1 Kings 3 NKJV NIV Parallel

◄ 1 Kings 3 ►

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New King James Version

New International Version

1Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem.

1Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem.

2Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days.

2The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD.

3And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

3Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

4Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

4The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."

6And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

6Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

7Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.

7"Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.

8And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.

8Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.

9Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

9So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

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

10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.

11Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,

11So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice,

12behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.

12I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

13And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.

13Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for--both wealth and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.

14So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

14And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life."

15Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

15Then Solomon awoke--and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord's covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

16Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him.

16Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

17And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house.

17One of them said, "Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me.

18Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house.

18The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

19And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.

19"During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him.

20So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.

21And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”

21The next morning, I got up to nurse my son--and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne."

22Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.

22The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours." But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine." And so they argued before the king.

23And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ”

23The king said, "This one says, 'My son is alive and your son is dead,' while that one says, 'No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.'"

24Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.

24Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king.

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

25He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."

26Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”

26The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!" But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!"

27So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”

27Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother."

28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

28When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

New International Version (NIV)

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