Two women, harlots, came to the king and stood before him.  And one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in the same house, and I gave birth with her in the house.  On the third day after I had given birth, this woman also gave birth; and we were together, there was no stranger with us in the house, except we two in the house,  And this woman's son died during the night, because she lay on him.  And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me--thy maidservant was asleep--and laid him at her breast.  I arose in the morning to suckle my son, and behold, he was dead!  Then I looked at him closely in the morning, and behold, he was not my son whom I had borne!  But the other woman said, No, the living is my son and the dead is thy son; and the first one said, No, the dead is thy son and living is my son.  Thus they spoke before the king. Then the king said, This one says, The living is my son and the dead is thy son, and this one says, No, the dead is thy son and the living is my son.  And the king said, Bring me a sword.   And they brought a sword before the king.  And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.  Then the woman whose son was the living one said to the king, because compassion for her son burned within her, O my lord, give her the living child and by no means kill him.  And the other one said, He shall be neither mine nor thine.  Divide him.  Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child and by no means kill him; she is his mother.   And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had given and they feared the king, for they saw that God's wisdom was in him to render justice.  (1 Kings 3.16-28)

Revised August 27, 2006