Solomoni Apempha Nzeru
1Solomoni anachita ubale ndi Farao mfumu ya ku Igupto ndipo anakwatira mwana wake wamkazi. Mkaziyo anabwera naye mu Mzinda wa Davide mpaka anatsiriza kumanga nyumba yaufumu ndi Nyumba ya Yehova ndiponso khoma lozungulira Yerusalemu. 2Koma anthu ankaperekabe nsembe ku malo achipembedzo osiyanasiyana chifukwa chakuti mpaka pa nthawi imeneyo Dzina la Yehova anali asanalimangire nyumba. 3Solomoni anaonetsa chikondi chake pa Yehova poyenda motsatira malamulo a abambo ake Davide, kupatula kuti ankapereka nsembe ndi kufukiza lubani ku malo osiyanasiyana achipembedzo.
4Mfumu inapita ku Gibiyoni kukapereka nsembe popeza kumeneko ndiye kunali malo oposa malo ofunika kwambiri pachipembedzo. Kumeneko Solomoni anapereka nsembe zopsereza 1,000 pa guwa lansembe. 5Ku Gibiyoniko Yehova anaonekera kwa Solomoni mʼmaloto usiku, ndipo Mulungu anati, “Pempha chilichonse chimene ukufuna ndipo ndidzakupatsa.”
6Solomoni anayankha kuti, “Inu munaonetsa kukoma mtima kwanu kwakukulu kwa kapolo wanu, abambo anga Davide, chifukwa anali wokhulupirika pamaso panu, wolungama mtima ndiponso wa mtima wangwiro. Inu mukupitirizabe kukoma mtima kwanu kwakukulu kwa iye ndipo mwamupatsa mwana kuti akhale pa mpando wake waufumu lero lino.
7“Tsopano Inu Yehova Mulungu wanga, mtumiki wanune mwandiyika kukhala mfumu mʼmalo mwa abambo anga Davide. Komatu ndine mwana wamngʼono ndipo sindidziwa kagwiridwe kake ka ntchito yangayi. 8Mtumiki wanu ali pakati pa anthu amene munawasankha, mtundu waukulu, anthu ochuluka kwambiri osatheka kuwawerenga. 9Choncho mupatseni mtumiki wanu nzeru zolamulira anthu anu ndi kuti azitha kusiyanitsa pakati pa chabwino ndi choyipa. Pakuti ndani amene angathe kulamulira anthu anu ochulukawa?”
10Ambuye anakondwera kuti Solomoni anapempha zimenezi. 11Tsono Mulungu anati kwa Solomoni, “Popeza wapempha zinthu zimenezi osati moyo wautali kapena chuma chako kapena imfa ya adani ako koma nzeru zolamulira anthu mwachilungamo, 12Ine ndidzakuchitira zimene wapempha. Ndidzakupatsa mtima wanzeru ndi wozindikira zinthu, kotero kuti sipanakhalepo wina wofanana nawe ndipo sipadzapezekanso wina wonga iwe pambuyo pako. 13Kuwonjeza apo, ndidzakupatsa zimene sunazipemphe: chuma ndi ulemu, kotero kuti pa masiku onse a moyo wako sipadzakhala mfumu yofanana nawe. 14Ndipo ngati udzayenda mʼnjira zanga ndi kumvera malamulo anga ndiponso malangizo anga monga abambo ako Davide anachitira, ndidzakupatsa moyo wautali.” 15Kotero Solomoni anadzuka ndipo anazindikira kuti anali maloto.
Iye anabwerera ku Yerusalemu nakayimirira patsogolo pa Bokosi la Chipangano la Ambuye ndipo anapereka nsembe zopsereza ndi nsembe zachiyanjano. Kenaka anakonzera phwando atumiki ake onse.
Kuweruza Kolungama
16Nthawi ina amayi awiri adama anabwera kwa mfumu ndipo anayima pamaso pake. 17Mmodzi mwa amayiwo anati, “Mbuye wanga, mayi uyu ndi ine timakhala nyumba imodzi. Ine ndinabala mwana tili limodzi ndi mnzangayu. 18Tsiku lachitatu ine nditabala mwana, mnzangayunso anabereka mwana wake. Tinalipo awiriwiri mʼnyumbamo ndipo munalibe wina aliyense.
19“Nthawi ya usiku mwana wa mnzangayu anafa chifukwa anamugonera. 20Tsono iyeyu anadzuka pakati pa usiku, natenga mwana wanga ku mimba kwanga pamene ine mdzakazi wanu ndinali mʼtulo. Anamuyika mwanayo ku mimba kwake ndi kuyika mwana wake wakufayo ku mimba kwanga. 21Mmawa nditadzuka kuti ndiyamwitse mwana wanga ndinapeza kuti ndi wakufa! Koma kutacha nditamuyangʼanitsitsa ndinaona kuti si mwana amene ine ndinabala.”
22Koma mayi winayo anati, “Ayi! Mwana wamoyoyu ndi wanga, mwana wakufayu ndi wako.”
Koma mayi woyambayo analimbikira kuti. “Ayi! Mwana wakufayu ndi wako; wamoyoyu ndi wanga.” Motero akaziwa anatsutsana pamaso pa mfumu.
23Pamenepo mfumu inati, “Wina akuti, ‘Mwana wanga ndi wamoyoyu ndipo mwana wako ndi wakufayu,’ pamene winanso akuti, ‘Ayi! Mwana wako ndi wakufayu wanga ndi wamoyoyu.’ ”
24Pamenepo mfumu inati, “Patseni lupanga.” Ndipo anabwera nalo lupanga kwa mfumu. 25Tsono mfumu inagamula kuti, “Muduleni pakati mwana wamoyoyu ndipo wina mumupatse gawo limodzi, gawo linalo mumupatse winayo.”
26Mayi amene mwana wake anali moyo anagwidwa ndi chisoni chifukwa cha mwana wakeyo ndipo anawuza mfumu kuti, “Chonde mbuye wanga, mupatseni mnzangayu mwana wamoyoyu! Musamuphe!”
Koma winayo anati, “Ayi, asandipatse ine kapena iwe. Muduleni pakati!”
27Choncho mfumu inagamula kuti, “Perekani mwana wamoyoyu kwa mayi woyambayu. Musamuphe, iyeyu ndiye mayi wake wa mwanayu.”
28Pamene Aisraeli onse anamva za chigamulo chimene mfumu inapereka, anaopa mfumuyo kwambiri, chifukwa anaona kuti mfumu inali ndi nzeru zochokera kwa Mulungu zoweruzira mwachilungamo.
Solomon Asks God for Wisdom
1Solomon and Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, agreed to help each other. So Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David. She stayed there until he finished building his palace, the Lord’s temple, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2But the people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places where they worshiped. That’s because a temple hadn’t been built yet where the Lord would put his Name. 3Solomon showed his love for the Lord. He did it by obeying the laws his father David had taught him. But Solomon offered sacrifices at the high places. He also burned incense there.
4King Solomon went to the city of Gibeon to offer sacrifices. That’s where the most important high place was. There he offered 1,000 burnt offerings on the altar. 5The Lord appeared to Solomon at Gibeon. He spoke to him in a dream during the night. God said, “Ask for anything you want me to give you.”
6Solomon answered, “You have been very kind to my father David, your servant. That’s because he was faithful to you. He did what was right. His heart was honest. And you have continued to be very kind to him. You have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.
7“Lord my God, you have now made me king. You have put me in the place of my father David. But I’m only a little child. I don’t know how to carry out my duties. 8I’m here among the people you have chosen. They are a great nation. They are more than anyone can count. 9So give me a heart that understands. Then I can rule over your people. I can tell the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Who can possibly rule over this great nation of yours?”
10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for that. 11So God said to him, “You have not asked to live for a long time. You have not asked to be wealthy. You have not even asked to have your enemies killed. Instead, you have asked for wisdom. You want to do what is right and fair when you judge people. Because that is what you have asked for, 12I will give it to you. I will give you a wise and understanding heart. So here is what will be true of you. There has never been anyone like you. And there never will be. 13And that is not all. I will give you what you have not asked for. I will give you wealth and honor. As long as you live, no other king will be as great as you are. 14Live the way I want you to. Obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did. Then I will let you live for a long time.” 15Solomon woke up. He realized he had been dreaming.
He returned to Jerusalem. He stood in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. He sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his officials.
A Wise Ruling
16Two prostitutes came to the king. They stood in front of him. 17One of them said, “Pardon me, my master, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. 18Three days after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone. There wasn’t anyone in the house but the two of us.
19“During the night this woman’s baby died. It happened because she was lying on top of him. 20So she got up in the middle of the night. She took my son from my side while I was asleep. She put him by her breast. Then she put her dead son by my breast. 21The next morning, I got up to nurse my son. But he was dead! I looked at him closely in the morning light. And I saw that it wasn’t my baby.”
22The other woman said, “No! The living baby is my son. The dead one belongs to you.”
But the first woman said, “No! The dead baby is yours. The living one belongs to me.” So they argued in front of the king.
23The king said, “One of you says, ‘My son is alive. Your son is dead.’ The other one says, ‘No! Your son is dead. Mine is alive.’ ”
24He continued, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to him. 25Then he gave an order. He said, “Cut the living child in two. Give half to one woman and half to the other.”
26The woman whose son was alive was filled with deep love for her son. She said to the king, “My master, please give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him. Cut him in two!”
27Then the king made his decision. He said, “Give the living baby to the first woman. Don’t kill him. She’s his mother.”
28All the Israelites heard about the decision the king had given. That gave them great respect for him. They saw that God had given him wisdom. They knew that Solomon would do what was right and fair when he judged people.
