1Solomon made an agreement with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He married Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to David’s City, until he finished building his own palace, Yahweh’s temple, and the wall around Jerusalem.
2However, the people sacrificed at local shrines, because a temple had not yet been built for Yahweh’s name.
3Solomon loved Yahweh and followed the laws of his father David. But he also sacrificed and burned incense at the local shrines.
4The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices there, because it was the greatest shrine. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
5In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream one night. God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
6Solomon said, “You showed great kindness to your servant David, my father, because he lived faithfully, justly, and with an honest heart before you. You have continued this great kindness by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as is happening today.
7Now, Yahweh my God, you have made me, your servant, king in place of my father David. But I am only a young child and don’t know how to lead.
8Your servant is among your chosen people, a great nation that is too numerous to count.
9So give your servant an understanding heart to govern your people, so I can tell the difference between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.
11God said to him, “Because you have asked for this and have not asked for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the death of your enemies, but have asked for understanding to administer justice,
12look, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that no one like you has existed before, and no one like you will come after.
13I will also give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor. So, for all your days, no king will be your equal.
14And if you follow my ways and obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did, then I will give you a long life.”
15Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He then went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, offered burnt offerings, presented peace offerings, and held a feast for all his servants.
16Later, two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
17One woman said, “My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.
18Three days after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together, and no one else was in the house with us—just the two of us.
19Then this woman’s child died during the night because she rolled over onto it.
20She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was sleeping. She put him in her arms and put her dead child in my arms.”
21When I got up in the morning to feed my child, I saw that he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I realized he was not the son I had given birth to.”
22The other woman said, “No, that’s not true! The living child is my son, and the dead one is yours.” The first woman argued back, “No! The dead child is yours, and the living one is mine.” This is what they said in front of the king.
23Then the king said, “One woman claims, ‘This is my living son, and your son is dead,’ and the other claims, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.’”
24The king then ordered, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword to the king.
25The king commanded, “Cut the living child in half and give one half to each woman.”
26Then the woman who was the mother of the living child pleaded with the king, because her heart was aching for her son. She said, “Please, my lord, give her the living child! Don’t kill him!” But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.”
27Then the king responded, “Give the living child to the first woman, and do not kill him. She is his real mother.”
28All the people of Israel heard about the judgment the king had made, and they respected the king. They saw that he had God’s wisdom to administer justice.