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Friday, August 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

1 Kings 3:27

Then King Solomon said, "Don't kill him. Give the baby to the first woman, because she is the real mother."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Arbitration;   Judge;   Parents;   Rulers;   Solomon;   Tact;   Wisdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Solomon;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Children;   Justice;   Magistrates;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Solomon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Book(s);   Court Systems;   King, Kingship;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Israel;   Priests and Levites;   Wisdom;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Boyhood ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Sol'omon;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Decision;   Proverbs, Book of;   Queen of Sheba;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.”
Hebrew Names Version
Then the king answered, Give her the living child, and in no way kill it: she is the mother of it.
King James Version
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
English Standard Version
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."
New English Translation
The king responded, "Give the first woman the living child; don't kill him. She is the mother."
Amplified Bible
Then the king said, "Give the first woman [who is pleading for his life] the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother."
New American Standard Bible
Then the king replied, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the King answered, and sayde, Giue her the liuing childe, and slay him not: this is his mother.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then the king said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means put him to death. She is his mother."
Contemporary English Version
Solomon said, "Don't kill the baby." Then he pointed to the first woman, "She is his real mother. Give the baby to her."
Complete Jewish Bible
Then the king answered, "Give the living child to the first woman, don't kill it, because she is its mother."
Darby Translation
And the king answered and said, Give this one the living child, and in no wise put it to death: she is its mother.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then King Solomon said, "Stop, don't kill the baby. Give him to this woman. She is the real mother."
George Lamsa Translation
Then the king answered and said, Give the child alive to the first woman and in no wise slay it; she is the mother thereof.
Good News Translation
Then Solomon said, "Don't kill the child! Give it to the first woman—she is its real mother."
Lexham English Bible
Then the king answered and said, "Give the living child to her, and do not kill him; she is his mother."
Literal Translation
And the king answered and said, Give to her the living child, and do not put it to death at all; she is its mother.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then answered the kynge, and sayde: Geue this woman the lyuynge childe, and slaye it not, for she is his mother.
American Standard Version
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
Bible in Basic English
Then the king made answer and said, Give her the child, and do not put it to death; she is the mother of it.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then the king aunswered and sayde: Geue her the liuing childe, and slay it not, for she is the mother therof.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then the king answered and said: 'Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.'
King James Version (1611)
Then the King answered and said, Giue her the liuing child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Then the king answered and said, Give the child to her that said, ‘Give it to her, and by no means slay it:’ she is its mother.
English Revised Version
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
Berean Standard Bible
Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you kill him; she is his mother."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The kyng answeride, and seide, Yyue ye to this womman the yong child quyk, and be he not slayn; forsothe this is `his modir.
Young's Literal Translation
And the king answereth and saith, `Give ye to her the living child, and put it not at all to death; she [is] its mother.'
Update Bible Version
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no way slay it: she's the mother thereof.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she [is] the mother of it.
World English Bible
Then the king answered, Give her the living child, and in no way kill it: she is the mother of it.
New King James Version
So the king answered and said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother."
New Living Translation
Then the king said, "Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!"
New Life Bible
Then the king answered and said, "Give the first woman the living child. Do not kill him. She is his mother."
New Revised Standard
Then the king responded: "Give the first woman the living boy; do not kill him. She is his mother."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then responded the king, and said - Give, her, the living child, ye shall not, kill, it, - she, is its mother.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The king answered, and said: Give the living child to this woman, and let it not be killed; for she is the mother thereof.
Revised Standard Version
Then the king answered and said, "Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means slay it; she is its mother."
THE MESSAGE
The king gave his decision: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Nobody is going to kill this baby. She is the real mother."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the king said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother."

Contextual Overview

16 One day two women who were prostitutes came to Solomon. As they stood before him, 17 one of the women said, "My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was there with me. 18 Three days later this woman also gave birth to a baby. No one else was in the house with us; it was just the two of us. 19 One night this woman rolled over on her baby, and he died. 20 So she took my son from my bed during the night while I was asleep, and she carried him to her bed. Then she put the dead baby in my bed. 21 The next morning when I got up to feed my baby, I saw that he was dead! When I looked at him more closely, I realized he was not my son." 22 "No!" the other woman cried. "The living baby is my son, and the dead baby is yours!" But the first woman said, "No! The dead baby is yours, and the living one is mine!" So the two women argued before the king. 23 Then King Solomon said, "One of you says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead.' Then the other one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and my son is alive.'" 24 The king sent his servants to get a sword. When they brought it to him, 25 he said, "Cut the living baby into two pieces, and give each woman half."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Job 39:16 - as Isaiah 49:15 - a woman

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then the king answered and said, give her the living child,

and in no wise slay it,.... That is, to her who desired it might not be slain, but rather be given to her who had no right to it:

she [is] the mother thereof; which might be strongly concluded from her compassion for it, her eagerness and earnestness to have its life spared, and from the indifference of the other, yea, from her cruelty and barbarity in moving to have it divided.


 
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