Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 195
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SAMUEL–KINGS
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justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your
enemies—I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and
understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I
will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other
king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! And
if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father,
David, did, I will give you a long life.”
Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He returned
to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, where he
sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he invited all his officials to a great banquet.
Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument
settled. “Please, my lord,” one of them began, “this woman and I live in
the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house.
Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were
only two of us in the house.
“But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. Then
she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep.
She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. And
in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I
looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”
Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the
living child is mine.”
“No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is
yours.” And so they argued back and forth before the king.
Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the
living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other.
All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king.
Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman
and half to the other!”
Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who
loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—
please do not kill him!”
But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine;
divide him between us!”
Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman
who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”
When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the
king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice.