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3:3
And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and
burnt incense in high places.
3:4
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.
3:5
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
3:6
And Solomon said, Thou hast showed 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.
3:7
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.
3:8
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.
3:9
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?
3:10
And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
3:11
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;
3:12
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.
3:13
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.
3:14
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.
3:15
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.
3:16
Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
3:17
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.
3:18
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.
3:19
And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
3:20
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.
3:21
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.
3:22
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.
3:23
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.
3:24
And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
3:25
And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the
other.
3:26
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.
3:27
Then the king answered
and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
3:28
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.
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