Self-interpreting Bible

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1 Kings 3

1Solomon marrieth Pharaoh's daughter. 2High places being in use, he sacrificeth at Gibeon. 5God appeareth to him in a dream there, and leaveth to his choice what to ask; he asketh wisdom, and obtaineth with it riches and honour. 16His judgment between the two harlots maketh his wisdom renowned.


1 AND Solomon amade *affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into bthe city of David, until he had made an end of cbuilding his own house, and dthe house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.

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

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

4 And the king went to iGibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great jhigh place: ka thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.

5 ¶In lGibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon min a dream by night: and God said, nAsk what I shall give thee.

6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto othy servant David my father great 1mercy, paccording 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.

7 And now, O LORD my God, qthou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a rlittle child: I know not how to sgo out or come in.

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

9 Give vtherefore thy servant an 2understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may wdiscern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

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

    11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked xfor thyself 3long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to 4discern judgment;

    12 Behold, I have done according to thy ywords: 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.

    13 And I have also zgiven thee that which thou hast not asked, both ariches, and honour: so that there 5shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

    14 And bif 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.

    15 And Solomon cawoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood dbefore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made ea feast to all his servants.

    16 ¶Then fcame there two women, that were gharlots, unto the king, and stood before him.

    17 And the one woman said, O hmy lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.

    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.

    • *: save-except.

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

      20 And she arose at imidnight, 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.

      21 And when I rose in the morning jto 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.

      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.

        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.

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

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

            26 Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her *bowels 6yearned 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.

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

            28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they mfeared the king: for they saw that the nwisdom of God was 7in him, to do judgment.