The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
1The queen of Sheba heard about how famous Solomon was. So she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a very large group of attendants. Her camels were carrying spices, huge amounts of gold, and valuable jewels. She came to Solomon and asked him about everything she wanted to know. 2He answered all her questions. There wasn’t anything too hard for him to explain to her. 3So the queen of Sheba saw how wise Solomon was. She saw the palace he had built. 4She saw the food on his table. She saw his officials sitting there. She saw the robes of the servants who waited on everyone. She saw the robes the wine tasters were wearing. And she saw the burnt offerings Solomon sacrificed at the Lord’s temple. She could hardly believe everything she had seen.
5She said to the king, “Back in my own country I heard a report about you. I heard about how much you had accomplished. I also heard about how wise you are. Everything I heard is true. 6But I didn’t believe what people were saying. So I came to see for myself. And now I believe it! You are twice as wise as people say you are. The report I heard doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story about you. 7How happy your people must be! How happy your officials must be! They always get to serve you and hear the wise things you say. 8May the Lord your God be praised. He takes great delight in you. He placed you on his throne as king. He put you there to rule for him. Your God loves Israel very much. He longs to take good care of them forever. That’s why he has made you king over them. He knows that you will do what is fair and right.”
9She gave the king four and a half tons of gold. She also gave him huge amounts of spices and valuable jewels. There had never been as many spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir. They also brought algumwood and valuable jewels. 11The king used the algumwood to make steps for the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He also used it to make harps and lyres for those who played the music. No one had ever seen anything like those instruments in Judah before.
12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for. In fact, he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left. She returned to her own country with her attendants.
Solomon’s Greatness
13Each year Solomon received 25 tons of gold. 14That didn’t include the money brought in by business and trade. All the kings of Arabia also brought gold and silver to Solomon. So did the governors of the territories.
15King Solomon made 200 large shields out of hammered gold. Each one weighed 15 pounds. 16He also made 300 small shields out of hammered gold. Each one weighed almost eight pounds. The king put all the shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
17Then he made a large throne. It was covered with ivory. And that was covered with pure gold. 18The throne had six steps. A gold stool for the king’s feet was connected to it. The throne had armrests on both sides of the seat. A statue of a lion stood on each side of the throne. 19Twelve lions stood on the six steps. There was one at each end of each step. Nothing like that throne had ever been made for any other kingdom. 20All of King Solomon’s cups were made out of gold. All the things used in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were made out of pure gold. Nothing was made out of silver. When Solomon was king, silver wasn’t considered to be worth very much. 21He had many ships that carried goods to be traded. The crews of those ships were made up of Hiram’s servants. Once every three years the ships returned. They brought gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks.
22King Solomon was richer than all the other kings on earth. He was also wiser than they were. 23All these kings wanted to meet Solomon in person. They wanted to see for themselves how wise God had made him. 24Year after year, everyone who came to him brought a gift. They brought gifts made out of silver and gold. They brought robes, weapons and spices. They also brought horses and mules.
25Solomon had 4,000 spaces where he kept his horses and chariots. He had 12,000 horses. He kept some of his horses and chariots in the chariot cities. He kept the others with him in Jerusalem. 26Solomon ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines. He ruled all the way to the border of Egypt. 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones. He made cedar wood as common there as sycamore-fig trees in the western hills. 28Solomon got horses from Egypt. He also got them from many other countries.
Solomon Dies
29The other events of Solomon’s rule from beginning to end are written down. They are written in the records of Nathan the prophet. They are written in the prophecy of Ahijah. He was from Shiloh. They are also written in the records of the visions of Iddo the prophet about Jeroboam. Jeroboam was the son of Nebat. 30Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over the whole nation of Israel for 40 years. 31Then he joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in the city of his father David. Solomon’s son Rehoboam became the next king after him.
Seba Hemmea Nsrahwɛ
1Bere a Seba hemmea tee Salomo nka no, ɔbaa Yerusalem sɛ ɔde nsɛm a anoyi yɛ den rebɛsɔ no ahwɛ. Ɔne nʼasomfo bebree, yoma pii a wɔahyehyɛ nnuhuam, sikakɔkɔɔ bebree ne mpempranne wɔ wɔn so na ɛbae. 2Ohyiaa Salomo no, wodii biribiara a enti ɔbaa saa nsrahwɛ no ho nkɔmmɔ, maa Salomo yii ne nsɛmmisa nyinaa ano sɛnea ɛsɛ. 3Bere a Sebahemmea huu sɛnea Salomo adwene mu dɔ, ne ahemfi a wasi no, 4ne ho dwiriw no. Ohuu nnuan a esisi ne didipon so no, sɛnea watoto nʼadwumayɛfo ne ntade fɛɛfɛ a wɔhyehyɛ, kuruwakurafo ne wɔn ntade yuu ne ɔhyew afɔre a Salomo abɔ wɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu no, ɛyɛɛ no nwonwa.
5Ofi ahodwiriw mu ka kyerɛɛ ɔhene no se, “Biribiara a metee wɔ me kurom a ɛfa nea woatumi ayɛ ne wo nyansa ho no yɛ nokware. 6Mannye anni kosii sɛ mʼankasa mebaa ha de mʼani kann abehu. Nokware, mante emu fa mpo. Wo nyansa no boro nea wɔka kyerɛɛ me no so koraa. 7Migye di sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ wo nkurɔfo yi ani gye! Ɛyɛ adom ma wʼadwumayɛfo yi sɛ wotumi bɛn wo adekyee biara na wotie wo nyansasɛm. 8Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn yɛ ɔkɛse ampa. Nʼani gye wo ho nti, ɔde wo asi ahengua so sɛ di hene ma no. Efisɛ Onyankopɔn pɛ Israel asɛm dodo, na ɔpɛ sɛ saa ahenni yi tena afebɔɔ; wasi wo hene sɛnea wode nokware ne atɛntrenee bebu ɔman no.”
9Afei, ɔmaa ɔhene no sikakɔkɔɔ akyɛde a ɛkari tɔn 4 ne nnuhuam pii ne aboɔden mpempranne. Seba hemmea nnuhuam a ɔde maa Salomo no so bi mmaa da.
10Bere a Huram hyɛn mufo ne Salomo nkurɔfo de sikakɔkɔɔ fi Ofir bae no, wɔde ɔbako nnua pa bebree ne mpempranne kaa ho bae. 11Ɔhene no de ɔbako nnua no yɛɛ Awurade Asɔredan ne ahemfi no atrapoe. Ɔde bi nso yɛɛ asankuten ne mmɛnta maa nnwom ho nimdefo no. Na saa nnwontode no so bi mmaa da wɔ Yuda.
12Biribiara a Seba hemmea bisaa ɔhene Salomo no, ɔde maa no. Na ɛyɛ akyɛde a ɛsom bo pa ara, na ɛboro nea ɔhemmea de brɛɛ no no so. Afei, ɔhemmea no ne nʼasomfo no san kɔɔ wɔn ankasa asase so.
Salomo Ahonya Ne Anuonyam
13Afe biara, na sikakɔkɔɔ a ɛba Salomo nsam no yɛ tɔn aduonu anum. 14Na sika a onya fi aguadifo nkyɛn no nka eyi ho. Na Arabia ahemfo nyinaa ne amradofo a wɔwɔ asase no so nyinaa brɛ Salomo sikakɔkɔɔ ne dwetɛ. 15Ɔhene Salomo ma wɔde sikakɔkɔɔ a wɔaboro yɛɛ akyɛm akɛse ahannu a emu biara sikakɔkɔɔ a ɛwɔ mu no mu duru yɛ kilogram ason. 16Ɔsan yɛɛ sikakɔkɔɔ nkatabo nketewa ahaasa a wɔde asae aboro a na sikakɔkɔɔ a wɔde yɛɛ emu biara no mu duru bɛyɛ kilogram abiɛsa ne fa. Ɔhene no kɔkoraa saa nkatabo no wɔ Lebanon Kwae Ahemfi mu.
17Afei, ɔhene no de asonse yɛɛ ahengua kɛse bi, na ɔde sikakɔkɔɔ ankasa guu ho. 18Na ahengua no wɔ atrapoe asia a wɔde sikakɔkɔɔ ntiasode afam ho. Ahengua no wɔ nsa wɔ benkum. Ne nifa na gyata sɛso nso gyinagyina afa ne fa wɔ ahengua no ho. 19Salomo 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.
20Ɔhene 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.
21Na ɔhene no wɔ aguadi ahyɛn a emu adwumayɛfo yɛ Huram asomfo. Mfe abiɛsa biara, ahyɛn no ba a, wɔde sikakɔkɔɔ, dwetɛ, asonse, nsoroboa ne asibe brɛ ɔhene no.
22Enti ɔhene Salomo bɛyɛɛ ɔdefo ne onyansafo sen ɔhene biara wɔ asase so nyinaa. 23Ahemfo fifi aman nyinaa so bɛsraa no, tiee ne nyansasɛm a Onyankopɔn de adom no no bi. 24Afe biara, obiara a ɔbɛba abɛsra no no, ɔbrɛ no akyɛde te sɛ dwetɛ, sikakɔkɔɔ, ntade, akode, nnuhuam, apɔnkɔ ne funumpɔnkɔ.
25Na Salomo wɔ apɔnkɔdan mpem anan a ne nteaseɛnam apɔnkɔ da mu ne apɔnkɔ mpem dumien. Ɔde mu fa kɛse no kɔɔ nkurow a ne nteaseɛnam wɔ mu, na ɔmaa bi nso bɛn no wɔ Yerusalem. 26Odii hene bunkam faa ahemfo nyinaa so, fi Asubɔnten Eufrate ano de kosi Filistifo asase ne Misraim hye so. 27Ɔhene no maa dwetɛ buu so ma ɛyɛɛ sɛ abo wɔ Yerusalem. Sida nnua nso, onya ma ebuu ne so te sɛ ankye nnua a enyin wɔ Yuda mmepɔw ase no. 28Na wɔtɔ Salomo apɔnkɔ fi Misraim ne aman ahorow bebree so.
29Salomo ahenni ho nsɛm nkae, fi mfiase kosi awiei no, wɔankyerɛw angu odiyifo Natan nhoma, Ahiya a ofi Silon adiyisɛm ne nhumuni Ido anisoadehu a ɛfa Nebat babarima Yeroboam ho no mu ana? 30Salomo tenaa Yerusalem dii Israel nyinaa so hene mfirihyia aduanan. 31Owui no, wosiee no wɔ nʼagya Dawid kurom. Ne babarima Rehoboam na odii nʼade sɛ ɔhene.
