I Kings 3

vayyitkhatten shelomoh et-paroh melekh mitsrayim vayyiqqakh et-bat-paroh vayevi'eha el-ir david ad kalloto livnot et-beto ve'et-bet Adonai ve'et-khomat yerushalai͏m saviv

Solomon allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He married Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the City of David [to live there] until he had finished building his palace, and the House of GOD, and the walls around Jerusalem.

raq ha'am mezabbekhim babbamot ki lo-nivnah vayit leshem Adonai ad hayyamim hahem

The people, however, continued to offer sacrifices at the open shrines, because up to that time no house had been built for GOD’s name.

vayye'ehav shelomoh et-Adonai lalekhet bekhuqqot david aviv raq babbamot hu mezabbeakh umaqtir

And Solomon, though he loved GOD and followed the practices of his father David, also sacrificed and offered at the shrines.

vayyelekh hammelekh givonah lizboakh sham ki-hi habbamah haggedolah elef olot ya'aleh shelomoh al hammizbeakh hahu

The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the largest shrine; on that altar Solomon presented a thousand burnt offerings.

begivon nirah Adonai el-shelomoh bakhalom hallayelah vayyomer elohim she'al mah etten-lakh

At Gibeon GOD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask, what shall I grant you?”

vayyomer shelomoh attah asita im-avdekha david avi khesed gadol ka'asher halakh lefanekha be'emet uvitsdaqah uveyishrat levav immakh vattishmor-lo et-hakhesed haggadol hazzeh vattitten-lo ven yoshev al-kiso kayyom hazzeh

Solomon said, “You dealt most graciously with Your servant my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness and righteousness and in integrity of heart. You have continued this great kindness to him by giving him a son to occupy his throne, as is now the case.

ve'attah Adonai elohay attah himlakhta et-avdekha takhat david avi ve'anokhi na'ar qaton lo eda tset vavo

And now, my ETERNAL God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David; but I am a young lad, with no experience in leadership.

ve'avdekha betokh ammekha asher bakhareta am-rav asher lo-yimmaneh velo yissafer merov

Your servant finds himself in the midst of the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to be numbered or counted.

venatatta le'avdekha lev shomea lishpot et-ammekha lehavin ben-tov lera ki mi yukhal lishpot et-ammekha hakkaved hazzeh

Grant, then, Your servant an understanding mind to judge Your people, to distinguish between good and bad; for who can judge this vast people of Yours?”

vayyitav haddavar be'ene adonay ki sha'al shelomoh et-haddavar hazzeh

Pleased that Solomon had asked for this,

vayyomer elohim elayw ya'an asher sha'alta et-haddavar hazzeh velo-sha'alta lekha yamim rabbim velo-sha'alta lekha osher velo sha'alta nefesh oyevekha vesha'alta lekha havin lishmoa mishpat

God said to him, “Because you asked for this—you did not ask for long life, you did not ask for riches, you did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for discernment in dispensing justice—

hinneh asiti kidvarekha hinneh natatti lekha lev khakham venavon asher kamokha lo-hayah lefanekha ve'akharekha lo-yaqum kamokha

I now do as you have spoken. I grant you a wise and discerning mind; there has never been anyone like you before, nor will anyone like you arise again.

vegam asher lo-sha'alta natatti lakh gam-osher gam-kavod asher lo-hayah khamokha ish bammelakhim kol-yamekha

And I also grant you what you did not ask for—both riches and glory all your life—the like of which no king has ever had.

ve'im telekh bidrakhay lishmor khuqqay umitsvotay ka'asher halakh david avikha veha'arakhti et-yamekha

And I will further grant you long life, if you will walk in My ways and observe My laws and commandments, as did your father David.”

vayyiqats shelomoh vehinneh khalom vayyavo yerushalai͏m vayya'amod lifne aron berit-adonay vayya'al olot vayya'as shelamim vayya'as mishteh lekhol-avadayw

Then Solomon awoke: it was a dream! He went to Jerusalem, stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Sovereign One, and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented offerings of well-being; and he made a banquet for all his courtiers.

az tavonah shetayim nashim zonot el-hammelekh vatta'amodenah lefanayw

Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

vattomer ha'isha ha'akhat bi adoni ani veha'isha hazzot yoshevot bevayit ekhad va'eled immah babbayit

The first woman said, “Please, my lord! This woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.

vayehi bayyom hashelishi lelidti vatteled gam-ha'isha hazzot va'anakhnu yakhdav en-zar ittanu babbayit zulati shetayim-anakhnu babbayit

On the third day after I was delivered, this woman also gave birth to a child. We were alone; there was no one else with us in the house, just the two of us in the house.

vayyamot ben-ha'isha hazzot layelah asher shakhevah alayw

During the night this woman’s child died, because she lay on it.

vattaqom betokh hallaylah vattiqqakh et-beni me'etsli va'amatekha yeshenah vattashkivehu bekheqah ve'et-benah hammet hishkivah vekheqi

She arose in the night and took my son from my side while your maidservant was asleep, and laid him in her bosom; and she laid her dead son in my bosom.

va'aqum babboqer leheniq et-beni vehinneh-met va'etbonen elayw babboqer vehinneh lo-hayah veni asher yaladeti

When I arose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead; but when I looked at him closely in the morning, it was not the son I had borne.”

vattomer ha'isha ha'akheret lo khi beni hakhay uvenekh hammet vezot omeret lo khi benekh hammet uveni hekhay vattedabberenah lifne hammelekh

The other woman spoke up, “No, the live one is my son, and the dead one is yours!” But the first insisted, “No, the dead boy is yours; mine is the live one!” And they went on arguing before the king.

vayyomer hammelekh zot omeret zeh-bbeni hakhay uvenekh hammet vezot omeret lo khi benekh hammet uveni hekhay

The king said, “One says, ‘This is my son, the live one, and the dead one is yours’; and the other says, ‘No, the dead boy is yours, mine is the live one.’”

vayyomer hammelekh qekhu li-kharev vayyavi'u hakherev lifne hammelekh

So the king gave the order, “Fetch me a sword.” A sword was brought before the king,

vayyomer hammelekh gizru et-hayyeled hakhay lishnayim utenu et-hakhatsi le'akhat ve'et-hakhatsi le'ekhat

and the king said, “Cut the live child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.”

vattomer ha'isha asher-benah hakhay el-hammelekh ki-nikhmeru rakhameha al-benah vattomer bi adoni tenu-lah et-hayyalud hakhay vehamet al-temituhu vezot omeret gam-li gam-lakh lo yihyeh gezoru

But the woman whose son was the live one pleaded with the king, for she was overcome with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she cried, “give her the live child; only don’t kill it!” The other insisted, “It shall be neither yours nor mine; cut it in two!”

vayya'an hammelekh vayyomer tenu-lah et-hayyalud hakhay vehamet lo temituhu hi immo

Then the king spoke up. “Give the live child to her,” he said, “and do not put it to death; she is its mother.”

vayyishme'u khol-yisra'el et-hammishpat asher shafat hammelekh vayyiru mippene hammelekh ki ra'u ki-khokhmat elohim beqirbo la'asot mishpat

When all Israel heard the decision that the king had rendered, they stood in awe of the king; for they saw that he possessed divine wisdom to execute justice.