| New Living Translation | Holman Christian Standard 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship. | 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 most important of these places of worship was at Gibeon, so the king went there and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings. | 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. |
| 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!” | 5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, "Ask. What should I give 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. | 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." |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 among Your people You have chosen, a people too numerous to be numbered or counted. |
| 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?” | 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 wisdom. | 10Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. |
| 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, "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, |
| 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! | 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. |
| 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! | 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. |
| 14And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long 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 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 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. |
| 16Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled. | 16Then two women who were 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 had a baby 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, 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. |
| 19“But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. | 19During the night this woman's son died because she lay 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. | 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. |
| 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.” | 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."" |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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.'" |
| 24All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king. | 24The king continued, "Bring me a sword." So they brought the sword to the king. |
| 25Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!” | 25Solomon said, "Cut the living boy 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!” | 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!" |
| 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!” | 27The king responded, "Give the living baby to the first woman, and don't 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. | 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. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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