| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Later, Solomon intermarried with the family of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt by taking his daughter and bringing her to the City of David to live until he had completed building his own palace, the LORD's Temple, and the wall around Jerusalem. | 1Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh's daughter. Solomon brought her to live in the city of David until he finished building his palace, the LORD's temple, and the wall surrounding Jerusalem. |
| 2The people were sacrificing at various high places because the Temple had not yet been built and dedicated to the LORD. | 2However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, because until that time a temple for the LORD's name had not been built. |
| 3Solomon loved the LORD, and lived according to the statutes that his father David obeyed, except that he sacrificed and burned offerings at the high places. | 3Solomon loved the LORD by walking in the statutes of his father David, but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. |
| 4The king used to go to Gibeon to sacrifice, since there was a famous high place there, where Solomon once offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar. | 4The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar. |
| 5The LORD appeared to Solomon one night in a dream and told him, "Ask me for whatever you want and I'll give it to you." | 5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, "Ask. What should I give you?" |
| 6So Solomon said: "You have demonstrated abundant gracious love to your servant David, my father, as he lived in your presence truthfully, righteously, and uprightly in his heart. In addition, you have kept on showing this abundant gracious love by giving him a son to sit on his throne today. | 6And Solomon replied, "You have shown great and faithful love to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today." |
| 7Now, LORD my God, you have set me as king to replace my father David, but I'm still young. I don't have any leadership skills. | 7 LORD my God, You have now made Your servant king in my father David's place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. |
| 8Your servant lives in the midst of your people that you have chosen, a great people that is too numerous to be counted. | 8Your servant is among Your people You have chosen, a people too numerous to be numbered or counted. |
| 9So give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, so I can discern between good and evil. Otherwise, how will I be able to govern this great people of yours?" | 9So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" |
| 10The LORD was pleased that Solomon had asked for this, | 10Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. |
| 11so God told him: "Because you asked for this, and you didn't ask for a long life for yourself, and you didn't ask for the lives of your enemies, but instead you've asked for discernment so you can understand how to govern, | 11So God said to him, "Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice, |
| 12look how I'm going to do precisely what you asked. I'm giving you a wise and discerning mind, so that there will have been no one like you before you and no one will arise after you like you. | 12I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. |
| 13I'm also giving you what you haven't requested: both riches and honor, so that no other king will be comparable to you during your lifetime. | 13In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life. |
| 14If you will live life my way, keeping my statutes and my commands, just like your father David did, I'll also increase the length of your life." | 14If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life." |
| 15Then Solomon woke up and realized that he had dreamed a dream. Then he went back to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the LORD's covenant, offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and threw a party for all of his servants. | 15Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord's covenant, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants. |
| 16Right about then, two prostitutes approached the king and requested an audience with him. | 16Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. |
| 17One woman said, "Your majesty, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. | 17One woman said, "Please my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. |
| 18Three days later, this woman also gave birth. We lived alone there. There was nobody else with us in the house. It was just the two of us. | 18On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. |
| 19This woman's son died overnight because she laid on top of him. | 19During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him. |
| 20She got up in the middle of the night, took my son from me while your servant was asleep, and laid him to her breast after laying her dead son next to me. | 20She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him at her breast, and she put her dead son in my arms. |
| 21The next morning, I got up to nurse my son, and he was dead. But when I examined him carefully in the light of day, he turned out not to be my son whom I had borne!" | 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to."" |
| 22"Not so," claimed the other woman. "The living child is my son, and the dead one is yours." But the first woman said, "Not so! The dead child is your son and the living one is my son." This is what they testified before the king. | 22No," the other woman said. "My son is the living one; your son is the dead one." The first woman said, "No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one." So they argued before the king. |
| 23The king said, "One of them claims, 'This living son is mine, and your son is the dead one' and the other claims 'No. Your son is the dead one and my son is the living one.' | 23The king replied, "This woman says, 'This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,' but that woman says, 'No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.'" |
| 24"Somebody get me a sword." So they brought a sword to the king. | 24The king continued, "Bring me a sword." So they brought the sword to the king. |
| 25"Divide the living child in two!" he ordered. "Give half to the one and half to the other." | 25Solomon said, "Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other." |
| 26The woman whose child was still alive cried out to the king, because her heart yearned for her son. "Oh no, your majesty!" she said. "Give her the living child. Please don't kill him." But the other woman said, "Cut him in half! That way, he'll belong to neither one of us." | 26The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion for her son. "My lord, give her the living baby," she said, "but please don't have him killed!" But the other one said, "He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!" |
| 27The king announced his decision: "Give the living child to the first woman. Don't kill him. She is his mother." | 27The king responded, "Give the living baby to the first woman, and don't kill him. She is his mother." |
| 28When this decision that the king had handed down was announced, everybody in Israel was amazed at the king, because they all saw that God's wisdom was in him, enabling him to administer justice. | 28All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God's wisdom was in him to carry out justice. |
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