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 Visit of the Queen of Sheba
(2 Chronicles 9.1-12)1 The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, and she traveled to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions. 2 She brought with her a large group of attendants, as well as camels loaded with spices, jewels, and a large amount of gold. When she and Solomon met, she asked him all the questions that she could think of. 3 He answered them all; there was nothing too difficult for him to explain. 4 The queen of Sheba heard Solomon's wisdom and saw the palace he had built. 5 She saw the food that was served at his table, the living quarters for his officials, the organization of his palace staff and the uniforms they wore, the servants who waited on him at feasts, and the sacrifices he offered in the Temple. It left her breathless and amazed. 6 She said to King Solomon, “What I heard in my own country about you and your wisdom is true! 7 But I couldn't believe it until I had come and seen it all for myself. But I didn't hear even half of it; your wisdom and wealth are much greater than what I was told. 8 How fortunate are your wives! And how fortunate your servants, who are always in your presence and are privileged to hear your wise sayings! 9 Praise the Lord your God! He has shown how pleased he is with you by making you king of Israel. Because his love for Israel is eternal, he has made you their king so that you can maintain law and justice.”
10 She presented to King Solomon the gifts she had brought: almost five tons of gold and a very large amount of spices and jewels. The amount of spices she gave him was by far the greatest that he ever received at any time.
( 11 Hiram's fleet, which had brought gold from Ophir, also brought from there a large amount of juniper wood and jewels. 12 Solomon used the wood to build railings in the Temple and the palace, and also to make harps and lyres for the musicians. It was the finest juniper wood ever imported into Israel; none like it has ever been seen again.)
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she asked for, besides all the other customary gifts that he had generously given her. Then she and her attendants returned to the land of Sheba.
King Solomon's Wealth
(2 Chronicles 9.13-29)14 Every year King Solomon received over twenty-five tons of gold, 15 in addition to the taxes paid by merchants, the profits from trade, and tribute paid by the Arabian kings and the governors of the Israelite districts.
16 Solomon made two hundred large shields and had each one overlaid with almost fifteen pounds of gold. 17 He also made three hundred smaller shields, overlaying each one of them with nearly four pounds of gold. He had all these shields placed in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 He also had a large throne made. Part of it was covered with ivory and the rest of it was covered with the finest gold. 19-20 The throne had six steps leading up to it, with the figure of a lion at each end of every step, a total of twelve lions. At the back of the throne was the figure of a bull's head, and beside each of the two armrests was the figure of a lion. No throne like this had ever existed in any other kingdom.
21 All of Solomon's drinking cups were made of gold, and all the utensils in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. No silver was used, since it was not considered valuable in Solomon's day. 22 He had a fleet of ocean-going ships sailing with Hiram's fleet. Every three years his fleet would return, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
23 King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king, 24 and the whole world wanted to come and listen to the wisdom that God had given him. 25 Everyone who came brought him a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This continued year after year.
26 Solomon built up a force of fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand cavalry horses. Some of them he kept in Jerusalem and the rest he stationed in various other cities. 27 During his reign silver was as common in Jerusalem as stone, and cedar was as plentiful as ordinary sycamore in the foothills of Judah. 28 The king's agents controlled the export of horses from Musri and Cilicia, 29 and the export of chariots from Egypt. They supplied the Hittite and Syrian kings with horses and chariots, selling chariots for 600 pieces of silver each and horses for 150 each.