2 Chronicles 9
1 The queen who ruled [the] Sheba [area in Arabia] heard that Solomon had become famous, so she traveled to Jerusalem to ask him questions that were difficult [to answer]. She came with a large group of servants, and she brought camels that were loaded with spices, and valuable gems, and a lot of gold. When she met Solomon, she asked him questions about all the things/topics in which she was interested.
| ומלכת שבא שמעה את שמע שלמה ותבוא לנסות את שלמה בחידות בירושלם בחיל כבד מאד וגמלים נשאים בשמים וזהב לרב ואבן יקרה ותבוא אל שלמה ותדבר עמו את כל אשר היה עם לבבה |
2 Solomon answered all her questions. He explained everything that she asked about, even things that were very difficult.
| ויגד לה שלמה את כל דבריה ולא נעלם דבר משלמה אשר לא הגיד לה |
3 The queen realized that Solomon was very wise. She saw his palace,
| ותרא מלכת שבא את חכמת שלמה--והבית אשר בנה |
4 she saw the food that was served on his table [every day]; she saw how his officials were seated at the table, their uniforms, the servants who served the food and wine, and the sacrifices that he took to the temple to be completely burned on the altar. She was extremely amazed.
| ומאכל שלחנו ומושב עבדיו ומעמד משרתיו ומלבושיהם ומשקיו ומלבושיהם ועליתו אשר יעלה בית יהוה ולא היה עוד בה רוח |
5 She said to the king, “Everything that I heard in my own country about you and about how wise you are is true!
| ותאמר אל המלך אמת הדבר אשר שמעתי בארצי--על דבריך ועל חכמתך |
6 But I did not believe it was true until I came here and saw it myself. You are [extremely wise and rich, ] more than what people told me.
| ולא האמנתי לדבריהם עד אשר באתי ותראינה עיני והנה לא הגד לי חצי מרבית חכמתך יספת על השמועה אשר שמעתי |
7 The men who work for you are very fortunate! Your officials who are constantly standing in front of you and listening to the wise things that you say are also fortunate!
| אשרי אנשיך ואשרי עבדיך אלה--העמדים לפניך תמיד ושמעים את חכמתך |
8 Praise Yahweh your God, who has shown that he is pleased with you by appointing you to be the king of Israel for him. God has always loved the Israeli people, and desires to assist them forever, and therefore he has appointed you to be their king, in order that you will rule them fairly and righteously.”
| יהי יהוה אלהיך ברוך אשר חפץ בך לתתך על כסאו למלך ליהוה אלהיך באהבת אלהיך את ישראל להעמידו לעולם ויתנך עליהם למלך לעשות משפט וצדקה |
9 Then the queen gave to Solomon about 4-1/2 tons of gold and a large amount of spices and gems. Never had King Solomon received more spices than the queen gave him at that time.
| ותתן למלך מאה ועשרים ככר זהב ובשמים לרב מאד--ואבן יקרה ולא היה כבשם ההוא אשר נתנה מלכת שבא למלך שלמה |
10 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba everything that she wanted. He gave her more than she had given to him. Then she and those who came with her returned to her own land. [In the ships that belonged to King Hiram, ] Hiram’s workers and Solomon’s workers brought gold from Ophir. They also brought a large amount of juniper wood and gems. King Solomon [told his workers] to use that wood to make railings in the temple and in his palace and also to make harps and lyres for the musicians. That wood was the the finest wood that had ever been seen in Israel.
| וגם עבדי חירם (חורם) ועבדי שלמה אשר הביאו זהב מאופיר--הביאו עצי אלגומים ואבן יקרה |
| ויעש המלך את עצי האלגומים מסלות לבית יהוה ולבית המלך וכנרות ונבלים לשרים ולא נראו כהם לפנים בארץ יהודה |
| והמלך שלמה נתן למלכת שבא את כל חפצה אשר שאלה מלבד אשר הביאה אל המלך ותהפך ותלך לארצה היא ועבדיה |
13 Each year there was brought to Solomon a total of 25 tons of gold.
| ויהי משקל הזהב אשר בא לשלמה בשנה אחת--שש מאות וששים ושש ככרי זהב |
14 That was in addition to the [taxes] paid to him by the merchants and traders. Also, the kings of Arabia and the governors of [the districts in] Israel brought gold and silver to Solomon.
| לבד מאנשי התרים והסחרים מביאים וכל מלכי ערב ופחות הארץ מביאים זהב וכסף לשלמה |
15 King Solomon’s [workers took this] gold [and] hammered [it] into thin sheets and covered 200 large shields with those thin sheets of gold; they put almost 7-1/2 pounds of gold on each shield.
| ויעש המלך שלמה מאתים צנה זהב שחוט שש מאות זהב שחוט יעלה על הצנה האחת |
16 His [workers] made 300 [smaller] shields. They covered each of them with almost 4 pounds of gold. Then the king put those shields in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.
| ושלש מאות מגנים זהב שחוט--שלש מאות זהב יעלה על המגן האחת ויתנם המלך בבית יער הלבנון |
17 His [workers] also made for him a large throne. [Part of] it was covered with [decorations made from] ivory and [part of it was covered] with very fine gold.
| ויעש המלך כסא שן גדול ויצפהו זהב טהור |
18 There were six steps in front of the throne. There was a gold footstool that was attached to the throne. At each side of the throne there was an armrest, and alongside each armrest there was a [small statue of a] lion.
| ושש מעלות לכסא וכבש בזהב לכסא מאחזים וידות מזה ומזה על מקום השבת ושנים אריות עמדים אצל הידות |
19 On the six steps there were twelve statues of lions, one on each side. No throne like that had ever existed in any other kingdom.
| ושנים עשר אריות עמדים שם על שש המעלות--מזה ומזה לא נעשה כן לכל ממלכה |
20 All of Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the various dishes in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon were made of gold. [They did not make things from silver], because during the years that Solomon [ruled], silver was not considered to be valuable.
| וכל כלי משקה המלך שלמה זהב וכל כלי בית יער הלבנון זהב סגור אין כסף נחשב בימי שלמה--למאומה |
21 The king had a fleet of ships that sailed with the ships that King Hiram owned. Every three years the ships returned [from the places to which they had sailed], bringing gold, silver, ivory, monkeys, and baboons (OR, peacocks).
| כי אניות למלך הלכות תרשיש עם עבדי חורם אחת לשלוש שנים תבואנה אניות תרשיש נשאות זהב וכסף שנהבים וקופים ותוכיים |
22 King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on the earth.
| ויגדל המלך שלמה מכל מלכי הארץ--לעשר וחכמה |
23 Kings from all over the world wanted to come and listen to the wise things that Solomon said, things that God had enabled him to know.
| וכל מלכי הארץ מבקשים את פני שלמה--לשמע את חכמתו אשר נתן האלהים בלבו |
24 All the people who came to him brought presents: They brought things made from silver or gold, or robes, or weapons, or spices, or horses, or mules. The people continued to do this every year.
| והם מביאים איש מנחתו כלי כסף וכלי זהב ושלמות נשק ובשמים סוסים ופרדים--דבר שנה בשנה |
25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots, and 12,000 horses. Solomon put some of them in Jerusalem and some of them in other cities where he kept his chariots.
| ויהי לשלמה ארבעת אלפים אריות סוסים ומרכבות ושנים עשר אלף פרשים ויניחם בערי הרכב ועם המלך בירושלם |
26 Solomon ruled over all the kings in the area from the [Euphrates] River [in the northeast] to the Philistia area [in the west] to the border of Egypt [in the south].
| ויהי מושל בכל המלכים--מן הנהר ועד ארץ פלשתים ועד גבול מצרים |
27 [During the years that Solomon was] king, [he] caused silver to become as common in Jerusalem as stones; and he caused cedar trees in the foothills of Judah to become as plentiful as fig trees.
| ויתן המלך את הכסף בירושלם כאבנים ואת הארזים נתן כשקמים אשר בשפלה--לרב |
28 Solomon’s agents brought horses from [the] Musri [area] and other places.
| ומוציאים סוסים ממצרים לשלמה ומכל הארצות |
29 Lists of all the other things that Solomon did are recorded in the scrolls written by the prophet Nathan and by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh [city], and in [the scroll in which were written] the visions that the prophet Iddo saw concerning [King] Jeroboam.
| ושאר דברי שלמה הראשנים והאחרונים--הלא הם כתובים על דברי נתן הנביא ועל נבואת אחיה השילוני ובחזות יעדי (יעדו) החזה על ירבעם בן נבט |
30 Solomon ruled from Jerusalem all of Israel for 40 years.
| וימלך שלמה בירושלם על כל ישראל ארבעים שנה |
31 Then Solomon died and was buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. And his son Rehoboam became the king.
| וישכב שלמה עם אבתיו ויקברהו בעיר דויד אביו וימלך רחבעם בנו תחתיו |
