1 Kings 3

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
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 so the kingdom was confirmed in the hand of Solomon, and he was joined with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, by affinity. For he took his daughter, and he led her into the city of David, until he completed building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem all around.
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 still the people immolated in the high places. For no temple had been built to the name of the Lord, even to 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 Now Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the precepts of David, his father, except that he immolated in the high places, and he burned 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 And so, he went away to Gibeon, so that he might immolate there; for that was the greatest high place. Solomon offered upon that altar, at Gibeon, one thousand victims as 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 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon, through a dream in the night, saying, “Request whatever you wish, so that I may 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 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to your servant David, my father, because he walked in your sight in truth and justice, and with an upright heart before you. And you have kept your great mercy for him, and you have given him a son sitting upon his throne, just 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, you have caused your servant to reign in place of David, my father. But I am a small child, and I am ignorant of my entrance and departure.
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 your servant is in the midst of the people that you have chosen, an immense people, who are not able to be numbered or counted because of their 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 Therefore, give to your servant a teachable heart, so that he may be able to judge your people, and to discern between good and evil. For who will be able to judge this people, your people, who are so many?”
10 It pleased Yahweh that Solomon should have asked for this.	10 And the word was pleasing before the Lord, that Solomon had requested this kind of 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: “Since you have requested this word, and you have not asked for many days or for wealth for yourself, nor for the lives of your enemies, but instead you have requested for yourself wisdom in order 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 you according to your words, and I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so much so that there has been no one like you before you, nor anyone who will rise up after you.
13 What you have not asked I shal give you too: such riches and glory as no other king can match.	13 But also the things for which you did not ask, I have given to you, namely wealth and glory, so that no one has been like you among the kings in the all days before.
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 will walk in my ways, and keep my precepts and my commandments, just as your father walked, I will lengthen your 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 Then Solomon awakened, and he understood that it was a dream. And when he had arrived in Jerusalem, he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and he offered holocausts and made victims of peace offerings, and he held a great feast for all his servants.
16 Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.	16 Then two women harlots went to the king, and they 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 beg you, my lord, I and this woman were living in one house, and I gave birth, with her in the room.
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 Then, on the third day after I gave birth, she also gave birth. And we were together, with no other person with us in the house, only the two of us.
19 Now one night this woman's son died; she overlaid him.	19 Then this woman’s son died in the night. For while sleeping, she smothered 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 up in the silent depths of the night, she took my son from my side, while I, your handmaid, was sleeping, and she set him in her bosom. Then she placed her dead son 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 had arisen in the morning, so that I might give milk to my son, he appeared to be dead. But gazing upon him more diligently in the light of day, I realized that he was not mine, whom I had born.”
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 responded: “It is not such as you say. Instead, your son is dead, but mine is alive.” To the contrary, she said: “You are lying. For my son lives, and your son is dead.” And in this manner, they were contending 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: “This one says, ‘My son is alive, and your son is dead.’ And the other responds, ‘No, instead your son is dead, but mine lives.’ ”
24 Bring me a sword,' said the king; and a sword was brought into the king's presence.	24 Therefore the king said, “Bring a sword to me.” 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 he said, “Divide the living infant in two parts, and give a half part to the one and a half part 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 son was alive, said to the king, for her heart was moved concerning her son, “I beg you, my lord, give the living infant to her, and do not kill him.” To the contrary, the other said, “Let it be neither for me, nor for you, instead 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 responded and said: “Give the living infant to this woman, and do not kill it. For she is his 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 Then all of Israel heard about the judgment that the king had judged, and they feared the king, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to accomplish judgment.