International Standard Version

English Standard Version

1Later, Solomon intermarried with the family of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt by taking his daughter and bringing her to the City of David to live until he had completed building his own palace, the LORD's Temple, 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.

2The people were sacrificing at various high places because the Temple had not yet been built and dedicated to 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 loved the LORD, and lived according to the statutes that his father David obeyed, except that he sacrificed and burned offerings at 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 used to go to Gibeon to sacrifice, since there was a famous high place there, where Solomon once offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar.

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.

5The LORD appeared to Solomon one night in a dream and told him, "Ask me for whatever you want and I'll give it to you."

5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”

6So Solomon said: "You have demonstrated abundant gracious love to your servant David, my father, as he lived in your presence truthfully, righteously, and uprightly in his heart. In addition, you have kept on showing this abundant gracious love by giving him a son to sit on his throne today.

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, LORD my God, you have set me as king to replace my father David, but I'm still young. I don't have any leadership skills.

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 lives in the midst of your people that you have chosen, a great people that is too numerous to be counted.

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 an understanding mind to govern your people, so I can discern between good and evil. Otherwise, how will I be able to govern this great people 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 had asked for this,

10It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

11so God told him: "Because you asked for this, and you didn't ask for a long life for yourself, and you didn't ask for the lives of your enemies, but instead you've asked for discernment so you can understand how to govern,

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,

12look how I'm going to do precisely what you asked. I'm giving you a wise and discerning mind, so that there will have been no one like you before you and no one will arise after you like 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.

13I'm also giving you what you haven't requested: both riches and honor, so that no other king will be comparable to you during your lifetime.

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 will live life my way, keeping my statutes and my commands, just like your father David did, I'll also increase the length of your 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.”

15Then Solomon woke up and realized that he had dreamed a dream. Then he went back to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the LORD's covenant, offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and threw a party for all of 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.

16Right about then, two prostitutes approached the king and requested an audience with him.

16Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

17One woman said, "Your majesty, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a child while she was 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.

18Three days later, this woman also gave birth. We lived alone there. There was nobody else with us in the house. It was just 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 son died overnight because she laid 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, took my son from me while your servant was asleep, and laid him to her breast after laying her dead son next to me.

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.

21The next morning, I got up to nurse my son, and he was dead. But when I examined him carefully in the light of day, he turned out not to be my son whom I had borne!"

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.”

22"Not so," claimed the other woman. "The living child is my son, and the dead one is yours." But the first woman said, "Not so! The dead child is your son and the living one is my son." This is what they testified 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 of them claims, 'This living son is mine, and your son is the dead one' and the other claims 'No. Your son is the dead one and my son is the living one.'

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.’”

24"Somebody get me a sword." So they brought a sword to the king.

24And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king.

25"Divide the living child in two!" he ordered. "Give half to the 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 woman whose child was still alive cried out to the king, because her heart yearned for her son. "Oh no, your majesty!" she said. "Give her the living child. Please don't kill him." But the other woman said, "Cut him in half! That way, he'll belong to neither one of us."

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 announced his decision: "Give the living child to the first woman. Don't kill him. She is his 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 this decision that the king had handed down was announced, everybody in Israel was amazed at the king, because they all saw that God's wisdom was in him, enabling him to administer justice.

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.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.