Salomo Srɛ Nyansa
1Salomo ne Misraimhene Farao yɛɛ apam, nam so waree ne babea. Ɔde no bɛtenaa Dawid kurom, kosii sɛ osii nʼahemfi sii Awurade Asɔredan, na ɔtoo Yerusalem ho fasu nso wiei. 2Saa bere no mu, na Israelfo bɔ afɔre wɔ sorɔnsorɔmmea, efisɛ na wonsii asɔredan, mfaa Awurade din ntoo so ɛ. 3Salomo kyerɛɛ ne dɔ a ɔwɔ ma Awurade, efisɛ na ɔnam nʼagya Dawid nkyerɛkyerɛ anammɔn so pɛpɛɛpɛ. Mmom na ɔbɔ afɔre wɔ sorɔnsorɔmmea hɔ, hyew aduhuam wɔ hɔ nso.
4Gibeon na na afɔremuka no mu atitiriw wɔ, ɛhɔ na Salomo kɔbɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre apem wɔ afɔremuka so. 5Anadwo no, Awurade daa ne ho adi kyerɛɛ Salomo wɔ dae mu. Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Dɛn na wopɛ? Bisa na mede bɛma wo.”
6Salomo kae se, “Woada adɔe kɛse pa ara adi akyerɛ mʼagya Dawid, efisɛ na odi wo nokware, yɛ ɔtreneeni a ne koma mu nso da hɔ. Woatoa so ayɛ no saa adɔe kɛse yi ara, na nnɛ yi ara, woama no ɔbabarima sɛ ɔntena nʼahengua nso so.
7“Afei, Awurade, me Nyankopɔn, woasi wʼakoa ɔhene,3.7 Salomo dii ade sɛ ɔhene no, na wadi bɛyɛ mfe aduonu. sɛ minsi mʼagya Dawid anan mu, nanso meyɛ abofra ketewaa bi a minnim sɛnea mesi ayɛ mʼadwuma. 8Ɛha na wʼakoa abedu wɔ nnipa a woapaw wɔn no mu; nnipa a wɔn dodow nti, obi ntumi nkan wɔn. 9Ɛno nti, ma wʼakoa nhumu koma a obetumi de adi wo nkurɔfo so, na obetumi ahu papa ne bɔne ntam nsonoe. Na hena koraa na ɔno nko ara betumi adi saa ɔman a wodi mu, a wɔyɛ wo de yi so?”
10Awurade ani sɔɔ Salomo mmuae no, na nʼani gyee sɛ obisaa nyansa. 11Enti Awurade buae se, “Esiane sɛ woabisa nyansa a wode bedi me manfo so, na woammisa nkwa tenten anaa sika amma wo ho anaa woammisa sɛ wo tamfo bi nwu no nti, 12mede nea woabisa no bɛma wo. Mɛma wo nyansa ne ntease a obiara nnyaa bi da, na obiara nso renya bi da. 13Na nea woammisa no nso, mede bɛka wo ho—sika ne anuonyam. Na ɔhene biara a ɔwɔ wiase nso rentumi mfa ne ho nto wo ho, wo nkwa nna nyinaa mu. 14Na sɛ wudi mʼakyi, na wudi me mmara so sɛ wʼagya Dawid a, mɛma wo nkwa tenten.” 15Na Salomo nyanee, na ohuu sɛ ɛyɛ dae. Ɔkɔɔ Yerusalem kogyinaa Awurade Apam Adaka no anim, na ɔbɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre ne asomdwoe afɔre. Na ohyiaa ne mpanyimfo nyinaa, too wɔn pon.
Salomo Bu Atɛntrenee
16Akyiri no, mmea nguamanfo baanu bi baa ɔhene no nkyɛn, pɛɛ sɛ ɔka wɔn asɛm bi ma wɔn. 17Wɔn mu baako fitii ase se, “Me wura, mesrɛ wo meka se, saa ɔbea yi ne me te fi koro mu. Mewoo ɔba bere a ɔne me te fie hɔ. 18Nnansa akyi no, ɔno nso woo ba. Na yɛn nko ara na yɛte fie hɔ a obiara nka yɛn baanu no ho.
19“Nanso anadwo no, ɔpere kɔdaa ne ba no so, kum no. 20Na ɔsɔree anadwo no faa me ba fii me nkyɛn bere a mada no. Ɔde ne ba a wawu no too me basa so, na ɔfaa me de no kɔtoo ne nkyɛn, ma ɔdae. 21Ade kyee a mepɛɛ sɛ mema me ba no nufu no, na wawu. Nanso anim tetew kakra a mehwɛɛ abofra no yiye no, mihuu sɛ ɛnyɛ me ba no koraa.”
22Ɛhɔ ara na ɔbea baako no gyee hwanyan kae se, “Abofra a wawu no yɛ wo ba no, ɛnna nea onwui no nso yɛ me de no.”
Ɛnna ɔbea a odi kan no nso se, “Dabi da, nea wawu no yɛ wo ba no, na nea onwui no nso yɛ me de no.” Enti wɔtwee asɛm no saa ara wɔ ɔhene no anim.
23Ɔhene no kae se, “Momma yɛmpɛ asɛm no mu nokware yiye. Mo baanu nyinaa, obiara se abofra a onwui no yɛ ne dea, na abofra a wawu no de, ɔnyɛ obiara dea.
24“Sɛ saa na ɛte de a, mommrɛ me afoa.” Enti wɔde afoa brɛɛ ɔhene no. 25Afei, ɔkae se, “Mompae abofra a onwui no mu abien, na momfa fa mma mmea no mu biara.”
26Na ɔbea a nokware, ɔyɛ abofra a ɔte ase no na a ɔpɛ ne ba yi asɛm yiye no teɛteɛɛ mu se, “Ao! Dabi me wura! Fa abofra no ma no. Mesrɛ wo nkum no!”
Nanso ɔbea baako no kae se, “Eye, ɛbɛbɔ yɛn baanu nyinaa. Kyɛ ne mu ma yɛn!”
27Ɛhɔ na ɔhene no kae se, “Munnkum no, na mmom, momfa abofra no mma ɔbea a ɔpɛ sɛ abofra no tena ase no, na ɔno ne ne na no.”
28Ɔhene yi atemmu no trɛw faa Israel mmaa nyinaa, na ɔmanfo no ho dwiriw wɔn wɔ nyansa a Onyankopɔn de ama no, a ɛma no bu atɛntrenee no ho.
Solomon Asks for Wisdom
1Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord. 3Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
4The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
6Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
7“Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.
He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.
A Wise Ruling
16Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
19“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
22The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
23The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ”
24Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
28When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
