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1 Kings 3
New International Version
1 Kings 3
New International Version
Solomon Asks for Wisdom(A)
3 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married(B) his daughter.(C) He brought her to the City of David(D) until he finished building his palace(E) and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places,(F) because a temple had not yet been built for the Name(G) of the Lord. 3 Solomon showed his love(H) for the Lord by walking(I) according to the instructions(J) given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.(K)
4 The king went to Gibeon(L) to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared(M) to Solomon during the night in a dream,(N) and God said, “Ask(O) for whatever you want me to give you.”
6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful(P) to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son(Q) to sit on his throne this very day.
7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child(R) and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen,(S) a great people, too numerous to count or number.(T) 9 So give your servant a discerning(U) heart to govern your people and to distinguish(V) between right and wrong. For who is able(W) to govern this great people of yours?”
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked(X) for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment(Y) in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked.(Z) I will give you a wise(AA) and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not(AB) asked for—both wealth and honor(AC)—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal(AD) among kings. 14 And if you walk(AE) in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”(AF) 15 Then Solomon awoke(AG)—and he realized it had been a dream.(AH)
He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings(AI) and fellowship offerings.(AJ) Then he gave a feast(AK) for all his court.
A Wise Ruling
16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”
24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved(AL) out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom(AM) from God to administer justice.
1 Reyes 3
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1 Reyes 3
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Salomón pide sabiduría(A)
3 Salomón entró en alianza con el faraón, rey de Egipto, casándose con su hija, a la cual llevó a la Ciudad de David mientras terminaba de construir su palacio, el templo del Señor y el muro alrededor de Jerusalén. 2 Como aún no se había construido un templo en honor al nombre del Señor, el pueblo seguía ofreciendo sacrificios en los lugares altos. 3 Salomón amaba al Señor y cumplía los decretos de su padre David. Sin embargo, también iba a los santuarios locales para ofrecer sacrificios y quemar incienso.
4 Como en Gabaón estaba el santuario más importante, Salomón acostumbraba a ir al lugar para ofrecer sacrificios. Allí ofreció mil holocaustos; 5 y en ese mismo sitio se apareció el Señor en un sueño y le dijo:
—Pídeme lo que quieras.
6 Salomón respondió:
—Tú trataste con mucho amor a tu siervo David, mi padre, pues se condujo delante de ti con lealtad, justicia y honestidad.[a] Y como hoy se puede ver, has reafirmado tu gran amor al concederle que un hijo suyo lo suceda en el trono.
7 »Ahora, Señor mi Dios, me has hecho rey en lugar de mi padre David. No soy más que un muchacho y apenas sé cómo comportarme. 8 Sin embargo, aquí me tienes, un siervo tuyo en medio del pueblo que has escogido, un pueblo tan numeroso que es imposible contarlo. 9 Yo te ruego que des a tu siervo discernimiento para gobernar a tu pueblo y para distinguir entre el bien y el mal. De lo contrario, ¿quién podrá gobernar a este gran pueblo tuyo?».
10 Al Señor le agradó que Salomón hubiera hecho esa petición. 11 Y Dios le dijo:
—Como has pedido esto, y no larga vida ni riquezas para ti, ni has pedido la muerte de tus enemigos, sino discernimiento para administrar justicia, 12 voy a concederte lo que has pedido. Te daré un corazón sabio y prudente, como nadie antes de ti lo ha tenido ni lo tendrá después. 13 Además, aunque no me lo has pedido, te daré tantas riquezas y esplendor que en toda tu vida ningún rey podrá compararse contigo. 14 Si andas por mis caminos y obedeces mis estatutos y mandamientos, como lo hizo tu padre David, te daré una larga vida.
15 Cuando Salomón despertó y se dio cuenta del sueño que había tenido, regresó a Jerusalén. Se presentó ante el arca del pacto del Señor y ofreció holocaustos y sacrificios de comunión. Luego ofreció un banquete para toda su corte.
Un gobernante sabio
16 Tiempo después, dos prostitutas fueron a presentarse ante el rey. 17 Una de ellas le dijo:
—Mi señor, esta mujer y yo vivimos en la misma casa. Mientras ella estaba allí conmigo, yo di a luz 18 y a los tres días también ella dio a luz. No había en la casa nadie más que nosotras dos.
19 »Pues bien, una noche esta mujer se acostó encima de su hijo y el niño murió. 20 Pero ella se levantó a medianoche, mientras yo dormía, y, tomando a mi hijo, lo acostó junto a ella y puso a su hijo muerto a mi lado. 21 Cuando amaneció, me levanté para amamantar a mi hijo, ¡y me di cuenta de que estaba muerto! Pero, al clarear el día, lo observé bien y pude ver que no era el hijo que yo había dado a luz».
22 —¡No es cierto! —exclamó la otra mujer—. ¡El niño que está vivo es el mío y el muerto es el tuyo!
—¡Mientes! —insistió la primera—. El niño muerto es el tuyo y el que está vivo es el mío.
Y se pusieron a discutir delante del rey.
23 El rey deliberó: «Una dice: “El niño que está vivo es el mío y el muerto es el tuyo”. Y la otra dice: “¡No es cierto! El niño muerto es el tuyo y el que está vivo es el mío”».
24 Entonces ordenó:
—Tráiganme una espada.
Cuando se la trajeron, 25 dijo:
—Partan en dos al niño que está vivo y denle una mitad a esta y la otra mitad a aquella.
26 La verdadera madre, angustiada por su hijo, dijo al rey:
—¡Por favor, mi señor! ¡Dele usted a ella el niño que está vivo, pero no lo mate!
En cambio, la otra exclamó:
—¡Ni para mí ni para ti! ¡Que lo partan!
27 Entonces el rey ordenó:
—No lo maten. Entréguenle a la primera el niño que está vivo, pues ella es la madre.
28 Cuando todos los israelitas se enteraron de la sentencia que el rey había pronunciado, sintieron un gran respeto por él, pues vieron que tenía sabiduría de Dios para administrar justicia.
Footnotes
- 3:6 honestidad. Lit. con un corazón recto. En la Biblia, corazón se usa para designar el asiento de las emociones, pensamientos y voluntad, es decir, el proceso de toma de decisiones del ser humano.
1 Kings 3
English Standard Version
1 Kings 3
English Standard Version
Solomon's Prayer for Wisdom
3 (A)Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into (B)the city of David until he had finished (C)building his own house (D)and the house of the Lord (E)and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 (F)The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
3 Solomon (G)loved the Lord, (H)walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, (I)for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 (J)At Gibeon (K)the Lord appeared to Solomon (L)in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because (M)he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and (N)have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, (O)you have made your servant king in place of David my father, (P)although I am but a little child. I do not know (Q)how to go out or come in. 8 (R)And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, (S)too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 (T)Give your servant therefore an understanding mind (U)to govern your people, that I may (V)discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, (W)I now do according to your word. Behold, (X)I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 (Y)I give you also what you have not asked, (Z)both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, (AA)as your father David walked, then (AB)I will lengthen your days.”
15 And Solomon (AC)awoke, and behold, 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 his servants.
Solomon's Wisdom
16 Then two prostitutes came to the king (AD)and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. 18 Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house. 19 And this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne.” 22 But the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” 24 And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because (AE)her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” 27 Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that (AF)the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
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Nueva Versión Internacional (NVI) 
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English Standard Version (ESV) 
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