1 Kings 3

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh's daughter, and took herto the City of David until he could complete the building of his palace, the Temple of Yahweh and the ramparts ofJerusalem.	1 And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon, and he made affinity with Pharao the king of Egypt: for he took his daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
2 The people, however, were stil sacrificing on the high places, because at that time a dwel ing-place forthe name of Yahweh had not yet been built.	2 But yet the people sacrificed in the high places: far there was no temple built to the name of the Lord until that day.
3 Solomon loved Yahweh: he fol owed the precepts of his father David, except that he offered sacrificeand incense on the high places.	3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the precepts of David his father, only he sacrificed in the high places: and burnt incense.
4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, since that was the principal high place -- Solomon presenteda thousand burnt offerings on that altar.	4 He went therefore to Gabaon, to sacrifice there: for that was the great high place: a thousand victims for holocausts did Solomon offer upon that altar in Gabaon.
5 At Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream during the night. God said, 'Ask what you wouldlike me to give you.'	5 And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, saying : Ask what thou wilt that I should give thee.
6 Solomon replied, 'You showed most faithful love to your servant David, my father, when he lived his lifebefore you in faithfulness and uprightness and integrity of heart; you have continued this most faithful love to himby al owing a son of his to sit on his throne today.	6 And Solomon said: Thou hast shewn great mercy to thy servant David my father, even at, he walked before thee in truth, and justice, and an upright heart with thee: and thou hast kept thy great mercy for him, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king in succession to David my father. But I am avery young man, unskilled in leadership.	7 And now, O Lord God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a child, and know not how to go out and come in.
8 And here is your servant, surrounded with your people whom you have chosen, a people so numerousthat its number cannot be counted or reckoned.	8 And thy servant is in the midst of the people which thou hast chosen, an immense people, which cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 So give your servant a heart to understand how to govern your people, how to discern between goodand evil, for how could one otherwise govern such a great people as yours?'	9 Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people, and discern between good and evil. For who shall be able to judge this people, thy people which is so numerous?
10 It pleased Yahweh that Solomon should have asked for this.	10 And the word was pleasing to the Lord that Solomon had asked such a thing.
11 'Since you have asked for this,' God said, 'and not asked for long life for yourself or riches or the livesof your enemies but have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself,	11 And the Lord said to Solomon: Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life or riches, nor the lives of thy enemies, but hast asked for thyself wisdom to discern judgment,
12 here and now I do what you ask. I give you a heart wise and shrewd as no one has had before and noone will have after you.	12 Behold I have done for thee according to thy words, and have given thee a wise and understanding heart, insomuch that there hath been no one like thee before thee, nor shall arise after thee.
13 What you have not asked I shal give you too: such riches and glory as no other king can match.	13 Yea and the things also which thou didst not ask, I have given thee: to wit riches and glory, as that no one hath been like thee among the kings in all days heretofore.
14 And I shal give you a long life, if you fol ow my ways, keeping my laws and commandments, as yourfather David followed them.'	14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, and Beep my precepts, and my commandments, as thy father walked, I will lengthen thy days.
15 Then Solomon woke up; it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and stood before the ark ofthe covenant of Yahweh; he presented burnt offerings and communion sacrifices and held a banquet for allthose in his service.	15 And Solomon awaked, and perceived that it was a dream: and when he was come to Jerusalem, he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered holocausts, and sacrificed victims of peace offerings, and made a great feast for all his servants.
16 Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.	16 Then there came two women that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him:
17 'If it please you, my lord,' one of the women said, 'this woman and I live in the same house, and whileshe was in the house I gave birth to a child.	17 And one of them said: I beseech thee, my lord, I and this woman dwelt in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the chamber.
18 Now it happened on the third day after my delivery that this woman also gave birth to a child. We werealone together; there was no one else in the house with us; just the two of us in the house.	18 And the third day, after that I was delivered, she also was delivered, and we were together, and no other person with us in the house, only we two.
19 Now one night this woman's son died; she overlaid him.	19 And this woman's child died in the night: for in her sleep she overlaid him.
20 And in the middle of the night she got up and took my son from beside me while your servant wasasleep; she took him in her arms and put her own dead son in mine.	20 And rising in the dead time of the night, she took my child from my side, while I thy handmaid was asleep, and laid it in her bosom: and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 When I got up to suckle my child, there he was, dead. But in the morning I looked at him carefully, andhe was not the child I had borne at al .'	21 And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold it was dead: but considering him more diligently when it was clear day, I found that it was not mine which I bore.
22 Then the other woman spoke. 'That is not true! My son is the live one, yours is the dead one'; and thefirst retorted, 'That is not true! Your son is the dead one, mine is the live one.' And so they wrangled before theking.	22 And the other woman answered: It is not so as thou sayest, but thy child is dead, and mine is alive. On the contrary she said: Thou liest: for my child liveth, and thy child is dead. And in this manner they strove before the king.
23 'This one says,' the king observed, ' "My son is the one who is alive; your son is dead," while the other says, "That is not true! Your son is the dead one, mine is the live one."	23 Then said the king: The one saith, My child is alive, and thy child is dead. And the other answereth: Nay, but thy child is dead, and mine liveth.
24 Bring me a sword,' said the king; and a sword was brought into the king's presence.	24 The king therefore said: Bring me a sword. And when they had brought a sword before the king,
25 'Cut the living child in two,' the king said, 'and give half to one, half to the other.'	25 Divide, said he, the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26 At this the woman who was the mother of the living child addressed the king, for she felt acutely for herson. 'I beg you, my lord,' she said, 'let them give her the live child; on no account let them kil him!' But the othersaid, 'He shal belong to neither of us. Cut him in half!'	26 But the woman whose child was alive, said to the king, (for her bowels were moved upon her child,) I beseech thee, my lord, give her the child alive, and do not kill it. But the other said: Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
27 Then the king gave his decision. 'Give the live child to the first woman,' he said, 'and do not kill him.She is his mother.'	27 The king answered, and said: Give the living child to this woman, and let it not be killed, for she is the mother thereof.
28 Al Israel came to hear of the judgement which the king had pronounced and held the king in awe,recognising that he possessed divine wisdom for dispensing justice.	28 And all Israel heard the judgment which the king had judged, and they feared the king, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment.