7. “Now, O Lord, my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, and I am still a little child and do not know how to go out or come in.
8. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, so numerous that they cannot be numbered or counted.
9. Give Your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad, for who is able to judge among so great a people?”
10. It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.
11. God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself wisdom so that you may have discernment in judging,
12. I now do according to your words. I have given you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you in the past, and there shall never arise another like you.
13. I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no kings will compare to you all of your days.
14. If you will walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments as your father David did, then I will lengthen your days.”
15. Solomon awoke and found it was a dream.Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings and made a feast for all of his servants.
16. At that time, two women who were prostitutes came and stood before the king.
17. The first woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I bore a child with her in the house.
18. Three days after I gave birth, she also had a child, and we were together. There was no one else with us in the house, only the two of us were in the house.
19. “Then this woman’s child died during the night because she rolled over on it.
20. She got up at midnight and took my son from beside me while your servant slept and laid him at her bosom and laid her dead child at my bosom.
21. When I rose in the morning to feed my child, it was dead. But when I looked closely in the morning light, I recognized that it was not my son whom I bore.”
22. The other woman said, “No, the living is my son, and the dead is your son.”And she said, “No, the dead is your son, and the living is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23. Then the king said, “One says, ‘This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead,’ and the other says, ‘No, but your son is dead, and my son is the living.’ ”