Kings III 3:13-26

¹³And I have given thee what thou hast not asked, wealth and glory, so that there has not been any one like thee among kings.

¹⁴And if thou wilt walk in my way, to keep my commandments and my ordinances, as David thy father walked, then will I multiply thy days.

¹⁵And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream: and he arose and came to Jerusalem, and stood before the altar that was in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord in Sion: and he offered whole-burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings, and made a great banquet for himself and all his servants.

¹⁶Then there appeared two harlots before the king, and they stood before him.

¹⁷And the one woman said, Hear me, my lord; I and this woman dwelt in one house, and we were delivered in the house.

¹⁸And it came to pass on the third day after I was delivered, this woman also was delivered: and we were together; and there was no one with us besides our two selves in the house.

¹⁹And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.

²⁰And she arose in the middle of the night, and took my son from my arms, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.

²¹And I arose in the morning to suckle my son, and he was dead: and, behold, I considered him in the morning, and, behold, it was not my son whom I bore.

²²And the other woman said, No, but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. So they spoke before the king.

²³And the king said to them, Thou sayest, This is my son, even the living one, and this woman's son is the dead one: and thou sayest, No, but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son.

²⁴And the king said, Fetch a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.

²⁵And the king said, Divide the live child, the suckling, in two; and give half of it to one, and half of it to the other.

²⁶And the woman whose the living child was, answered and said to the king, (for her bowels yearned over her son) and she said, I pray thee, my lord, give her the child, and in nowise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor hers; divide it.