1And Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had finished {made an end of} building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. 2Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days. 3And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David, his father; only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. 4And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.

5In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 6And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto Thy servant David, my father, great mercy, according as he walked before Thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with Thee; and Thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that Thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7And now, O LORD my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David, my father; and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in. 8And Thy servant is in the midst of Thy people whom Thou hast chosen, a great people, who cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9Give, therefore, Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge this Thy great people? 10And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern justice {judgment}, 12Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. 13And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. 14And if thou wilt walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as thy father, David, did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. 15And 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 up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

16Then came there two women, who were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. 17And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. 18And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, except {save} we two were in the house. 19And this woman's child died in the night, because she lay on it. 20And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21And when I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I did bear. 22And the other woman said, Nay; but the living child is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead child is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spoke before the king. 23Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son who liveth, and thy son is the dead child; and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. 24And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. 25And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. 26Then spoke the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means {in no wise} slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. 27Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and by no means {in no wise} slay it; she is the mother of it {thereof}. 28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice {judgment}.