1 Wafalme 3
1 Solomoni akafanya urafiki na Mfalme Farao wa Misri na kumwoa binti yake. Akamleta huyo binti katika Mji wa Daudi mpaka alipomaliza kujenga jumba lake la kifalme na Hekalu la Bwana, pamoja na ukuta kuzunguka Yerusalemu.
Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter as his wife, keeping her in the town of David, till the house he was building for himself, and the house of the Lord and the wall round Jerusalem, were complete.
2 Hata hivyo, watu bado walikuwa wakitoa dhabihu huko kwenye vilima, kwa sababu Hekalu lilikuwa bado halijajengwa kwa ajili ya Jina la Bwana.
But all this time the people were making their offerings in the high places, because no house had been put up to the name of the Lord till those days.
3 Solomoni akaonyesha upendo wake kwa Bwana kwa kuenenda sawasawa na amri za Daudi baba yake, ila yeye alitoa dhabihu na kufukiza uvumba huko mahali pa juu.
And Solomon, in his love for the Lord, kept the laws of David his father; but he made offerings and let them go up in smoke on the high places.
4 Mfalme akaenda Gibeoni kutoa dhabihu, kwa maana ndipo palipokuwa mahali pa juu pa kuabudia, naye Solomoni akatoa sadaka elfu moja za kuteketezwa juu ya hayo madhabahu.
And the king went to Gibeon to make an offering there, because that was the chief high place: it was Solomon's way to make a thousand burned offerings on that altar.
5 Bwana akamtokea Solomoni huko Gibeoni wakati wa usiku katika ndoto, naye Mungu akasema, “Omba lolote utakalo nikupe.”
In Gibeon, Solomon had a vision of the Lord in a dream by night; and God said to him, Say what I am to give you.
6 Solomoni akajibu, “Umemfanyia mtumishi wako, baba yangu Daudi, fadhili nyingi, kwa kuwa alikuwa mwaminifu kwako na mwenye haki, tena mnyofu wa moyo. Nawe umemzidishia fadhili hii kuu kwani umempa mwana wa kuketi kwenye kiti chake cha ufalme, kama ilivyo leo.
And Solomon said, Great was your mercy to David my father, as his life before you was true and upright and his heart was true to you; and you have kept for him this greatest mercy, a son to take his place this day.
7 “Sasa, Ee Bwana Mungu wangu, umemfanya mtumishi wako mfalme badala ya baba yangu Daudi. Lakini mimi ni mtoto mdogo tu, wala sijui jinsi ya kutekeleza wajibu wangu.
And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father; and I am only a young boy, with no knowledge of how to go out or come in.
8 Mtumishi wako yuko hapa miongoni mwa watu uliowachagua: taifa kubwa, watu wengi wasioweza kuhesabika wala kutoa idadi yao.
And your servant has round him the people of your selection, a people so great that they may not be numbered, and no account of them may be given.
9 Hivyo mpe mtumishi wako moyo wa ufahamu ili kutawala watu wako na kupambanua kati ya mema na mabaya. Kwa maana, ni nani awezaye kutawala watu wako hawa walio wengi hivi?”
Give your servant, then, a wise heart for judging your people, able to see what is good and what evil; for who is able to be the judge of this great people?
10 Bwana akapendezwa kwamba Solomoni ameliomba jambo hili.
Now these words and Solomon's request were pleasing to the Lord.
11 Basi Mungu akamwambia, “Kwa kuwa umeomba neno hili na hukuomba maisha marefu au upate utajiri kwa nafsi yako, wala adui zako wafe, bali umeomba ufahamu katika kutoa haki,
And God said to him, Because your request is for this thing, and not for long life for yourself or for wealth or for the destruction of your haters, but for wisdom to be a judge of causes;
12 nitafanya lile uliloomba. Nitakupa moyo wa hekima na wa ufahamu, kiasi kwamba hajakuwepo mtu mwingine kama wewe, wala kamwe hatakuwepo baada yako.
I have done as you said: I have given you a wise and far-seeing heart, so that there has never been your equal in the past, and never will there be any like you in the future.
13 Zaidi ya hayo, nitakupa yale ambayo hukuomba, yaani utajiri na heshima, ili kwamba maisha yako yote hapatakuwa na mtu kama wewe miongoni mwa wafalme.
And with this I have given you what you made no request for: wealth and honour, so that no king was ever your equal.
14 Nawe kama ukienenda katika njia zangu na kutii sheria na amri zangu kama baba yako Daudi alivyofanya, nitakupa maisha marefu.”
And if you go on in my ways, keeping my laws and my orders as your father David did, I will give you a long life.
15 Ndipo Solomoni akaamka, akatambua kuwa ilikuwa ndoto. Akarudi Yerusalemu, akasimama mbele ya Sanduku la Agano la Bwana, naye akatoa dhabihu za kuteketezwa na sadaka za amani. Kisha akawafanyia watumishi wake wote karamu.
And Solomon, awakening, saw that it was a dream; then he came to Jerusalem, where he went before the ark of the agreement of the Lord, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings; and he made a feast for all his servants.
16 Basi wanawake wawili makahaba walikuja kwa mfalme na kusimama mbele yake.
Then two loose women of the town came and took their places before the king;
17 Mmojawapo akasema, “Bwana wangu, mimi na mwanamke huyu tunaishi kwenye nyumba moja. Nilikuwa nimezaa alipokuwa pamoja nami.
And one of them said, O my lord, I and this woman are living in the same house; and I gave birth to a child by her side in the house.
18 Siku ya tatu baada ya mtoto wangu kuzaliwa, mwanamke huyu pia naye akazaa mtoto. Tulikuwa peke yetu, hapakuwa na mtu mwingine yeyote katika nyumba isipokuwa sisi wawili.
And three days after the birth of my child, this woman had a child: we were together, no other-person was with us in the house but we two only.
19 “Wakati wa usiku mwana wa huyu mwanamke akafa kwa sababu alimlalia.
In the night, this woman, sleeping on her child, was the cause of its death.
20 Hivyo akaondoka katikati ya usiku na kumchukua mwanangu kutoka ubavuni pangu wakati mimi mtumishi wako nilipokuwa nimelala. Akamweka kifuani mwake na kumweka mwanawe aliyekufa kifuani mwangu.
And she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was sleeping; and she took it in her arms and put her dead child in my arms.
21 Asubuhi yake, nikaamka ili kumnyonyesha mwanangu, naye alikuwa amekufa! Lakini nilipomwangalia sana katika nuru ya asubuhi, niliona kuwa hakuwa yule mwana niliyekuwa nimemzaa.”
And when I got up to give my child the breast, I saw that it was dead; but in the morning, looking at it with care, I saw that it was not my son.
22 Huyo mwanamke mwingine akasema, “Hapana! Mwana aliye hai ndiye wangu, aliyekufa ni wako.” Lakini yule wa kwanza akasisitiza, “Hapana! Mwana aliyekufa ni wako, aliye hai ni wangu.” Hivi ndivyo walivyobishana mbele ya mfalme.
And the other woman said, No; but the living child is my son and the dead one yours. But the first said, No; the dead child is your son and the living one mine. So they kept on talking before the king.
23 Mfalme akasema, “Huyu anasema, ‘Mwanangu ndiye aliye hai, na aliyekufa ndiye mwanao,’ maadamu yule anasema, ‘Hapana! Aliyekufa ni wako, na aliye hai ni wangu.’”
Then the king said, One says, The living child is my son, and yours is the dead: and the other says, Not so; but your son is the dead one and mine is the living.
24 Kisha mfalme akasema, “Nileteeni upanga.” Basi wakamletea mfalme upanga.
Then he said, Get me a sword. So they went and put a sword before the king.
25 Ndipo mfalme akatoa amri: “Mkate mtoto aliye hai vipande viwili; mpe huyu nusu na mwingine nusu.”
And the king said, Let the living child be cut in two and one half given to one woman and one to the other.
26 Mwanamke ambaye mwanawe alikuwa hai akajawa na huruma kwa ajili ya mwanawe na kumwambia mfalme, “Tafadhali, bwana wangu, mpe yeye mtoto aliye hai! Usimuue!” Lakini yule mwanamke mwingine akasema, “Mkate vipande viwili. Asiwe wangu au wake!”
Then the mother of the living child came forward, for her heart went out to her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the child; do not on any account put it to death. But the other woman said, It will not be mine or yours; let it be cut in two.
27 Kisha mfalme akatoa uamuzi wake: “Mpeni mama wa kwanza mtoto aliye hai. Msimuue; ndiye mama yake.”
Then the king made answer and said, Give her the child, and do not put it to death; she is the mother of it.
28 Wakati Israeli yote iliposikia hukumu aliyotoa mfalme, wakamwogopa mfalme, kwa sababu waliona kuwa alikuwa na hekima kutoka kwa Mungu kwa kutoa haki.
And news of this decision which the king had made went through all Israel; and they had fear of the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to give decisions.
