| Berean Study Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Later, Solomon formed an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. Solomon brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his palace and the house of the LORD, as well as the wall around Jerusalem. | 1Then Solomon formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her to 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, however, were still sacrificing on the high places because a house for the Name of the LORD had not yet been built. | 2The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days. |
| 3And Solomon loved the LORD and walked in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. | 3Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. |
| 4Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for it was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar there. | 4The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. |
| 5One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!” | 5In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, "Ask what you wish me to give you." |
| 6Solomon replied, “You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day. | 6Then Solomon said, "You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. |
| 7And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in. | 7"Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. |
| 8Your servant is here among the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to count or number. | 8"Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. |
| 9Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?” | 9"So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" |
| 10Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request. | 10It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. |
| 11So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this instead of requesting long life or wealth for yourself or death for your enemies—but you have asked for discernment to administer justice— | 11God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, |
| 12behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has never been nor will ever be another like you. | 12behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. |
| 13Moreover, I will give you what you did not request—both riches and honor—so that during all your days no man in any kingdom will be your equal. | 13"I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. |
| 14So if you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments, just as your father David did, I will prolong your days.” | 14"If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days." |
| 15Then Solomon awoke, and indeed it had been a dream. So he returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants. | 15Then 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 burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants. |
| 16At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. | 16Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him. |
| 17One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth 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. |
| 18On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also had a baby. We were alone, with no one in the house but the two of us. | 18"It happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house. |
| 19During the night this woman’s son died because she rolled over on him. | 19"This woman's son died in the night, because she lay on it. |
| 20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him in her bosom and put her dead son at my bosom. | 20"So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. |
| 21The next morning, when I got up to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. But when I examined him, I realized that he was not the son I had borne.” | 21"When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne." |
| 22“No,” said the other woman, “the living one is my son and the dead one is your son.” But the first woman insisted, “No, the dead one is yours and the living one is mine.” So they argued before the king. | 22Then the other woman said, "No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son." But the first woman said, "No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son." Thus they spoke before the king. |
| 23Then the king replied, “This woman says, ‘My son is alive and yours is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ” | 23Then the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'" |
| 24The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought him a sword, | 24The king said, "Get me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king. |
| 25and the king declared, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” | 25The king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other." |
| 26Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she yearned with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she said, “give her the living baby. Do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!” | 26Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son and said, "Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him." But the other said, "He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!" |
| 27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you kill him; she is his mother.” | 27Then the king said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother." |
| 28When all Israel heard of the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice. | 28When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice. |
| The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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