I Kings Chapter 3
Other Translations
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
And Solomon allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had ended building his own house, and the house of Jehovah, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
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Only, the people sacrificed on the high places; for there was no house built to the name of Jehovah, until those days.
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And Solomon loved Jehovah, walking in the statutes of David his father; only, he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
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And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer up upon that altar.
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In Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; andGod said, Ask what I shall give thee.
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And Solomon said, Thou hast shewn unto thy servant David my father great loving-kindness, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great loving-kindness, that thou hast given him a son who sits upon his throne, as it is this day.
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And now, Jehovah myGod, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child: I know not to go out and to come in.
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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.
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Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people, to discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge this thy numerous people?
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And the word pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
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AndGod 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 thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself discernment to understand judgment;
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behold, I have done according to thy word: behold, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, so that there hath been none like unto thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
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And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and glory; so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
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And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will prolong thy days.
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And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
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Then came two women, harlots, to the king, and stood before him.
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And the first woman said, Ah, my lord! I and this woman abode in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
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And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together; no stranger was with us in the house, only we two were in the house.
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And this woman's child died in the night; because she had lain upon it.
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And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.
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And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; and I considered it in the morning, and behold, it was not my son, whom I bore.
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And the other woman said, No, for the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this one said, No, but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spoke before the king.
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Then said the king, The one says, This that is living is my son, and thy son is the dead; and the other says, No, for thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
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And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
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And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
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Then spoke the woman whose was the living child to the king, for her bowels yearned over her son, and she said, Ah, my lord! give her the living child, and in no wise put it to death. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine; divide it.
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And the king answered and said, Give this one the living child, and in no wise put it to death: she is its mother.
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And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom ofGod was in him, to do justice.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Confirmatum est igitur regnum in manu Salomonis, et affinitate coniunctus est Pharaoni regi Ægypti: accepit namque filiam eius, et adduxit in civitatem David, donec compleret ædificans domum suam, et domum Domini, et murum Ierusalem per circuitum.
2
Attamen populus immolabat in excelsis: non enim ædificatum erat templum nomini Domini usque in diem illum.
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Dilexit autem Salomon Dominum, ambulans in præceptis David patris sui, excepto quod in excelsis immolabat, et accendebat thymiama.
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Abiit itaque in Gabaon, ut immolaret ibi: illud quippe erat excelsum maximum: mille hostias in holocaustum obtulit Salomon super altare illud in Gabaon.
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Apparuit autem Dominus Salomoni per somnium nocte, dicens: Postula quod vis ut dem tibi.
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Et ait Salomon: Tu fecisti cum servo tuo David patre meo misericordiam magnam, sicut ambulavit in conspectu tuo in veritate, et iustitia, et recto corde tecum: custodisti ei misericordiam tuam grandem, et dedisti ei filium sedentem super thronum eius, sicut est hodie.
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Et nunc Domine Deus, tu regnare fecisti servum tuum pro David patre meo: ego autem sum puer parvulus, et ignorans egressum, et introitum meum.
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Et servus tuus in medio est populi, quem elegisti, populi infiniti, qui numerari et supputari non potest præ multitudine.
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Dabis ergo servo tuo cor docile, ut populum tuum iudicare possit, et discernere inter bonum et malum. quis enim poterit iudicare populum istum, populum tuum hunc multum?
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Placuit ergo sermo coram Domino, quod Salomon postulasset huiuscemodi rem.
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Et dixit Dominus Salomoni: Quia postulasti verbum hoc, et non petisti tibi dies multos, nec divitias, aut animas inimicorum tuorum, sed postulasti tibi sapientiam ad discernendum iudicium:
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ecce feci tibi secundum sermones tuos, et dedi tibi cor sapiens et intelligens, in tantum ut nullus ante te similis tui fuerit, nec post te surrecturus sit.
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Sed et hæc, quæ non postulasti, dedi tibi: divitias scilicet, et gloriam, ut nemo fuerit similis tui in regibus cunctis retro diebus.
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Si autem ambulaveris in viis meis, et custodieris præcepta mea, et mandata mea, sicut ambulavit pater tuus, longos faciam dies tuos.
15
Igitur evigilavit Salomon, et intellexit quod esset somnium: cumque venisset Ierusalem, stetit coram arca fœderis Domini, et obtulit holocausta, et fecit victimas pacificas, et grande convivium universis famulis suis.
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Tunc venerunt duæ mulieres meretrices ad regem, steteruntque coram eo,
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quarum una ait: Obsecro, mi Domine: ego et mulier hæc habitabamus in domo una, et peperi apud eam in cubiculo.
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Tertia autem die postquam ego peperi, peperit et hæc: et eramus simul, nullusque alius nobiscum in domo, exceptis nobis duabus.
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Mortuus est autem filius mulieris huius nocte. dormiens quippe oppressit eum.
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Et consurgens intempestæ noctis silentio, tulit filium meum de latere meo ancillæ tuæ dormientis, et collocavit in sinu suo: suum autem filium, qui erat mortuus, posuit in sinu meo.
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Cumque surrexissem mane ut darem lac filio meo, apparuit mortuus: quem diligentius intuens clara luce, deprehendi non esse meum quem genueram.
22
Responditque altera mulier: Non est ita ut dicis, sed filius tuus mortuus est, meus autem vivit. Econtrario illa dicebat: Mentiris: filius quippe meus vivit, et filius tuus mortuus est. Atque in hunc modum contendebant coram rege.
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Tunc rex ait: Hæc dicit, Filius meus vivit, et filius tuus mortuus est. Et ista respondit, Non, sed filius tuus mortuus est, meus autem vivit.
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Dixit ergo rex: Afferte mihi gladium. Cumque attulissent gladium coram rege,
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Dividite, inquit, infantem vivum in duas partes, et date dimidiam partem uni, et dimidiam partem alteri.
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Dixit autem mulier, cuius filius erat vivus, ad regem: (commota sunt quippe viscera eius super filio suo) Obsecro domine, date illi infantem vivum, et nolite interficere eum. Econtrario illa dicebat: Nec mihi, nec tibi sit, sed dividatur.
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Respondit rex, et ait: Date huic infantem vivum, et non occidatur: hæc est enim mater eius.
28
Audivit itaque omnis Israel iudicium quod iudicasset rex, et timuerunt regem, videntes sapientiam Dei esse in eo ad faciendum iudicium.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
And Solomon joineth in marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and taketh the daughter of Pharaoh, and bringeth her in unto the city of David, till he completeth to build his own house, and the house of Jehovah, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
2
Only, the people are sacrificing in high places, for there hath not been built a house for the name of Jehovah till those days.
3
And Solomon loveth Jehovah, to walk in the statutes of David his father--only, in high places he is sacrificing and making perfume--
4
and the king goeth to Gibeon, to sacrifice there, for it <FI>is<Fi> the great high place; a thousand burnt-offerings cause to ascend doth Solomon on that altar.
5
In Gibeon hath Jehovah appeared unto Solomon, in a dream of the night, and God saith, `Ask--what do I give to thee?'
6
And Solomon saith, `Thou hast done with Thy servant David my father great kindness, as he walked before Thee in truth and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with Thee, and Thou dost keep for him this great kindness, and dost give to him a son sitting on his throne, as <FI>at<Fi> this day.
7
And now, O Jehovah my God, Thou hast caused thy servant to reign instead of David my father; and I <FI>am<Fi> a little child, I do not know to go out and to come in;
8
and Thy servant <FI>is<Fi> in the midst of thy people, whom Thou hast chosen, a people numerous, that is not numbered nor counted for multitude,
9
and Thou hast given to Thy servant an understanding heart, to judge Thy people, to discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this Thy great people?'
10
And the thing is good in the eyes of the Lord, that Solomon hath asked this thing,
11
and God saith unto him, `Because that thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thee many days, nor asked for thee riches, nor asked the life of thine enemies, and hast asked for thee discernment to understand judgment,
12
lo, I have done according to thy words; lo, I have given to thee a heart, wise and understanding, that like thee there hath not been before thee, and after thee there doth not arise like thee;
13
and also, that which thou hast not asked I have given to thee, both riches and honour, that there hath not been like thee a man among the kings all thy days;
14
and if thou dost walk in My ways to keep My statutes, and My commands, as David thy father walked, then I have prolonged thy days.'
15
And Solomon awaketh, and lo, a dream; and he cometh in to Jerusalem, and standeth before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and causeth to ascend burnt-offerings, and maketh peace-offerings. And he maketh a banquet for all his servants,
16
then come in do two women, harlots, unto the king, and stand before him,
17
and the one woman saith, `O, my lord, I and this woman are dwelling in one house, and I bring forth with her, in the house;
18
and it cometh to pass on the third day of my bringing forth, that this woman also bringeth forth, and we <FI>are<Fi> together, there is no stranger with us in the house, save we two, in the house.
19
And the son of this woman dieth at night, because she hath lain upon it,
20
and she riseth in the middle of the night, and taketh my son from beside me--and thy handmaid is asleep--and layeth it in her bosom, and her dead son she hath laid in my bosom;
21
and I rise in the morning to suckle my son, and lo, dead; and I consider concerning it in the morning, and lo, it was not my son whom I did bear.'
22
And the other woman saith, `Nay, but my son <FI>is<Fi> the living, and thy son the dead;' and this <FI>one<Fi> saith, `Nay, but thy son <FI>is<Fi> the dead, and my son the living.' And they speak before the king.
23
And the king saith, `This <FI>one<Fi> saith, This <FI>is<Fi> my son, the living, and thy son <FI>is<Fi> the dead; and that <FI>one<Fi> saith, Nay, but thy son <FI>is<Fi> the dead, and my son the living.'
24
And the king saith, `Take for me a sword;' and they bring the sword before the king,
25
and the king saith, `Cut the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the half to the other.'
26
And the woman whose son <FI>is<Fi> the living one saith unto the king (for her bowels yearned over her son), yea, she saith, `O, my lord, give to her the living child, and put it not at all to death;' and this <FI>one<Fi> saith, `Let it be neither mine or thine--cut <FI>it<Fi> .'
27
And the king answereth and saith, `Give ye to her the living child, and put it not at all to death; she <FI>is<Fi> its mother.'
28
And all Israel hear of the judgment that the king hath judged, and fear because of the king, for they have seen that the wisdom of God <FI>is<Fi> in his heart, to do judgment.
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).