Midrasz do Królów I 3:4

It is written: “For he who is joined [yeḥubar] [to all of the living has hope, for a live dog is better than a dead lion]” (Ecclesiastes 9:4) – there¹²⁶There, meaning the Land of Israel. This tradition was brought from the Land of Israel to Babylonia. See Tosefta Berakhot 6:2. we learn: One who sees an idol, what blessing does he recite? Blessed…who shows patience to violators of His will. A place from which idol worship has been uprooted? Blessed…who uprooted idol worship from our land; and may it likewise be Your will O Lord our God that You uproot it from all places and restore the hearts of their worshippers to worship You wholeheartedly. Is he not praying on behalf of the wicked? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “[For he who is] chosen [yevuḥar]” is written.¹²⁷The Masoretic spelling [ketiv] is yevuḥar, while the Masoretic reading [keri] is yeḥubar. Rabbi Yoḥanan claims that this spelling serves to teach that even the wicked have choice [beḥira], and they can forsake evil and repent. Even those who raised their hand against the Temple have hope. To revive them [in the afterlife] is impossible, as they already raised their hand against the Temple. To eliminate them is impossible, as they have already repented. In their regard it is stated; “They will sleep an eternal sleep, and they will not awaken” (Jeremiah 51:39) – it is taught: Gentile minors and the troops of Nebuchadnezzar¹²⁸Because they were following orders and had little choice, or because they repented. are not revived [at the end of days], but are not condemned. In their regard it is stated: “They will sleep an eternal sleep and they will not awaken.”
“For a live dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4) – in this world, one who is a dog can become [strong as] a lion, and one who is a lion can become a dog. However, in the future, one who is a lion cannot become a dog, and anyone who is a dog cannot become a lion. Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya: He said to him: ‘I am better than Moses, your master.’ He said to him: ‘Why?’ ‘Because I am alive and he is dead, and it is written: “For a live dog is better than a dead lion.”’ He said to him: ‘Are you able to issue a decree that no man shall light a fire for three days?’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ In the evening, both of them climbed to the wall of the palace and saw smoke rising at a distance. He said to him: ‘What is that?’ He said to him: ‘The governor is ill, and a doctor went in and visited him. He said to him: You will not be cured until you drink hot water.’ He said to him: ‘May his spirit be blasted.¹²⁹He said this to Hadrian, using the third person out of deference to the emperor. While you are still alive, your edict is void. Moses our master, from the moment that he decreed upon us: “You shall not kindle fire in all your habitations on the day of Shabbat” (Exodus 35:3), no Jew has ever kindled fire on Shabbat, and his edict has not been voided even now. And you say: I am better than he is?’
“Lord, make my end known to me, and the measure of my days, what it is; [I would know how impermanent I am]” (Psalms 39:5) – David said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, make known to me when I will die.’ He said to him: ‘It is a secret that is not revealed to a person, and it is not possible for it to be revealed to you.’ “And the measure of my days, what it is” – He [God] said to him: ‘Seventy years.’ “I would know how impermanent I am” (Psalms 39:5) – make known to me on which day I will die. He said to him: ‘On Shabbat.’ He [David] said to Him: ‘Subtract one day for me.’ He said to him: ‘No.’ He said to Him: ‘Why?’ He said to him: ‘One prayer that you are destined to pray before Me is more precious to Me than a thousand burnt offerings that Solomon your son is destined to sacrifice before Me, as it is stated: “One thousand burnt offerings Solomon offered upon that altar”’ (I Kings 3:4). He said to Him: ‘Add one day for me.’ He said to him: ‘No.’ He said to Him: ‘Why?’ He said to him: ‘The dominion of your son is pressing, as Rabbi Shimon bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: There are many dominions, and one of them does not enter into the dominion of another even a hair’s breadth.’ He died on Shavuot that coincided with Shabbat. The Sanhedrin entered to pay their respects to Solomon. He said to them: ‘Can I move him [the body] from place to place?’ They said to him: ‘Is it not a mishna: One may rub with oil and wash [a corpse], provided that he does not move a limb?’¹³⁰Mishna Shabbat 23:5.
He [Solomon] said: ‘The dogs of father’s house are hungry.’¹³¹He feared they would desecrate the corpse. They said to him: ‘Is it not a mishna: One may cut pumpkins before an animal and an animal carcass before dogs?’¹³²Mishna Shabbat 24:4. What did he do? He took a curtain and spread it over him [David’s body], so the sun would not beat down on him. Some say that he summoned the eagles and they spread their wings over him, so the sun would not beat down on him.

(Ib., ib., ib.) And tore of them forty and two boys. Said R. Jose, the son of R. Chanina: "On account of the forty-two sacrifices that Ballak, the king of Moab. offered, it happened that forty-two Israelites' children were torn." Is this the real cause? Behold R. Juda said in the name of Rab: "Always shall a man occupy himself with the study of the Torah, and the fulfillment of meritorious deeds, even it is not for its real purpose, because out of a selfish purpose he will come to do so for its real purpose, for as reward for the forty-two sacrifices that Ballak, the king of Moab offered, he was rewarded that Ruth came forth from him of whom Solomon is a descendant, concerning whom the passage says (I Kings 3, 4) One thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon the altar, and R. Jose, son of R. Chanina said: "Ruth was the daughter of King Eglon, who was the grandson of Ballak, the king of Moab." [Hence I see that at the end he meant well]. However, since his real purpose was to curse Israel, thus through the above incident his curse was fulfilled. (II Kings 2, 19) And the men of the city said unto Elisha, 'Behold, we pray thee; the situation of this city is pleasant, as my Lord seeth; but the water is bad, and the land causes miscarriages.' Since the water is bad and the land causes miscarriages why do they say that the city is splendid? Said R. Chanin: "It is the usual esteem in which inhabitants hold their place."

You find that the altar erected by Moses was more precious to the Holy One, blessed be He, than the altar for the burnt offering made by Solomon. Proof of this is that when Solomon built the Temple, he built an altar for the burnt offering, as is said: A thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar (I Kings 3:4). but because he knew that the altar of brass that Moses had erected was more precious to the Holy One, blessed be He, he brought out the brass altar (which Moses had made), as it is said: Moreover, he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof (II Chron. 4:1).