1 Ahemfo 3
1 Salomo ne Misraimhene Farao yɛɛ apam, nam so waree ne babea. Ɔde no bɛtenaa Dawid kurom, kosii sɛ osii nʼahemfi sii Awurade Asɔredan, na ɔtoo Yerusalem ho fasu nso wiei.
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 Saa bere no mu, na Israelfo bɔ afɔre wɔ sorɔnsorɔmmea, efisɛ na wonsii asɔredan, mfaa Awurade din ntoo so ɛ.
[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 Salomo kyerɛɛ ne dɔ a ɔwɔ ma Awurade, efisɛ na ɔnam nʼagya Dawid nkyerɛkyerɛ anammɔn so pɛpɛɛpɛ. Mmom na ɔbɔ afɔre wɔ sorɔnsorɔmmea hɔ, hyew aduhuam wɔ hɔ nso.
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 Gibeon na na afɔremuka no mu atitiriw wɔ, ɛhɔ na Salomo kɔbɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre apem wɔ afɔremuka so.
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 Anadwo no, Awurade daa ne ho adi kyerɛɛ Salomo wɔ dae mu. Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Dɛn na wopɛ? Bisa na mede bɛma wo.”
That night, Yahweh appeared to him in a dream. He asked Solomon, “What would you like me to give to you?”
6 Salomo kae se, “Woada adɔe kɛse pa ara adi akyerɛ mʼagya Dawid, efisɛ na odi wo nokware, yɛ ɔtreneeni a ne koma mu nso da hɔ. Woatoa so ayɛ no saa adɔe kɛse yi ara, na nnɛ yi ara, woama no ɔbabarima sɛ ɔntena nʼahengua nso so.
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 “Afei, Awurade, me Nyankopɔn, woasi wʼakoa ɔhene, sɛ minsi mʼagya Dawid anan mu, nanso meyɛ abofra ketewaa bi a minnim sɛnea mesi ayɛ mʼadwuma.
“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 Ɛha na wʼakoa abedu wɔ nnipa a woapaw wɔn no mu; nnipa a wɔn dodow nti, obi ntumi nkan wɔn.
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 Ɛno nti, ma wʼakoa nhumu koma a obetumi de adi wo nkurɔfo so, na obetumi ahu papa ne bɔne ntam nsonoe. Na hena koraa na ɔno nko ara betumi adi saa ɔman a wodi mu, a wɔyɛ wo de yi so?”
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 Awurade ani sɔɔ Salomo mmuae no, na nʼani gyee sɛ obisaa nyansa.
Yahweh was very pleased that Solomon had requested that.
11 Enti Awurade buae se, “Esiane sɛ woabisa nyansa a wode bedi me manfo so, na woammisa nkwa tenten anaa sika amma wo ho anaa woammisa sɛ wo tamfo bi nwu no nti,
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 mede nea woabisa no bɛma wo. Mɛma wo nyansa ne ntease a obiara nnyaa bi da, na obiara nso renya bi da.
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 Na nea woammisa no nso, mede bɛka wo ho—sika ne anuonyam. Na ɔhene biara a ɔwɔ wiase nso rentumi mfa ne ho nto wo ho, wo nkwa nna nyinaa mu.
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 Na sɛ wudi mʼakyi, na wudi me mmara so sɛ wʼagya Dawid a, mɛma wo nkwa tenten.”
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 Na Salomo nyanee, na ohuu sɛ ɛyɛ dae. Ɔkɔɔ Yerusalem kogyinaa Awurade Apam Adaka no anim, na ɔbɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre ne asomdwoe afɔre. Na ohyiaa ne mpanyimfo nyinaa, too wɔn pon.
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 Akyiri no, mmea nguamanfo baanu bi baa ɔhene no nkyɛn, pɛɛ sɛ ɔka wɔn asɛm bi ma wɔn.
One day two prostitutes came and stood in front of King Solomon.
17 Wɔn mu baako fitii ase se, “Me wura, mesrɛ wo meka se, saa ɔbea yi ne me te fi koro mu. Mewoo ɔba bere a ɔne me te fie hɔ.
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 Nnansa akyi no, ɔno nso woo ba. Na yɛn nko ara na yɛte fie hɔ a obiara nka yɛn baanu no ho.
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 “Nanso anadwo no, ɔpere kɔdaa ne ba no so, kum no.
“But one night this woman’s baby died because she [accidentally] rolled on top of her baby [while sleeping and smothered it].
20 Na ɔsɔree anadwo no faa me ba fii me nkyɛn bere a mada no. Ɔde ne ba a wawu no too me basa so, na ɔfaa me de no kɔtoo ne nkyɛn, ma ɔdae.
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 Ade kyee a mepɛɛ sɛ mema me ba no nufu no, na wawu. Nanso anim tetew kakra a mehwɛɛ abofra no yiye no, mihuu sɛ ɛnyɛ me ba no koraa.”
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 Ɛhɔ ara na ɔbea baako no gyee hwanyan kae se, “Abofra a wawu no yɛ wo ba no, ɛnna nea onwui no nso yɛ me de no.” Ɛnna ɔbea a odi kan no nso se, “Dabi da, nea wawu no yɛ wo ba no, na nea onwui no nso yɛ me de no.” Enti wɔtwee asɛm no saa ara wɔ ɔhene no anim.
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 Ɔhene no kae se, “Momma yɛmpɛ asɛm no mu nokware yiye. Mo baanu nyinaa, obiara se abofra a onwui no yɛ ne dea, na abofra a wawu no de, ɔnyɛ obiara dea.
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 “Sɛ saa na ɛte de a, mommrɛ me afoa.” Enti wɔde afoa brɛɛ ɔhene no.
So he said to one of his servants, “Bring me a sword.” So the servant brought a sword to the king.
25 Afei, ɔkae se, “Mompae abofra a onwui no mu abien, na momfa fa mma mmea no mu biara.”
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 Na ɔbea a nokware, ɔyɛ abofra a ɔte ase no na a ɔpɛ ne ba yi asɛm yiye no teɛteɛɛ mu se, “Ao! Dabi me wura! Fa abofra no ma no. Mesrɛ wo nkum no!” Nanso ɔbea baako no kae se, “Eye, ɛbɛbɔ yɛn baanu nyinaa. Kyɛ ne mu ma yɛn!”
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 Ɛhɔ na ɔhene no kae se, “Munnkum no, na mmom, momfa abofra no mma ɔbea a ɔpɛ sɛ abofra no tena ase no, na ɔno ne ne na no.”
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 Ɔhene yi atemmu no trɛw faa Israel mmaa nyinaa, na ɔmanfo no ho dwiriw wɔn wɔ nyansa a Onyankopɔn de ama no, a ɛma no bu atɛntrenee no ho.
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.
