1 Kings 3

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.

1Solomon made a deal with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He married Pharaoh's daughter. He brought her to Jerusalem, the city of David. He was still building his own palace, the LORD's house, and the wall around Jerusalem.

2Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days.

2The people brought their gifts to God at high places. Those were worship spots up on the hills. No house had been built yet for the LORD's name.

NoteA "high place" was a spot on a hill where people gave gifts to God. Israel used these before the temple in Jerusalem was built.

3And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

3Solomon loved the LORD. He lived by the rules his father David followed. But he still gave offerings and burned incense at the high places.

4And 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.

4King Solomon went to the town of Gibeon to offer gifts to God. It was the biggest high place. He offered a thousand animals there, burned whole on the altar.

5In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

5At Gibeon the LORD came to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, "Ask for whatever you want. I will give it to you."

6And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed 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.

6Solomon said, "You were very kind to my father David, who served you. He was honest with you. He did what was right, with a true heart. You kept on being kind to him. You gave him a son to sit on his throne. That son is me, today."

7And 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.

7"LORD my God, you have made me king in my father David's place. But I feel like a little child. I do not know how to lead people."

8And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

8"I am here among your own chosen people. There are so many of them that no one can count them."

9Give 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?

9"So give me a heart that understands, to judge your people well. Help me tell what is good from what is bad. Who could lead such a great people alone?"

10And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.

10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.

11And 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;

11God said to him, "You did not ask to live a long time. You did not ask to be rich. You did not ask for your enemies to die. You asked to know how to judge fairly."

12Behold, 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.

12"So I will do just what you asked. I am giving you a wise, understanding heart. No one before you was like you. No one after you will be either."

13And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

13"I will also give you what you did not ask for. You will have riches and honor. No other king will be your equal as long as you live."

14And 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.

14"Now walk in my ways. Keep my rules and my commands, as your father David did. Then I will give you a long life."

15And 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.

15Solomon woke up. It had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem and stood in front of the ark of the covenant. That was the special chest that held God's promise to Israel. He offered burnt gifts and friendship gifts. Then he made a feast for all his helpers.

16Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.

16Two women came to the king and stood in front of him. Both of them were prostitutes.

NoteThe KJV word is "harlots." That is an old word for prostitutes, women who were paid for sex.

17And 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.

17One woman said, "Please, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house. I had my baby there while she was home."

18And 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.

18"Three days after my baby came, she had her baby too. We were alone. No one else was in the house, just the two of us."

19And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it.

19"In the night her baby died. She had rolled on top of him while she slept."

20And 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.

20"She got up in the middle of the night. She took my son from beside me while I slept. She held him close. Then she put her dead baby in my arms."

21And 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.

21"In the morning I got up to feed my baby. He was dead. But I looked at him closely. That baby was not my son at all."

22And 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.

22The other woman said, "No! The living boy is mine. The dead one is yours." The first woman said, "No! The dead one is yours. The living one is mine." They argued in front of the king.

23Then 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.

23Then the king said, "One of you says, 'My son is alive and your son is dead.' The other says, 'No, your son is dead and mine is alive.'"

24And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.

24The king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword to the king.

25And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

25Then the king said, "Cut the living child in two. Give half to one woman and half to the other."

26Then 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.

26The real mother's heart ached with love for her son. She said, "Please, my lord, give her the baby. Do not kill him!" But the other woman said, "He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!"

NoteThe KJV says her "bowels yearned." Long ago, people spoke of the insides of the body as the place where strong feelings live. It means she was full of love and pity for her son.

27Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.

27Then the king gave his answer. "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him. She is his mother."

28And 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.

28All Israel heard how the king had judged. They were filled with awe for him. They saw that God's wisdom was in him to judge fairly.