One day two prostitutes came to Solomon and one of them said: “You’re Majesty, this woman and I both had babies about the same time. One night while we were asleep she rolled over on her baby and he died. Then while I was still asleep she got up and took my son and put her dead baby next to me. In the morning when I got up to feed my son I saw that he was dead. But when I looked at him in the light I knew he wasn’t my son.”
“No,” the other woman shouted. “He was your son. My baby is alive!” “The dead baby is yours,” the first woman yelled.
King Solomon said, “Bring me a sword.” Then he ordered, “Cut the baby in half! Then each of you can have part of him.”
“Please don’t kill my son,” the baby’s mother screamed: “Let the other woman have him.”
The other woman said, “Go ahead and cut him in half. Then neither of us will have the baby.”
Solomon said, “Don’t kill the baby.” Then he pointed to the first woman. “She is his real mother. Give the baby to her.”
When all Israel heard the verdict, they were amazed at the wisdom God had given the king.
1 Kings 3:16-28
