10The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request. | 10It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. |
| 11God said to him, "Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies, | 11And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, |
| 12I grant your request, and give you a wise and discerning mind superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you. | 12behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. |
| 13Furthermore, I am giving you what you did not request--riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation. | 13I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. |
| 14If you follow my instructions by obeying my rules and regulations, just as your father David did, then I will grant you long life." | 14And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” |
| 15Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream. He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord's covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented peace offerings, and held a feast for all his servants. | 15And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants. |
| 16Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. | 16Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. |
| 17One of the women said, "My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was with me in the house. | 17The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. |
| 18Then three days after I had my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one else in the house except the two of us. | 18Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house. |
| 19This woman's child suffocated during the night when she rolled on top of him. | 19And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. |
| 20She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your servant was sleeping. She put him in her arms, and put her dead son in my arms. | 20And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. |
| 21I got up in the morning to nurse my son, and there he was, dead! But when I examined him carefully in the morning, I realized it was not my baby." | 21When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne.” |
| 22The other woman said, "No! My son is alive; your son is dead!" But the first woman replied, "No, your son is dead; my son is alive." Each presented her case before the king. | 22But the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” Thus they spoke before the king. |
| 23The king said, "One says, 'My son is alive; your son is dead,' while the other says, 'No, your son is dead; my son is alive.'" | 23Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” |
| 24The king ordered, "Get me a sword!" So they placed a sword before the king. | 24And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. |
| 25The king then said, "Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other!" | 25And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” |
| 26The real mother spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were aroused. She said, "My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don't kill him!" But the other woman said, "Neither one of us will have him! Let them cut him in two!" | 26Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” |
| 27The king responded, "Give the first woman the living child; don't kill him. She is the mother." | 27Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” |
| 28When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had rendered, they respected the king, for they realized that he possessed supernatural wisdom to make judicial decisions. | 28And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice. |
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