Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The III. Chapter.

[ A] ANd Salomon made mariage w^t Pha¦rao the kynge of Egipte, & toke Pha∣raos doughter, and broughte her in to the cite of Dauid, tyll he had buylded his house, and the LORDES house, and the walles rounde aboute Ierusalem. But the people offred yet vpon the hye places: for as yet there was no house buylded vnto the name of the LORDE vnto that tyme. But Salo∣mon loued the LORDE, and walked after the ordinaunces of Dauid his father: excepte o∣nely that he offred and brent incense vpon the hye places.

And the kynge wente vnto Gibeon, to do sacrifice there: for that was a goodly hye place. And Salomon offred a thousande burnt offerynges vpon the same altare. And the LORDE appeared vnto Salomon at Gi∣beon in a dreame of the nighte, and God say¦de: Axe what I shal geue y^e. Salomō saide: Thou hast done greate mercy vnto my fa∣ther Dauid thy seruaunt. Like as he wal∣ked before the in faithfulnes and righteous∣nes, and in a true hert with the, & this grea∣te mercy hast thou layed vp for him, and ge¦uen him a sonne to syt vpon his seate, as it is now come to passe.

Now LORDE my God, thou hast made [ B] thy seruaunt kynge in my father Dauids steade: As for me, I am but a small yonge man, knowynge nether my outgoynge ner ingoynge. And thy seruaunt is amonge the people whom thou hast chosen: which is so greate, that no man can nombre them ner descrybe them for multitude. Geue thy ser∣uaunt therfore an obedient hert, that he maye iudge thy people, & vnderstonde what is good & bad: for who is able to iudge this thy mightie people?

This pleased the LORDE well, that Sa∣lomon axed soch a peticion. And God sayde vnto him: For so moch as thou axest this, and desyrest not longe lyfe, nether riches, ne∣ther y^e soules of thine enemies, but vnderstō¦dinge to heare iudgment, beholde, therfore haue I done acordynge to thy wordes. Be¦holde, I haue geuen the an hert of wyszdo∣me and vnderstondynge, so that soch one as thou hath not bene before the, nether shall ryse vp after the.

Yee and that thou hast not prayed for, ha¦ue I geuen the also, namely, ryches, and ho∣noure, so that amonge the kynges in y^e tyme there is not soch one as thou. And yf thou wilt walke in my wayes, so that thou kepe myne ordinaunces and lawes, as Dauid thy father hath walked, then wyll I geue the a longe lyfe.

And whan Salomon awaked, beholde, [ C] it was a dreame, and he came to Ierusalē, and stode before the Arke of the LORDES co∣uenaunt,

and offred burnt offerynges, and health offeringes, and made a greate feast vn¦to his seruauntes.

At the same tyme came there two harlot∣tes vnto y^e kynge, and stode before him. And the one woman sayde: Oh my lorde, I and this woman dwelt in one house, and I was delyuered of a childe in the house with her: & on the thirde daye after that I was delyue¦red, she was delyuered of a childe also. And we were together, so y^t there was no straun∣ger in y^e house, but we two: & this womans sonne died in the nighte (for she smoored him in the slepe) and she rose vp in the nighte, and toke my sonne fro my syde (where thy hand∣mayde slepte,) and layed it in hir arme, and hir deed sonne layed she in myne arme. And whan I rose vp in the mornynge to geue my sonne sucke, beholde, he was deed. But in the mornynge I loked well, and beholde, it was not my sonne, whom I had borne.

[ D] The other woman sayde: Not so, my son∣ne lyueth, and thy sonne is deed. But she say¦de: Not so, thy sonne is deed, and my sonne li¦ueth. And thus spake they before the kynge. And the kynge sayde: This womā saieth: my sonne lyueth and thy sonne is deed: Yonder woman sayeth: Not so, thy sonne is deed, & my sonne lyueth. And the kynge saide: Fetch me a swerde. And whan the swerde was brought before the kynge, the kynge sayde: Parte the lyuynge childe in two partes, and geue this woman the one halfe, and yonder woman the other halfe.

Then sayde the woman whose sonne ly∣ued, vnto y^e kinge: (for hir motherly hert was kyndled with pite ouer hir sonne) Oh my lor∣de, geue hir the childe alyue, and kyll it not. But the other sayde: Let it nether be myne ner thine, but let it be parted. Then answered the kynge, and sayde: Geue this woman the lyuynge childe, and slaye it not, for she is his mother. And all Israel herde of this iudg∣ment that the kynge had geuen: and they feared the kynge, for they sawe that y^e wys∣dome of God was in him to kepe iudgmēt.

Notes

• 2. Par. 1. a
• 3. Reg. 9. a
• Sap. 9. a
• Eccle. 1. c
• ••. Re. 15. a
• 2. Par. 1. b