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the king, and stood before him. And one Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; Ben-
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woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh,
in the same house; and I gave birth while she and Elon Beth Hanan; 10 Ben-Hesed, in
was in the house. Then it happened, the third Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the
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day after I had given birth, that this woman land of Hepher; Ben-Abinadab, in all the
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also gave birth. And we were together; no one regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter
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was with us in the house, except the two of us of Solomon as wife; Baana the son of Ahilud,
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in the house. And this woman’s son died in the in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean,
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night, because she lay on him. So she arose in which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from
the middle of the night and took my son from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the
my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid other side of Jokneam; 13 Ben-Geber, in
him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged the towns of
bosom. And when I rose in the morning to Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him
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nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I also belonged the region of Argob in Bashan—
had examined him in the morning, indeed, he sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-
was not my son whom I had borne.” bars; Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
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22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath
living one is my son, and the dead one is your the daughter of Solomon as wife; Baanah the
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son.” son of Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; Jehosh-
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And the first woman said, “No! But the dead aphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; Shimei
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one is your son, and the living one is my son.” the son of Elah, in Benjamin; Geber the son
Thus they spoke before the king. of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in the country of
23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of
my son, who lives, and your son is the dead Bashan. He was the only governor who was in
one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the land.
the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ” 20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the
24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drink-
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they brought a sword before the king. And the ing and rejoicing. So Solomon reigned over
king said, “Divide the living child in two, and all kingdoms from the River to the land of the
give half to one, and half to the other.” Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They
26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke brought tribute and served Solomon all the
to the king, for she yearned with compassion for days of his life.
her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the 22 Now Solomon’s provision for one day was
living child, and by no means kill him!” thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal,
But the other said, “Let him be neither mine 23 ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pas-
nor yours, but divide him.” tures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer,
27 So the king answered and said, “Give the gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.
first woman the living child, and by no means 24 For he had dominion over all the region on
kill him; she is his mother.” this side of the River from Tiphsah even to
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of
the king had rendered; and they feared the the River; and he had peace on every side all
king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was around him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safe-
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in him to administer justice. ly, each man under his vine and his fig tree,
So King Solomon was king over all Israel. from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of
4 And these were his officials: Azariah the Solomon.
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son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph and 26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of hors-
Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; es for his chariots, and twelve thousand horse-
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Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; men. And these governors, each man in his
4 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; month, provided food for King Solomon and
Zadok and Abiathar, the priests; Azariah the for all who came to King Solomon’s table.
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son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the There was no lack in their supply. They also
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son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s friend; brought barley and straw to the proper place,
6 Ahishar, over the household; and Adoniram for the horses and steeds, each man according
the son of Abda, over the labor force. to his charge.
7 And Solomon had twelve governors over all 29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceed-
Israel, who provided food for the king and his ingly great understanding, and largeness of
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household; each one made provision for one heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus
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month of the year. These are their names: Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all
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