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 ti indile uunongo
(2 Ondjal. 1:3-12)1 Salomo okwa hangana nomukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti e ta hokana omwanakadhona. Okwe mu eta, a kale moshilando shaDavid, sigo a mana okutunga uuwa we, otempeli nedhingililokuma lyaJerusalem. 2 Otempeli oya li inaayi tungilwa Omuwa natango, onkee aantu oya li haa yambele omafikilondjambo kiiyambelo oyindji yi ili noyi ili. 3 Salomo okwa li e hole Omuwa e ta landula omalongo gahe David, ihe naye wo okwa tsele iimuna e te yi yamba omafikilondjambo piiyambelo yi ili noyi ili.
4 Esiku limwe omukwaniilwa okwa yi kuGibeon, a ka yambe omafikilondjambo, oshoka oko kwa li ku na oshiyambelo sha simana. Okwa adhika a yamba omafikilondjambo eyuvi koshiyambelo shiyaka. 5 Uusiku mboka Omuwa okwe mu ihololele mondjodhi e te mu pula ta ti: “Owa hala, ndi ku pe shike?”
6 Salomo okwa yamukula a ti: “Aluhe owa li ho hololele omuntu gwoye David ohole yoye onene, nokwa li omwaanawa, omwiinekelwa nomuyuuki mekwatathano nangoye. Nowa tsikile oku mu ulukila ohole yoye onene yaa na ndjele, sho we mu pe omwana ngoka ta lele nena peha lye. 7 Omuwa Kalunga, ongoye wa landulitha ndje tate muukwaniilwa, nando ngame omunona, kandi shi kulela. 8 Ondi li mokati koshigwana we shi hogolola, shi kale shoye mwene, aantu oyendji yaa shi kuyalulwa. 9 Onkene ano pe ndje owino tandi u pumbwa mokulela aantu nuuyuuki nokutseya eyooloko pokati kuuwanawa nuuwinayi. Oshoka ote vulu ngiini okulela aantu yoye mbano oyendji?”
10 Omuwa okwa li a hokwa eindilo lyaSalomo. 11 Okwa ti kuye: “Molwaashoka owa pula ndje owino okulela nuuyuuki peha lyomwenyo omule gwoye mwene nenge uuyamba nenge eso lyaatondi yoye, 12 otandi ku ningile shoka wa pula. Otandi ku pe owino owindji noondunge u vule ayehe mboka ye ku tetekela nenge mboka taye ku landula ishewe. 13 Otandi ku pe ishewe shoka inoo pula ndje nokuli: okukalamwenyo kwoye akuhe oto kala u na uuyamba nesimano u vule aakwaniilwa ayehe yalwe. 14 Nongele oto vulika kungame e to gwanitha iipango yandje nomautho gandje, ngashika ho David a ningile, otandi ku pe omwenyo omule.”
15 Salomo okwa papudhuka nokwa dhimbulula kutya Kalunga okwe mu popitha mondjodhi. Nena okwa yi kuJerusalem e ta thikama komeho goshikethahangano shOmuwa e ta yambele Omuwa omafikilondjambo nomakwatathanondjambo. Konima yaambika okwa ningile aambala ye oshituthi shomatelekela.
Salomo ta tokola oshipotha oshidhigu
16 Esiku limwe aakiintu yaali oohonda oye ya komukwaniilwa Salomo. 17 Gumwe gwawo okwa ti: “Nkeyama, tse nomukulukadhi nguka otwa li mongulu yimwe. Ngame onda vala okanona okamati, manga ye e li mo. 18 Sho pwa piti omasiku gaali, omumwandje sho a valwa, naye wo a vala okanona okamati. Mondunda kamwa li nande omuntu gulwe, otse atuke yaali. 19 Uusiku umwe okwa laminine okanona ke e taka si. 20 Okwa penduka uusiku e ta kutha mo okanona kandje mekolo, manga nda kotha, e te ka fala pombete ye. Nena okwa tula okanona ke hoka ka sa pombete yandje. 21 Sho nda penduka ongula, ndi yamuthe okamwandje, onda mono kutya oka sa. Onde ka tala nawa noku ka konakona nonda dhimbulula kutya kake shi kandje.”
22 Ihe omukulukadhi mukwawo okwa ti: “Aawoo! Okanona haka ke na omwenyo, oko kandje, naankoka ka sa oko koye!”
Omukulukadhi gwotango okwa ti: “Ahawe! Okanona ha ka sa oko koye, nokanona ke na omwenyo, okandje!”
Osho ngeyi ya tamanana koshipala shomukwaniilwa.
23 Nena omukwaniilwa Salomo okwa ti: “Shaa ngoka gwomune ota ti kutya okanona ke na omwenyo oko ke, naaha ka sa okamukwawo.” 24 Okwa tumu e etelwe egongamwele, nosho lye etwa, 25 okwa ti: “Teteni okanona hoka ke na omwenyo pokati, etata limwe li pewe omukulukadhi ngu, nekwawo li pewe omukulukadhi mukwawo.”
26 Yina yokanona molwohole yomuvali okuhola omwana okwa ti komukwaniilwa: “Aawe, Nkeyama, ino ka dhipaga! Ka gandja kumukwetu!”
Ihe omukulukadhi mukwawo okwa ti: “Inaka pewa nando ogumwe gwomutse, ka teteni owala pokati.”
27 Nena Salomo okwa ti: “Inamu dhipaga okanona! Ka peni omukulukadhi gwotango. Oye yina shili.”
28 Aaisraeli sho yu uvu eutho lyaSalomo, oya li yu udha esimaneko lyoku mu simaneka, oshoka oya tseya kutya Kalunga okwe mu pe owino wokuutha oontamanana nawa.
