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ומלכת שבא שמעת את שמע שלמה--לשם יהוה ותבא לנסתו בחידות 1
The queen [who ruled the] Sheba [area] heard that Yahweh had caused Solomon to become famous, so she traveled to Jerusalem to ask him questions that were difficult [to answer].
ותבא ירושלמה בחיל כבד מאד גמלים נשאים בשמים וזהב רב מאד ואבן יקרה ותבא אל שלמה ותדבר אליו את כל אשר היה עם לבבה 2
She came with a large group of wealthy/influential people, 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 topics/things in which she was interested.
ויגד לה שלמה את כל דבריה לא היה דבר נעלם מן המלך אשר לא הגיד לה 3
Solomon answered all her questions. He explained everything that she asked about, even things that were very difficult.
ותרא מלכת שבא את כל חכמת שלמה והבית אשר בנה 4
The queen realized that Solomon was very wise. She saw his palace;
ומאכל שלחנו ומושב עבדיו ומעמד משרתו ומלבשיהם ומשקיו ועלתו אשר יעלה בית יהוה ולא היה בה עוד רוח 5
she saw the food that was served on his table [every day]; she saw where his officials lived (OR, 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 offered. She was extremely amazed.
ותאמר אל המלך אמת היה הדבר אשר שמעתי בארצי--על דבריך ועל חכמתך 6
She said to King Solomon, “Everything that I heard in my own country about you and about how wise you are is true!
ולא האמנתי לדברים עד אשר באתי ותראינה עיני והנה לא הגד לי החצי הוספת חכמה וטוב אל השמועה אשר שמעתי 7
But I did not believe it was true until I came here and saw it myself. But really, what they told me is only half [of what they could have told me about you]. You are extremely wise and rich, more than what people told me.
אשרי אנשיך אשרי עבדיך אלה העמדים לפניך תמיד השמעים את חכמתך 8
Your wives 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!
יהי יהוה אלהיך ברוך אשר חפץ בך לתתך על כסא ישראל--באהבת יהוה את ישראל לעלם וישימך למלך לעשות משפט וצדקה 9
Praise Yahweh, your God, who has shown that he is pleased with you by causing you to become the king of Israel! God has always loved the Israeli people, and therefore he has appointed you to be their king, in order that you will rule them fairly and righteously.”
ותתן למלך מאה ועשרים ככר זהב ובשמים הרבה מאד--ואבן יקרה לא בא כבשם ההוא עוד לרב אשר נתנה מלכת שבא למלך שלמה 10
Then the queen gave to the king [the things that she had brought. She gave him] almost five tons of gold and a large amount of spices and valuable gems. Never again did King Solomon receive more spices than the queen gave him at that time.
וגם אני חירם אשר נשא זהב מאופיר הביא מאפיר עצי אלמגים הרבה מאד--ואבן יקרה 11
In the ships that belonged to King Hiram, in which they had previously brought gold from Ophir, they also brought a large amount of juniper wood and gems/valuable stones.
ויעש המלך את עצי האלמגים מסעד לבית יהוה ולבית המלך וכנרות ונבלים לשרים לא בא כן עצי אלמגים ולא נראה עד היום הזה 12
King Solomon told his workers to use that wood to make railings/supports in the temple of Yahweh and in the king’s palace and also to make harps and lyres for the (musicians/men who played musical instruments). That wood was the largest amount of (OR, the finest) wood that had ever been seen [in Israel]. And no one since then has ever seen so much wood of that kind.
והמלך שלמה נתן למלכת שבא את כל חפצה אשר שאלה מלבד אשר נתן לה כיד המלך שלמה ותפן ותלך לארצה היא ועבדיה 13
King Solomon gave to the queen from Sheba everything that she wanted. He gave her those gifts in addition to the gifts that he always gave [to other rulers who visited him]. Then she and the people who came with her returned to her own land.
ויהי משקל הזהב אשר בא לשלמה בשנה אחת--שש מאות ששים ושש ככר זהב 14
Each year there was brought to Solomon a total of 25 tons of gold.
לבד מאנשי התרים ומסחר הרכלים וכל מלכי הערב ופחות הארץ 15
That was in addition to [the taxes] paid to him by the merchants and traders, and the annual taxes paid by the kings of Arabia and by the governors of [the regions in] Israel.
ויעש המלך שלמה מאתים צנה זהב שחוט שש מאות זהב יעלה על הצנה האחת 16
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 15 pounds/more than 6 kg.) of gold on each shield.
ושלש מאות מגנים זהב שחוט--שלשת מנים זהב יעלה על המגן האחת ויתנם המלך בית יער הלבנון 17
His workers made 300 smaller shields. They covered each of them with (almost 4 pounds/1.5 kg.) of gold. Then the king put those shields in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.
ויעש המלך כסא שן גדול ויצפהו זהב מופז 18
His workers also made for him a large throne. [Part of it was] covered with (ivory [decorations made from)] tusks of elephants and [part of it was covered] with very fine gold.
שש מעלות לכסה וראש עגל לכסה מאחריו וידת מזה ומזה אל מקום השבת ושנים אריות עמדים אצל הידות 19
There were six steps in front of the throne. There was a statue of a lion on both sides of each step. So altogether there were twelve statues of lions. The back of the throne was rounded at the top. At each side of the throne there was an armrest, and alongside each armrest there was a small statue of a lion. No throne like that had ever existed in any other kingdom.
ושנים עשר אריים עמדים שם על שש המעלות--מזה ומזה לא נעשה כן לכל ממלכות 20
וכל כלי משקה המלך שלמה זהב וכל כלי בית יער הלבנון זהב סגור אין כסף לא נחשב בימי שלמה--למאומה 21
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.
כי אני תרשיש למלך בים עם אני חירם אחת לשלש שנים תבוא אני תרשיש נשאת זהב וכסף שנהבים וקפים ותכיים 22
The king had a (fleet/large number) 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).
ויגדל המלך שלמה מכל מלכי הארץ--לעשר ולחכמה 23
King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king.
וכל הארץ--מבקשים את פני שלמה לשמע את חכמתו אשר נתן אלהים בלבו 24
People from all over the world wanted to come and listen to the wise things that Solomon said, things that God had put into his mind.
והמה מבאים איש מנחתו כלי כסף וכלי זהב ושלמות ונשק ובשמים סוסים ופרדים--דבר שנה בשנה 25
All the people who came to him brought presents: They brought things made from silver or gold, or robes, or weapons (OR, myrrh), or spices, or horses, or mules. The people continued to do this every year.
ויאסף שלמה רכב ופרשים ויהי לו אלף וארבע מאות רכב ושנים עשר אלף פרשים וינחם בערי הרכב ועם המלך בירושלם 26
Solomon acquired 1,400 chariots and 12,000 men who rode [on the horses] (OR, [in the chariots]). Solomon put some of them in Jerusalem and some of them in other cities where he kept his chariots.
ויתן המלך את הכסף בירושלם כאבנים ואת הארזים נתן כשקמים אשר בשפלה--לרב 27
During the years that Solomon was king, silver became as common in Jerusalem as stones; and [lumber from] cedar trees in the foothills of Judah was as plentiful as [lumber from] fig trees.
ומוצא הסוסים אשר לשלמה ממצרים ומקוה--סחרי המלך יקחו מקוה במחיר 28
Solomon’s agents bought horses and supervised the men who brought them into Israel from the areas of Musri and Cilicia [that were famous for breeding horses].
ותעלה ותצא מרכבה ממצרים בשש מאות כסף וסוס בחמשים ומאה וכן לכל מלכי החתים ולמלכי ארם--בידם יצאו 29
In Musri they bought chariots and horses; they paid 600 pieces of silver for each chariot and 150 pieces of silver for each horse. They brought them to Israel. Then they sold many of them to the kings of the Heth people-group and the kings of Syria.

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