1 Ahemfo 10
1 Bere a Sebahemmea tee Salomo din a ahyeta na ɛhyɛ Awurade din anuonyam no, ɔde nsɛmmisa a anoyi yɛ den bɛsɔɔ Salomo hwɛe.
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 Ɔde nʼasomfo a wɔdɔɔso yiye kaa ne ho baa Yerusalem. Na yoma a wɔsoso nnuhuam, sikakɔkɔɔ bebree ne aboɔden abo ka wɔn ho. Bere a ohyiaa Salomo no, wodwinnwen nsɛm bebree a na ɛwɔ ɔhemmea ani so no ho.
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 Salomo yii ne nsɛmmisa nyinaa ano sɛnea ɛsɛ. Asɛmmisa biara ankyere nʼadwene.
Solomon answered all her questions. He explained everything that she asked about, even things that were very difficult.
4 Bere a Sebahemmea huu sɛnea Salomo adwene mu dɔ, ne ahemfi a wasi no,
The queen realized that Solomon was very wise. She saw his palace;
5 ne ho dwiriw no. Nnuan a ohuu sɛ esisi ne didipon so no yɛɛ no nwonwa. Sɛnea na wahyehyɛ ne fi so ahwɛfo no ne wɔn ntade papa bi a ɛhyehyɛ wɔn, ne sɛnea nkuruwakurafo ne wɔn ntade yuu ne ɔhyew afɔre a Salomo bɔɔ no Awurade Asɔredan mu hɔ no yɛɛ no ahodwiriw.
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 Ɔhemmea no fii ahodwiriw mu ka kyerɛɛ ɔhene no se, “Nsɛm a metee wɔ me man mu a ɛfa dwuma a woatumi adi ne wo nyansa ho no nyinaa yɛ nokware!
She said to King Solomon, “Everything that I heard in my own country about you and about how wise you are is true!
7 Na minnye nni kosii sɛ mibeduu ha a mʼankasa mede mʼani abehu yi. Nokware, sɛɛ na mante asɛm no mu fa mpo. Wo nyansa ne wo nkɔso no boro nea wɔka kyerɛɛ me no so koraa.
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 Migye di sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ wo nkurɔfo yi ani gye! Ɛyɛ adom ma wʼadwumayɛfo yi sɛ wotumi bɛn wo adekyee biara na wotie wo nyansasɛm.
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 Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn no yɛ ɔkɛse ampa. Nʼani gye wo ho, na ɔde wo asi Israel ahengua so. Efisɛ ɔdɔ a Awurade de dɔ Israel no yɛ ɔdɔ a ɛnsa da. Wasi wo hene sɛ wode atɛntrenee ne treneeyɛ bebu ɔman no.”
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 Na ɔkyɛɛ ɔhene no sikakɔkɔɔ tɔn anan ne fa, nnuhuam bebree ne aboɔden abo. Obiara amfa nnuhuam dodow saa ammɛkyɛ Salomo bio, sɛnea Sebahemmea de bɛkyɛɛ no no.
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 Huram ahyɛn no fi Ofir de sikakɔkɔɔ bae a na asamfono nnua bebree ne aboɔden abo ka ho.
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 Ɔhene de asamfono nnua no yɛɛ atrapoe wɔ Awurade Asɔredan ne ahemfi no mu, na ɔde bi yɛɛ asanku ne mmɛnta maa nnwontofo. Ebesi saa bere no ne saa bere no, na obiara mfaa asamfono nnua a ɛyɛ fɛ saa nkɔɔ hɔ da, na akyiri no nso wɔanhu bi saa da.
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 Biribiara a Sebahemmea bisaa ɔhene Salomo no, ɔde maa no kaa nea amanne nti, ɔnam ayamye so de maa no no ho. Ɛno akyi, Sebahemmea ne nʼasomfo no san kɔɔ wɔn kurom.
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 Afe biara, na sikakɔkɔɔ a ɛba Salomo nsam no yɛ tɔn aduonu anum,
Each year there was brought to Solomon a total of 25 tons of gold.
15 a na sika a onya fi aguadifo, Arabia ahemfo ne asase no so amradofo no nkyɛn nka ho.
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 Ɔhene Salomo ma wɔde sikakɔkɔɔ a wɔaboro yɛɛ akyɛm akɛse ahannu a emu biara sikakɔkɔɔ a ɛwɔ mu no mu duru yɛ kilogram ason.
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 Bio, ɔyɛɛ akyɛm nketewa bi a ɔde sikakɔkɔɔ a wɔaboro yɛe a, emu biara mu duru bɛyɛ kilogram abiɛsa ne fa. Ɔhene no de saa akyɛm yi nyinaa kosiee ahemfi hɔ baabi bi a wɔfrɛ hɔ Lebanon Kwae Ahemfi.
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 Na ɔhene no de asonse yɛɛ ahengua kɛse bi, na ɔde sikakɔkɔɔ duraa ho.
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 Na ahengua no wɔ atrapoe ntiaso asia na nʼakyi yɛ kurukuruwa. Ahengua no wɔ nsa wɔ benkum ne nifa, na wɔayɛ gyata sɛso abien asisi hɔ.
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 Salomo san yɛɛ gyata sɛso dumien a ɔbaako biara gyina atrapoe ntiaso asia no mu biara benkum ne nifa. Ahengua biara nni wiase a wobetumi de atoto Salomo de no ho.
21 Ɔhene Salomo nkuruwa nyinaa, sikakɔkɔɔ na wɔde yɛe. Saa ara na nneɛma ahorow a ɛwɔ Lebanon Kwae Ahemfi mu no nso te. Wɔamfa dwetɛ anyɛ, efisɛ Salomo bere so no, na wobu dwetɛ ade teta bi.
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 Na ɔhene no wɔ po so aguadihyɛn bebree a ɛne Huram de no yɛ adwuma bɔ mu. Mfe abiɛsa biara, ahyɛn no ba prɛko a sikakɔkɔɔ, dwetɛ, asonse, nsorommoa ne asibe ahyehyɛ wɔn ma.
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 Enti ɔhene Salomo bɛyɛɛ ɔdefo ne onyansafo sen ɔhene biara wɔ asase so nyinaa.
King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king.
24 Na nnipa fifi aman ahorow so bɛsra no, na wotie nyansa a Onyankopɔn de adom no no bi.
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 Afe biara mu, obiara a ɔbɛba abɛsra no no brɛ no akyɛde te sɛ dwetɛ, sikakɔkɔɔ, ntade, akode, nnuhuam, apɔnkɔ ne mfurumpɔnkɔ.
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 Salomo nyaa nteaseɛnam ne apɔnkɔ bebree. Na ɔwɔ nteaseɛnam apem ahannan ne apɔnkɔ mpem dumien. Ɔde emu fa kɛse guguu nteaseɛnam nkuropɔn no so na ɔmaa bi nso kaa Yerusalem.
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 Ɔhene no maa dwetɛ buu te sɛ abo wɔ Yerusalem. Na sida nnua a ɛsom bo no nso buu so sɛ ankye nnua a efifi wɔ mmepɔw ase wɔ Yuda asase so.
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 Na Salomo tɔɔ apɔnkɔ fii Misraim ne Kilikia, efisɛ na ɔhene no aguadifo nya wɔn fi Kilikia a wɔn bo no ye.
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 Saa bere no, na wotumi tɔ Misraim teaseɛnam a wɔde abedu Yerusalem no dwetɛ kilogram awotwe, na apɔnkɔ nso, na wotumi tɔ baako dwetɛ kilogram abien. Na wɔsan tɔn wɔn mu pii ma Hetifo ahemfo ne Aram ahemfo.
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.
