ملكة سبأ عند سليمان
(1مل 10:1-13)1 وسَمِعَتْ ملِكَةُ سَبأ بأخبارِ سليمانَ، فجاءت إليهِ في أورُشليمَ في مَوكِبٍ عظيمٍ جدًّا، لِتَختَبِرَهُ في مَسائِلَ صَعبةٍ، ومعَها جِمالٌ مُحَمَّلةٌ أطيابا وذهَبا كثيرا وحِجارةً كريمةً، والتقَت سليمانَ وكلَّمَتْهُ بِـجميعِ مَسائِلِها. 2 فأخبَرَها سليمانُ بكُلِّ كلامِها، ولم يُخفَ عَنْ سُلَيمانَ أمرٌ إلاَّ وأخبرَها بهِ. 3 ورَأت مَلِكةُ سَبأ كُلَّ حِكمَةِ سليمانَ، والقصرَ الّذي بَناهُ، 4 وطعامَ مَوائِدِهِ، ومَجلِسَ حاشيتِهِ، ونِظامَ خُدَّامِهِ وهِندامَهُم، وسُقاتَهُ وهِندامَهُم، ومُحرَقاتِهِ الّتي كانَ يُقَدِّمُها في هَيكلِ الرّبِّ، حينَ رأت هذا كُلَّهُ، أصابَها الذُهولُ، 5 وقالَت للمَلِكِ: «كانَ صحيحا ما سَمِعْتُه في بلادي عنْ أقوالِكَ وعنْ حِكمَتِكَ 6 لكنِّي لم أُصَدِّقْهُ حتّى جِئْتُ وشاهَدْتُ بِــعينيَّ، فإذا بـي لم أُخبَرْ حتّى بِنِصفِهِ، فحِكمَتُكَ وغِناكَ يَفوقانِ ما سَمِعْتُهُ. 7 هَنيئا لِرجالِكَ، وهَنيئا لِخُدَّامِكَ هؤلاءِ القائِمينَ بَينَ يَديكَ يسمَعونَ حِكمَتَكَ. 8 تباركَ الرّبُّ إلهُكَ الّذي رَضيَ علَيكَ وأجلَسَكَ على هذا العرشِ مَلِكا باسمِهِ. ولأنَّهُ أحَبَّ بَني إِسرائيلَ، وأرادَ أنْ يُثَبِّتَهُم إلى الأبدِ، أقامَكَ مَلِكا لِتَحكُمَ بالحَقِّ والعَدلِ». 9 وأهدتِ المَلِكَ عِشرينَ قِنْطارَ ذهَبٍ وأطيابا كثيرةً وحِجارةً كريمةً، ولم يكُنْ بَينَ الأطيابِ مِثلُ ذلِكَ الطِّيـبِ الّذي وهَبَتْهُ مَلِكةُ سَبأَ للملِكِ سليمانَ.
10 وحمَلَ رجالُ حيرامَ وسليمانَ ذهَبا مِنْ أوفيرَ، وجاؤُوا أيضا بِـخشَبِ صَندلٍ كثيرٍ وبِـحِجارةٍ كريمةٍ. 11 فعَمِلَ سليمانُ مِنْ خشَبِ الصَّندلِ دَرابِزينا للهَيكلِ وللقصرِ وقيثاراتٍ وربابا للمُغَنِّينَ، ولم يَرَ أحدٌ مِثلَ ذلِكَ مِنْ قَبلُ في أرضِ يَهوذا.
12 وأهدَى المَلِكُ سليمانُ مَلِكةَ سَبأ كُلَّ ما طَلَبَتْهُ، فَوقَ ما أعطاها مِنَ الهدايا السَّخيَّةِ، وعادَت إلى بِلادِها هيَ وحاشيَتُها.
ثروة سليمان
(1مل 10:14-29)13 وكانَ وَزنُ الذَّهبِ الّذي يَرِدُ على سليمانَ في سَنةٍ واحدَةٍ مئَةَ قِنْطارِ ذهَبٍ، 14 هذا فَضْلا عنِ الواردِ مِنَ الزوَّارِ التُّجَّارِ. وكانَ جميعُ مُلوكِ العربِ ووُلاةُ أرضِ إِسرائيلَ يحمِلونَ إليهِ الفِضَّةَ والذَّهبَ. 15 فعَمِلَ المَلِكُ سليمانُ مِئتي تُرْسٍ كبـيرٍ منْ ذهَبٍ مَطروقٍ، للتُّرْسِ الواحدِ ثَلاثَةُ أرطالِ ذهَبٍ، 16 وثَلاثُ مئةِ تُرْسٍ صغيرٍ منْ ذهَبٍ مَطروقٍ للتُّرْسِ الواحدِ رَطْلٌ ونِصفُ الرَّطْلِ، وحَفِظَها في بـيتٍ يُدعى غابَةَ لبنانَ. 17 وعَمِلَ المَلِكُ عرشا كبـيرا مِنْ عاجٍ وألبسَهُ ذهَبا إبريزا. 18 وكانَ للعرشِ سِتُّ دَرجاتٍ ومَوطِـئٌ للقدمَينِ مِنْ ذهَبٍ وعلى جانبَي المَقعَدِ يَدانِ مِنْ هُنا ومِنْ هُناكَ وأسَدانِ واقِفانِ عِندَ اليَدينِ، 19 فيما اثنا عشَرَ أسدا واقِفَةٌ على الدَّرَجاتِ الستِّ مِنْ هُنا ومِنْ هُناكَ، ولم يكُنْ مِثلُ ذلِكَ في جميعِ المَمالِكِ. 20 وكانَ جميعُ آنيةِ شُرْبِ المَلِكِ سليمانَ ذهَبا، وكذلِكَ جميعُ آنيةِ بـيتِ غابَةِ لبنانَ، ولم يكُنْ بَينَها شيءٌ مِنَ الفِضَّةِ الّتي لم يكُنْ لها أيَّةُ قيمةٍ في أيّامِ سليمانَ، 21 وكانَ للمَلِكِ سُفُنٌ ضَخمَةٌ تأتيهِ معَ سُفُنِ حِيرامَ، مرَّةً في كُلِّ ثَلاثِ سِنينَ حامِلَةً ذهَبا وفِضَّةً وعاجا وقُرودا وطواويسَ.
22 وفاقَ المَلِكُ سليمانُ جميعَ مُلوكِ الأرضِ غِنًى وحِكمَةً، 23 وكانَ مُلوكُ الأرضِ يَلتَمِسونَ مُقابَلَتَهُ لِسَماعِ حِكمَتِهِ الّتي أودَعَها اللهُ في قلبِهِ. 24 وكانَ كُلُّ مَنْ يأتي إليهِ يحمِلُ هداياهُ مِنْ آنيةِ فِضَّةٍ وذهَبٍ ومَلابسَ وسِلاحٍ وأطيابٍ وخَيلٍ وبِــغالٍ، وذلِكَ سنَةً بَعدَ سنَةٍ. 25 وكانَ لِسليمانَ أربَعةُ آلافِ مَعلَفٍ لِخَيلِ المَركباتِ واثنا عشَرَ ألفَ فرسٍ في أورُشليمَ وسائِرِ المُدُنِ. 26 وكانَ مُتَسَلِّطا على جميعِ المُلوكِ مِنْ نهر الفراتِ إلى أرضِ الفِلسطيِّينَ وإلى حُدودِ مِصْرَ. 27 وجعَلَ المَلِكُ الفِضَّةَ في أورُشليمَ كثيرةً كالحجارةِ، وجعَلَ خشَبَ الأرْزِ كالجُمَّيزِ كثرَةً في السَّهلِ. 28 أمَّا الخَيلُ فكانَت تَرِدُ على سليمانَ مِنْ مِصْرَ ومِنْ جميعِ البُلدانِ.
نهاية عهد سليمان
(1مل 11:41-43)29 وما تبَقَّى مِنْ أخبارِ سليمانَ مِنْ أوَّلِها إلى آخِرِها مُدوَّنٌ في كلامِ ناثانَ النَّبـيِّ، وفي نُبوَّةِ أخيَّا الشِّيلونيِّ، وفي رُؤى يَعْدو الرَّائي الّذي تنَبَّأَ عَنْ يَرُبْعامَ بنِ نَاباطَ. 30 وملَكَ سليمانُ بأورُشليمَ على جميعِ إِسرائيلَ أربَعينَ سنَةً. 31 وحينَ ماتَ دُفِنَ معَ آبائِهِ في مدينةِ داوُدَ أبـيهِ، وملَكَ رَحُبعامُ ابنُهُ مكانَهُ.
1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. 2 And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not. 3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, 4 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. 5 And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom: 6 Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard. 7 Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. 8 Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice. 9 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon. 10 And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones. 11 And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king’s palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. 12 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.
13 ¶ Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold; 14 Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 ¶ And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target. 16 And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays: 19 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.
20 ¶ And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon. 21 For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 22 And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 ¶ And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart. 24 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
25 ¶ And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
26 ¶ And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. 27 And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance. 28 And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.
29 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.