Solomon's Wisdom

¹USolomoni wahlangana ngobuhlobo noFaro inkosi yaseGibithe, wathatha indodakazi kaFaro, wayingenisa emzini kaDavide, waze waqeda ukwakha indlu yakhe, nendlu kaJehova, nogange lwaseJerusalema nxazonke.

²Nokho abantu babehlaba ezindaweni eziphakemeyo, ngokuba kwakungakhelwanga igama likaJehova indlu kwaze kwaba yilezo zinsuku.

³USolomoni wamthanda uJehova, wahamba ngezimiso zikaDavide uyise; kepha wahlaba, washisa impepho ezindaweni eziphakemeyo.

⁴Inkosi yaya eGibeyoni ukuhlabela khona, ngokuba kwakuyindawo ephakemeyo enkulu; uSolomoni wanikela ngeminikelo yokushiswa eyinkulungwane e-altare lelo.

⁵EGibeyoni uJehova wabonakala kuSolomoni ngephupho ebusuku; uNkulunkulu wathi:

⁶USolomoni wathi:

⁷Manje, Jehova Nkulunkulu wami, ubekile inceku yakho inkosi esikhundleni sikaDavide ubaba; ngingumntwana omncane nje, angikwazi nokungena nokuphuma.

⁸Inceku yakho iphakathi kwabantu bakho obakhethileyo, isizwe esikhulu, esingenakubalwa, esingenakuthathwa umumo waso ngobuningi.

⁹Ngalokho yiphe inceku yakho inhliziyo elalelayo ukwahlulela abantu bakho ukuba ngahlukanise okuhle nokubi, ngokuba ngubani ongahlulela laba bantu bakho abakhulu kangaka na?

¹⁰Leyo nkulumo yaba nhle emehlweni eNkosi ukuba uSolomoni wayecele leyo nto.

¹¹Wathi uNkulunkulu kuye:

¹²bheka, ngenzile njengezwi lakho: nakhu, ngikunika inhliziyo enokuhlakanipha nokuqonda, okungazange kube khona okunjengakho ngaphambi kwakho nokungayikuvela futhi okunjengakho nangasemva kwakho.

¹³Ngikunika futhi nalokho ongakucelanga, imfuyo nodumo, ngangokuba kungayikubakho onjengawe phakathi kwamakhosi zonke izinsuku zakho.

¹⁴Uma uhamba ngezindlela zami, ugcine izimiso zami nemiyalo yami, njengalokho uyihlo uDavide wahamba, ngiyakwandisa izinsuku zakho.

¹⁵USolomoni wayesephaphama; bheka, kwakuyiphupho; waya eJerusalema, wema phambi komphongolo wesivumelwano sikaJehova, wanikela ngeminikelo yokushiswa, wanikela ngeminikelo yokuthula, wazenzela izinceku zakhe zonke idili.

¹⁶Khona kwafika enkosini abesifazane ababili abayizifebe, bema phambi kwayo.

¹⁷Omunye owesifazane wathi:

¹⁸Kwathi ngosuku lwesithathu sengibelethile, lo wesifazane wabeletha naye; sasindawonye, kwakungekho mfokazi nathi endlini, kuyithina sobabili kuphela.

¹⁹Umfana walo wesifazane wafa ebusuku, ngokuba walala phezu kwakhe.

²⁰Wavuka phakathi kwamabili, wathatha umfana wami eceleni kwami, incekukazi yakho ilele ubuthongo, wambeka esifubeni sakhe, wabeka umfana wakhe ofileyo esifubeni sami.

²¹Lapho sengivuka ekuseni ukuba ngimncelise umfana wami, bheka, wayesefile; kepha sengimbhekisisa ekuseni, bheka, kwakungesiye umfana wami engimzeleyo.

²²Wayesethi omunye owesifazane:

²³Yayisithi inkosi:

²⁴Yathi inkosi:

²⁵Yathi-ke inkosi:

²⁶Wayesekhuluma enkosini owesifazane ongowakhe umntwana ophilayo, ngokuba izibilini zakhe zavutha ngomntanakhe, wathi:

²⁷Yayisithatha inkosi, yathi:

²⁸U-Israyeli wonke wezwa leso sahlulelo esenziwe yinkosi; bayesaba inkosi, ngokuba babona ukuthi ukuhlakanipha kukaNkulunkulu kwakukuyo ekwahluleleni kwayo.