1 Kings 3:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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."

NIV: Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother."

NASB: Then the king replied, 'Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.'

CSB: The king responded, "Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother."

NLT: 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!'

KJV: Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.

NKJV: So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”

This was originally the first half of a combined text. First Kings records the end of David's reign and the rule of Solomon. After this, the kingdom is split in two. The northern nation of Israel no longer submits to the king of the southern nation, called Judah. The prophet Elijah first appears in this book. The kings mostly fail to honor the Lord. They participate in idolatry and other sins. This will eventually result in their conquest and exile, as depicted throughout the books of Chronicles.

Accessed 6/7/2026 5:33:03 AM