Malkia Wa Sheba Amtembelea Solomoni
(2 Nyakati 9:1-12)
110:1 2Nya 20:9; Dan 9:20Malkia wa Sheba aliposikia habari za umaarufu wa Solomoni na uhusiano wake na jina la Bwana, akaja kumjaribu kwa maswali magumu. 210:2 Ezr 9:2; Kut 34:13; Neh 13:27; Kum 30:8-10Alifika Yerusalemu akiwa na msafara mkubwa sana: pamoja na ngamia waliobeba vikolezi, kiasi kikubwa cha dhahabu na vito vya thamani; alikuja kwa Solomoni na kuzungumza naye kuhusu yote ambayo alikuwa nayo moyoni mwake. 310:3 2Fal 11:17; 2Nya 34:31; Kut 34:16; Kum 7:2-3; Ezr 9:4; Za 119:53, 120; Isa 66:2Solomoni akamjibu maswali yake yote, hakukuwa na jambo lolote lililokuwa gumu kwa mfalme asiweze kumwelezea. 410:4 1Nya 28:10; Isa 35:3-4Malkia wa Sheba alipoona hekima yote ya Solomoni na jumba la kifalme alilokuwa amejenga, 510:5 Neh 5:12; 13:25chakula kilichokuwa mezani pake, jinsi maafisa wake walivyokaa, wahudumu katika majoho yao, wanyweshaji wake na sadaka za kuteketezwa alizotoa katika hekalu la Bwana, alipatwa na mshangao.
610:6 Kum 9:18; Yn 3:7; Za 102:4Akamwambia mfalme, “Taarifa niliyosikia kwenye nchi yangu mwenyewe kuhusu mafanikio na hekima yako ni kweli. 7Lakini sikuamini mambo haya hadi nilipokuja na kuona kwa macho yangu mwenyewe. Naam, sikuambiwa hata nusu yake; katika hekima na mali umezidi sana ile taarifa niliyoisikia. 810:8 Law 27:28; Yos 6:19Heri watu wako! Heri hawa maafisa wako wasimamao mbele yako daima na kusikia hekima yako! 910:9 1Sam 12:18; Ezr 1:5Ahimidiwe Bwana Mungu wako, ambaye amependezwa sana nawe na kukuweka juu ya kiti cha ufalme cha Israeli. Kwa sababu ya upendo wake Bwana wa milele ajili ya Israeli, amekufanya mfalme, ili kudumisha haki na uadilifu.”
10Naye akampa mfalme talanta 12010:10 Talanta 120 za dhahabu ni sawa na tani 4.5. za dhahabu, kiasi kikubwa sana cha vikolezi na vito vya thamani. Haikuwahi kamwe kuletwa tena vikolezi vingi hivyo kuletwa kama vile malkia wa Sheba alivyompa Mfalme Solomoni.
1110:11 Kum 24:1; Mit 28:13; Mal 2:10-16; Yer 3:13; Isa 1:16-17; Rum 12:2(Meli za Hiramu zilileta dhahabu kutoka Ofiri; tena kutoka huko zilileta shehena kubwa ya miti ya msandali na vito vya thamani. 1210:12 Yos 6:5Mfalme akatumia miti ya msandali kuwa nguzo ya Hekalu la Bwana na kwa jumba la kifalme, pia kwa kutengeneza vinubi na zeze kwa ajili ya waimbaji. Kiasi hicho kingi cha msandali hakijawahi kuingizwa au kuonekana humo tangu siku ile.)
13Mfalme Solomoni akampa malkia wa Sheba kila kitu alichotamani na kukiomba, kando na vile mfalme alivyokuwa amempa kwa ukarimu wake wa kifalme. Kisha malkia akaondoka na kurudi katika nchi yake, yeye na watumishi wake.
Fahari Ya Solomoni
(2 Nyakati 9:13-28)
1410:14 Kum 16:18; Hes 25:4; 2Nya 30:8; 2Fal 23:26; 2Nya 28:11-13; 29:10; 30:8; Za 78:38; Isa 12:1Uzito wa dhahabu ambayo Solomoni alipokea kwa mwaka ulikuwa talanta 666,10:14 Talanta 666 za dhahabu ni sawa na tani 25. 1510:15 Neh 11:16mbali na mapato kutoka kwa wafanyabiashara na wachuuzi, na kutoka kwa wafalme wote wa Kiarabu na watawala wa nchi.
16Mfalme Solomoni akatengeneza ngao kubwa 200 kwa dhahabu iliyofuliwa; kila ngao ilikuwa na dhahabu yenye uzito wa shekeli 60010:16 Shekeli 600 za dhahabu ni sawa na kilo 3.5. 17Akatengeneza pia ngao ndogo 300 za dhahabu iliyofuliwa, kila ngao ikiwa na uzito wa mane tatu10:17 Mane tatu za dhahabu ni sawa na kilo 1.7. za dhahabu. Mfalme akaziweka katika Jumba la Kifalme la Msitu wa Lebanoni.
1810:18 Ezr 5:2; 2:2; Amu 3:6; Zek 6:1Kisha mfalme akatengeneza kiti kikubwa cha kifalme kwa kutumia pembe za ndovu na kukifunika kwa dhahabu safi. 1910:19 2Fal 10:15; Law 5:15; 6:4-6; 1Nya 29:24; 2Nya 30:8; Gal 2:9; Mit 22:26Kiti hicho kilikuwa na ngazi sita na egemeo la nyuma lilikuwa la mviringo kwa juu. Pande zote za kiti kulikuwa na mahali pa kuegemeza mikono, na simba wawili wakisimama kando ya hiyo mikono. 2010:20 1Nya 24:14Simba kumi na wawili walisimama kwenye ngazi sita, mmoja katika kila upande wa kila ngazi. Hakuna kitu kama hicho kilichokuwa kimefanyika kwenye ufalme mwingine wowote. 2110:21 1Nya 24:8Vikombe vyote vya Mfalme Solomoni vya kunywea vilikuwa vya dhahabu na vyombo vyote vya nyumbani katika Jumba la Kifalme la Msitu wa Lebanoni vilikuwa vya dhahabu safi. Hakukuwa na kitu kilichotengenezwa kwa fedha, kwa sababu fedha ilionekana ya thamani ndogo siku za Solomoni. 2210:22 1Nya 9:12Mfalme alikuwa na meli nyingi za biashara10:22 Au: za Tarshishi (ona pia 1Fal 22:48; 2Nya 9:21; 20:36; Isa 2:16; 60:9). baharini zilizokuwa zikiandamana na meli za Hiramu. Kwa mara moja kila miaka mitatu zilirudi, zikiwa zimebeba dhahabu, fedha, pembe za ndovu na nyani wakubwa na wadogo.
2310:23 Neh 8:7; 9:4Mfalme Solomoni alikuwa mkuu zaidi kwa utajiri na hekima kuliko wafalme wote wa dunia. 2410:24 Neh 3:1; 12:10Dunia yote ikatafuta kukutana na Solomoni ili kusikia hekima ambayo Mungu alikuwa ameiweka katika moyo wake. 2510:25 Ezr 3:2; 8:3; Neh 7:13Mwaka baada ya mwaka, kila mmoja ambaye alikuja alileta zawadi: vyombo vya fedha na dhahabu, majoho, silaha na vikolezi, farasi na nyumbu.
2610:26 Kum 17:16Solomoni akakusanya magari ya vita na farasi. Alikuwa na magari 1,400 na farasi 12,000, ambayo aliyaweka katika miji ya magari na mengine akawa nayo huko Yerusalemu. 2710:27 Ay 27:16; 1Nya 27:28Mfalme akafanya fedha kuwa kitu cha kawaida kama mawe huko Yerusalemu, mierezi akaifanya kuwa mingi kama mikuyu vilimani. 28Farasi wa Solomoni waliletwa kutoka Misri na kutoka Kue.10:28 Yaani Kilikia ilioko Syria. Wafanyabiashara wa mfalme waliwanunua kutoka Kue. 2910:29 Hes 13:29Waliagiza magari kutoka Misri kwa bei ya shekeli 600 za fedha10:29 Shekeli 600 za fedha ni sawa na kilo 7. na farasi kwa shekeli 150.10:29 Shekeli 150 za fedha ni sawa na kilo 1.7. Pia waliwauza nje kwa wafalme wote wa Wahiti na wa Waaramu.10:29 Waaramu hapa ina maana ya Washamu.
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 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 almug-wood10:11 Probably a variant of algum-wood; also in verse 12 and precious stones. 12The king used the almug-wood 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 almug-wood 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 splendour
14The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,10:14 That is, 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 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 1.7 kilograms; or perhaps reference is to double minas, that is, 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 1.7 kilograms They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
