Two women began fighting about their daughter's future groom.
Both women alleged that the young man had proposed to their daughters.
The argument continued until finally King Solomon decided to hear the case.
After listening to both women, Solomon said he was unable to decide the matter and summoned one
of his warriors.
When the warrior appeared, Solomon ordered him to slice the young man in two and to give each half to the women.
Upon hearing the King's command, the first woman said she agreed with Solomon's wise decision.
The second woman begged the King not to harm the man, but to give him to the other woman's daughter.
Solomon then ordered that the man be given to the first woman's daughter.
The crowd was shocked to hear this decision and asked the King why he would give the young man to the daughter of the woman who agreed to have him sliced in two.
Solomon paused and said, smilingly, that it was always easy to determine a future groom's "mother in law!"
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Alan: Here is the original story that is parodied above.
1 Kings 3:16-28Living Bible (TLB)
16 Soon afterwards two young prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled.
17-18 “Sir,” one of them began, “we live in the same house, just the two of us, and recently I had a baby. When it was three days old, this woman’s baby was born too.19 But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it in her sleep and smothered it. 20 Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep, and laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her.21 And in the morning when I tried to feed my baby it was dead! But when it became light outside, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”
22 Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was her son, and the living child is mine.”
“No,” the first woman said, “the dead one is yours and the living one is mine.” And so they argued back and forth before the king.
23 Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight: both of you claim the living child, and each says that the dead child belongs to the other. 24 All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king. 25 Then he said, “Divide the living child in two and give half to each of these women!”
26 Then the woman who really was the mother of the child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, sir! Give her the child—don’t kill him!”
But the other woman said, “All right, it will be neither yours nor mine; divide it between us!”
27 Then the king said, “Give the baby to the woman who wants him to live, for she is the mother!”
28 Word of the king’s decision spread quickly throughout the entire nation, and all the people were awed as they realized the great wisdom God had given him.
Living Bible (TLB)
Alan: Wondering if prostitution was a capital offense during King Solomon's reign I discovered an article entitled "Actions Punishable By Death In The Old Testament" - http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Actions_punishable_by_death_in_the_Old_Testament
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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