Solomon Asks God for Wisdom
1Solomon was the son of David. Solomon made his position secure over his kingdom. The Lord his God was with him. He made Solomon very great.
2Solomon spoke to the whole community of Israel. He spoke to the commanders of thousands of men and commanders of hundreds. He spoke to the judges and all the leaders in Israel. He spoke to the leaders of Israel’s families. 3Solomon and the whole community went to the high place at Gibeon. That’s because God’s tent of meeting was there. The Lord’s servant Moses had made the tent in the desert. 4David had carried up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. He had it brought to the place he had prepared for it. He had set up a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5But the bronze altar that Bezalel had made was in Gibeon. Bezalel was the son of Uri. Uri was the son of Hur. The altar was in front of the Lord’s holy tent. So Solomon and the whole community asked the Lord for advice in Gibeon. 6Solomon went up to the bronze altar in front of the Lord at the tent of meeting. Solomon sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on the altar.
7That night God appeared to Solomon. He said to him, “Ask for anything you want me to give you.”
8Solomon answered God, “You were very kind to my father David. Now you have made me king in his place. 9Lord God, let the promise you gave to my father David come true. You have made me king. My people are as many as the dust of the earth. They can’t be counted. 10Give me wisdom and knowledge. Then I’ll be able to lead these people. Without your help, who would be able to rule this great nation of yours?”
11God said to Solomon, “I am glad that those are the things you really want. You have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor. You have not even asked to have your enemies killed. You have not asked to live for a long time. Instead, you have asked for wisdom and knowledge. You want to be able to rule my people wisely. I have made you king over them. 12So wisdom and knowledge will be given to you. I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor. You will have more than any king before you ever had. And no king after you will have as much.”
13Then Solomon left the high place at Gibeon. He went from the tent of meeting there to Jerusalem. And he ruled over Israel.
14Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept some of them in the chariot cities. He kept others with him in Jerusalem. 15The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones. He made cedar wood as common there as sycamore-fig trees in the western hills. 16Solomon got horses from Egypt and Kue. The king’s buyers purchased them from Kue at the current price. 17They could get a chariot from Egypt for 15 pounds of silver. They could get a horse for less than four pounds of silver. They sold horses and chariots to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.
Salomo Srɛ Nyansa
1Ɔhene Dawid babarima Salomo soo ahenni no mu den, efisɛ Awurade, ne Nyankopɔn kaa ne ho maa no tumi a ɛso.
2Ɔfrɛɛ Israel nyinaa, asahene ne asraafodɔm ntuanofo, atemmufo, amanyɛ ne mmusua ntuanofo nyinaa. 3Na Salomo dii nnipa no nyinaa anim kɔɔ bepɔw Gibeon so baabi a wɔde Onyankopɔn Ahyiae Ntamadan no asi. Eyi yɛ Ntamadan a Mose a ɔyɛ Awurade somfo sii wɔ sare no so no. 4Na Dawid ayi Onyankopɔn Adaka no afi Kiriat-Yearim de akɔ ntamadan sononko bi a wasi wɔ Yerusalem mu. 5Nanso na kɔbere mfrafrae afɔremuka a Hur nena a ɔyɛ Uri babarima Besaleel sii no da so wɔ Gibeon, wɔ Awurade Asɔredan no anim. Enti Salomo ne nnipa no boaa wɔn ho ano wɔ hɔ, bisaa Awurade akwankyerɛ. 6Hyiadan no anim hɔ, Salomo foro kɔɔ kɔbere mfrafrae afɔremuka no ho wɔ Awurade anim, bɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre ahorow apem wɔ so.
7Da no anadwo, Onyankopɔn yii ne ho adi wɔ dae mu kyerɛɛ Salomo, bisaa no se, “Dɛn na wopɛ? Bisa na mede bɛma wo!”
8Salomo buaa Onyankopɔn se, “Wudii mʼagya Dawid nokware na woyɛɛ no adɔe, na afei wode me asi nʼanan mu sɛ ɔhene. 9Na afei Awurade Nyankopɔn, mesrɛ wo di bɔ a wohyɛɛ mʼagya Dawid no so, efisɛ wode me asi nnipa a wɔn dodow te sɛ asase so mfutuma so hene. 10Ma me nyansa ne nimdeɛ, na memfa nni wɔn so yiye, na hena koraa na obetumi adi wo man kɛse sɛɛ so?”
11Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ Salomo se, “Esiane sɛ wʼahiasɛm kɛse ne sɛ wopɛ sɛ woboa wo manfo, na woammisa ahode, anuonyam anaa wʼatamfo wu anaa nkwa tenten, na mmom, wubisaa nyansa ne nimdeɛ a wode bedi me nkurɔfo so yiye nti, 12mɛma wo nyansa ne nimdeɛ a wubisae no. Afei, mɛma wo sika, ahode ne anuonyam a ɔhene biara a wadi wʼanim no nnyaa bi da, nanso ɔrennya no saa da biara da.”
13Na Salomo fii hyiadan a ɛwɔ Gibeon bepɔw no so no mu san kɔɔ Yerusalem kodii hene wɔ Israel so.
14Salomo nyaa nteaseɛnam ne apɔnkɔ bebree. Na ɔwɔ nteaseɛnam apem ahannan ne apɔnkɔ mpem dumien. Ɔde emu fa kɛse guguu nteaseɛnam nkuropɔn no so na ɔmaa bi nso kaa Yerusalem. 15Salomo bere so no, dwetɛ ne sikakɔkɔɔ buu so sɛ abo wɔ Yerusalem. Na sida aboɔden nnua nso buu so sɛ ankye nnua a na abu so wɔ Yuda mmepɔw no ase no. 16Na Salomo tɔɔ apɔnkɔ fii Misraim ne Kilikia, efisɛ na ɔhene no aguadifo nya wɔn fi Kilikia a wɔn bo no ye. 17Saa bere no na wotumi tɔ Misraim nteaseɛnam a wɔde ba Yerusalem no nnwetɛbona kilogram ason, na apɔnkɔ nso, wotumi tɔ no nnwetɛbona kilogram abien. Wɔn nso kɔtontɔn wɔn nyinaa maa Hetifo ne Aram ahemfo.
