Fiawo 1 3
1 Solomo wɔ ɖeka kple Farao, Egipte fia eye wòɖe via nyɔnu aɖe. Ekplɔe va David ƒe du la me va se ɖe esime wòawu eƒe fiasã la kple Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ la tutu kple gliɖoɖo ƒo xlã Yerusalem nu.
Solomon went to see the king of Egypt. Solomon [made an agreement with him to] marry his daughter. They also made an alliance/agreement [that their armies would not attack each other]. Then Solomon brought the king’s daughter to live in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. [She lived there] until Solomon’s workers had finished building his house and the temple of Yahweh and the wall around Jerusalem.
2 Le ɣe ma ɣi la, Israel saa vɔ le vɔsamlekpuiwo dzi le toawo dzi elabena wometu Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ haɖe o.
[At that time] the temple of Yahweh had not yet been built, so the Israeli people were still offering sacrifices at many other places of worship.
3 Fia Solomo lɔ̃ Yehowa eye wòzɔ ɖe fofoa, Fia David ƒe ɖoɖowo katã nu negbe ale si wòyi vɔwo sasa kple dzudzɔdodo dzi le toawo dzi ko.
Solomon loved Yahweh, and he obeyed all the instructions that his father David had given him. But he also offered sacrifices and burned incense at various altars.
4 Vɔsamlekpui siwo nɔ toawo dzi la dometɔ xɔŋkɔtɔe nye esi nɔ Gibeon; Fia la yi afi ma eye wòsa numevɔ akpe ɖeka!
One day the king went to Gibeon [city] to offer a sacrifice there, because that was where the most famous/important altar was. In previous years he had offered hundreds of sacrifices on that altar.
5 Yehowa ɖe eɖokui fiae le zã ma me eye wògblɔ nɛ be, “Bia nu sia nu si dze ŋuwò la eye matsɔe ana wò!”
That night, Yahweh appeared to him in a dream. He asked Solomon, “What would you like me to give to you?”
6 Solomo ɖo eŋu be, “Èwɔ dɔmenyo gã na wò dɔla, fofonye, David elabena eɖi anukware na wò. Ewɔ nu dzɔdzɔe eye eƒe dzi to mɔ ɖeka. Èyi edzi, ɖe amenuveve gã sia fiae eye nèna viŋutsue be wòanɔ eƒe fiazikpui dzi egbea.
Solomon replied, “You always greatly and faithfully loved my father David, who served you [well]. You did that because he (was faithful to/faithfully obeyed) you and acted righteously and honestly toward you. And you have showed how greatly and faithfully you loved him by giving to him me, his son, and now I am ruling [MTY] as he did [before he died].
7 “Azɔ la, Oo Yehowa, nye Mawu, èɖo wò dɔla fiae ɖe fofonye, David teƒe, ke nye la, ɖevi sue ko menye, nyemenya ale si mawɔ nye dɔdeasiwoe o.
“Now, Yahweh my God, you have appointed me to be the king like my father was. But I am [very young, like] a little child [MET]. I do not know how to lead/rule my people at all [IDM].
8 Azɔ la, wò dɔla le afii, le wò ame tiatiawo dome, dukɔ si lolo eye ameawo sɔ gbɔ ale gbegbe be womate ŋu axlẽ wo o.
I am here among the people whom you have chosen. They are a very large group of people; there are very, very many of them, with the result that no one can count them [DOU].
9 Na dzi nyanu wò dɔla ale be wòate ŋu aɖu wò dukɔ dzi eye wòade vovototo nyui kple vɔ̃ dome elabena ame kae ate ŋu aɖu wò dukɔ gã sia dzi?”
So please enable me to think clearly, in order that I may rule your people [well]. Enable me to know what is good and what is evil. [If you do not do that, ] I will never [RHQ] be able to rule this great group of people who belong to you.”
10 Edzɔ dzi na Aƒetɔ la be Solomo bia nu sia
Yahweh was very pleased that Solomon had requested that.
11 eya ta Mawu gblɔ nɛ be, “Esi nèbia esia eye menye agbe didi loo alo kesinɔnuwo na ɖokuiwò o loo alo wò futɔwo ƒe ku o ke boŋ dzi nyanu be yeatsɔ atso afia nyui ta la,
God said to him, “You did not request that you live for many years or that you become very rich or that you be able to kill all your enemies. Instead, you have requested that I enable you to be wise, in order that you will be able to know [and to do] what is right [while you govern these people].
12 mawɔ nu si nèbia la na wò. Mana dzi nyanu kple dzi si sea nu gɔme la wò ale be tɔwò tɔgbi aɖeke manɔ anyi fifia loo alo akpɔ gbeɖe o.
So, I will certainly do what you requested. I will enable you to be very wise [DOU]. The result will be that no one who has lived before you or who will live after you will be as [wise as] you are.
13 Gawu la, matsɔ nu si mèbia o la hã akpee na wò, kesinɔnuwo kple bubu siaa, ale be le wò agbemeŋkekewo katã me la, fia aɖeke masɔ kpli wò o
I will also give you things that you did not request: I will enable you to become very rich and honored, as long as you live. You will be richer and more honored than any other king.
14 eye ne èzɔ le nye mɔwo dzi, nèwɔ ɖe nye sewo kple ɖoɖowo dzi abe ale si fofowò, David wɔ ene la, mana agbe didi wò.”
If you conduct your life [IDM] as I want you to, and if you obey all my laws and commandments, as your father David did, I will enable you to live for many years.”
15 Solomo nyɔ eye wòdze sii be drɔ̃e yeku. Etrɔ va Yerusalem eye wòva tsi tsitre ɖe Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la ŋgɔ, sa numevɔ kple akpedavɔ eye wòɖo kplɔ̃ gã aɖe na eŋumewo katã.
Then Solomon awoke, and he realized that [God had spoken to him in] a dream. Then he went to Jerusalem and stood in front of [the Sacred Tent where] the Sacred Chest [was], and he offered many sacrifices that were completely burned [on the altar] and offerings to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. Then he made a feast for all his officials.
16 Gbe ɖeka la, ɖetugbi eve siwo nye gbolowo la tsɔ nya aɖe va fia la gbɔ be wòatso eme na yewo.
One day two prostitutes came and stood in front of King Solomon.
17 Ɖeka gblɔ be, “Nye aƒetɔ, nye kple nyɔnu sia míele aƒe ɖeka me. Medzi vi esime wònɔ afi ma kplim.
One of them said, “Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was there in the house.
18 Esi medzi vi ŋkeke etɔ̃ megbe la, nyɔnu sia hã dzi vi. Mí ame evea koe nɔ aƒea me.
Three days after my baby was born, this woman also gave birth to a baby. Only the two of us were in the house; there was no one else there.
19 “Ke le zã me la, emlɔ anyi, mli ɖamlɔ via dzi eye ɖevia ku.
“But one night this woman’s baby died because she [accidentally] rolled on top of her baby [while sleeping and smothered it].
20 Efɔ zã ma me dzaa va tsɔ vinye le gbɔnye esi menɔ alɔ̃ dɔm. Etsɔ via kukua de nye abɔwo dome eye wòtsɔ tɔnye yi ɖamlɔ eɖokui gbɔ.
So she got up at midnight and took my baby boy who was lying beside me while I was sleeping. She carried him to her bed and brought her dead baby and put it in my bed.
21 Esi ŋu be yeake eye mebe mana no vidzĩa la, mekpɔ be eku! Melé ŋku ɖe eŋu nyuie eye medze sii be menye vinyee o.”
When I awoke the next morning and was ready to nurse my baby, I saw that it was dead. But when I looked at it closely in the morning light, I saw that it was not my baby!”
22 Nyɔnu evelia hã gblɔ be, “Etɔ tututue nye vidzĩ kuku la eye tɔnyee nye esi le agbe.” Nyɔnu gbãtɔ be, “Ao, vidzĩ kuku lae nye tɔwò eye agbagbeae nye tɔnye.” Ale wohe nya sia le fia la ŋkume.
But the other woman said, “That is not true! The baby that is alive is mine, and the baby that is dead is yours!” Then the first woman said, “No, the dead baby is yours, and the one that is alive is mine!” And they continued to argue in front of the king.
23 Fia la gblɔ be, “Ame si gblɔ be, ‘Vinyee nye agbagbea, eye viwòe nye kukua,’ eye ame keme be, ‘Ao! Viwòe nye kukua eye vinyee nye agbagbea.’”
Then the king said, “Both of you are saying, ‘My baby is the one that is alive and the one that is dead is yours.’”
24 Azɔ fia la gblɔ be, “Enyo, mitsɔ yi vɛ nam” Ale wotsɔ yi vɛ na fia la.
So he said to one of his servants, “Bring me a sword.” So the servant brought a sword to the king.
25 Fia la na gbe hegblɔ be, “Mima ɖevi gbagbe la ɖe akpa eve me eye miatsɔ afã eveawo na nyɔnu eve siawo ɖekaɖekae!”
Then the king said to the servant, “Cut the baby that is alive into two parts. Give one part to each of the women.”
26 Nyɔnu si tɔe nye ɖevi gbagbe la eye wòlɔ̃ via ŋutɔŋutɔ la do ɣli be, “Ao! Kpao! Aƒetɔ! Tsɔ ɖevi gbagbe la na nyɔnu evelia faa! Mègawui o!” Ke nyɔnu evelia ya gblɔ be, “Enyo, ekema ɖevia maganye tɔwò loo alo tɔnye o; mimae na mí!”
But the woman whose baby was alive loved her baby very much, so she said to the king, “No, Your Majesty! Do not allow him to kill the baby! Give her the child that is alive!” But the other woman said to the king, “No, cut it in half. Then it will not be her baby or my baby.”
27 Fia la gblɔ be, “Tsɔ ɖevi gbagbea na nyɔnu si di be ɖevia nanɔ agbe, elabena eyae nye ɖevi la dada!”
Then the king said to the servant, “Do not kill the baby. Give the baby to the woman who said ‘Do not cut the baby in half,’ because she is truly the baby’s mother.”
28 Fia Solomo ƒe nyametsotso sia kaka ɖe dukɔ blibo la me enumake eye ameawo katã ƒe nu ku esi wodze si nunya gã si Mawu nae.
All the Israeli people heard about what the king had decided, and they revered him. They realized that God had truly enabled him to be very wise, to judge people’s matters fairly.
