Solomon Prays for Wisdom
(2 Chronicles 1.3-12)1 Solomon made an alliance with the king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. He brought her to live in David's City until he had finished building his palace, the Temple, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 A temple had not yet been built for the Lord, and so the people were still offering sacrifices at many different altars. 3 Solomon loved the Lord and followed the instructions of his father David, but he also slaughtered animals and offered them as sacrifices on various altars.
4 On one occasion he went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices because that was where the most famous altar was. He had offered hundreds of burnt offerings there in the past. 5 That night the Lord appeared to him in a dream and asked him, “What would you like me to give you?”
6 Solomon answered, “You always showed great love for my father David, your servant, and he was good, loyal, and honest in his relation with you. And you have continued to show him your great and constant love by giving him a son who today rules in his place. 7 O Lord God, you have let me succeed my father as king, even though I am very young and don't know how to rule. 8 Here I am among the people you have chosen to be your own, a people who are so many that they cannot be counted. 9 So give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of yours?”
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this, 11 and so he said to him, “Because you have asked for the wisdom to rule justly, instead of long life for yourself or riches or the death of your enemies, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had before or will ever have again. 13 I will also give you what you have not asked for: all your life you will have wealth and honor, more than that of any other king. 14 And if you obey me and keep my laws and commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”
15 Solomon woke up and realized that God had spoken to him in the dream. Then he went to Jerusalem and stood in front of the Lord's Covenant Box and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. After that he gave a feast for all his officials.
Solomon Judges a Difficult Case
16 One day two prostitutes came and presented themselves before King Solomon. 17 One of them said, “Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a baby boy at home while she was there. 18 Two days after my child was born, she also gave birth to a baby boy. Only the two of us were there in the house—no one else was present. 19 Then one night she accidentally rolled over on her baby and smothered it. 20 She got up during the night, took my son from my side while I was asleep, and carried him to her bed; then she put the dead child in my bed. 21 The next morning, when I woke up and was going to nurse my baby, I saw that it was dead. I looked at it more closely and saw that it was not my child.”
22 But the other woman said, “No! The living child is mine, and the dead one is yours!”
The first woman answered back, “No! The dead child is yours, and the living one is mine!”
And so they argued before the king.
23 Then King Solomon said, “Each of you claims that the living child is hers and that the dead child belongs to the other one.” 24 He sent for a sword, and when it was brought, 25 he said, “Cut the living child in two and give each woman half of it.”
26 The real mother, her heart full of love for her son, said to the king, “Please, Your Majesty, don't kill the child! Give it to her!”
But the other woman said, “Don't give it to either of us; go on and cut it in two.”
27 Then Solomon said, “Don't kill the child! Give it to the first woman—she is its real mother.”
28 When the people of Israel heard of Solomon's decision, they were all filled with deep respect for him, because they knew then that God had given him the wisdom to settle disputes fairly.
Salomo ma ningire ounongo
(2Eku 1:3-12)1 Salomo wa tjita omakutasaneno nombara ya Engipte mena rokutja wa kupa omusuko wayo. Eye we mu eta motjihuro tja David nga tja mana okutunga ondjuwo ye youhona nondjuwo ya Muhona norumbo ndwa kondoroka otjihuro Jerusalem. 2 Ondjuwo ya Muhona ya ri ai hiya tungwa, novandu opuyave zu okukapunguhiro ozombunguhiro zawo kovipunguhiro pekepeke kozondunda. 3 Salomo wa suverere Muhona, na ṱakamisa omazikamisiro wa ihe David posi yokutja eye aa punguhire ozombunguhiro ze ozoningiririsiwa nozomatwimisiro kovipunguhiro pekepeke kozondunda.
4 Otjikando tjimwe ombara Salomo wa ya kOgibeon okukapunguha ozombunguhiro, orondu ingo oku kwa ri otjipunguhiro otjinanḓengu pu avihe. Eye wa punguhira ko ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa eyovi moruveze ndwa kapita. 5 Ouṱuku mbo Muhona we rimunikisa ku ye morutoto ne mu pura a tja: “Mo vanga kutja mbi ku pe tjike?”
6 Salomo wa zira a tja: “Ove aruhe iyo raisa ondjingonekero onene ku tate David, omukarere woye; neye wa ri omusemba nomuṱakame nomupore mongarero ye puna ove. Nove wa kara pokumuraisira orusuvero rwoye orunene norukarerere mokumupa omuatje omuzandu, ngwa yaruka moruveze rwe ndinondi. 7 Muhona, Ndjambi wandje, ove we ndji tjita kutja mbi pingene tate David okurira ombara, nangarire kutja ingee owami omutanda, nu hi nokutjiwa nawa okuhonapara. 8 Owami ngwi mokati kotjiwaṋa tji we ritoororera omuini, otjiwaṋa otjinene tji tji ha sora okuvarwa. 9 Arikana, ndji pa ounongo mbu me hepa okuhonaparera na wo otjiwaṋa tjoye nousemba nouatjiri. Nu tji pe he ri nao, me yenene vi okuhonaparera otjiwaṋa tjoye otjinene hi?”
10 Muhona wa kara nonyuṋe Salomo tja ningira otjiṋa hi, 11 na tja ku ye: “Mena rokutja wa ningire ounongo okupangura osemba, nungwari ko ningirire okukara nomuinyo orure poo outumbe poo onḓiro yovanavita na ove, 12 Ami otji me tjiti otja punga awa ningire. Ami wina me ku pe ounongo nozondunge ozengi mbi hi na vya karere nomundu warwe komurungu woye, nu mbi hi na maavi kakara nomundu warwe kombunda yoye. 13 Ami wina me ku pe imbi mbi u ha ningirire: Mo kara noutumbe, nu mo yozikwa pozombara zarwe azehe oure womuinyo woye auhe. 14 Nu tji wa kara nonḓuviro ku ami noṱakamisa omazikamisiro nomatwako wandje otja iho David punga a tjita, ami me ku pe omuinyo omure.”
15 Salomo wa yanḓimuka na munu kutja Ndjambi wa hungire na ye moruroto. Tjazumba eye wa ya kOjerusalem na kakurama komurungu wOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona ne kemupunguhira ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozohange. Tjazumba eye arire tja tjitire ovakarere ve avehe omukandi.
Salomo ma pangura otjiposa otjizeu
16 Moruveze ndo kwe ya ovakazendu vevari ovakorondu nave rieta oveni komurungu wombara Salomo. 17 Umwe wawo wa tja nai: “Muhona ombara, ami nomukazendu ngwi twa tura mondjuwo imwe, nami mba pandukira okanatje okazandu mondjuwo ndji, eye ngunda e ri mo. 18 Kombunda yomayuva yetatu, okanatje kandje tji ka za nokupandukwa, eye wina otja panduka okanatje okazandu. Oweṱe atuyevari porwetu mbu twa ri mondjuwo ndji, nu kapa ri omundu warwe. 19 Nu ouṱuku umwe eye wa havera kokanatje ke moumba ne ke sina, ake koka. 20 Neye otja penduka mouṱuku, a isa po okanatje kandje mekoro randje ngunda amba rara, ne ke twara kotjiraro tje; okuzambo otja toora okanatje ke ku ka koka, ne ke twa motjiraro tjandje. 21 Nu mependukirwa tji mba yanḓimuka okunyamisisa okanatje kandje, otji mba muna kutja ka ṱu. Ami mbe ke tara nawa ne munu kutja okanatje nga ka kandje.”
22 Nungwari omukazendu ngwi omukwao wa zira a tja: “Kako! Okanatje nga ku ke nomuinyo oko nga okandje, nu inga ku ka koka oko nga okoye!”
Nomukazendu ingwi omutenga wa kotora na tja: “Kako! Okanatje inga ku ka koka, oko nga okoye nu inga ku ke nomuinyo oko nga okandje!”
Nowo otji va patasana momurungu wombara.
23 Nombara Salomo we ripura na tja: “Auhe ma tja okanatje nga ku ke nomuinyo oku ke ri oke, nu inga ku ka koka okomukwao.” 24 Nu Salomo wa raya kutja engaruvyo ri etwe. Nu tji ra etwa, 25 eye wa tja nai: “Haṋa okanatje nga ku ke nomuinyo motumbembera, nomukazendu auhe mu pa orumbembera rumwe.”
26 Nu ingwi ngu ri ina yokanatje nga katjotjiri, omutima we tjinga awe ura nozongama, wa tja nai kombara: “Arikana, muhona ombara, o zepa okanatje, ke yandja komukazendu ngwi!”
Nungwari omukazendu ngo wa tja nai: “O ke yandja ku umwe wetu, ke haṋa motumbembera.”
27 Salomo wa tja: “O zepa okanatje, ke yandja komukazendu ngwi omutenga; eye onguri ina katjotjiri.”
28 Ovaisrael avehe tji va zuva ondyero yombanguriro ya Salomo otji ve mu yozika tjinene, owo tjinga ava tjiwa kutja Ndjambi we mu pa ounongo okupangura osemba.
