1st Kings — 3

Shalumah Requests Wisdom

1 Now Shalumah made a treaty with Phar'uh king of Mitzraym, and married Phar'uh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of Daud until he had finished building his own house, and the house of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, and the wall all around Yahushalam. 

2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the Name of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH until those days. 

3 And Shalumah loved 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, walking in the statutes of his father Daud, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

4 Now the king went to Gibaun to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Shalumah offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 

5 At Gibaun 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH appeared to Shalumah in a dream by night; and  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

6 And Shalumah said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant Daud my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 

7 Now, O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH my 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, You have made Your servant king instead of my father Daud, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 

8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 

9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

10 The speech pleased 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, that Shalumah had asked this thing. 

11 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH said to Shalumah: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 

12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 

13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 

14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father Daud walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

15 Then Shalumah woke up; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Yahushalam and stood before the ark of the covenant of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, offered up burnt offerings, offered Shalum offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

Shalumah’s Wise Judgment

16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. 

17 And one woman said, “O my master, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. 

18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 

19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 

20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant 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 son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”

22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.

23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’

24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 

25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”

26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my king, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”

27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”

28 And all Yashar'AL heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH was in him to administer justice.