Primo libro dei Re 3

NOVA VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Et affinitate coniunctus est pharaoni regi Aegypti. Accepit namque filiam eius et adduxit in civitatem David, donec compleret aedificans domum suam et domum Domini et murum Ierusalem per circuitum.	1 Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh's daughter, and took herto the City of David until he could complete the building of his palace, the Temple of Yahweh and the ramparts ofJerusalem.
2 Attamen populus immolabat in excelsis; non enim aedificatum erat templum nomini Domini usque in diem illum.	2 The people, however, were stil sacrificing on the high places, because at that time a dwel ing-place forthe name of Yahweh had not yet been built.
3 Dilexit autem Salomon Dominum ambulans in praeceptis David patris sui, excepto quod in excelsis immolabat et accendebat thymiama.	3 Solomon loved Yahweh: he fol owed the precepts of his father David, except that he offered sacrificeand incense on the high places.
4 Abiit itaque in Gabaon, ut immolaret ibi; illud quippe erat excelsum maximum. Mille hostias in holocaustum obtulit Salomon super altare illud.	4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, since that was the principal high place -- Solomon presenteda thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
5 In Gabaon apparuit Dominus Salomoni per somnium nocte dicens: “ Postula quod vis, ut dem tibi ”.	5 At Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream during the night. God said, 'Ask what you wouldlike me to give you.'
6 Et ait Salomon: “ Tu fecisti cum servo tuo David patre meo misericordiam magnam, sicut ambulavit in conspectu tuo in veritate et iustitia et recto corde tecum; custodisti ei misericordiam tuam grandem et dedisti ei filium sedentem super thronum eius, sicut est hodie.	6 Solomon replied, 'You showed most faithful love to your servant David, my father, when he lived his lifebefore you in faithfulness and uprightness and integrity of heart; you have continued this most faithful love to himby al owing a son of his to sit on his throne today.
7 Et nunc, Domine Deus meus, tu regnare fecisti servum tuum pro David patre meo. Ego autem sum puer parvus et ignorans egressum et introitum meum;	7 Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king in succession to David my father. But I am avery young man, unskilled in leadership.
8 et servus tuus in medio est populi, quem elegisti, populi infiniti, qui numerari et supputari non potest prae multitudine.	8 And here is your servant, surrounded with your people whom you have chosen, a people so numerousthat its number cannot be counted or reckoned.
9 Da ergo servo tuo cor docile, ut iudicare possit populum tuum et discernere inter bonum et malum. Quis enim potest iudicare populum tuum hunc multum? ”.	9 So give your servant a heart to understand how to govern your people, how to discern between goodand evil, for how could one otherwise govern such a great people as yours?'
10 Placuit ergo sermo coram Domino quod Salomon rem huiuscemodi postulasset,	10 It pleased Yahweh that Solomon should have asked for this.
11 et dixit Deus Salomoni: “ Quia postulasti verbum hoc et non petisti tibi dies multos nec divitias aut animam inimicorum tuorum, sed postulasti tibi sapientiam ad discernendum iudicium,	11 'Since you have asked for this,' God said, 'and not asked for long life for yourself or riches or the livesof your enemies but have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself,
12 ecce feci tibi secundum sermones tuos et dedi tibi cor sapiens et intellegens, in tantum ut nullus ante te similis tui fuerit nec post te surrecturus sit;	12 here and now I do what you ask. I give you a heart wise and shrewd as no one has had before and noone will have after you.
13 sed et haec, quae non postulasti, dedi tibi, divitias scilicet et gloriam, ut nemo fuerit similis tui in regibus cunctis diebus tuis.	13 What you have not asked I shal give you too: such riches and glory as no other king can match.
14 Si autem ambulaveris in viis meis et custodieris praecepta mea et mandata mea, sicut ambulavit David pater tuus, longos faciam dies tuos ”.	14 And I shal give you a long life, if you fol ow my ways, keeping my laws and commandments, as yourfather David followed them.'
15 Igitur evigilavit Salomon et intellexit quod esset somnium. Cumque venisset Ierusalem, stetit coram arca foederis Domini et obtulit holocausta et fecit victimas pacificas et convivium universis famulis suis.	15 Then Solomon woke up; it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and stood before the ark ofthe covenant of Yahweh; he presented burnt offerings and communion sacrifices and held a banquet for allthose in his service.
16 Tunc venerunt duae mulieres meretrices ad regem steteruntque coram eo.	16 Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
17 Quarum una ait: “ Obsecro, mi domine; ego et mulier haec habitabamus in domo una, et peperi apud eam in domo;	17 'If it please you, my lord,' one of the women said, 'this woman and I live in the same house, and whileshe was in the house I gave birth to a child.
18 tertia vero die, postquam ego peperi, peperit et haec; et eramus simul, nullusque alius nobiscum in domo, exceptis nobis duabus.	18 Now it happened on the third day after my delivery that this woman also gave birth to a child. We werealone together; there was no one else in the house with us; just the two of us in the house.
19 Mortuus est autem filius mulieris huius nocte; dormiens quippe oppressit eum.	19 Now one night this woman's son died; she overlaid him.
20 Et consurgens intempesta nocte, silentio tulit filium meum de latere meo ancillae tuae dormientis et collocavit in sinu suo; suum autem filium, qui erat mortuus, posuit in sinu meo.	20 And in the middle of the night she got up and took my son from beside me while your servant wasasleep; she took him in her arms and put her own dead son in mine.
21 Cumque surrexissem mane, ut darem lac filio meo, apparuit mortuus; quem diligentius intuens clara luce, deprehendi non esse meum, quem genueram ”.	21 When I got up to suckle my child, there he was, dead. But in the morning I looked at him carefully, andhe was not the child I had borne at al .'
22 Responditque altera mulier: “ Non est ita, sed filius meus vivit, tuus autem mortuus est ”. E contrario illa dicebat: “ Mentiris. Filius quippe tuus mortuus est, meus autem vivit ”. Atque in hunc modum contendebant coram rege.	22 Then the other woman spoke. 'That is not true! My son is the live one, yours is the dead one'; and thefirst retorted, 'That is not true! Your son is the dead one, mine is the live one.' And so they wrangled before theking.
23 Tunc rex ait: “ Haec dicit: “Filius meus vivit, et filius tuus mortuus est”; et ista respondit: “Non, sed filius tuus mortuus est, et filius meus vivit” ”.	23 'This one says,' the king observed, ' "My son is the one who is alive; your son is dead," while the other says, "That is not true! Your son is the dead one, mine is the live one."
24 Dixit ergo rex: “ Afferte mihi gladium! ”. Cumque attulissent gladium coram rege:	24 Bring me a sword,' said the king; and a sword was brought into the king's presence.
25 “ Dividite, inquit, infantem vivum in duas partes, et date dimidiam partem uni et dimidiam partem alteri ”.	25 'Cut the living child in two,' the king said, 'and give half to one, half to the other.'
26 Dixit autem mulier, cuius filius erat vivus, ad regem — commota sunt quippe viscera eius super filio suo —: “ Obsecro, domine, date illi infantem vivum et nolite interficere eum ”. E contrario illa dicebat: “ Nec mihi nec tibi sit; dividatur ”.	26 At this the woman who was the mother of the living child addressed the king, for she felt acutely for herson. 'I beg you, my lord,' she said, 'let them give her the live child; on no account let them kil him!' But the othersaid, 'He shal belong to neither of us. Cut him in half!'
27 Respondens rex ait: “ Date huic infantem vivum, et non occidatur; haec est mater eius ”.	27 Then the king gave his decision. 'Give the live child to the first woman,' he said, 'and do not kill him.She is his mother.'
28 Audivit itaque omnis Israel iudicium, quod iudicasset rex; et timuerunt regem videntes sapientiam Dei esse in eo ad faciendum iudicium.	28 Al Israel came to hear of the judgement which the king had pronounced and held the king in awe,recognising that he possessed divine wisdom for dispensing justice.