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Home > Bible > 2 Chronicles > Chapter 9
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2 Chronicles Chapter 9

The queen of Saba admires the wisdom of Solomon. His riches and glory. His death.

English (Douay-Rheims)

1 And when the queen of Saba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to try him with hard questions at Jerusalem, with great riches, and camels, which carried spices, and abundance of gold, and precious stones. And when she was come to Solomon, she proposed to him all that was in her heart. 2 And Solomon explained to her all that she proposed: and there was not any thing that he did not make clear unto her. 3 And when she had seen these things, to wit, the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had built, 4 And the meats of his table, and the dwelling places of his servants, and the attendance of his officers, and their apparel, his cupbearers also, and their garments, and the victims which he offered in the house of the Lord: there was no more spirit in her, she was so astonished. 5 And she said to the king: The word is true which I heard in my country of thy virtues and wisdom. 6 I did not believe them that told it, until I came, and my eyes had seen, and I had proved that scarce one half of thy wisdom had been told me: thou hast exceeded the same with thy virtues. 7 Happy are thy men, and happy are thy servants, who stand always before thee, and hear thy wisdom. 8 Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath been pleased to set thee on his throne, king of the Lord thy God. Because God loveth Israel, and will preserve them forever: therefore hath he made thee king over them, to do judgment and justice. 9 And she gave to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and most precious stones: there were no such spices as these which the queen of Saba gave to king Solomon.

10 And the servants also of Hiram, with the servants of Solomon, brought gold from Ophir, and thyine trees, and most precious stones: 11 And the king made of the thyine trees stairs in the house of the Lord, and in the king's house, and harps and psalteries for the singing men: never were there seen such trees in the land of Juda. 12 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Saba all that she desired, and that she asked, and many more things than she brought to him: so she returned, and went to her own country with her servants. 13 And the weight of the gold, that was brought to Solomon every year, was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold: 14 Beside the sum which the deputies of divers nations, and the merchants were accustomed to bring, and all the kings of Arabia, and the lords of the lands, who brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 And king Solomon made two hundred golden spears, of the sum of six hundred pieces of gold, which went to every spear: 16 And three hundred golden shields of three hundred pieces of gold, which went to the covering of every shield: and the king put them in the armoury, which was compassed with a wood. 17 The king also made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 And six steps to go up to the throne, and a footstool of gold, and two arms one on either side, and two lions standing by the arms: 19 Moreover twelve other little lions standing upon the steps on both sides: there was not such a throne in any kingdom. 20 And all the vessels of the king's table were of gold, and the vessels of the house of the forest of Libanus were of the purest gold. For no account was made of silver in those days. 21 For the king's ships went to Tharsis with the servants of Hiram, once in three years: and they brought thence gold and silver, and ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 22 And Solomon was magnified above all the kings of the earth for riches and glory. 23 And all the kings of the earth desired to see the face of Solomon, that they might hear the wisdom which God had given in his heart. 24 And every year they brought him presents, vessels of silver and of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, and horses, and mules. 25 And Solomon had forty thousand horses in the stables, and twelve thousand chariots, and horsemen, and he placed them in the cities of the chariots and where the king was in Jerusalem. 26 And he exercised authority over all the kings from the river Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, and to the borders of Egypt. 27 And he made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones: and cedars as common as the sycamores, which grow in the plains. 28 And horses were brought to him out of Egypt, and out of all countries.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon first and last are written in the words of Nathan the prophet, and in the books of Ahias the Silonite, and in the vision of Addo the seer, against Jeroboam the son of Nabat. 30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 And he slept with his fathers: and they buried him in the city of David: and Roboam his son reigned in his stead.

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 Regina quoque Saba, cum audisset famam Salomonis, venit ut tentaret eum in ænigmatibus in Jerusalem, cum magnis opibus et camelis, qui portabant aromata, et auri plurimum, gemmasque pretiosas. Cumque venisset ad Salomonem, locuta est ei quæcumque erant in corde suo. 2 Et exposuit ei Salomon omnia quæ proposuerat: nec quidquam fuit, quod non perspicuum ei fecerit. 3 Quæ postquam vidit, sapientiam scilicet Salomonis, et domum quam ædificaverat, 4 necnon et cibaria mensæ ejus, et habitacula servorum, et officia ministrorum ejus, et vestimenta eorum, pincernas quoque et vestes eorum, et victimas quas immolabat in domo Domini: non erat præ stupore ultra in ea spiritus. 5 Dixitque ad regem: Verus est sermo quem audieram in terra mea de virtutibus et sapientia tua. 6 Non credebam narrantibus donec ipsa venissem, et vidissent oculi mei, et probassem vix medietatem sapientiæ tuæ mihi fuisse narratam: vicisti famam virtutibus tuis. 7 Beati viri tui, et beati servi tui, qui assistunt coram te omni tempore, et audiunt sapientiam tuam. 8 Sit Dominus Deus tuus benedictus, qui voluit te ordinare super thronum suum, regem Domini Dei tui. Quia diligit Deus Israël, et vult servare eum in æternum, idcirco posuit te super eum regem ut facias judicia atque justitiam. 9 Dedit autem regi centum viginti talenta auri, et aromata multa nimis, et gemmas pretiosissimas: non fuerunt aromata talia, ut hæc quæ dedit regina Saba regi Salomoni.

10 Sed et servi Hiram cum servis Salomonis attulerunt aurum de Ophir, et ligna thyina, et gemmas pretiosissimas: 11 de quibus fecit rex, de lignis scilicet thyinis, gradus in domo Domini, et in domo regia, citharas quoque, et psalteria cantoribus: numquam visa sunt in terra Juda ligna talia. 12 Rex autem Salomon dedit reginæ Saba cuncta quæ voluit, et quæ postulavit, et multo plura quam attulerat ad eum: quæ reversa abiit in terram suam cum servis suis. 13 Erat autem pondus auri quod afferebatur Salomoni per singulos annos, sexcenta sexaginta sex talenta auri, 14 excepta ea summa quam legati diversarum gentium et negotiatores afferre consueverant, omnesque reges Arabiæ, et satrapæ terrarum, qui comportabant aurum et argentum Salomoni. 15 Fecit igitur rex Salomon ducentas hastas aureas de summa sexcentorum aureorum, qui in singulis hastis expendebantur: 16 trecenta quoque scuta aurea trecentorum aureorum, quibus tegebantur singula scuta: posuitque ea rex in armentario, quod erat consitum nemore. 17 Fecit quoque rex solium eburneum grande, et vestivit illud auro mundissimo. 18 Sex quoque gradus, quibus ascendebatur ad solium, et scabellum aureum, et brachiola duo altrinsecus, et duos leones stantes juxta brachiola, 19 sed et alios duodecim leunculos stantes super sex gradus ex utraque parte: non fuit tale solium in universis regnis. 20 Omnia quoque vasa convivii regis erant aurea, et vasa domus saltus Libani ex auro purissimo. Argentum enim in diebus illis pro nihilo reputabatur. 21 Siquidem naves regis ibant in Tharsis cum servis Hiram, semel in annis tribus: et deferebant inde aurum, et argentum, et ebur, et simias, et pavos. 22 Magnificatus est igitur Salomon super omnes reges terræ præ divitiis et gloria. 23 Omnesque reges terrarum desiderabant videre faciem Salomonis, ut audirent sapientiam quam dederat Deus in corde ejus: 24 et deferebant ei munera, vasa argentea et aurea, et vestes, et arma, et aromata, equos, et mulos, per singulos annos. 25 Habuit quoque Salomon quadraginta millia equorum in stabulis, et curruum equitumque duodecim millia: constituitque eos in urbibus quadrigarum, et ubi erat rex in Jerusalem. 26 Exercuit etiam potestatem super cunctos reges a flumine Euphrate usque ad terram Philisthinorum, et usque ad terminos Ægypti. 27 Tantamque copiam præbuit argenti in Jerusalem quasi lapidum: et cedrorum tantam multitudinem velut sycomororum quæ gignuntur in campestribus. 28 Adducebantur autem ei equi de Ægypto, cunctisque regionibus.

29 Reliqua autem operum Salomonis priorum et novissimorum scripta sunt in verbis Nathan prophetæ, et in libris Ahiæ Silonitis, in visione quoque Addo videntis contra Jeroboam filium Nabat. 30 Regnavit autem Salomon in Jerusalem super omnem Israël quadraginta annis. 31 Dormivitque cum patribus suis, et sepelierunt eum in civitate David: regnavitque Roboam filius ejus pro eo.

Copyright © 2008 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

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