Mambokadzi we Sheba unokumba Solomoni
(2 Zwiyitikalo 9:1-12)1 Kukati mambokadzi we Sheba ehwa ngekwe tjilumbi tja Solomoni ngekwe zina la Yahwe, kazha ku Jerusalema, kuwonlika nge bhuzo dzakasima. 2 Mambokadzi kaswika mu Jerusalema akapelekwa nge bunji gusi bushoma gwe bathu nenge kamela dzakabelesa zwipayisi zojiwa ne golide isi shoma ne mabgwe akanaka. Ngono kwakati beshangana na Solomoni belebesana, kadusa kose kupa moyo uwe. 3 Ngono Solomoni kadabila bhuzo dzidze dzose, kusina tjimwe tjakabe tjakasimila mambo, kutjitjenesela mambokadzi iwoyu. 4 Ngono kukati mambokadzi ebona butjenjedu gose gwa Solomoni ne ng'umba ye bushe yaakabaka 5 ne zojiwa zwakabe zwipakugwa pa tafuli iye ne bugalo gwe hadzasha dzidze ne kuma kwe balanda babe ne zwiambalo zwabakaambala, ne babhati be bhepe la mambo, ne tjibhayilo tjitje tjinopisiwa, tjipisigwa kupiwa Yahwe, mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu, mambokadzi we Sheba kapelegwa nge simba.
6 Ngono kadwa Mambo Solomoni kati, “Tjandakahwa ndili ku shango yangu ngekwe mishingo iyo nenge butjenjedu gugo malebeswa. 7 Koga andizotongo duma tjandakabe ndihwa, kudzina ndizha ndizwibonegwa nge mesho. Ngono bona, gwamu le zwandabona andizobe ndazwibudziwa. Butjenjedu ne fumwa iyo zopinda zwandakabudziwa. 8 Bakakombolegwa seni bakadzi babo! Dzakakombolegwa seni hadzasha dzidzo idzedzi, dzinoti nge misi yose bakabe bali mile mbeli kuko behwa butjenjedu gugo! 9 Ngakukudziwe Yahwe, Ndzimu uwo, bakakuda bakakugadza pa tjigalo tje bushe gwe Iziraela. Ngoti ludo gwa Yahwe mu Iziraela gumile nge kusingapele. Bakakuthama mambo kuti usumikilise nge ndulamo.”
10 Mambokadzi we Sheba kadusa zwipo zwe talenta dze golide dzili zana lina makumi mabili (120) ne zwipayisi zwe bunji gusi bushoma ne mabgwe akanaka. Zwipayisi izwezwi mambokadzi zwaakapa Mambo Solomoni, zwakabe zwili zwe themba hwulu kwazo, zwisakatongoti Mambo Solomoni kazwiwana kumwe kakale. 11 Pezhugwi kwa izwezo zwikepe zwa Hiramu zwikazhabo ne golide kudwa ku Ofira ne mapango e nti unoyi alamugi ne mabgwe akanaka. 12 Ngono mambo kathama mapango kube phanda dze Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne ng'umba ye bushe. Kabuya kathamila bambi zwilidzo zwakasiyana. Akuna mapango e nti we alamugi akatongozha kene kuli bong'wa mu Iziraela, kuswikila nasi.
13 Mambo Solomoni kapa mambokadzi we Sheba zose zwaakabe ayemula, kuzhe kwe zwaakapiwa ndi Mambo Solomoni mu ng'umba ye bushe ngoda kukwe. Ndizo mambokadzi kabgwilila ku shango ye Sheba ne balanda babe.
Fumwa ya Mambo Solomoni
(2 Zwiyitikalo 9:13-28)14 Gole ne gole Solomoni wakabe eamutjila talenta dze golide dzili mazana ali tathatu ana makumi ali tathatu ne kutathatu (666), 15 kusingabaligwe ne yakabe idwa mu baseenyi ne mu ndipo ye mimwiso ye batengesi ne yakabe idwa muna bomambo bose be Arabiya ne yakabe idwa mu balauli be mituthu ye shango ye Iziraela.
16 Mambo Solomoni kathama zwivikisi zwili mazana mabili (200) zwe golide yakathugwa, tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakathamwa nge golide ye tjilizanyo tje shekele dzili mazana ali tathatu. 17 Kathama zwimwe zwivikisi zwitukunu zwe golide yakathugwa zwili mazana ali matatu (300), tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakathamwa nge tjilizanyo tje golide tje seme dzili mbili. Ngono mambo kabiga zwivikisi zose izwezwi mu Ng'umba ye Ishaka tje Lebanoni.
18 Kakale mambo kathama tjigalo tjikulu tje nyanga dze zhowu, katjidzulula nge golide yakanaka kwazo. 19 Tjigalo tjakabe tjina matathilo ali matathatu, shule kwatjo kuna ifano tje nsholo we phulu, mu lubadu gumwe ne gumwe gwe panogagwa tjina panobigwa maboko ne zwifano zwe shumba mbili muwunde kwe panobigwa maboko. 20 Kwakabe kulimile zwifano zwe shumba dzili gumi lina mbili (12) ku bupelo gumwe ne gumwe gwe matathilo ali matathatu. Akuna tjigalo tje bushe tjakatongobepo mu mbuso mmwe tjakabe tjinga itjetji.
21 Mikombe yose ya Mambo Solomoni yakabe ili ye golide ne zwija zose zwe ng'umba ye Ishaka tje Lebanoni zwakabe zwili zwe golide yakanaka, kusina tjazo tje siliva, ngoti mu misi ye butjilo gwa Solomoni siliva yakabe itogwa isi tjimwe. 22 Mambo wakabe ana zwikepe zwinjinji kwazo zwe Tashishi ku gungwa ne zwa Hiramu. Mu makole matatu mamwe ne mamwe zwikepe zwizwe zwakabe zwibuya zwizhisa golide ne siliva ne nyanga dze zhowu ne shoko ne dziphikoko .
23 Ndiko Mambo Solomoni wakabe epinda bomambo bose be shango nge fumwa nenge butjenjedu. 24 Shango yose yakabe ishaka kuzha kuwoteedza butjenjedu gugwe gwaakapiwa nge Ndzimu. 25 Gole ne gole mmwe ne mmwe wabo wakabe enzhila tjipo, zwithu zwe siliva ne golide ne zwiambalo ne zwibhayano ne zwipayisi ne mbizi ne moulo.
26 Ngono Mambo Solomoni kakubunganya koloyi dze ngwa dzili tjiwulu tjina mazana ali manna (1 400) ne bataswi be mbizi dze ngwa bali zwiwulu zwili gumi lina zwibili (12 000), zwimwe anazo mu Jerusalema, zwimwe zwili mu mizi mikulu yakathubukana ne koloyi dze ngwa. 27 Mu misi ye kubusa kwa Solomoni kathama kuti siliva ibong'we pamwe ne pamwe mu Jerusalema se lushale, kathama kuti miti ye misida ibe minji se miti ye mipaya ye shango yakakungulukila. 28 Mbizi dza Solomoni dzakabe dzidwa ku Egipiti ne ku Kue, batengi ba mambo bakabe bedziamutjila ku Kue kwabakabe belipa themba dzadzoko. 29 Koloyi dze ngwa dzakabe dzitengwa ku Egipiti, bakabe betengela bomambo be Bahiti ne be Baaramu, koloyi dzitengesiwa nge shekele dze siliva dzili mazana dzina matathatu (600) mbizi ing'ompela ili shekele dzili zana lina makumi mashanu (150).
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
(2 Chronicles 9.1-12)1 The Queen of Sheba heard how famous Solomon was, so she went to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions. 2 She took along several of her officials, and she loaded her camels with gifts of spices, jewels, and gold. When she arrived, she and Solomon talked about everything she could think of. 3 He answered every question, no matter how difficult it was.
4-5 The Queen was amazed at Solomon's wisdom. She was breathless when she saw his palace, the food on his table, his officials, his servants in their uniforms, the people who served his food, and the sacrifices he offered at the Lord's temple. 6 She said:
Solomon, in my own country I had heard about your wisdom and all you've done. 7 But I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes! And there's so much I didn't hear about. You are wiser and richer than I was told. 8 Your wives and officials are lucky to be here where they can listen to the wise things you say.
9 I praise the Lord your God. He is pleased with you and has made you king of Israel. The Lord has always loved Israel, so he has given them a king who will rule fairly and honestly.
10 The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon more than four tons of gold, many jewels, and more spices than anyone had ever brought into Israel.
11-13 In return, Solomon gave her the gifts he would have given any other ruler, but he also gave her everything else she wanted. Then she and her officials went back to their own country.
Solomon's Wealth
(2 Chronicles 9.13-28)King Hiram's ships brought gold, juniper wood, and jewels from the country of Ophir. Solomon used the wood to make steps for the temple and palace, and harps and other stringed instruments for the musicians. It was the best juniper wood anyone in Israel had ever seen.
14 Solomon received almost 23 tons of gold a year. 15 The merchants and traders, as well as the kings of Arabia and rulers from Israel, also gave him gold.
16 Solomon made 200 gold shields and used almost seven kilograms of gold for each one. 17 He also made 300 smaller gold shields, using almost two kilograms for each one, and he put the shields in his palace in Forest Hall.
18 His throne was made of ivory and covered with pure gold. 19-20 The back of the throne was rounded at the top, and it had armrests on each side. There was a statue of a lion on both sides of the throne, and there was a statue of a lion at both ends of each of the six steps leading up to the throne. No other throne in the world was like Solomon's.
21 Since silver was almost worthless in those days, everything was made of gold, even the cups and dishes used in Forest Hall.
22 Solomon had a lot of seagoing ships. Every three years he sent them out with Hiram's ships to bring back gold, silver, and ivory, as well as monkeys and peacocks.
23 He was the richest and wisest king in the world. 24 People from every nation wanted to hear the wisdom God had given him. 25 Year after year people came and brought gifts of silver and gold, as well as clothes, weapons, spices, horses, or mules.
26 Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.
27 While he was king, there was silver everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.
28-29 Solomon's merchants bought his horses and chariots in the regions of Musri and Kue. They paid 600 pieces of silver for a chariot and 150 pieces of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to the Hittite and Syrian kings.