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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>1 Kings 3 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/1_kings/3.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/1_kings/3-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > 1 Kings 3</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../1_kings/2.htm" title="1 Kings 2">◄</a> 1 Kings 3 <a href="../1_kings/4.htm" title="1 Kings 4">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">The <span class="nd">Lord</span> Makes Solomon Wise</h3><h5 class="r">(<ref loc="2CH 1:1-13">2 Chronicles 1.1-13</ref>)</h5><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_1"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.1" class="v11_3_1">1</span>Solomon signed a treaty with the king of Egypt and married his daughter. She lived in the older part of Jerusalem<a href="#fn" id="link_1Kgs.3.1!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> until the palace, the <span class="nd">Lord</span>'s temple, and the wall around Jerusalem were completed.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_2"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.2" class="v11_3_2">2</span>At that time, there was no temple for worshiping the <span class="nd">Lord</span>, and everyone offered sacrifices at the local shrines.<a href="#fn" id="link_1Kgs.3.2!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span><span class="v11_3_3"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.3" class="v11_3_3">3</span>Solomon loved the <span class="nd">Lord</span> and followed his father David's instructions, but Solomon also offered sacrifices and burned incense at the shrines.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_4"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.4" class="v11_3_4">4</span><a href="#fn" id="link_1Kgs.3.4!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> The most important shrine was in Gibeon, and Solomon had offered more than 1,000 sacrifices on that altar.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_5"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.5" class="v11_3_5">5</span>One night while Solomon was in Gibeon, the <span class="nd">Lord</span> God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Solomon, ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_6"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.6" class="v11_3_6">6</span>Solomon answered:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v11_3_6">My father David, your servant, was honest and did what you commanded. You were always loyal to him, and you gave him a son who is now king. </span><span class="v11_3_7"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.7" class="v11_3_7">7</span><span class="nd">Lord</span> God, I'm your servant, and you've made me king in my father's place. But I'm very young and know so little about being a leader. </span><span class="v11_3_8"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.8" class="v11_3_8">8</span>And now I must rule your chosen people, even though there are too many of them to count.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v11_3_9"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.9" class="v11_3_9">9</span>Please make me wise and teach me the difference between right and wrong. Then I will know how to rule your people. If you don't, there is no way I could rule this great nation of yours.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_10"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.10-1Kgs.3.11" class="v11_3_10">10-11</span>God said:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v11_3_10">Solomon, I'm pleased that you asked for this. You could have asked to live a long time or to be rich. Or you could have asked for your enemies to be destroyed. Instead, you asked for wisdom to make right decisions. </span><span class="v11_3_12"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.12" class="v11_3_12">12</span>So I'll make you wiser than anyone who has ever lived or ever will live.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v11_3_13"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.13" class="v11_3_13">13</span>I'll also give you what you didn't ask for. You'll be rich and respected as long as you live, and you'll be greater than any other king. </span><span class="v11_3_14"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.14" class="v11_3_14">14</span>If you obey me and follow my commands, as your father David did, I'll let you live a long time.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_15"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.15" class="v11_3_15">15</span>Solomon woke up and realized that God had spoken to him in the dream. He went back to Jerusalem and stood in front of the sacred chest, where he offered sacrifices to please the Lord<a href="#fn" id="link_1Kgs.3.15!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> and sacrifices to ask his blessing.<a href="#fn" id="link_1Kgs.3.15!f.2" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> Then Solomon gave a feast for his officials.</span></p><h3 class="s1">Solomon Makes a Difficult Decision</h3><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_16"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.16" class="v11_3_16">16</span>One day two women<a href="#fn" id="link_1Kgs.3.16!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> came to King Solomon, </span><span class="v11_3_17"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.17" class="v11_3_17">17</span>and one of them said:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v11_3_17">Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house. Not long ago my baby was born at home, </span><span class="v11_3_18"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.18" class="v11_3_18">18</span>and three days later her baby was born. Nobody else was there with us.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v11_3_19"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.19" class="v11_3_19">19</span>One night while we were all asleep, she rolled over on her baby, and he died. </span><span class="v11_3_20"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.20" class="v11_3_20">20</span>Then while I was still asleep, she got up and took my son out of my bed. She put him in her bed, then she put her dead baby next to me.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v11_3_21"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.21" class="v11_3_21">21</span>In the morning when I got up to feed my son, I saw that he was dead. But when I looked at him in the light, I knew he wasn't my son.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_22"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.22" class="v11_3_22">22</span>“No!” the other woman shouted. “He was your son. My baby is alive!”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_22">“The dead baby is yours,” the first woman yelled. “Mine is alive!”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_22">They argued back and forth in front of Solomon, </span><span class="v11_3_23"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.23" class="v11_3_23">23</span>until finally he said, “Both of you say this live baby is yours. </span><span class="v11_3_24"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.24" class="v11_3_24">24</span>Someone bring me a sword.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_24">A sword was brought, and Solomon ordered, </span><span class="v11_3_25"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.25" class="v11_3_25">25</span>“Cut the baby in half! That way each of you can have part of him.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_26"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.26" class="v11_3_26">26</span>“Please don't kill my son,” the baby's mother screamed. “Your Majesty, I love him very much, but give him to her. Just don't kill him.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_26">The other woman shouted, “Go ahead and cut him in half. Then neither of us will have the baby.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_27"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.27" class="v11_3_27">27</span>Solomon said, “Don't kill the baby.” Then he pointed to the first woman, “She is his real mother. Give the baby to her.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v11_3_28"><span class="reftext" id="1Kgs.3.28" class="v11_3_28">28</span>Everyone in Israel was amazed when they heard how Solomon had made his decision. They realized that God had given him wisdom to judge fairly.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">3.1 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">the older … Jerusalem: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Hebrew “the city of David.”</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">3.2 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">local shrines: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">The Hebrew text has “high places,” which were local places to worship God or foreign gods.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">3.15 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">sacrifices to please the Lord: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See Leviticus 1.1-17.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">3.15 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">sacrifices to ask his blessing: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See Leviticus 3.1-17.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">3.16 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">women: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Hebrew “prostitutes.”</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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