1 Kings 3:16-27

Solomon's Wisdom and Prosperity

¹⁶ then come in do two women, harlots, unto the king, and stand before him, ¹⁷ and the one woman saith, 'O, my lord, I and this woman are dwelling in one house, and I bring forth with her, in the house; ¹⁸ and it cometh to pass on the third day of my bringing forth, that this woman also bringeth forth, and we 'are' together, there is no stranger with us in the house, save we two, in the house. ¹⁹ And the son of this woman dieth at night, because she hath lain upon it, ²⁰ and she riseth in the middle of the night, and taketh my son from beside me—and thy handmaid is asleep—and layeth it in her bosom, and her dead son she hath laid in my bosom; ²¹ and I rise in the morning to suckle my son, and lo, dead; and I consider concerning it in the morning, and lo, it was not my son whom I did bear.' ²² And the other woman saith, 'Nay, but my son 'is' the living, and thy son the dead;' and this 'one' saith, 'Nay, but thy son 'is' the dead, and my son the living.' And they speak before the king. ²³ And the king saith, 'This 'one' saith, This 'is' my son, the living, and thy son 'is' the dead; and that 'one' saith, Nay, but thy son 'is' the dead, and my son the living.' ²⁴ And the king saith, 'Take for me a sword;' and they bring the sword before the king, ²⁵ and the king saith, 'Cut the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the half to the other.' ²⁶ And the woman whose son 'is' the living one saith unto the king (for her bowels yearned over her son), yea, she saith, 'O, my lord, give to her the living child, and put it not at all to death;' and this 'one' saith, 'Let it be neither mine or thine—cut 'it'.' ²⁷ And the king answereth and saith, 'Give ye to her the living child, and put it not at all to death; she 'is' its mother.'