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 honour – 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 realised 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. 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.
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.
