1 Kings 3:16-28 - Solomon's Wisdom Tested: The Two Prostitutes
16 One day two women who were prostitutes came to the king. 17 One of them said: Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby boy at home while she was there. 18 Two days after my child was born she also gave birth to a baby boy. Only the two of us were there in the house. No one else was there. 19 One night she accidentally rolled over on her baby and smothered it. 20 She got up during the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She took him to her bed and put the dead child in my bed. 21 The next morning I woke up and was going to nurse my baby. It was dead. I looked at it more closely and saw that it was not my child.
22 The other woman said: The living child is mine, and the dead one is yours! The first woman answered back: The dead child is yours, and the living one is mine! They argued before the king.
23 King Solomon said: Each of you claims that the living child is hers and that the dead child belongs to the other one. 24 He sent for a sword. When it arrived, 25 he said: Cut the living child in two and give each woman half of it.
26 With a heart full of love for her son the real mother said: Please, Your Majesty, do not kill the child! Give it to her! But the other woman said: Do not give it to either of us cut it in two.
27 Then Solomon said: Do not kill the child! Give it to the first woman. She is the real mother. 28 The people of Israel heard of Solomon's decision and were all filled with deep respect for him. They knew then that God had given him the wisdom to settle disputes fairly.