5In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask for whatever I should give you.” 6And Solomon said, “You have shown to Your servant David, my father, great mercy, as he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; and You have continued this great kindness to him, that You 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 instead of David, my father; and I am but a little child; I do not know not how to go out or come in (carry out my duties). 8And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, who cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9Give, therefore, Your servant a discerning heart to judge Your people, that I may distinguish between good and bad. For who can govern this Your great people?” 10And this pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked for this. 11And God said to him, “Because you have asked for this, and have not asked for yourself long life; nor for riches for yourself, nor for the life of your enemies; but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12Behold, I have done according to your words: I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you, nor after you shall any arise like you. 13And I have also given you that which you have not asked for, both riches, and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14And if you will walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father, David, walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15And Solomon awoke, and, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

16Then came there two women, who were harlots, to the king, and stood before him. 17And the one woman said, “O my lord, I and this woman live in one house; and I delivered a child with her in the house. 18And the third day after that I delivered, this woman was also delivered a baby; and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only we two. 19And this woman's child died in the night, because she lay on it. 20And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while I slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21And when I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, it was not my son, whom I bore. 22And the other woman said, “No; but the living child is my son, and the dead is your son”. And the first said, “No; but the dead child is your son, and the living is my son”. And they argued this way before the king. 23Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead child’; and the other says, ‘No; but your 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 the woman who really was the mother of the living child spoke to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means slay it”. But the other said, “Let it be neither yours nor mine, but divide it”. 27Then the king said, “Give her the living child, and by no means slay it; she is the mother of it”. 28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.