The Lord Makes Solomon Wise
(2 Chronicles 1.1-13)1 Solomon signed a treaty with the king of Egypt and married his daughter. She lived in the older part of Jerusalem until the palace, the Lord's temple, and the wall around Jerusalem were completed.
2 At that time, there was no temple for worshiping the Lord, and everyone offered sacrifices at the local shrines. 3 Solomon loved the Lord and followed his father David's instructions, but Solomon also offered sacrifices and burned incense at the shrines.
4 The most important shrine was in Gibeon, and Solomon had offered more than 1,000 sacrifices on that altar.
5 One night while Solomon was in Gibeon, the Lord God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Solomon, ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you.”
6 Solomon answered:
My father David, your servant, was honest and did what you commanded. You were always loyal to him, and you gave him a son who is now king. 7 Lord God, I'm your servant, and you've made me king in my father's place. But I'm very young and know so little about being a leader. 8 And now I must rule your chosen people, even though there are too many of them to count.
9 Please make me wise and teach me the difference between right and wrong. Then I will know how to rule your people. If you don't, there is no way I could rule this great nation of yours.
10-11 God said:
Solomon, I'm pleased that you asked for this. You could have asked to live a long time or to be rich. Or you could have asked for your enemies to be destroyed. Instead, you asked for wisdom to make right decisions. 12 So I'll make you wiser than anyone who has ever lived or ever will live.
13 I'll also give you what you didn't ask for. You'll be rich and respected as long as you live, and you'll be greater than any other king. 14 If you obey me and follow my commands, as your father David did, I'll let you live a long time.
15 Solomon woke up and realized that God had spoken to him in the dream. He went back to Jerusalem and stood in front of the sacred chest, where he offered sacrifices to please the Lord and sacrifices to ask his blessing. Then Solomon gave a feast for his officials.
Solomon Makes a Difficult Decision
16 One day two women came to King Solomon, 17 and one of them said:
Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house. Not long ago my baby was born at home, 18 and three days later her baby was born. Nobody else was there with us.
19 One night while we were all asleep, she rolled over on her baby, and he died. 20 Then while I was still asleep, she got up and took my son out of my bed. She put him in her bed, then she put her dead baby next to me.
21 In the morning when I got up to feed my son, I saw that he was dead. But when I looked at him in the light, I knew he wasn't my son.
22 “No!” the other woman shouted. “He was your son. My baby is alive!”
“The dead baby is yours,” the first woman yelled. “Mine is alive!”
They argued back and forth in front of Solomon, 23 until finally he said, “Both of you say this live baby is yours. 24 Someone bring me a sword.”
A sword was brought, and Solomon ordered, 25 “Cut the baby in half! That way each of you can have part of him.”
26 “Please don't kill my son,” the baby's mother screamed. “Your Majesty, I love him very much, but give him to her. Just don't kill him.”
The other woman shouted, “Go ahead and cut him in half. Then neither of us will have the baby.”
27 Solomon said, “Don't kill the baby.” Then he pointed to the first woman, “She is his real mother. Give the baby to her.”
28 Everyone in Israel was amazed when they heard how Solomon had made his decision. They realized that God had given him wisdom to judge fairly.
Salomob ge gā-aisiba ra ǂganbasen
(2 Kroniks 1:3-12)1 Salomob ge Faraob, Egipteb di gao-aob ǀkha ge ǀuigu. ǁÎb ge Faraob ôas ǀkha ǃgame tsî ǁîb di ommi tsî Tempeli tsî ǃās di ǂnubiǂgoab tsîn ge omtoahes kōse ǁîsa Davidi ǃĀs ǃnâ ge ǁan kai. 2 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâs ge ǁaesa noxopa ǀgapigu ai gere ǁguiba, ǃKhūb ge ganupe Tempel-e ǂnubibahe tama hâ i amaga. 3 Salomob ge ǃKhūba ge ǀnam i tsî ǁîb îb Davidi di ǂnûiǂgāde gere sao, xaweb ge noxopa ǀgapigu ai gere ǁguiba.
4 ǀGui ǃnā-eb ge ǁîba, ǂanǂansa ǀgapib ge ǁnāpa hâ i xui-ao ǁnāpab sī nî ǁguibase Gibeons ǁga ge ǃgû. ǀNaib ge ǁîba ǁnā altars ai ǀoadisi khauǁguibade ge ǁguiba hâ i. 5 ǁNā tsuxub ǃnâb ge ǃKhūba Gibeons tawa Salomoba ǁhapos ǃnâ ǂhai tsî ge dî: “Tare-e ta nî mā tsi ǃkhaisats ra ǂgao?”
6 Ob ge Salomoba ge mî: “Sats ge ti îb Davida hoaǁae kaise ǀnammi ǃnâ gere ûi-ū. ǁÎb ge ûiǁaeb âb ǃnâ ǂgomǂgomsa, ǁnâuǀnamxa tsî satsa ge ǂhauǃnâba i. Sats ge ǁîba nē kai ǀkhomma dība tsî ǀgôaba ge mā, nētsē ǁîb soas ǃnâ gao-aose ra ǂgaeǂguiba. 7 ǃKhū, ti Elotse, sats ge tita ti îb Davidi soas ǃnâ ge gao-aodī, xawe ta ge noxopa a ǂkham tsî ǀoasa ǂansa ūhâ tama hâ. 8 Tsî ta ge sats xa ǁhûiǂuihe hâ ǁaes, kaise kais ǃgôaheǁoasase a ǂguis ǃnâ hâ. 9 Sa ǃgāta ǁnâi gā-aisiba mā re, î ta sa ǁaesa ǂhanu-aise ǂgaeǂgui, î ta ǃgâib tsî ǂkhabab tsîkha ǃkharagagusiba ǂanǃā ǁkhā. Tari-e ǁî-aitsama nē kai ǁaes âtsa a ǂgaeǂgui ǁkhā?”
10 ǃKhūb ge Salomob ge nēsa ǂgan bi ǃkhais xa ge ǃgâibahe. 11 Tsîb ge ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Nē ǃkhaisats go ǂganbasen tsîts ǂomxa ûib tamas ka io ǃkhūsib tamas ka io sa khākhoen ǁōba ǂgaobasen tama 12 amaga ta ge ǂgants go khami nî dī. Tita ge gā-aisib tsî ǁnâuǃāb tsîkha nî mā tsi, khoe-i xare-i ge sa aiǃâ ūhâ tama hâ i tsî ǁkhāti sa khaoǃgâ ūhâ tidekha. 13 ǁKhāti ta ge ǂgan tamats go hâ in tsîna nî mā tsi; ǃkhūsib tsî ǃgôasib tsîkha, sats khami ī gao-aob sa ûiǁaeb ǃnâ hōhe tidese. 14 Tita ǁnâuǀnam tsîts ga ti ǂhanugu tsî ti mîmāde sa îb Davidi gere dī khami dīo, o ta ge ǁkhāti ǂomxa ûiba nî mā tsi.”
15 Salomob ge ǂkhaib ge, o ǃKhūb go ǁhapos ǃnâ ǂhai bi ǃkhaisa ge ǂan. Tsîb ge Jerusalems ǁga oa tsî ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes ǃKhūb dis aiǃâ sī mâ tsî khauǁguibadi tsî ǂûǁguibadi tsîna ǃKhūba ge ǁguiba. ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge ǁîb ǂamkhoegu hoaga ǂûǁare-e ge dība.
Salomob ge gā-aise ra ǀgoraǃgâ
16 ǀGuitsē ra ge ǀgam ǀai-aora gao-aob Salomob tawa sī tsî ǁîb aiǃâ sī ge mâ. 17 Os ge ǀguis ǁîra disa ge mî: “ǃGôahesa gao-aotse, tita tsî nē khoes tsîm ge ǀgui oms ǃnâ ǁan hâ, tsî ta ge ǁîs tsîn oms tawa hâ hîa ǀgôaroba ge ǁora. 18 ǃNona tsēdi khaoǃgâs ge ǁîs tsîna ǀgôaroba ge ǁora. Sim ǀguim ge oms tawa ge hâ i, ǀgui khoe-i tsîn ge ge ǀkhai i. 19 ǀGui tsuxub ǃnâb ge nē khoes di ôaba ǁîs xa ǁgoe-aihe tsî ge ǁō. 20 Os ge ǁîsa tsuxuba khâimâ tsî tita ǁomǁgoe hîa ti ôaba ti xōǀkhāba xu ū tsî ǁîs tawa ǁgui tsî ǁîs dib hîa ǁō hâba tita tawa ge ǁgui. 21 ǁGoaga ta ge ti ôaba ta nî daisiga ǂkhai, o ta ge ǁōb hâ ǃkhaisa ge mû. Xawe ǃgâise ta ge kōkō, o ta ge ti ôa tamab hâsa ge mû.”
22 Xawes ge nausa ge mî: “Hî-î, ûitsamab ge a ti tsî ǁō hâb ge a sa.”
Os ge ǂgurosa ge mî: “ǁŌ hâb ge a sa ôa tsî ûitsamab ge a ti ôa.”
ǁNāti ra ge gao-aob aiǃâ mâ gere ǂnoagu.
23 Ob ge gao-aoba “Nēs ge ûitsamab ge a ti ôa tsî ǁō hâb ge a sa, ti ra mî; tsîs ge nausa ǁō hâb ge a sa ôa tsî ûitsamab ge a ti, ti ra mî. 24 Gôaba hā-ūba te” ti ge mî. Gôab ge hā-ūhe 25 ob ge gao-aoba “Ûitsama ǀgôaba ǀgam ǃâra ǃnâ ǁaraǃā, î mâs hoasa ǀgui ǃkhareba mā” ti ge mî.
26 Xawes ge ûitsama ǀgôab di îsa, ǀgôab âsas ge kaise ǀnam i amaga gao-aoba ge ǀkhoma “ǃGôahesa gao-aotse, ûitsama ǀgôaba ǁîsa mā, î toxopa tā ǁîba ǃgam re.”
Xawe naus ge “Tā sim di ǀguis tsîna ǁîba mā, î ǀgam ǃâra ǃnâ ǁaraǃā bi” ti ge mî.
27 Ob ge gao-aoba “Tā ǀgôaba ǃgam, î ǁîba ǂguro khoesa mā, ǁîs a ǁîb di ama î xuige” ti ge mî.
28 Tsî Israeli di khoen hoan ge gao-aob ge ǀgoraǃgâ ǀgausan ge ǁnâu, o ǁîba kaise ge ǀgapiǃgôa, Elob ge ǂhanu-aiseb nî ǀgoraǃgâse gā-aisiba mā bi ǃkhaisan ge mû xui-ao.
