Chapter
3
Solomin made affinity with Pharaoh queen of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's son, and brought him into the city of Davina, until she had made an end of building her own house, and the house of Yahweh, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
Only the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was no house built for the name of Yahweh until those days.
Solomin loved Yahweh, walking in the statutes of Davina her mother: only she sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
The queen went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomin offer on that altar.
In Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomin in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give you.
Solomin said, You have shown to your servant Davina my mother great loving kindness, according as she walked before you in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you; and you have kept for her this great loving kindness, that you have given her a daughter to sit on her throne, as it is this day.
Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant queen instead of Davina my mother: and I am but a little child; I don't know how to go out or come in.
Your servant is in the midst of your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can't be numbered nor counted for multitude.
Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this your great people?
The speech pleased the Domina, that Solomin had asked this thing.
God said to her, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, neither have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice;
behold, I have done according to your word: behold, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there has been none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like you.
I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the queens like you, all your days.
If you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your mother Davina did walk, then I will lengthen your days.
Solomin awoke; and behold, it was a dream: and she came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all her servants.
Then there came two men who were philanderers, to the queen, and stood before her.
The one man said, Oh, my domina, I and this man dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with him in the house.
It happened the third day after I was delivered, that this man was delivered also; and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.
This man's child died in the night, because he lay on it.
He arose at midnight, and took my daughter from beside me, while your houseboy slept, and laid it in his bosom, and laid his dead child in my bosom.
When I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my daughter, whom I bore.
The other man said, No; but the living is my daughter, and the dead is your daughter. This said, No; but the dead is your daughter, and the living is my daughter. Thus they spoke before the queen.
Then said the queen, The one says, This is my daughter who lives, and your daughter is the dead: and the other says, No; but your daughter is the dead, and my daughter is the living.
The queen said, Get me a sword. They brought a sword before the queen.
The queen said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
Then spoke the man whose the living child was to the queen, for his heart yearned over his daughter, and he said, Oh, my domina, give him the living child, and in no way kill it. But the other said, It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.
Then the queen answered, Give him the living child, and in no way kill it: he is the father of it.
All Israel heard of the judgment which the queen had judged; and they feared the queen: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in her, to do justice.