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 allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house, the house 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.
The people were sacrificing at the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name of Yahweh.
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 showed his love for Yahweh by walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
4 Gibeon na na afɔremuka no mu atitiriw wɔ, ɛhɔ na Salomo kɔbɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre apem wɔ afɔremuka so.
The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place there. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings 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.”
Yahweh appeared at Gibeon to Solomon in a dream by night; he said, “Ask! What should I give 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.
So Solomon said, “You have shown great covenant faithfulness to your servant, David my father, because he walked before you in trustworthiness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart. You have kept for him this great covenant faithfulness and have given him a son to sit on his throne today.
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 made your servant king in the place of David my father, though I am only a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.
8 Ɛha na wʼakoa abedu wɔ nnipa a woapaw wɔn no mu; nnipa a wɔn dodow nti, obi ntumi nkan wɔn.
Your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
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 give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, so that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?”
10 Awurade ani sɔɔ Salomo mmuae no, na nʼani gyee sɛ obisaa nyansa.
This request of Solomon pleased the Lord.
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,
So God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice.
12 mede nea woabisa no bɛma wo. Mɛma wo nyansa ne ntease a obiara nnyaa bi da, na obiara nso renya bi da.
See, now I will do all you asked of me when you gave me your request. I give you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, and no one like you will rise up after you.
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 have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.
14 Na sɛ wudi mʼakyi, na wudi me mmara so sɛ wʼagya Dawid a, mɛma wo nkwa tenten.”
If you will walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
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 behold, it was a dream. He came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
16 Akyiri no, mmea nguamanfo baanu bi baa ɔhene no nkyɛn, pɛɛ sɛ ɔka wɔn asɛm bi ma wɔn.
Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
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 woman said, “Oh, my master, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child with her 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.
It happened on the third day after I gave birth that this woman also gave birth. We were together. There was no one else with us in the house, but only the two of us in the house.
19 “Nanso anadwo no, ɔpere kɔdaa ne ba no so, kum no.
Then this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him.
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 arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast.
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 rose in the morning to nurse my child, he was dead. But when I had looked at him carefully in the morning, he was not my son, whom I had borne.”
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.
Then the other woman said, “No, the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” The first woman said, “No, the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” This is how they spoke before 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, “One of you says, 'This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,' and the other says, 'No, your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'”
24 “Sɛ saa na ɛte de a, mommrɛ me afoa.” Enti wɔde afoa brɛɛ ɔhene no.
The king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before 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, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to this woman and half to the other.”
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!”
Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king, for her heart was full of compassion for her son, and she said, “Oh, my master, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other woman said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.”
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 answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his 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.
When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, they feared the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him for giving judgments.
