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.
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.
