11:003:001 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.
11:003:002 Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was
no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days.
11:003:003 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David
his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high
places.
11:003:004 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.
11:003:005 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night:
and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
11:003:006 And 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.
11:003:007 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.
11:003:008 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.
11:003:009 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?
11:003:010 And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this
thing.
11:003:011 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;
11:003:012 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.
11:003:013 And 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.
11:003:014 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.
11:003:015 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.
11:003:016 Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king,
and stood before him.
11:003:017 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.
11:003:018 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.
11:003:019 And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid
it.
11:003:020 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.
11:003:021 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.
11:003:022 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.
11:003:023 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.
11:003:024 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword
before the king.
11:003:025 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give
half to the one, and half to the other.
11:003:026 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.
11:003:027 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child,
and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
11:003:028 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.