| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters. He brought her to live in the City of David until he could finish building his palace and the Temple of the LORD and the wall around the city. | 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. |
| 2At that time the people of Israel sacrificed their offerings at local places of worship, for a temple honoring the name of the LORD had not yet been built. | 2The people, however, were still sacrificing on the high places because a house for the Name of the LORD had not yet been built. |
| 3Solomon loved the LORD and followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship. | 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. |
| 4The most important of these places of worship was at Gibeon, so the king went there and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings. | 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. |
| 5That night the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” | 5One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!” |
| 6Solomon replied, “You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne. | 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. |
| 7“Now, O LORD my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. | 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. |
| 8And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! | 8Your servant is here among the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to count or number. |
| 9Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” | 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?” |
| 10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. | 10Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request. |
| 11So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— | 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— |
| 12I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! | 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. |
| 13And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! | 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. |
| 14And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.” | 14So if you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments, just as your father David did, I will prolong your days.” |
| 15Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, where he sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he invited all his officials to a great banquet. Solomon Judges Wisely | 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. |
| 16Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled. | 16At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. |
| 17“Please, my lord,” one of them began, “this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house. | 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. |
| 18Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us 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. |
| 19“But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. | 19During the night this woman’s son died because she rolled over on him. |
| 20Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. | 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. |
| 21And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.” | 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.” |
| 22Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.” “No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.” And so they argued back and forth before the king. | 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. |
| 23Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other. | 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.’ ” |
| 24All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king. | 24The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought him a sword, |
| 25Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!” | 25and the king declared, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” |
| 26Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!” | 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!” |
| 27Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!” | 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.” |
| 28When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice. | 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. |
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