1 Kings 6:1 Solomon began to build the temple for Yahveh in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month.
1 Kings 6:2 The temple that King Solomon built for Yahveh was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.
1 Kings 6:3 The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was twenty cubits long extending across the temple’s width, and ten cubits deep in front of the temple.
1 Kings 6:4 He also made windows with recessed frames for the temple.
1 Kings 6:5 He then built a chambered structure along the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around.
1 Kings 6:6 The lowest chamber was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all around the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.
1 Kings 6:7 The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.
1 Kings 6:8 The door for the lowest side chamber was on the right side of the temple. They went up a stairway to the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third.
1 Kings 6:9 When he finished building the temple, he covered it with boards and planks of cedar.
1 Kings 6:10 He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams; each story was five cubits high.
1 Kings 6:11 The word of Yahveh came to Solomon:
1 Kings 6:12 “As for this temple you are building– if you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep all my commands by walking in them, I will fulfill my promise to you, which I made to your father David.
1 Kings 6:13 I will dwell among the Israelites and not abandon my people, Israel.”
1 Kings 6:14 When Solomon finished building the temple,
1 Kings 6:15 he covered the interior temple walls with cedar boards; from the temple floor to the surface of the ceiling he overlaid the interior with wood. He also overlaid the floor with cypress boards.
1 Kings 6:16 Then he lined twenty cubits of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling, and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.
1 Kings 6:17 The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place, was forty cubits long.
1 Kings 6:18 The cedar covering inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds and flower blossoms. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen.
1 Kings 6:19 He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple to put the ark of Yahveh ‘s covenant there.
1 Kings 6:20 The interior of the sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high; he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the cedar altar.
1 Kings 6:21 Next, Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold, and he hung gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary and overlaid it with gold.
1 Kings 6:22 So he added the gold overlay to the entire temple until everything was finished, including the entire altar that belongs to the inner sanctuary.
1 Kings 6:23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim ten cubits high out of olive wood.
1 Kings 6:24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing was five cubits long. The wingspan was ten cubits from tip to tip.
1 Kings 6:25 The second cherub also was ten cubits; both cherubim had the same size and shape.
1 Kings 6:26 The first cherub’s height was ten cubits and so was the second cherub’s.
1 Kings 6:27 Then he put the cherubim inside the inner temple. Since their wings were spread out, the first one’s wing touched one wall while the second cherub’s wing touched the other wall, and in the middle of the temple their wings were touching wing to wing.
1 Kings 6:28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.
1 Kings 6:29 He carved all the surrounding temple walls with carved engravings– cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms– in the inner and outer sanctuaries.
1 Kings 6:30 He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and the outer sanctuaries.
1 Kings 6:31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made olive wood doors. The pillars of the doorposts were five-sided.
1 Kings 6:32 The two doors were made of olive wood. He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold, hammering gold over the cherubim and palm trees.
1 Kings 6:33 In the same way, he made four-sided olive wood doorposts for the sanctuary entrance.
1 Kings 6:34 The two doors were made of cypress wood; the first door had two folding sides, and the second door had two folding panels.
1 Kings 6:35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold applied evenly over the carving.
1 Kings 6:36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams.
1 Kings 6:37 The foundation of Yahveh ‘s temple was laid in Solomon’s fourth year in the month of Ziv.
1 Kings 6:38 In his eleventh year in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification. So, he built it in seven years.
18 As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen). 19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” 20 They left their nets immediately and followed him. 21 Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. Then he called them. 22 They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.
Today’s passage introduces us to four ordinary fishermen going about their daily work along the Sea of Galilee. The scene is simple and familiar: two brothers in one boat, and two more in another boat with their father, Zebedee. You can almost smell the fish on their hands and see the sun on their faces. They are doing what they had done countless times — casting their nets, mending their nets, preparing for another day of labor.
But on this particular day, everything changed.
Into this ordinary moment stepped Jesus Christ, and His call transformed their lives forever. These men would no longer spend their days pulling fish from the water. Instead, they would begin learning how to draw people into the life and kingdom of God. What began as a routine morning on the lake became the doorway to a mission that would reshape the world.
There is something deeply comforting and deeply challenging about this scene. Jesus did not call these men while they were in the synagogue or engaged in religious duties. He called them in the middle of their workday, right where life felt most ordinary. And He still does the same today. Christ meets us in the routines we know so well and invites us into something greater — a life of purpose, discipleship, and kingdom influence.
As we look more closely at each of these four fishermen, may we listen for the same voice that called them. May we be ready to leave whatever holds us back and follow the One who still transforms ordinary people into His faithful servants.
The First Fisherman Is Simon, Aka Peter.
Peter, originally named Simon, was a fisherman from Bethsaida and later Capernaum, working alongside his brother Andrew on the Sea of Galilee. His life changed forever when Jesus called him to leave his nets and follow Him. Jesus renamed him Peter (Greek Petros, “rock”), signaling the foundational role he would play in the emerging community of believers.
Peter quickly became one of Jesus’ closest disciples. Bold, impulsive, and deeply loyal, he often acted as the spokesman for the Twelve. He was present at key moments: the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’s daughter, and Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. His confession — “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” — marked a turning point in Jesus’ ministry. Yet Peter’s humanity was equally visible. Despite his confidence, he tried to convince Jesus not to go to the cross. He denied knowing Jesus three times during the trial, a failure that left him devastated. After the resurrection, Jesus restored him gently on the shores of Galilee, commissioning him to “feed my sheep,” a charge that shaped the rest of his life.
After Jesus’ ascension, Peter emerged as a central leader in the early church. On the Day of Pentecost, he preached the sermon that launched the Christian movement, leading thousands to faith. He performed miracles, confronted opposition from the Sanhedrin, and shepherded the growing community in Jerusalem. His encounter with Cornelius, a Roman centurion, marked a decisive moment in the church’s expansion, demonstrating that the gospel was for Gentiles as well as Jews.
Peter’s ministry eventually extended beyond Judea. Early Christian tradition places him in Antioch and later in Rome, where he continued preaching Christ in the heart of the empire. His two New Testament letters reflect a seasoned shepherd encouraging believers to endure suffering with hope, holiness, and steadfast faith.
According to ancient testimony, Peter was martyred in Rome during Nero’s persecution, likely in the mid‑60s AD. Tradition holds that he was crucified upside down, deeming himself unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.
Peter’s life is a portrait of transformation — from fisherman to apostle, from fearful denier to courageous witness. His story reminds believers that Christ forms ordinary people into instruments of extraordinary grace, grounding their hope not in their strength but in the life God alone can give.
The Second Fisherman Is Andrew, Peter’s Brother.
Andrew, one of the earliest followers of Jesus, was born in Bethsaida on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. A fisherman by trade, he worked alongside his brother Simon Peter, with whom he shared both a livelihood and a spiritual hunger. Before meeting Jesus, Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, drawn to John’s call for repentance and readiness for the coming Messiah. It was John who first pointed Andrew to Jesus, declaring Him “the Lamb of God.” Andrew immediately followed Jesus and, after spending time with Him, became the first recorded disciple to bring another person to Christ — his own brother Peter.
This pattern of introducing others to Jesus became Andrew’s defining mark. While he never occupied the same public prominence as Peter, James, or John, Andrew consistently appears in Scripture as a quiet connector, someone who noticed people and brought them to the Lord. He brought the boy with the loaves and fish to Jesus before the feeding of the five thousand, and he helped facilitate the approach of Greek seekers who wished to meet Christ. Andrew’s instinct was always relational, always invitational.
Andrew was among the Twelve whom Jesus appointed as apostles, entrusted with preaching, healing, and casting out demons. He witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles and teachings, including the Discourse on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus spoke of the end of the age. After the resurrection and ascension, Andrew remained with the early believers in Jerusalem, praying and waiting for the promised Holy Spirit. Though the book of Acts focuses more on Peter and Paul, early Christian tradition preserves Andrew’s missionary legacy.
According to ancient accounts, Andrew traveled north and west, preaching the gospel in regions such as Scythia, Thrace, and Achaia. His ministry was marked by perseverance, humility, and a willingness to serve in places far from the centers of power. Tradition holds that Andrew was eventually martyred in the city of Patras, crucified on an X‑shaped cross — a form of execution he reportedly accepted with joy, considering himself unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.
Andrew’s life is a portrait of faithful, relational evangelism. He reminds believers that the kingdom of God often advances through quiet introductions, personal invitations, and the steady witness of those who simply bring people to Jesus.
The Third Fisherman Is A Man Named James, Son Of Zebedee.
James, the son of Zebedee and older brother of John, was one of the earliest disciples called by Jesus. A fisherman by trade, James worked with his family on the Sea of Galilee, likely in a prosperous business that partnered with Simon Peter. When Jesus walked by their boat and called them, James and John immediately left the nets they were mending and followed Him — a decisive act that reveals both their spiritual readiness and the compelling authority of Christ’s call.
James quickly became part of Jesus’ inner circle, along with Peter and John. These three witnessed moments of profound revelation that the other disciples did not. James was present when Jesus raised Jairus’s daughter, when He was transfigured on the mountain, and when He agonized in prayer in Gethsemane. These experiences shaped James into a man who understood both the glory and the suffering of the Messiah.
Jesus gave James and John the nickname “Boanerges,” meaning “Sons of Thunder.” The name likely reflected their passionate, fiery personalities. At one point, they asked Jesus if they should call down fire on a Samaritan village that rejected Him. On another occasion, they boldly requested seats at Jesus’ right and left hand in His kingdom. Though their zeal was sometimes misdirected, Jesus shaped it into courageous devotion.
After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, James continued as a leader in the early Jerusalem church. His boldness and prominence made him a target of opposition. In Acts 12, King Herod Agrippa I arrested James and had him executed by the sword, making him the first apostle to be martyred. His death, occurring around AD 44, demonstrated the cost of discipleship and the seriousness with which the early church’s enemies viewed its leaders.
James left no written works. The Letter of James we have in the New Testament is written by another James, the brother of Jesus. But this James’ legacy is profound. He was a man of action, loyalty, and intensity — a disciple who followed Jesus immediately, served Him passionately, and sealed his testimony with his blood. His life reminds believers that following Christ is both glorious and costly, and that God uses even fiery, imperfect people to advance His kingdom.
James, son of Zebedee, stands as a model of courageous faith: a man who saw Christ’s glory, shared in His sufferings, and remained faithful to the end.
The Fourth Fisherman Is A Man Named John, Son Of Zebedee.
John, the son of Zebedee and younger brother of James, was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee before Jesus called him to discipleship. Working in a family business that appears to have been relatively prosperous, John likely grew up with both responsibility and religious devotion. When Jesus called John and James from their nets, they immediately left everything to follow Him — a decisive act that marked the beginning of a lifelong relationship with the Messiah.
John quickly became part of Jesus’ inner circle, along with Peter and James. These three witnessed some of the most intimate and defining moments of Jesus’ ministry: the raising of Jairus’s daughter, the Transfiguration, and the agony of Gethsemane. John’s closeness to Jesus is further emphasized by his position at the Last Supper, where he reclined next to the Lord, earning him the title “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” This phrase reflects not favoritism but the depth of John’s personal experience of Christ’s love.
John’s temperament was passionate — Jesus nicknamed him and his brother “Boanerges,” or “Sons of Thunder.” Yet over time, John’s fiery zeal was transformed into a mature, steadfast love that permeates his writings. At the crucifixion, John was the only apostle recorded as remaining near the cross, where Jesus entrusted him with the care of His mother, Mary. After the resurrection, John was among the first to believe upon seeing the empty tomb.
In the early church, John emerged as a pillar of leadership in Jerusalem alongside Peter. Later tradition places him in Ephesus, where he shepherded the churches of Asia Minor. His writings — the Gospel of John, three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation — reveal a profound theological mind shaped by intimate knowledge of Christ. John emphasizes themes of life, love, truth, and the identity of Jesus as the eternal Word made flesh.
According to early Christian testimony, John was exiled to the island of Patmos during a period of persecution, where he received the visions recorded in Revelation. Unlike most of the apostles, John is believed to have died a natural death in old age, leaving behind a legacy of pastoral care, theological depth, and unwavering devotion to Christ.
John’s life stands as a witness to the transforming power of Jesus’ love — turning a Son of Thunder into an apostle of truth and love whose voice still shapes the church today.
Principles we learn from the Four Fishermen
As we look at the lives of these four fishermen whom Jesus called, several powerful principles rise to the surface — principles that still speak to us today.
First, each of these men was willing to follow Jesus Christ. They did not understand everything at first, but they recognized His voice and responded. Their obedience began with a simple step: leaving behind what was familiar in order to walk with the Lord.
Second, all four were willing to let the Lord use them. They offered Jesus their ordinary lives — their hands, their skills, their personalities — and He shaped them into instruments of His kingdom. None of them brought impressive résumés; they simply brought willing hearts.
Third, their time with Jesus changed them deeply. His teaching, His compassion, His holiness, and His patience transformed them from the inside out. They were not the same men at the end of the journey as they were at the beginning.
Fourth, none of them started as people of great influence, yet by following Christ they became leaders who shaped the world. Their greatness did not come from natural ability but from walking closely with the One who is truly great.
Fifth, none of them felt worthy of Christ, yet they still served Him. Their humility became the soil in which God grew boldness, faith, and perseverance.
Sixth, each man had a family, yet their commitment to Christ came first. They loved their families well, but they loved their Lord supremely.
Finally, these men were dramatically different from one another, yet Jesus welcomed them all and wove their differences into His mission.
Lord, make us just as willing, just as humble, and just as ready to be changed by You.
1 Kings 5:1 King Hiram of Tyre sent his emissaries to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place, because Hiram had always been friends with David.
1 Kings 5:2 Solomon sent this message to Hiram:
1 Kings 5:3 “You know my father David was not able to build a temple for the name of Yahveh his God. This was due to the warfare all around him until Yahveh put his enemies under his feet.
1 Kings 5:4 Yahveh my God has now given me rest on every side; there is no enemy or crisis.
1 Kings 5:5 So I plan to build a temple for the name of Yahveh my God, according to what Yahveh promised my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the temple for my name.’
1 Kings 5:6 “Therefore, command that cedars from Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants’ wages according to whatever you say, for you know that not a man among us knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”
1 Kings 5:7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s words, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be Yahveh today! He has given David a wise son to be over this great people!”
1 Kings 5:8 Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying, “I have heard your message; I will do everything you want regarding the cedar and cypress timber.
1 Kings 5:9 My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place you indicate. I will break them apart there, and you can take them away. You then can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”
1 Kings 5:10 So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,
1 Kings 5:11 and Solomon provided Hiram with one hundred thousand bushels of wheat as food for his household and one hundred ten thousand gallons of oil from crushed olives. Solomon did this for Hiram year after year.
1 Kings 5:12 Yahveh gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.
1 Kings 5:13 Then King Solomon drafted forced laborers from all Israel; the labor force numbered thirty thousand men.
1 Kings 5:14 He sent ten thousand to Lebanon each month in shifts; one month they were in Lebanon, two months they were at home. Adoniram oversaw the forced labor.
1 Kings 5:15 Solomon had seventy thousand porters and eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountains,
1 Kings 5:16 not including his thirty-three hundred deputies in charge of the work. They supervised the people doing the work.
1 Kings 5:17 The king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.
1 Kings 5:18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the temple’s construction.
1 Kings 4:2 and these were his officials: Azariah son of Zadok, priest;
1 Kings 4:3 Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, court historian;
1 Kings 4:4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, in charge of the army; Zadok and Abiathar, priests;
1 Kings 4:5 Azariah son of Nathan, in charge of the deputies; Zabud son of Nathan, a priest and adviser to the king;
1 Kings 4:6 Ahishar, in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda, in charge of forced labor.
1 Kings 4:7 Solomon had twelve deputies for all Israel. They provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month out of the year.
1 Kings 4:8 These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
1 Kings 4:9 Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan;
1 Kings 4:10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (he had Socoh and the whole land of Hepher);
1 Kings 4:11 Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (Taphath daughter of Solomon was his wife);
1 Kings 4:12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam;
1 Kings 4:13 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of Jair son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);
1 Kings 4:14 Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
1 Kings 4:15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also had married a daughter of Solomon– Basemath);
1 Kings 4:16 Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;
1 Kings 4:17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;
1 Kings 4:18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;
1 Kings 4:19 Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of King Sihon of the Amorites and of King Og of Bashan. There was one deputy in the land of Judah.
1 Kings 4:20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea; they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing.
1 Kings 4:21 Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt. They offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
1 Kings 4:22 Solomon’s provisions for one day were 150 bushels of fine flour and 300 bushels of meal,
1 Kings 4:23 ten fattened cattle, twenty range cattle, and a hundred sheep and goats, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and pen-fed poultry,
1 Kings 4:24 for he had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza and over all the kings west of the Euphrates. He had peace on all his surrounding borders.
1 Kings 4:25 Throughout Solomon’s reign, Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beer-sheba, each person under his own vine and his own fig tree.
1 Kings 4:26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
1 Kings 4:27 Each of those deputies for a month in turn provided food for King Solomon and for everyone who came to King Solomon’s table. They neglected nothing.
1 Kings 4:28 Each man brought the barley and the straw for the chariot teams and the other horses to the required place according to his assignment.
1 Kings 4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom, very great insight, and understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore.
1 Kings 4:30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.
1 Kings 4:31 He was wiser than anyone– wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol. His reputation extended to all the surrounding nations.
1 Kings 4:32 Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005.
1 Kings 4:33 He spoke about trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He also spoke about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
1 Kings 4:34 Emissaries of all peoples, sent by every king in the land who had heard of his wisdom, came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom.
1 Kings 3:1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. Solomon brought her to the city of David until he finished building his palace, Yahveh ‘s temple, and the wall surrounding Jerusalem.
1 Kings 3:2 However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, because until that time a temple for Yahveh ‘s name had not been built.
1 Kings 3:3 Solomon loved Yahveh by walking in the statutes of his father David, but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
1 Kings 3:4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
1 Kings 3:5 At Gibeon Yahveh appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask. What should I give you?”
1 Kings 3:6 And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to your servant, my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.
1 Kings 3:7 “Yahveh my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a boy[1] with no experience in leadership.
1 Kings 3:8 Your servant is among your people you have chosen, a people too many to be numbered or counted.
1 Kings 3:9 So give your servant a receptive heart to judge your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?”
1 Kings 3:10 Now it pleased Yahveh that Solomon had requested this.
1 Kings 3:11 So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the throat of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to administer justice,
1 Kings 3:12 I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again.
1 Kings 3:13 In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no king will be your equal during your entire life.
1 Kings 3:14 If you walk in my ways and keep my statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”
1 Kings 3:15 Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.
1 Kings 3:16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
1 Kings 3:17 One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house.
1 Kings 3:18 On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby, and we were alone. No one else was with us in the house; just the two of us were there.
1 Kings 3:19 During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him.
1 Kings 3:20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him in her arms, and she put her dead son in my arms.
1 Kings 3:21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.”
1 Kings 3:22 “No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.” The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.” So they argued before the king.
1 Kings 3:23 The king replied, “This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.'”
1 Kings 3:24 The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king.
1 Kings 3:25 And the king said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
1 Kings 3:26 The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don’t have him killed!” But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!”
1 Kings 3:27 The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.”
1 Kings 3:28 All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they feared the king because they saw that God’s wisdom was in him to carry out justice.
jeffersonvann 