1 Amakhosi 3
1 USolomoni wasehlangana ngomtshado loFaro inkosi yeGibhithe, wathatha indodakazi kaFaro, wayiletha emzini kaDavida waze waqeda ukwakha indlu yakhe lendlu yeNkosi lomduli weJerusalema ozingelezeleyo.
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 Kube kanti abantu babenikela umhlatshelo endaweni eziphakemeyo, ngoba kwakungakhelwanga ibizo leNkosi indlu kwaze kwaba yilezonsuku.
[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 USolomoni wayithanda-ke iNkosi, ehamba ezimisweni zikaDavida uyise; kube kanti wanikela umhlatshelo watshisa impepha endaweni eziphakemeyo.
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 Inkosi yasisiya eGibeyoni ukuhlaba khona, ngoba leyo yayiyindawo ephakemeyo enkulu. Iminikelo yokutshiswa eyinkulungwane uSolomoni wayinikela phezu kwalelolathi.
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 EGibeyoni iNkosi yabonakala kuSolomoni ephutsheni ebusuku. UNkulunkulu wathi: Cela engingakunika khona.
That night, Yahweh appeared to him in a dream. He asked Solomon, “What would you like me to give to you?”
6 USolomoni wasesithi: Wena wenzele inceku yakho uDavida ubaba umusa omkhulu, njengokuhamba kwakhe phambi kwakho eqinisweni lekulungeni lebuqothweni benhliziyo kuwe; wamgcinela lo umusa omkhulu ukuthi wamnika indodana ehlezi esihlalweni sakhe sobukhosi njengalamuhla.
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 Ngakho-ke, Nkosi Nkulunkulu wami, wena wenzile inceku yakho yaba yinkosi esikhundleni sikaDavida ubaba; ngingumntwanyana nje, angikwazi ukuphuma lokungena.
“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 Lenceku yakho iphakathi kwabantu bakho obakhethileyo, abantu abanengi, abangelakubalwa labangelakunaniswa ngobunengi.
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 Ngakho nika inceku yakho inhliziyo eqedisisayo ukwahlulela abantu bakho, ukuze ngehlukanise phakathi kokuhle lokubi; ngoba ngubani olamandla ukwahlulela lesisizwe sakho esikhulu?
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 Laloludaba lwaba luhle emehlweni eNkosi ukuthi uSolomoni ucele lolulutho.
Yahweh was very pleased that Solomon had requested that.
11 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuye: Ngenxa yokuthi ucele lolulutho, ungazicelelanga insuku ezinengi, ungazicelelanga inotho, ungacelanga umphefumulo wezitha zakho, kodwa uzicelele ukuqedisisa ukuzwa ukwahlulela,
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 khangela, sengenze njengamazwi akho. Khangela, ngikunike inhliziyo ehlakaniphileyo leqedisisayo, ukuthi kungabi khona onjengawe ngaphambi kwakho, lemva kwakho kungaveli onjengawe.
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 Futhi longakucelanga ngikunikile, ngitsho inotho lodumo, ukuze kungabi khona umuntu onjengawe emakhosini zonke izinsuku zakho.
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 Njalo uba uzahamba endleleni zami, ukugcina izimiso zami lemilayo yami njengoDavida uyihlo wahamba, ngizakwelula insuku zakho.
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 USolomoni wasephaphama; khangela-ke kwakuliphupho. Wasesiza eJerusalema, wema phambi komtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi, wanikela iminikelo yokutshiswa, wanikela iminikelo yokuthula, wenzela inceku zakhe zonke idili.
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 Ngalesosikhathi kwafika abesifazana ababili, amawule, enkosini, bema phambi kwayo.
One day two prostitutes came and stood in front of King Solomon.
17 Omunye owesifazana wasesithi: Hawu nkosi yami, mina lalumfazi sihlala ndlunye; ngasengibeletha ngilaye endlini.
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 Kwasekusithi ngosuku lwesithathu ngibelethile, laye lumfazi wabeletha; njalo sasindawonye, kungekho owemzini kanye lathi endlini, ngaphandle kwethu sobabili endlini.
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 Umntwana walumfazi wasesifa ebusuku, ngoba walala phezu kwakhe.
“But one night this woman’s baby died because she [accidentally] rolled on top of her baby [while sleeping and smothered it].
20 Wasevuka phakathi kobusuku, wathatha indodana yami eceleni kwami, incekukazi yakho isalele, wayilalisa esifubeni sakhe, lomntanakhe ofileyo wamlalisa esifubeni sami.
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 Lapho ngivuka ekuseni ukumunyisa umntanami, khangela-ke wayesefile; sengimkhangelisisa ekuseni, khangela-ke, kwakungeyisuye umntanami engamzalayo.
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 Kodwa lowo omunye owesifazana wathi: Hatshi, kodwa indodana yami ngephilayo, lendodana yakho ngefileyo. Lalowo wathi: Hatshi, kodwa indodana yakho ngefileyo, lendodana yami ngephilayo. Batsho njalo phambi kwenkosi.
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 Inkosi yasisithi: Lo uthi: Le yindodana yami ephilayo, lendodana yakho ngefileyo; lomunye uthi: Hatshi, kodwa indodana yakho ngefileyo, lendodana yami ngephilayo.
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 Inkosi yasisithi: Ngithathelani inkemba. Basebeyiletha inkemba phambi kwenkosi.
So he said to one of his servants, “Bring me a sword.” So the servant brought a sword to the king.
25 Inkosi yasisithi: Dabulani kabili umntwana ophilayo, linike omunye ingxenye, lomunye ingxenye.
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 Owesifazana okwakungowakhe umntwana ophilayo wakhuluma enkosini, ngoba imibilini yakhe yavutha ngendodana yakhe, wathi: Hawu nkosi yami, mnikeni yena umntwana ophilayo, lingambulali loba kunjani. Kodwa omunye wathi: Kangabi ngowami kumbe ngowakho, dabulani.
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 Inkosi yasiphendula yathi: Nikani yena umntwana ophilayo, lingambulali loba kunjani; nguye unina.
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 UIsrayeli wonke wasesizwa isahlulelo inkosi eyayisahlulele, besaba phambi kwenkosi, ngoba babona ukuthi inhlakanipho kaNkulunkulu yayikuye ukwenza isahlulelo.
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.
