I Regum 3
1 Confirmatum est igitur regnum in manu Salomonis, et affinitate coniunctus est Pharaoni regi Aegypti: accepit namque filiam eius, et adduxit in civitatem David, donec compleret aedificans domum suam, et domum Domini, et murum Ierusalem per circuitum.
And Solomon intermarried with Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and took the daughter of Pharaoh, and brought her into the city of David, until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
2 Attamen populus immolabat in excelsis: non enim aedificatum erat templum nomini Domini usque in diem illum.
But the people sacrificed still on the high-places; because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord, until those days.
3 Dilexit autem Salomon Dominum, ambulans in praeceptis David patris sui, excepto quod in excelsis immolabat, et accendebat thymiama.
And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only that he sacrificed and burnt incense on the high-places.
4 Abiit itaque in Gabaon, ut immolaret ibi: illud quippe erat excelsum maximum: mille hostias in holocaustum obtulit Salomon super altare illud in Gabaon.
And the king went to Gib'on to sacrifice there; for that was the great high-place: one thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
5 Apparuit autem Dominus Salomoni per somnium nocte, dicens: Postula quod vis ut dem tibi.
In Gib'on the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream of the night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 Et ait Salomon: Tu fecisti cum servo tuo David patre meo misericordiam magnam, sicut ambulavit in conspectu tuo in veritate, et iustitia, et recto corde tecum: custodisti ei misericordiam tuam grandem, et dedisti ei filium sedentem super thronum eius, sicut est hodie.
And Solomon said, Thou hast shown unto thy servant David my father great kindness, just as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, and thou hast given him a son who sitteth on his throne, as it is this day.
7 Et nunc Domine Deus, tu regnare fecisti servum tuum pro David patre meo: ego autem sum puer parvulus, et ignorans egressum, et introitum meum.
And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in the place of David my father: and I am but a young lad; I know not how to go out or come in.
8 Et servus tuus in medio est populi, quem elegisti, populi infiniti, qui numerari et supputari non potest prae multitudine.
And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot he numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Dabis ergo servo tuo cor docile, ut populum tuum iudicare possit, et discernere inter bonum et malum. quis enim poterit iudicare populum istum, populum tuum hunc multum?
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, to discern between good and bad; for who would [otherwise] be able to judge this thy great people?
10 Placuit ergo sermo coram Domino, quod Salomon postulasset huiuscemodi rem.
And the speech was pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 Et dixit Dominus Salomoni: Quia postulasti verbum hoc, et non petisti tibi dies multos, nec divitias, aut animas inimicorum tuorum, sed postulasti tibi sapientiam ad discernendum iudicium:
And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; and hast not asked for thyself riches, nor hast asked the life of thy enemies; but hast asked for thyself discernment to understand [how to give] judgment:
12 ecce feci tibi secundum sermones tuos, et dedi tibi cor sapiens et intelligens, in tantum ut nullus ante te similis tui fuerit, nec post te surrecturus sit.
Behold, I have done according to thy word; lo, I have given thee a wise and a discerning heart; so that like unto thee there was none before thee, nor after thee shall any one arise like unto thee.
13 Sed et haec, quae non postulasti, dedi tibi: divitias scilicet, et gloriam, ut nemo fuerit similis tui in regibus cunctis retro diebus.
And also what thou hast not asked have I given thee, both riches and honor: so that like unto thee there shall not have been any one among the kings all thy days.
14 Si autem ambulaveris in viis meis, et custodieris praecepta mea, et mandata mea, sicut ambulavit pater tuus, longos faciam dies tuos.
And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then will I lengthen thy days.
15 Igitur evigilavit Salomon, et intellexit quod esset somnium: cumque venisset Ierusalem, stetit coram arca foederis Domini, et obtulit holocausta, et fecit victimas pacificas, et grande convivium universis famulis suis.
And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream; and he went to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt-offerings, and prepared peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
16 Tunc venerunt duae mulieres meretrices ad regem, steteruntque coram eo,
Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and placed themselves before him.
17 quarum una ait: Obsecro, mi Domine: ego et mulier haec habitabamus in domo una, et peperi apud eam in cubiculo.
And the one woman said, Pardon, my Lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18 Tertia autem die postquam ego peperi, peperit et haec: et eramus simul, nullusque alius nobiscum in domo, exceptis nobis duabus.
And it came to pass on the third day after I was delivered, that also this woman was delivered: and we were together, there was no stranger with us in the house, only we two were in the house.
19 Mortuus est autem filius mulieris huius nocte. dormiens quippe oppressit eum.
And this woman's son died in the night; because she had overlaid him.
20 Et consurgens intempestae noctis silentio, tulit filium meum de latere meo ancillae tuae dormientis, et collocavit in sinu suo: suum autem filium, qui erat mortuus, posuit in sinu meo.
And she arose in the midst of the night, and took my son from beside me, while thy hand-maid slept, and laid him in her bosom, and her dead son she laid in my bosom.
21 Cumque surrexissem mane ut darem lac filio meo, apparuit mortuus: quem diligentius intuens clara luce, deprehendi non esse meum quem genueram.
And when I rose in the morning to give my son suck, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I had born.
22 Responditque altera mulier: Non est ita ut dicis, sed filius tuus mortuus est, meus autem vivit. Econtrario illa dicebat: Mentiris: filius quippe meus vivit, et filius tuus mortuus est. Atque in hunc modum contendebant coram rege.
And the other woman said, It is not so; my son is the living one, and thy son is the dead; and this one said, It is not so; thy son is the dead, and my son is the living: thus they spoke before the king.
23 Tunc rex ait: Haec dicit, Filius meus vivit, et filius tuus mortuus est. Et ista respondit, Non, sed filius tuus mortuus est, meus autem vivit.
Then said the king, This one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is dead: and the other saith, It is not so; thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24 Dixit ergo rex: Afferte mihi gladium. Cumque attulissent gladium coram rege,
And the king said, Fetch me a sword: and they brought the sword before the king.
25 Dividite, inquit, infantem vivum in duas partes, et date dimidiam partem uni, et dimidiam partem alteri.
And the king said, Hew the living child in two, and give the one half to one, and the other half to the other.
26 Dixit autem mulier, cuius filius erat vivus, ad regem: (commota sunt quippe viscera eius super filio suo) Obsecro domine, date illi infantem vivum, et nolite interficere eum. Econtrario illa dicebat: Nec mihi, nec tibi sit, sed dividatur.
Then spoke the woman whose son was the living unto the king, for her love had become enkindled for her son, and she said, O pardon, my Lord, give her the living child, and only do not slay it; but the other said, Neither mine nor thine shall it be, hew it asunder.
27 Respondit rex, et ait: Date huic infantem vivum, et non occidatur: haec est enim mater eius.
The king then answered and said, Give her the living child, and do not slay it: she is its mother.
28 Audivit itaque omnis Israel iudicium quod iudicasset rex, et timuerunt regem, videntes sapientiam Dei esse in eo ad faciendum iudicium.
And when all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had given, they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to exercise justice.
