1 Raja-raja 3:9

3:9 So give your servant a discerning mind ¹  so he can make judicial decisions for ²  your people and distinguish right from wrong. ³  Otherwise ⁴  no one is able ⁵  to make judicial decisions for ⁶  this great nation of yours.” ⁷ 

1 Raja-raja 3:26

3:26 The real mother ⁸  spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were aroused. ⁹  She said, “My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don’t kill him!” ¹⁰  But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him! Let them cut him in two!”

1 Raja-raja 8:35-36

8:35 “The time will come when ¹¹  the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people ¹²  sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, ¹³  and turn away from their sin because you punish ¹⁴  them, 8:36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly ¹⁵  you will then teach them the right way to live ¹⁶  and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess. ¹⁷ 

1 Raja-raja 8:59

8:59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him, ¹⁸  so that he might vindicate ¹⁹  his servant and his people Israel as the need arises.

1 Raja-raja 13:18

13:18 The old prophet then said, ²⁰  “I too am a prophet like you. An angel told me with the Lord’s authority, ²¹  ‘Bring him back with you to your house so he can eat and drink.’” ²²  But he was lying to him. ²³ 

1 Raja-raja 18:10

18:10 As certainly as the Lord your God lives, my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say, ‘He’s not here,’ he makes them ²⁴  swear an oath that they could not find you.

1 Raja-raja 20:25

20:25 Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and chariots. ²⁵  Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them.” He approved their plan and did as they advised. ²⁶ 

1 Raja-raja 20:32

20:32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, “Your servant ²⁷  Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’” Ahab ²⁸  replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” ²⁹ 

¹ tn Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)

² tn Heb “to judge.”

³ tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”

⁴ tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.

⁵ tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”

⁶ tn Heb “to judge.”

⁷ tn Heb “your numerous people.”

⁸ tn Heb “the woman whose son was alive.”

⁹ tn Heb “for her compassions grew warm for her son.”

¹⁰ tn The infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the main verb.

¹¹ tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 35-36a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.

¹² tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³ tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”

¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text has “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from עָנָה (’anah, “to answer”). However, this reference to a divine answer is premature, since the next verse asks for God to intervene in mercy. It is better to revocalize the consonantal text as תְעַנֵּם (tÿ’annem, “you afflict them”), a Piel verb form from the homonym עָנָה (“to afflict”).

¹⁵ tn The translation understands כִּי (ki) in an emphatic or asseverative sense.

¹⁶ tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”

¹⁷ tn Or “for an inheritance.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “accomplish the justice of.”

²⁰ tn Heb “and he said to him.”

²¹ tn Heb “by the word of the Lord.”

²² tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”

²³ tn Or “deceiving him.”

sn He was lying to him. The motives and actions of the old prophet are difficult to understand. The old man’s response to the prophet’s death (see vv. 26-32) suggests he did not trick him with malicious intent. The old prophet probably wanted the honor of entertaining such a celebrity, or perhaps simply desired some social interaction with a fellow prophet.

²⁴ tn Heb “he makes the kingdom or the nation swear an oath.”

²⁵ tn Heb “And you, you muster an army like the one that fell from you, horse like horse and chariot like chariot.”

²⁶ tn Heb “he listened to their voice and did so.”

²⁷ sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.

²⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁹ sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.