1 Re 10
1 Or la regina di Sceba avendo udito la fama che circondava Salomone a motivo del nome dell’Eterno, venne a metterlo alla prova con degli enimmi.
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].
2 Essa giunse a Gerusalemme con un numerosissimo séguito, con cammelli carichi di aromi, d’oro in gran quantità, e di pietre preziose; e, recatasi da Salomone, gli disse tutto quello che aveva in cuore.
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.
3 Salomone rispose a tutte le questioni propostegli da lei, e non ci fu cosa che fosse oscura per il re, e ch’ei non sapesse spiegare.
Solomon answered all her questions. He explained everything that she asked about, even things that were very difficult.
4 E quando la regina di Sceba ebbe veduto tutta la sapienza di Salomone e la casa ch’egli aveva costruita
The queen realized that Solomon was very wise. She saw his palace;
5 e le vivande della sua mensa e gli alloggi de’ suoi servi e l’ordine del servizio de’ suoi ufficiali e le loro vesti e i suoi coppieri e gli olocausti ch’egli offriva nella casa dell’Eterno, rimase fuori di sé dalla maraviglia.
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.
6 E disse al re: “Quello che avevo sentito dire nel mio paese dei fatti tuoi e della tua sapienza era dunque vero.
She said to King Solomon, “Everything that I heard in my own country about you and about how wise you are is true!
7 Ma non ci ho creduto finché non son venuta io stessa, e non ho visto con gli occhi miei; ed ora, ecco, non me n’era stata riferita neppure la metà! La tua sapienza e la tua prosperità sorpassano la fama che me n’era giunta!
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.
8 Beata la tua gente, beati questi tuoi servi che stanno del continuo dinanzi a te, ed ascoltano la tua sapienza.
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!
9 Sia benedetto l’Eterno, il tuo Dio, il quale t’ha gradito, mettendoti sul trono d’Israele! L’Eterno ti ha stabilito re, per far ragione e giustizia, perch’egli nutre per Israele un amore perpetuo”.
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.”
10 Poi ella donò al re centoventi talenti d’oro, grandissima quantità di aromi, e delle pietre preziose. Non furon mai più portati tanti aromi quanti ne diede la regina di Sceba al re Salomone.
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.
11 (La flotta di Hiram che portava oro da Ofir, portava anche da Ofir del legno di sandalo in grandissima quantità, e delle pietre preziose,
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.
12 e di questo legno di sandalo il re fece delle balaustrate per la casa dell’Eterno e per la casa reale, delle cetre e de’ saltèri per i cantori. Di questo legno di sandalo non ne fu più portato, e non se n’è più visto fino al dì d’oggi).
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.
13 Il re Salomone diede alla regina di Sceba tutto quel che essa bramò e chiese, oltre a quello ch’ei le donò con la sua munificenza sovrana. Poi ella si rimise in cammino, e coi suoi servi se ne tornò al suo paese.
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.
14 Or il peso dell’oro che giungeva ogni anno a Salomone, era di seicento sessantasei talenti,
Each year there was brought to Solomon a total of 25 tons of gold.
15 oltre quello ch’ei percepiva dai mercanti, dal traffico dei negozianti, da tutti i re d’Arabia e dai governatori del paese.
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.
16 E il re Salomone fece fare duecento scudi grandi d’oro battuto, per ognuno dei quali impiegò seicento sicli d’oro,
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.
17 e trecento scudi d’oro battuto più piccoli, per ognuno dei quali impiegò tre mine d’oro; e il re li mise nella casa della “Foresta del Libano”.
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.
18 Il re fece pure un gran trono d’avorio, che rivestì d’oro finissimo.
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.
19 Questo trono aveva sei gradini; la sommità del trono era rotonda dalla parte di dietro; il seggio avea due bracci, uno di qua e uno di là; presso i due bracci stavano due leoni,
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.
20 e dodici leoni stavano sui sei gradini, da una parte e dall’altra. Niente di simile era ancora stato fatto in verun altro regno.
21 E tutte le coppe del re Salomone erano d’oro, e tutto il vasellame della casa della “Foresta del Libano” era d’oro puro. Nulla era d’argento; dell’argento non si faceva alcun conto al tempo di Salomone.
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.
22 Poiché il re aveva in mare una flotta di Tarsis insieme con la flotta di Hiram; e la flotta di Tarsis, una volta ogni tre anni, veniva a portare oro, argento, avorio, scimmie e pavoni.
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).
23 Così il re Salomone fu il più grande di tutti i re della terra per ricchezze e per sapienza.
King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king.
24 E tutto il mondo cercava di veder Salomone per udir la sapienza che Dio gli avea messa in cuore.
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.
25 E ognuno gli portava il suo dono: vasi d’argento, vasi d’oro, vesti, armi, aromi, cavalli e muli; e questo avveniva ogni anno.
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.
26 Salomone radunò carri e cavalieri, ed ebbe mille quattrocento carri e dodicimila cavalieri, che distribuì nelle città dove teneva i suoi carri, e in Gerusalemme presso di sé.
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.
27 E il re fece sì che l’argento era in Gerusalemme così comune come le pietre, e i cedri tanto abbondanti quanto i sicomori della pianura.
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.
28 I cavalli che Salomone aveva, gli venivan menati dall’Egitto; le carovane di mercanti del re li andavano a prendere a mandre, per un prezzo convenuto.
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].
29 Un equipaggio, uscito dall’Egitto e giunto a destinazione, veniva a costare seicento sicli d’argento; un cavallo, centocinquanta. Nello stesso modo, per mezzo di que’ mercanti, se ne facean venire per tutti i re degli Hittei e per i re della Siria.
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.
