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1 Kings 3:1-28 — Solomon Asks for Wisdom

1Kgs.3.1-28

¹Solomon formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt; he took Pharaoh's daughter in marriage and brought her to the city of David, until he had finished building his own house, the house of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. ²However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, because a house for the name of the LORD had not been built until those days. ³Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ⁴The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for it was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” ⁶Solomon said, "You have shown great loyal love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you. You have kept this great loyal love for him, and have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. ⁷And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, but I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸Your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, who cannot be numbered or counted for multitude. ⁹Give your servant therefore a hearing heart to judge your people, to discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this great people of yours?" ¹⁰It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. ¹¹God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have you asked for riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to hear justice— ¹²behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, and after you none will arise like you. ¹³I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any man among the kings like you all your days. ¹⁴And if you walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days." ¹⁵Then Solomon woke up, and behold, it was a dream! He came to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered burnt offerings, made peace offerings, and held a feast for all his servants. ¹⁶Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷The one woman said, "Please, my lord, this woman and I dwell in one house, and I gave birth to a child with her in the house. ¹⁸On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house. ¹⁹This woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him. ²⁰She arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant slept. She laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. ²¹When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! But when I looked closely at him in the morning, behold, he was not my son whom I had borne." ²²The other woman said, “No, but the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And this one said, “No, but the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king. ²³Then the king said, “This one says, 'This is my son who is alive, and your son is the dead one,' and that one says, 'No, but your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'” ²⁴The king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. ²⁵The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.” ²⁶Then the woman whose son was the living one spoke to the king, for her compassion was deeply stirred for her son, and she said, “Please, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” ²⁷Then the king answered and said, “Give her the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” ²⁸All Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged , and they stood in awe of the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

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4/11/2026

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