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.
8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give therefore to 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 so great a people? [1]
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said to 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 thy enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; [2] [3]
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like thee.
13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like thee all thy days. [4]
14 And 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.
15 And 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.
16 Then came there two women, that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him.
17 And 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.
18 And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, except us two in the house.
19 And this woman’s child died in the night; because she lay on him.
20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead: but when I had looked at him in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I bore.
22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spoke before the king.
23 Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26 Then spoke the woman whose the living child was to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means slay him. But the other said, Let he be neither mine nor thine, but divide him . [5]
27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and by no means slay him: she is his mother.
28 And 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 judgment. [6]
CHAP. 4.
1 So king Solomon was king over all Israel.
2 And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest, [7]
3 Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder. [8] [9]
4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:
5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king’s friend:
6 And Ahishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the forced labour. [10]
7 And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision.
8 And these are their names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim: [11]
9 The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan: [12]
10 The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher: [13]
11 The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; who had Taphath the daughter of Solomon for a wife: [14]
12 Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even to the place that is beyond Jokneam:
13 The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and brasen bars: [15]
- ↑ understanding: Heb. hearing
- ↑ long life: Heb. many days
- ↑ discern: Heb. hear
- ↑ shall...: or, hath not been
- ↑ yearned: Heb. were hot
- ↑ in him: Heb. in the midst of him
- ↑ priest: or, chief officer
- ↑ scribes: or, secretaries
- ↑ recorder: or, remembrancer
- ↑ tribute: or, levy
- ↑ The son...: or, Benhur
- ↑ The son...: or, Bendekar
- ↑ The son...: or, Benhesed
- ↑ The son...: or, Benabinadab
- ↑ The son...: or, Bengeber
