1 Kings 3

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
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 With the royal power firmly in his grasp, Solomon allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The daughter of Pharaoh, whom he married, he brought to the City of David, until he should finish building his palace, and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem.
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 However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, for up to that time no temple had been built to the name of the LORD.
3 Solomon loved Yahweh: he fol owed the precepts of his father David, except that he offered sacrificeand incense on the high places.	3 Solomon loved the LORD, and obeyed the statutes of his father David; yet he offered sacrifice and burned incense on the high places.
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 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, because that was the most renowned high place. Upon its altar Solomon offered a thousand holocausts.
5 At Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream during the night. God said, 'Ask what you wouldlike me to give you.'	5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you."
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 Solomon answered: "You have shown great favor to your servant, my father David, because he behaved faithfully toward you, with justice and an upright heart; and you have continued this great favor toward him, even today, seating a son of his on his throne.
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 O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed my father David; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
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 I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
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 your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?"
10 It pleased Yahweh that Solomon should have asked for this.	10 The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
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 So God said to him: "Because you have asked for this--not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right--
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 I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.
13 What you have not asked I shal give you too: such riches and glory as no other king can match.	13 In addition, I give you what you have not asked for, such riches and glory that among kings there is not your like.
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 you follow me by keeping my statutes and commandments, as your father David did, I will give you a long life."
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 When Solomon awoke from his dream, he went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered holocausts and peace offerings, and gave a banquet for all his servants.
16 Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.	16 Later, two harlots came 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 One woman said: "By your leave, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth in the house while she was present.
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 On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were alone in the house; there was no one there but us two.
19 Now one night this woman's son died; she overlaid him.	19 This woman's son died during the night; she smothered him by lying on 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 Later that night she got up and took my son from my side, as I, your handmaid, was sleeping. Then she laid him in her bosom, after she had 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 I rose in the morning to nurse my child, and I found him dead. But when I examined him in the morning light, I saw it was not the son whom I had borne."
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 The other woman answered, "It is not so! The living one is my son, the dead one is yours." But the first kept saying, "No, the dead one is your child, the living one is mine!" Thus they argued 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 the king said: "One woman claims, 'This, the living one, is my child, and the dead one is yours.' The other answers, 'No! The dead one is your child; the living one is mine.'"
24 Bring me a sword,' said the king; and a sword was brought into the king's presence.	24 The king continued, "Get me a sword." When they brought the sword before him,
25 'Cut the living child in two,' the king said, 'and give half to one, half to the other.'	25 he said, "Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman 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 The woman whose son it was, in the anguish she felt for it, said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living child--please do not kill it!" The other, however, said, "It shall be neither mine nor yours. 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 then answered, "Give the first one the living child! By no means kill it, for she is the mother."
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 When all Israel heard the judgment the king had given, they were in awe of him, because they saw that the king had in him the wisdom of God for giving judgment.