The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
(2 Chronicles 9.1-12)1 The Queen of Sheba heard how famous Solomon was, so she went to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions. 2 She took along several of her officials, and she loaded her camels with gifts of spices, jewels, and gold. When she arrived, she and Solomon talked about everything she could think of. 3 He answered every question, no matter how difficult it was.
4-5 The Queen was amazed at Solomon's wisdom. She was breathless when she saw his palace, the food on his table, his officials, his servants in their uniforms, the people who served his food, and the sacrifices he offered at the Lord's temple. 6 She said:
Solomon, in my own country I had heard about your wisdom and all you've done. 7 But I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes! And there's so much I didn't hear about. You are wiser and richer than I was told. 8 Your wives and officials are lucky to be here where they can listen to the wise things you say.
9 I praise the Lord your God. He is pleased with you and has made you king of Israel. The Lord has always loved Israel, so he has given them a king who will rule fairly and honestly.
10 The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon more than four tons of gold, many jewels, and more spices than anyone had ever brought into Israel.
11-13 In return, Solomon gave her the gifts he would have given any other ruler, but he also gave her everything else she wanted. Then she and her officials went back to their own country.
Solomon's Wealth
(2 Chronicles 9.13-28)King Hiram's ships brought gold, juniper wood, and jewels from the country of Ophir. Solomon used the wood to make steps for the temple and palace, and harps and other stringed instruments for the musicians. It was the best juniper wood anyone in Israel had ever seen.
14 Solomon received almost 23 tons of gold a year. 15 The merchants and traders, as well as the kings of Arabia and rulers from Israel, also gave him gold.
16 Solomon made 200 gold shields and used almost seven kilograms of gold for each one. 17 He also made 300 smaller gold shields, using almost two kilograms for each one, and he put the shields in his palace in Forest Hall.
18 His throne was made of ivory and covered with pure gold. 19-20 The back of the throne was rounded at the top, and it had armrests on each side. There was a statue of a lion on both sides of the throne, and there was a statue of a lion at both ends of each of the six steps leading up to the throne. No other throne in the world was like Solomon's.
21 Since silver was almost worthless in those days, everything was made of gold, even the cups and dishes used in Forest Hall.
22 Solomon had a lot of seagoing ships. Every three years he sent them out with Hiram's ships to bring back gold, silver, and ivory, as well as monkeys and peacocks.
23 He was the richest and wisest king in the world. 24 People from every nation wanted to hear the wisdom God had given him. 25 Year after year people came and brought gifts of silver and gold, as well as clothes, weapons, spices, horses, or mules.
26 Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.
27 While he was king, there was silver everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.
28-29 Solomon's merchants bought his horses and chariots in the regions of Musri and Kue. They paid 600 pieces of silver for a chariot and 150 pieces of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to the Hittite and Syrian kings.
ملكة سبأ عند سليمان
(2أخ 9:1-12)1 وسَمِعَت مَلِكَةُ سَبأ بِسُليمانَ المُقَرَّبِ مِنَ الرّبِّ، فجاءَت إليهِ تمتَحِنُهُ بِأسئِلَةٍ صعبةٍ. 2 فدَخَلَت أورُشليمَ في مَوكبٍ عظيمٍ ومعَها جِمالٌ مُحمَّلَةٌ أطيابا وذهَبا كثيرا وحجارةً كريمةً، والْتَقَت سُليمانَ وسألَتهُ ما كانَ في خاطِرِها. 3 فأجابَ على جميعِ أسئِلَتِها، ولم يَترُكْ أصعَبَها دونَ جوابٍ. 4 ورَأت ملِكَةُ سَبأ حِكمةَ سُليمانَ، والقصرَ الّذي بَناهُ، 5 وطَعامَ مَوائِدِه، ومَجلِسَ حاشيَتِهِ، ونِظامَ خُدامِهِ وهِندامَهُم، وسُقاتَهُ، ومُحرَقاتِهِ الّتي كانَ يُقَدِّمُها في هَيكلِ الرّبِّ، فأصابَها الذُّهولُ. 6 وقالَت لِلمَلِكِ: «كانَ صحيحا ما سَمِعْتُه في بِلادي عَنْ حِكمتِكَ، 7 لكِنِّي لم أصَدِّقْهُ حتّى جِئْتُ وشاهَدْتُ بِــعيني، فإذا بـي لم أسمَعْ بِنِصفِهِ. فحِكمتُكَ وغِناكَ يفوقانِ ما سَمِعتُهُ. 8 هَنيئا لِرجالِكَ، وهَنيئا لِخُدَّامِكَ هؤلاءِ القائِمينَ بَينَ يدَيكَ يسمَعونَ حِكمتَكَ. 9 تبارَكَ الرّبُّ إلهُكَ الّذي رَضيَ علَيكَ وأجلَسَكَ على عرشِ إِسرائيلَ. فهوَ لِحُبِّهِ الأبدي لإِسرائيلَ أقامَكَ مَلِكا بِالحَقِّ والعَدلِ». 10 وأهدَتِ المَلِكَ عِشرينَ قِنطارَ ذهَبٍ وأطيابا كثيرةً وحجارةً كريمةً. وكانَ مِقدارُ الأطيابِ الّتي وهَبَتْها لِلمَلِكَ سُليمانَ أكثَرَ مِمَّا ورَدَ علَيهِ حتّى ذلِكَ الحينِ.
11 وحمَلَت سُفُنُ حيرامَ الّتي قدِمَت مِنْ أوفيرَ ذهَبا وخشَبَ صَندَلٍ كثيرا وحجارةً كريمةً. 12 فعَمِلَ سُليمانُ مِنْ خشَبِ الصَّندَلِ دَرابِزينا لِلهَيكَلِ ولِلقَصرِ وقيثاراتٍ ورَبابا لِلمُغَنِّينَ، ولم يَرِدْ قَبلا مِثلُ ذلِكَ الخشَبِ إلى إِسرائيلَ ولا شُوهِدَ مِثلُهُ إلى هذا اليومِ.
13 وأعطى المَلِكُ سُليمانُ مَلِكةَ سَبأ كُلَّ ما طلَبَتْهُ، فَوقَ ما أعطاها مِنَ العَطايا السَّخيَّةِ، وانْصَرَفَت إلى بلادِها هيَ وحاشيَتُها.
ثروة سليمان
(2أخ 1:14-17؛ 2أخ 9:13-28)14 وكانَ وَزنُ الذَّهبِ الّذي يَرِدُ على سُليمانَ في سنَةٍ واحدةٍ مئةَ قِنطارٍ، 15 عَدا المَفروضِ على التُّجَّارِ وجميعِ المُلوكِ الأغرابِ ووُلاةِ أرضِ إِسرائيلَ. 16 خَصَّ المَلِكُ سُليمانُ مِئَتي تُرْسٍ كبـيرٍ مِنْ ذهَبٍ مَطروقٍ، لِلتُّرْسِ الواحدِ ثَلاثَةُ أرطالِ ذهَبٍ، 17 وثَلاثُ مئَةِ تُرْسٍ صغيرٍ مِنْ ذهَبٍ مَطروقٍ، لِلتُّرْسِ الواحدِ رَطْلُ ذهَبٍ ونِصفُ الرَّطْلِ، وحَفِظَها في بَيتِ غابةِ لبنانَ. 18 وصنَعَ المَلِكُ عرشا كبـيرا مِنْ عاجٍ ألبَسَهُ ذهَبا إبريزا 19 وكانَ لِلعَرشِ سِتُّ درجاتٍ. ورأسُ العرشِ مُدَوَّرٌ مِنَ الوَراءِ، وعلى جانبَـي المَقعَدِ يَدانِ وأسدانِ واقِفانِ عِندَ اليَدَينِ، 20 فيما اثنا عشَرَ أسدا واقِفَةٌ على الدَّرجاتِ السِتِّ مِنْ هُنا ومِنْ هُناكَ، ولم يُصنَعْ مِثلُ ذلِكَ في جميعِ المَمالِكِ. 21 وكانَت جميعُ آنيَةِ شُربِ المَلِكِ سُليمانَ ذهَبا، وكذلِكَ جميعُ آنيَةِ غابةِ لبنانَ، ولم يكُنْ فيها فِضَّةٌ، فالفِضَّةُ لم تكُنْ شيئا في أيّامِ سُليمانَ، 22 لأنَّ سُفُنَهُ العظيمةَ في البحرِ كانَت معَ سُفُنِ حيرامَ تأتي مرَّةً كُلَّ ثَلاثِ سِنينَ حامِلَةً ذهَبا وفِضَّةً وعاجا وقُرودا وطَواويسَ.
23 وفاقَ المَلِكُ سُليمانُ على جميعِ مُلوكِ الأرضِ غِنىً وحِكمةً 24 وكانَت شُعوبُ الأرضِ تشتَهي لِقاءَهُ لِتَسمَعَ حِكمَتَهُ الّتي أودَعَها اللهُ في قلبِهِ. 25 وكانَ كُلُّ مَنْ يأتي إليهِ يحمِلُ هداياهُ مِنْ آنيةِ فِضَّةٍ وآنيةِ ذهَبٍ ومَلابِسَ وسِلاحٍ وأطيابٍ وخَيلٍ وبِــغالٍ، وذلِكَ سنَةً بَعدَ سنَةٍ.
26 وجمَعَ سُليمانُ مَركباتٍ وخَيلا، فكانَ لَه ألفٌ وأربَعُ مئةِ مَركَبةٍ واثنا عشَرَ ألفَ فَرَسٍ. فاحتَفَظ بِبَعضِها في المُدُنِ المُحَصَّنةِ وبِبَعضِها الآخَرِ عِندَهُ في أورُشليمَ. 27 وصارَتِ الفِضَّةُ مِنَ الكثرةِ في أورُشليمَ كالحجارةِ وخشَبُ الأرزِ مِثلَ الجُمَّيزِ الّذي في السَّهلِ. 28 وكانَ تُجَّارُ سُليمانَ يَستَورِدونَ الخَيلَ مِنْ كيليكيةَ 29 والمَركَباتِ مِنْ مِصْرَ ويُصَدِّرونَها لِمُلوكِ الحِثِّيِّينَ والأراميِّينَ. وكانَتِ المَركبةُ بِسِتِّ مئَةِ قِطعَةٍ مِنَ الفِضَّةِ، والفَرَسُ بِمئةٍ وخمسينَ.
