Sebahemmea Nsrahwɛ
1Bere a Sebahemmea tee Salomo din a ahyeta na ɛhyɛ Awurade din anuonyam no, ɔde nsɛmmisa a anoyi yɛ den bɛsɔɔ Salomo hwɛe. 2Ɔde nʼasomfo a wɔdɔɔso yiye kaa ne ho baa Yerusalem. Na yoma a wɔsoso nnuhuam, sikakɔkɔɔ bebree ne aboɔden abo ka wɔn ho. Bere a ohyiaa Salomo no, wodwinnwen nsɛm bebree a na ɛwɔ ɔhemmea ani so no ho. 3Salomo yii ne nsɛmmisa nyinaa ano sɛnea ɛsɛ. Asɛmmisa biara ankyere nʼadwene. 4Bere a Sebahemmea huu sɛnea Salomo adwene mu dɔ, ne ahemfi a wasi no, 5ne ho dwiriw no. Nnuan a ohuu sɛ esisi ne didipon so no yɛɛ no nwonwa. Sɛnea na wahyehyɛ ne fi so ahwɛfo no ne wɔn ntade papa bi a ɛhyehyɛ wɔn, ne sɛnea nkuruwakurafo ne wɔn ntade yuu ne ɔhyew afɔre a Salomo bɔɔ no Awurade Asɔredan mu hɔ no yɛɛ no ahodwiriw.
6Ɔhemmea no fii ahodwiriw mu ka kyerɛɛ ɔhene no se, “Nsɛm a metee wɔ me man mu a ɛfa dwuma a woatumi adi ne wo nyansa ho no nyinaa yɛ nokware! 7Na minnye nni kosii sɛ mibeduu ha a mʼankasa mede mʼani abehu yi. Nokware, sɛɛ na mante asɛm no mu fa mpo. Wo nyansa ne wo nkɔso no boro nea wɔka kyerɛɛ me no so koraa. 8Migye di sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ wo nkurɔfo yi ani gye! Ɛyɛ adom ma wʼadwumayɛfo yi sɛ wotumi bɛn wo adekyee biara na wotie wo nyansasɛm. 9Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn no yɛ ɔkɛse ampa. Nʼani gye wo ho, na ɔde wo asi Israel ahengua so. Efisɛ ɔdɔ a Awurade de dɔ Israel no yɛ ɔdɔ a ɛnsa da. Wasi wo hene sɛ wode atɛntrenee ne treneeyɛ bebu ɔman no.”
10Na ɔkyɛɛ ɔhene no sikakɔkɔɔ tɔn anan ne fa, nnuhuam bebree ne aboɔden abo. Obiara amfa nnuhuam dodow saa ammɛkyɛ Salomo bio, sɛnea Sebahemmea de bɛkyɛɛ no no.
11Huram ahyɛn no fi Ofir de sikakɔkɔɔ bae a na asamfono nnua bebree ne aboɔden abo ka ho. 12Ɔhene de asamfono nnua no yɛɛ atrapoe wɔ Awurade Asɔredan ne ahemfi no mu, na ɔde bi yɛɛ asanku ne mmɛnta maa nnwontofo. Ebesi saa bere no ne saa bere no, na obiara mfaa asamfono nnua a ɛyɛ fɛ saa nkɔɔ hɔ da, na akyiri no nso wɔanhu bi saa da.
13Biribiara a Sebahemmea bisaa ɔhene Salomo no, ɔde maa no kaa nea amanne nti, ɔnam ayamye so de maa no no ho. Ɛno akyi, Sebahemmea ne nʼasomfo no san kɔɔ wɔn kurom.
Salomo Ahonya Ne Nʼanuonyam
14Afe biara, na sikakɔkɔɔ a ɛba Salomo nsam no yɛ tɔn aduonu anum, 15a na sika a onya fi aguadifo, Arabia ahemfo ne asase no so amradofo no nkyɛn nka ho.
16Ɔhene Salomo ma wɔde sikakɔkɔɔ a wɔaboro yɛɛ akyɛm akɛse ahannu a emu biara sikakɔkɔɔ a ɛwɔ mu no mu duru yɛ kilogram ason. 17Bio, ɔyɛɛ akyɛm nketewa bi a ɔde sikakɔkɔɔ a wɔaboro yɛe a, emu biara mu duru bɛyɛ kilogram abiɛsa ne fa. Ɔhene no de saa akyɛm yi nyinaa kosiee ahemfi hɔ baabi bi a wɔfrɛ hɔ Lebanon Kwae Ahemfi.
18Na ɔhene no de asonse yɛɛ ahengua kɛse bi, na ɔde sikakɔkɔɔ duraa ho. 19Na ahengua no wɔ atrapoe ntiaso asia na nʼakyi yɛ kurukuruwa. Ahengua no wɔ nsa wɔ benkum ne nifa, na wɔayɛ gyata sɛso abien asisi hɔ. 20Salomo san yɛɛ gyata sɛso dumien a ɔbaako biara gyina atrapoe ntiaso asia no mu biara benkum ne nifa. Ahengua biara nni wiase a wobetumi de atoto Salomo de no ho. 21Ɔhene Salomo nkuruwa nyinaa, sikakɔkɔɔ na wɔde yɛe. Saa ara na nneɛma ahorow a ɛwɔ Lebanon Kwae Ahemfi mu no nso te. Wɔamfa dwetɛ anyɛ, efisɛ Salomo bere so no, na wobu dwetɛ ade teta bi. 22Na ɔhene no wɔ po so aguadihyɛn bebree a ɛne Huram de no yɛ adwuma bɔ mu. Mfe abiɛsa biara, ahyɛn no ba prɛko a sikakɔkɔɔ, dwetɛ, asonse, nsorommoa ne asibe ahyehyɛ wɔn ma.
23Enti ɔhene Salomo bɛyɛɛ ɔdefo ne onyansafo sen ɔhene biara wɔ asase so nyinaa. 24Na nnipa fifi aman ahorow so bɛsra no, na wotie nyansa a Onyankopɔn de adom no no bi. 25Afe biara mu, obiara a ɔbɛba abɛsra no no brɛ no akyɛde te sɛ dwetɛ, sikakɔkɔɔ, ntade, akode, nnuhuam, apɔnkɔ ne mfurumpɔnkɔ.
26Salomo nyaa nteaseɛnam ne apɔnkɔ bebree. Na ɔwɔ nteaseɛnam apem ahannan ne apɔnkɔ mpem dumien. Ɔde emu fa kɛse guguu nteaseɛnam nkuropɔn no so na ɔmaa bi nso kaa Yerusalem. 27Ɔhene no maa dwetɛ buu te sɛ abo wɔ Yerusalem. Na sida nnua a ɛsom bo no nso buu so sɛ ankye nnua a efifi wɔ mmepɔw ase wɔ Yuda asase so. 28Na Salomo tɔɔ apɔnkɔ fii Misraim ne Kilikia, efisɛ na ɔhene no aguadifo nya wɔn fi Kilikia a wɔn bo no ye. 29Saa bere no, na wotumi tɔ Misraim teaseɛnam a wɔde abedu Yerusalem no dwetɛ kilogram awotwe, na apɔnkɔ nso, na wotumi tɔ baako dwetɛ kilogram abien. Na wɔsan tɔn wɔn mu pii ma Hetifo ahemfo ne Aram ahemfo.
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
1When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. 2Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at10:5 Or the ascent by which he went up to the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.
6She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”
10And she gave the king 120 talents10:10 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11(Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood10:11 Probably a variant of algumwood; also in verse 12 and precious stones. 12The king used the almugwood to make supports10:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)
13King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
Solomon’s Splendor
14The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,10:14 That is, about 25 tons or about 23 metric tons 15not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.
16King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels10:16 That is, about 15 pounds or about 6.9 kilograms; also in verse 29 of gold went into each shield. 17He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas10:17 That is, about 3 3/4 pounds or about 1.7 kilograms; or perhaps reference is to double minas, that is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms. of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
18Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. 22The king had a fleet of trading ships10:22 Hebrew of ships of Tarshish at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
23King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 25Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
26Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,10:26 Or charioteers which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue10:28 Probably Cilicia—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. 29They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.10:29 That is, about 3 3/4 pounds or about 1.7 kilograms They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
