I Kings 3 · מלכים א

And Shelomo became allied by marriage with Par῾o, king of Egypt, and took Par῾o’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 Yerushalayim round about.

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

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

And the king went to Giv῾on to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Shelomo offer upon that altar.

In Giv῾on the Lord appeared to Shelomo in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

And Shelomo said, Thou hast shown great faithful love to Thy servant David my father, 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 faithful love, that Thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

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.

And Thy servant is in the midst of Thy people which Thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.

Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and evil: for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people?

And it pleased the Lord, that Shelomo had asked this thing.

And God said to him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast thou asked the life of thy enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;

behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there has been none like thee before thee, nor after thee shall any arise like thee.

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 thee all thy days.

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.

And Shelomo awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Yerushalayim, 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.

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

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.

And it came to pass the third day after 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.

And this woman’s child died in the night; because she lay upon it.

And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had looked closely at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, that I did bear.

And the other woman said, No; but the living child is my son, and the dead one is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead one is thy son, and the living one is my son. Thus they spoke before the king.

Then said the king, The one says, This is my son that lives, and thy son is the dead: and the other says, No: but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.

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

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

Then spoke the woman whose child was the living one to the king, for her love was enkindled towards her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, but do not slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.

Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and do not slay it: she is its mother.

And all Yisra᾽el 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.