The Visit of the Queen of Sheba
(2 Chronicles 9.1-12)1 The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, and she traveled to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions. 2 She brought with her a large group of attendants, as well as camels loaded with spices, jewels, and a large amount of gold. When she and Solomon met, she asked him all the questions that she could think of. 3 He answered them all; there was nothing too difficult for him to explain. 4 The queen of Sheba heard Solomon's wisdom and saw the palace he had built. 5 She saw the food that was served at his table, the living quarters for his officials, the organization of his palace staff and the uniforms they wore, the servants who waited on him at feasts, and the sacrifices he offered in the Temple. It left her breathless and amazed. 6 She said to King Solomon, “What I heard in my own country about you and your wisdom is true! 7 But I couldn't believe it until I had come and seen it all for myself. But I didn't hear even half of it; your wisdom and wealth are much greater than what I was told. 8 How fortunate are your wives! And how fortunate your servants, who are always in your presence and are privileged to hear your wise sayings! 9 Praise the Lord your God! He has shown how pleased he is with you by making you king of Israel. Because his love for Israel is eternal, he has made you their king so that you can maintain law and justice.”
10 She presented to King Solomon the gifts she had brought: almost five tons of gold and a very large amount of spices and jewels. The amount of spices she gave him was by far the greatest that he ever received at any time.
( 11 Hiram's fleet, which had brought gold from Ophir, also brought from there a large amount of juniper wood and jewels. 12 Solomon used the wood to build railings in the Temple and the palace, and also to make harps and lyres for the musicians. It was the finest juniper wood ever imported into Israel; none like it has ever been seen again.)
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she asked for, besides all the other customary gifts that he had generously given her. Then she and her attendants returned to the land of Sheba.
King Solomon's Wealth
(2 Chronicles 9.13-29)14 Every year King Solomon received over twenty-five tons of gold, 15 in addition to the taxes paid by merchants, the profits from trade, and tribute paid by the Arabian kings and the governors of the Israelite districts.
16 Solomon made two hundred large shields and had each one overlaid with almost fifteen pounds of gold. 17 He also made three hundred smaller shields, overlaying each one of them with nearly four pounds of gold. He had all these shields placed in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 He also had a large throne made. Part of it was covered with ivory and the rest of it was covered with the finest gold. 19-20 The throne had six steps leading up to it, with the figure of a lion at each end of every step, a total of twelve lions. At the back of the throne was the figure of a bull's head, and beside each of the two armrests was the figure of a lion. No throne like this had ever existed in any other kingdom.
21 All of Solomon's drinking cups were made of gold, and all the utensils in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. No silver was used, since it was not considered valuable in Solomon's day. 22 He had a fleet of ocean-going ships sailing with Hiram's fleet. Every three years his fleet would return, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
23 King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king, 24 and the whole world wanted to come and listen to the wisdom that God had given him. 25 Everyone who came brought him a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This continued year after year.
26 Solomon built up a force of fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand cavalry horses. Some of them he kept in Jerusalem and the rest he stationed in various other cities. 27 During his reign silver was as common in Jerusalem as stone, and cedar was as plentiful as ordinary sycamore in the foothills of Judah. 28 The king's agents controlled the export of horses from Musri and Cilicia, 29 and the export of chariots from Egypt. They supplied the Hittite and Syrian kings with horses and chariots, selling chariots for 600 pieces of silver each and horses for 150 each.
Ohamba omukainhu yokuSheba tai uya kuSalomo
1 Ohamba omukainhu yokuSheba eshi ya kundana efimano laSalomo oye uya kuJerusalem, i mu yeleke nomapulo madjuu. 2 Ndele ye uya kuJerusalem pamwe nongudu inene, pamwe neengamelo da humbata oinima yedimba liwa noshingoldo shihapu nomamanya mawa. Ndele yo eshi ye uya kuSalomo, okwa popya nayo oinima aishe ya li momutima wayo. 3 Ndele Salomo okwe mu fatululila eendjovo daye adishe. Kape na nande ondjovo imwe ya nyenga Salomo okufatulula. 4 Ohamba omukainhu Omusheba eshi a uda ounongo aushe waSalomo, ndele eshi a mona ombala oyo a tunga, 5 neendja dokoshililo shaye, naapa hapa kala omalenga aye, nonhumbi ovayakuli vombala va unganekwa, nomidjalo davo, novapindi vaye, nomaxwikiloyambo, aa a yambela motembeli yOmwene, ye okwa kumwa shili, a kanghwa. 6 Opo nee ta ti kuSalomo: “Keshe osho nde shi ku udila koshilongo shange, oinima yoye nounongo woye, oshoshili. 7 Ndelenee inandi itavela eendjovo odo, fiyo nde uya, nomesho ange e shi tala; ndele tala, etata lomusho inandi li lombwelwa. Ove u dule mounongo nomoupuna osho nde shi kundana. 8 Ovanyekadi voye ovanelao, naava have ku yakula ovanelao, naaveshe hava udu ounongo wokanya koye. 9 Omwene Kalunga koye na hambelelwe, eshi e ku hokwa nokwe ku kaleka omutumba kolukalwapangelo laIsrael! Omwene eshi e hole Israel fiyo alushe, Ye okwe ku ninga ohamba u longe ouyuki naasho sha yuka.” 10 Ye okwa yandja vali kohamba oshingoldo sheekilograma omayovi ane, noidimba ihapu iwa nomamanya mawa. Ouhapu woidimba iwa u fike pwooyo ya etelwa ohamba Salomo kohamba omukainhu Omusheba, inai etwa vali nande efiku limwe.
11 Ndelenee eeskepa daHiram odo da ka tala oshingoldo kuOfir, oda eta yo omiti dihapu domisandeli nomamanya mawa. 12 Omiti domisandeli ohamba ye di hongifa oinima yomongulu yOmwene noyomombala yohamba, nomaxumbafeta neenyalilo dovaimbi. Omiti domisandeli, ouhapu wado, inadi ya mo vali, di fike pwaado, ndele inadi monika vali fiyo onena eli. 13 Nohamba Salomo ya yandja kohamba omukainhu Omusheba ashishe osho ye shi hala ndele ye shi indila, nokwa wedela ko vali pauhapu wouhamba waSalomo. Opo nee inya ya fikama ndele tai i koshilongo shayo, novapiya vayo pamwe nayo.
Oupuna nepangelonghono netumbalo laSalomo
14 Ondjele yoshingoldo, Salomo kwe shi etelwa momudo umwe ya li oshingoldo sheekilograma omayovi omilongo mbali naatatu, 15 ponho yaayo ye mu etelwa kovashingifi hava endaenda, nomeliko lovalandifi nokeehamba daArabia nokomalenga edu. 16 Nohamba Salomo ya ninga oikelelifo omafele avali inene yoshingoldo sha hambulwa. Keshe oshikelelifo sha hambulwa, osha li shi noshingoldo shi fike peekilograma heyali doshingoldoelela. 17 Noikelelifo omafele atatu inini yoshingoldo sha hambulwa. Keshe oshikelelifo okwe shi hambulififila oshingoldo eekilograma mbali, nohamba ye i tula kongulu yomufitu waLibanon.
18 Ohamba ya ninga vali olukalwapangelo linene lomayoo eendjaba nokwe li vaeka noshingoldoelela. 19 Olukalwapangelo la li li neendodo hamano nola li li noshiyaameno shombuda la hongelwa ekoto konhele yalo. Ndele kombinga nombinga yolukalwapangelo kwa li oikwatelelo yomake, neenghoshi mbali da kala ofika kominghulo doikwatelelo yomake. 20 Neenghoshi omulongo nambali da li ofika keendodo hamano kombinga nombinga. Oinima ya tya ngaha inai ningwa moshilongo nande shimwe. 21 Nomaholo aeshe ohamba Salomo a li oshingoldo, Noikwatelwa aishe yOngulu yOmufitu waLibanon oyoshingoldoelela. Oshisiliveli sha talwa shihe nongushu pomafiku aSalomo. 22 Osheshi ohamba ya li i neeskepa daTarsis mefuta pamwe neeskepa daHiram. Lumwe momido nhatu eeskepa dokuTarsis de uya da li di noshingoldo noshisiliveli nomayoo eendjaba neenghima nomakondombolo e nomishindi da xwanana.
23 Osho ngaha hano ohamba Salomo ya ninga inene i dule eehamba adishe kombada yedu moupuna nomounongo. 24 Nounyuni aushe wa li wa hala okumona oshipala shaSalomo va pwilikine ounongo waye, Kalunga e mu pa momutima waye. 25 Ndele keshe umwe okwa etela Salomo oshali: oinima yoisiliveli noyoshingoldo noikutu nomaadi omirha, noinyenyepeki, neenghambe nomamula. Osho sha ningwa omudo keshe.
26 Salomo okwa ongela omatemba oita novalondi veenghambe, onghee okwa li e nomatemba eyovi nomafele ane oita novalondi omayovi omulongo naavali veenghambe. Okwe va nangeka muJerusalem nomoilando ikwao. 27 Nohamba ya longa ngaha fiyo muJerusalem mwa li oshisiliveli ngaashi omamanya, nomiti domisederi dihapu ngaashi omikwiyu moshilongo sha lalakana. 28 Ovakalelipo vaSalomo va pashukila euyemo leenghambe okudja kuMusri nokuKuve 29 nolomatemba oita okudja kuEgipiti. Vo ova landifa eenghambe nomatemba oita keehamba dOvaheti nodOvaarami eesekeli doshisiliveli omafele ahamano metemba nefele nomilongo nhano monghambe.
