2 Chronicles 9
1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. So she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was on her mind.
Also the queen of Saba, whanne sche hadde herd the fame of Salomon, cam to tempte hym in derk figuris `in to Jerusalem, with grete ritchessis, and camels, that baren swete smellynge spices, and ful myche of gold, and preciouse iemmes, `ether peerlis. And whanne sche was comun to Salomon, sche spak to hym what euer thingis weren in hir herte.
2 And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for him to explain.
And Salomon expownede to hir alle thingis whiche sche hadde put forth, and no thing was, which he made not opyn to hir.
3 When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,
And aftir that sche siy these thingis, that is, the wisdom of Salomon, and the hows which he hadde bildid,
4 the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.
also and the metis of his boord, and the dwellyng places of seruauntis, and the offices of hise mynystris, and the clothis of hem, and the boteleris, and her clothis, and the sacrifices whiche he offride in the hows of the Lord, spirit was no more in hir for wondryng.
5 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true.
And sche seide to the kyng, The word `is trewe, which Y herde in my lond, of thi vertues and wisdom;
6 But I did not believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not half of the greatness of your wisdom was told to me. You have far exceeded the report I heard.
Y bileuyde not to telleris, til Y my silf hadde come, and myn yyen hadden seyn, and Y hadde preued that vnnethis the half of thi wisdom was teld to me; thou hast ouercome the fame bi thi vertues.
7 How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
Blessid ben thi men, and blessid ben thi seruauntis, these that stonden bifor thee in al tyme, and heren thi wisdom.
8 Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.”
Blessid be `thi Lord God, that wolde ordeyne thee on his trone kyng of the puple of `thi Lord God; treuli for God loueth Israel, and wole saue hym with outen ende, therfor he hath set thee kyng on hym, that thou do domes and riytfulnesse.
9 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
Forsothe sche yaf to the kyng sixe scoore talentis of gold, and ful many swete smellynge spices, and moost preciouse iemmes; ther weren not siche swete smellynge spices, as these whiche the queen of Saba yaf `to kyng Salomon.
10 (The servants of Hiram and of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought algum wood and precious stones.
But also the seruauntis of Iram with the seruauntis of Salomon brouyten gold fro Ophir, and trees of thyne, and most preciouse iemmes; of whiche,
11 The king made the algum wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had anything like them been seen in the land of Judah.)
that is, of the trees of thyne, the kyng made grees in the hows of the Lord, and in the hows of the kyng, `harpis also, and sautrees to syngeris; siche trees weren neuere seyn in the lond of Juda.
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—far more than she had brought the king. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.
Forsothe Salomon yaf to the queen of Saba alle thingis whiche sche wolde, and whiche sche axide, many moo than sche hadde brouyt to hym. And sche turnede ayen, and yede in to hir lond with hir seruauntis.
13 The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,
Forsothe the weiyt of gold, that was brouyt to Salomon bi ech yeer, was sixe hundrid and sixe and sixti talentis of gold,
14 not including the revenue from the merchants and traders. And all the Arabian kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
outakun that summe whiche the legatis of dyuerse folkis, and marchauntis weren wont to brynge, and alle the kyngis of Arabie, and the princes of londis, that brouyten togidere gold and siluer to Salomon.
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield.
Therfor kyng Salomon made two hundrid goldun speris of the summe of sixe hundrid `floreyns, ether peesis of gold, that weren spendid in ech spere;
16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
and he made thre hundrid goldun scheeldis of thre hundrid floreyns, with whiche ech scheeld was hilid; and the kyng puttide tho in the armure place, that was set in the wode.
17 Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.
Also the kyng made a greet seete of yuer, and clothide it with clennest gold;
18 The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest.
and he made sixe grees, bi whiche me stiede to the seete, and a goldun stool, and tweyne armes, oon ayens `the tother, and twei liouns stondynge bisidis the armes;
19 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.
but also he made twelue othere litle liouns stondynge on sixe grees on euer either side. Siche a seete was not in alle rewmes.
20 All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
And alle the vessels of the feeste of the kyng weren of gold, and the vessels of the hows of the forest of the Liban weren of pureste gold; for siluer in tho daies was arettid for nouyt.
21 For the king had the ships of Tarshish that went with Hiram’s servants, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
For also the schippis of the kyng yeden in to Tharsis with the seruauntis of Iram onys in thre yeer, and brouyten fro thennus gold, and siluer, and yuer, and apis, and pokokis.
22 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
Therfor kyng Salomon was magnyfied ouer alle kyngis of erthe for richessis and glorie.
23 All the kings of the earth sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
And alle the kyngis of londis desireden to se the face of Salomon, for to here the wisdom which God hadde youe in his herte; and thei brouyten to hym yiftis,
24 Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
vessels of siluer and of gold, clothis and armuris, and swete smellynge spices, horsis and mulis, bi ech yeer.
25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
Also Salomon hadde fourti thousynde of horsis in stablis, and twelue thousynde of charis and of knyytis; and `he ordeynede hem in the citees of charis, and where the kyng was in Jerusalem.
26 He reigned over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.
Forsothe he vside power on alle the kyngis, fro the flood Eufrates `til to the lond of Filisteis, and `til to the termes of Egipt.
27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
And he yaf so greet plente of siluer in Jerusalem, as of stoonys, and so greet multitude of cedris, as of sycomoris that growen in feeldi places.
28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all the lands.
Forsothe horsis weren brouyt fro Egipt, and fro alle cuntreis.
29 As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, 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?
Sotheli the residue of the formere werkis and the laste of Salomon ben writun in the wordis of Nathan, the prophete, and in the wordis of Achie of Silo, and in the visioun, `ether prophesie, of Addo, the prophete, ayens Jeroboam, sone of Nabath.
30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
Sotheli Salomon regnede in Jerusalem on al Israel fourti yeer,
31 And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
and he slepte with his fadris; and thei birieden hym in the citee of Dauid, and Roboam, his sone, regnyde for hym.
