2 Chronicles 9 – NIV & LCB

New International Version

2 Chronicles 9:1-31

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon

1When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving 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 she had on her mind. 2Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, 4the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at9:4 Or and the ascent by which he went up to the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

5She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 6But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. 7How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”

9Then she gave the king 120 talents9:9 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10(The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood9:10 Probably a variant of almugwood and precious stones. 11The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)

12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

Solomon’s Splendor

13The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,9:13 That is, about 25 tons or about 23 metric tons 14not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels9:15 That is, about 15 pounds or about 6.9 kilograms of hammered gold went into each shield. 16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels9:16 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.

17Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. 18The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 19Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 20All 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 day. 21The king had a fleet of trading ships9:21 Hebrew of ships that could go to Tarshish manned by Hiram’s9:21 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

22King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 23All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 24Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

25Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses,9:25 Or charioteers which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 26He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. 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 all other countries.

Solomon’s Death

29As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat? 30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

Luganda Contemporary Bible

2 Ebyomumirembe 9:1-31

Okukyala kwa Kabaka Omukazi w’e Seeba

1Kabaka omukazi w’e Seeba bwe yawulira ettutumo lya Sulemaani n’ajja e Yerusaalemi okumugeza n’ebibuuzo ebikalubo, ng’awerekeddwako ekibinja ekinene omwali eŋŋamira ezaali zeetise ebyakaloosa, ne zaabu nnyingi nnyo n’amayinja ag’omuwendo omungi. Awo bwe yatuuka eri Sulemaani, n’anyumya naye ku ebyo byonna ebyali ku mutima gwe. 2Sulemaani n’addamu ebibuuzo bye byonna, ne wataba n’ekimu ekyamulema okumunnyonnyola. 3Awo Kabaka omukazi w’e Seeba bwe yalaba amagezi ga Sulemaani, n’olubiri lwe yali azimbye, 4n’emmere eyaliibwanga ku mmeeza ye, n’okutuula okw’abakungu be, n’abaweereza be mu byambalo byabwe, n’enyambuka gye yayambukangamu okugenda okuwaayo ebiweebwayo mu yeekaalu ya Mukama, n’aggwaamu omwoyo.

5N’agamba kabaka nti, “Bye nnawulira nga ndi mu nsi yange ku bikwata ku bikolwa byo n’amagezi go bya mazima, 6naye nnali sibikkirizanga okutuusa bwe najja ne mbyelabirako n’amaaso gange. Laba saabuulirwa wadde ekitundu eky’ettutumo lyo; bye mpulidde bisingawo ku ebyo bye nnawulira. 7Abantu bo nga balina omukisa! Abaddu bo abakuweereza bulijjo ne bawulira amagezi go nga balina omukisa! 8Mukama Katonda wo yeebazibwe akwenyumiririzaamu, era eyakuteeka ku ntebe yo ey’obwakabaka. Olw’okwagala kwa Katonda wo eri Isirayiri, era n’okwagala okubanyweza emirembe gyonna, kyeyava akufuula kabaka okubafuga, okukola obwenkanya n’obutuukirivu.”

9N’alyoka awa kabaka ettani nnya n’ekitundu eza zaabu, n’ebyakaloosa bingi nnyo nnyini, n’amayinja ag’omuwendo. Waali tewabangawo bya kaloosa bingi bwe bityo nga Kabaka omukazi w’e Seeba bye yawa kabaka Sulemaani.

10Abasajja ba Kulamu n’abasajja ba Sulemaani abaasuubulanga zaabu okuva e Ofiri baaleetanga n’emitoogo n’amayinja ag’omuwendo omungi. 11Kabaka n’akozesa emitoogo egyo okuzimba amaddaala aga yeekaalu ya Mukama n’ag’olubiri lwa kabaka, ate era n’akolamu n’ennanga n’entongooli z’abayimbi. Waali tewabangawo bifaanana ng’ebyo mu nsi ya Yuda. 12Kabaka Sulemaani n’awa Kabaka omukazi w’e Seeba byonna bye yayagala, okusinga n’ebyo bye yali amuleetedde. N’oluvannyuma n’addayo mu nsi ye n’ekibinja kye.

Obugagga bwa Sulemaani

13Obuzito bwa zaabu obwaleetebwanga eri Sulemaani buli mwaka bwaweranga ettani amakumi abiri mu ttaano, 14okwo nga tagasseeko ey’obusuulu eyaweebwangayo abasuubuzi n’abamaguzi. Ate era ne bakabaka ab’e Buwalabu ne bagavana ab’ensi bamuleeteranga zaabu n’effeeza.

15Kabaka Sulemaani n’aweesa engabo ennene ebikumi bibiri okuva mu zaabu omukubeekube, buli emu ku zo ng’erimu kilo ssatu n’ekitundu eza zaabu omukubeekube. 16N’aweesa n’engabo entono ebikumi bisatu okuva mu zaabu omukubeekube, buli emu ku zo ng’erimu kilo emu ne desimoolo musanvu eza zaabu. Kabaka n’aziteeka mu lubiri lw’Ekibira kya Lebanooni. 17Kabaka n’akola entebe ey’obwakabaka ennene nga ya masanga, n’agibikkako zaabu ennongoose. 18Entebe ye ey’obwakabaka yaliko amaddaala mukaaga, n’akatebe kawumulizaako ebigere akaakolebwa mu zaabu, era yaliko n’emikono eruuyi n’eruuyi, n’ebibumbe by’empologoma ennume bbiri nga ziyimiridde ku mabbali g’emikono. 19N’empologoma kkumi na bbiri emmumbe zaali zisimbiddwa eruuyi n’eruuyi ku madaala omukaaga. Tewaali eyakolebwa ng’eyo mu bwakabaka obulala bwonna. 20Ebinywerwamu byonna ebya kabaka Sulemaani byali bya zaabu, n’ebintu byonna ebyali mu lubiri lw’Ekibira kya Lebanooni byali bya zaabu omulongoseemu. Tewaali kyakolebwa mu ffeeza kubanga mu biro bya Sulemaani effeeza yabanga ya muwendo gwa wansi. 21Kabaka yalina ebyombo ebyagendanga e Talusiisi n’abasajja ba Kulamu, era buli myaka esatu byaleetanga zaabu n’effeeza, n’amasanga, n’enkoba n’enkima okuva e Talusiisi.

22Kabaka Sulemaani yali mugagga nnyo era nga mugezi okusinga bakabaka bonna ab’ensi. 23Bakabaka bonna baagendanga gyali okumwebuuzaako, n’okuwulira amagezi Katonda ge yali atadde mu mutima gwe. 24Buli mwaka, buli eyajjanga, yaleetanga ekirabo, ebimu byali bintu bya ffeeza ne zaabu, n’ebirala nga byambalo, n’ebirala nga byakulwanyisa, n’ebirala nga byakaloosa, n’embalaasi, n’ennyumbu.

25Sulemaani yalina ebisibo enkumi nnya omwaterekebwanga embalaasi n’amagaali; n’abavuzi ab’amagaali baali emitwalo ebiri be yateeka mu bibuga eby’amagaali, n’abamu ku bo nga babeera naye mu Yerusaalemi. 26Era yafuganga bakabaka bonna okuva ku mugga Fulaati okutuuka ku nsi eya Abafirisuuti, n’okutuuka ku nsalo ya Misiri. 27Kabaka n’afuula ffeeza okuba ekya bulijjo ng’amayinja mu Yerusaalemi era n’emivule ne giba mingi ng’emisukamooli egiri mu biwonvu. 28Sulemaani yasuubulanga embalaasi okuva mu Misiri n’ensi endala.

Okufa kwa Sulemaani

29Ebyafaayo ebirala byonna ebyabaawo mu mulembe gwa Sulemaani okuva ku ntandikwa okutuusa ku nkomerero, tebyawandiikibwa mu byafaayo bya nnabbi Nasani, ne mu kwolesebwa kwa Akiya Omusiiro, ne mu birooto eby’omulabi Iddo ebikwata ku Yerobowaamu mutabani wa Nebati? 30Sulemaani n’afugira Isirayiri yenna mu Yerusaalemi okumala emyaka amakumi ana. 31N’afa era n’aziikibwa mu kibuga kya kitaawe Dawudi, Lekobowaamu mutabani we n’amusikira.