Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, August 3rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 13 / Ordinary 18
Attention!
For 10¢ a day you can enjoy StudyLight.org ads
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

1 Kings 3:27

Then the king made answer and said, Give her the child, and do not put it to death; she is the mother of it.

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 Century Version
Then King Solomon said, "Don't kill him. Give the baby to the first woman, because she is the real 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.
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 Then two loose women of the town came and took their places before the king; 17 And one of them said, O my lord, I and this woman are living in the same house; and I gave birth to a child by her side in the house. 18 And three days after the birth of my child, this woman had a child: we were together, no other-person was with us in the house but we two only. 19 In the night, this woman, sleeping on her child, was the cause of its death. 20 And she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was sleeping; and she took it in her arms and put her dead child in my arms. 21 And when I got up to give my child the breast, I saw that it was dead; but in the morning, looking at it with care, I saw that it was not my son. 22 And the other woman said, No; but the living child is my son and the dead one yours. But the first said, No; the dead child is your son and the living one mine. So they kept on talking before the king. 23 Then the king said, One says, The living child is my son, and yours is the dead: and the other says, Not so; but your son is the dead one and mine is the living. 24 Then he said, Get me a sword. So they went and put a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, Let the living child be cut in two and one half given to one woman and one to the other.

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.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile