to Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people and to discern between good and evil.”
The Lord was pleased with his petition, and He said to him: “Because thou hast asked this thing and hast not asked for thyself long life nor riches nor the lives of thy enemies, but hast asked for thyself wisdom to discern judgment, behold, I have done for thee according to thy words and have given thee a wise and understanding heart, insomuch that there hath been no one like thee before thee, nor shall arise after thee. Yea, and the things also which thou didst not ask, I have given thee: riches and glory, so that no one hath been like thee among the kings in all days heretofore. And if thou wilt walk in my ways and keep my precepts and commandments, as thy father walked, I will lengthen thy days.” And Solomon became renowned for wisdom and for power and glory.
On one occasion two women came to Solomon, asking him to decide their dispute. The first woman said: “We were living alone in a house, only we two. Now I had a child, and she had a child; and in the night when she was asleep, she overlaid her child, and it died. And rising in the dead of the night she took my child, while I, thy handmaid, was asleep, and laid her dead child in my bosom. When I arose in the morning, behold, my child was dead; but considering him more diligently when it was clear day, I found that it was not mine.” Then the second woman answered: “It is not so as thou sayest, but thy child is dead and mine is alive.”
But the first woman insisted that the living child was hers, and so they disputed[1] before the king. Then Solomon ordered a sword[2] to be brought to him, and when it was brought he said: “Divide the living child in two and give half to the one and half to the other.” Hearing this, the woman whose child was alive, being moved to pity, cried out in terror: “I beseech thee, my lord, give her the child alive, and do not kill it.”
- ↑ Disputed. The dispute between the women was hard to decide, because no witnesses could be called.
- ↑ A sword. The king gave this command, because he had the foresight to know that by it he would find out the true mother, and that there would be no question of its being really carried out. He rightly judged that the maternal heart of the woman would move her rather to give up her child than see it killed.
