1 Wafalme 10
1 Malkia wa Sheba aliposikia habari za umaarufu wa Solomoni na uhusiano wake na jina la Bwana, akaja kumjaribu kwa maswali magumu.
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 Alifika Yerusalemu akiwa na msafara mkubwa sana: pamoja na ngamia waliobeba vikolezi, kiasi kikubwa cha dhahabu na vito vya thamani; alikuja kwa Solomoni na kuzungumza naye kuhusu yote ambayo alikuwa nayo moyoni mwake.
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 Solomoni akamjibu maswali yake yote, hakukuwa na jambo lolote lililokuwa gumu kwa mfalme asiweze kumwelezea.
Solomon answered all her questions. He explained everything that she asked about, even things that were very difficult.
4 Malkia wa Sheba alipoona hekima yote ya Solomoni na jumba la kifalme alilokuwa amejenga,
The queen realized that Solomon was very wise. She saw his palace;
5 chakula kilichokuwa mezani pake, jinsi maafisa wake walivyokaa, wahudumu katika majoho yao, wanyweshaji wake na sadaka za kuteketezwa alizotoa katika hekalu la Bwana, alipatwa na mshangao.
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 Akamwambia mfalme, “Taarifa niliyosikia kwenye nchi yangu mwenyewe kuhusu mafanikio na hekima yako ni kweli.
She said to King Solomon, “Everything that I heard in my own country about you and about how wise you are is true!
7 Lakini sikuamini mambo haya hadi nilipokuja na kuona kwa macho yangu mwenyewe. Naam, sikuambiwa hata nusu yake; katika hekima na mali umezidi sana ile taarifa niliyoisikia.
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 Heri watu wako! Heri hawa maafisa wako wasimamao mbele yako daima na kusikia hekima yako!
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 Ahimidiwe Bwana Mungu wako, ambaye amependezwa sana nawe na kukuweka juu ya kiti cha ufalme cha Israeli. Kwa sababu ya upendo wake Bwana wa milele ajili ya Israeli, amekufanya mfalme, ili kudumisha haki na uadilifu.”
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 Naye akampa mfalme talanta 120 za dhahabu, kiasi kikubwa sana cha vikolezi na vito vya thamani. Haikuwahi kamwe kuletwa tena vikolezi vingi hivyo kuletwa kama vile malkia wa Sheba alivyompa Mfalme Solomoni.
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 (Meli za Hiramu zilileta dhahabu kutoka Ofiri; tena kutoka huko zilileta shehena kubwa ya miti ya msandali na vito vya thamani.
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 Mfalme akatumia miti ya msandali kuwa nguzo ya Hekalu la Bwana na kwa jumba la kifalme, pia kwa kutengeneza vinubi na zeze kwa ajili ya waimbaji. Kiasi hicho kingi cha msandali hakijawahi kuingizwa au kuonekana humo tangu siku ile.)
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 Mfalme Solomoni akampa malkia wa Sheba kila kitu alichotamani na kukiomba, kando na vile mfalme alivyokuwa amempa kwa ukarimu wake wa kifalme. Kisha malkia akaondoka na kurudi katika nchi yake, yeye na watumishi wake.
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 Uzito wa dhahabu ambayo Solomoni alipokea kwa mwaka ulikuwa talanta 666,
Each year there was brought to Solomon a total of 25 tons of gold.
15 mbali na mapato kutoka kwa wafanyabiashara na wachuuzi, na kutoka kwa wafalme wote wa Kiarabu na watawala wa nchi.
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 Mfalme Solomoni akatengeneza ngao kubwa 200 kwa dhahabu iliyofuliwa; kila ngao ilikuwa na dhahabu yenye uzito wa shekeli 600
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 Akatengeneza pia ngao ndogo 300 za dhahabu iliyofuliwa, kila ngao ikiwa na uzito wa mane tatu za dhahabu. Mfalme akaziweka katika Jumba la Kifalme la Msitu wa Lebanoni.
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 Kisha mfalme akatengeneza kiti kikubwa cha kifalme kwa kutumia pembe za ndovu na kukifunika kwa dhahabu safi.
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 Kiti hicho kilikuwa na ngazi sita na egemeo la nyuma lilikuwa la mviringo kwa juu. Pande zote za kiti kulikuwa na mahali pa kuegemeza mikono, na simba wawili wakisimama kando ya hiyo mikono.
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 Simba kumi na wawili walisimama kwenye ngazi sita, mmoja katika kila upande wa kila ngazi. Hakuna kitu kama hicho kilichokuwa kimefanyika kwenye ufalme mwingine wowote.
21 Vikombe vyote vya Mfalme Solomoni vya kunywea vilikuwa vya dhahabu na vyombo vyote vya nyumbani katika Jumba la Kifalme la Msitu wa Lebanoni vilikuwa vya dhahabu safi. Hakukuwa na kitu kilichotengenezwa kwa fedha, kwa sababu fedha ilionekana ya thamani ndogo siku za Solomoni.
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 Mfalme alikuwa na meli nyingi za biashara baharini zilizokuwa zikiandamana na meli za Hiramu. Kwa mara moja kila miaka mitatu zilirudi, zikiwa zimebeba dhahabu, fedha, pembe za ndovu na nyani wakubwa na wadogo.
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 Mfalme Solomoni alikuwa mkuu zaidi kwa utajiri na hekima kuliko wafalme wote wa dunia.
King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king.
24 Dunia yote ikatafuta kukutana na Solomoni ili kusikia hekima ambayo Mungu alikuwa ameiweka katika moyo wake.
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 Mwaka baada ya mwaka, kila mmoja ambaye alikuja alileta zawadi: vyombo vya fedha na dhahabu, majoho, silaha na vikolezi, farasi na nyumbu.
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 Solomoni akakusanya magari ya vita na farasi. Alikuwa na magari 1,400 na farasi 12,000, ambayo aliyaweka katika miji ya magari na mengine akawa nayo huko Yerusalemu.
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 Mfalme akafanya fedha kuwa kitu cha kawaida kama mawe huko Yerusalemu, mierezi akaifanya kuwa mingi kama mikuyu vilimani.
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 Farasi wa Solomoni waliletwa kutoka Misri na kutoka Kue. Wafanyabiashara wa mfalme waliwanunua kutoka Kue.
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 Waliagiza magari kutoka Misri kwa bei ya shekeli 600 za fedha na farasi kwa shekeli 150. Pia waliwauza nje kwa wafalme wote wa Wahiti na wa Waaramu.
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.
