¹And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and YHVH his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly. ²Then Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel, the chief of the fathers.

¹And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of YHVH, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. ²Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of YHVH, until those days. ³And Solomon loved YHVH, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

³So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of YHVH had made in the wilderness. ⁴But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjathjearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. ⁵Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of YHVH: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it.

^K4/C6And Solomon the king went up thither to Gibeon to the brasen altar before YHVH, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. ^K5/C7In Gibeon that night YHVH God appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. ^K6/C8And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, 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 kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day, and hast made me to reign in his stead. ^K7/C9aAnd now, O YHVH my God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou 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. ^K8/C9bAnd thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that like the dust of the earth cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. ^K9/C10 Give therefore thy servant wisdom and knowledge [and] an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: that I may go out and come in before this people: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? ^K10And the speech pleased YHVH, that Solomon had asked this thing. ^K11/C11And God said unto Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches [or] wealth for thyself, or honour, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself [and] understanding to discern judgment, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: ^K12/C12aBehold, I have done according to thy words: lo, Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. ^K13/C12bAnd I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and wealth, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. ^K14And 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. ^K15/C13And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and stood before the ark of the covenant of YHVH, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants. And reigned over Israel.

¹⁶Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. ¹⁷And 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. ¹⁸And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. ¹⁹And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it. ²⁰And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. ²¹And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. ²²And 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 spake before the king. ²³Then 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. ²⁴And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. ²⁵And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. ²⁶Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. ²⁷Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. ²⁸And 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.

¹⁴And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. ¹⁵And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the vale for abundance. ¹⁶And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price. ¹⁷And they fetched up, and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so brought they out horses for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by their means.