| 1 Ora la regina di Saba udì notizie di Salomone e si mise in viaggio per metterlo alla prova con enigmi. | 1 Then, too, the queen of Sheba, having heard of the fame of Solomon in the name of the Lord, arrived to test him with enigmas. |
| 2 Essa giunse a Gerusalemme con una scorta importante di cammelli che portavano aromi, oro in grande quantità e pietre preziose. Si presentò a Salomone e gli disse tutto ciò che aveva nel cuore. | 2 And entering into Jerusalem with a great retinue, and with riches, and with camels carrying aromatics, and with an exceedingly great quantity of gold and precious stones, she went to king Solomon. And she spoke to him all that she held in her heart. |
| 3 Salomone le dilucidò tutte le questioni; non ci fu cosa oscura che il re non le spiegasse. | 3 And Solomon taught her, in all the words that she had proposed to him. There was not any word which was able to be hidden from the king, or which he did not answer for her. |
| 4 La regina di Saba vide tutta la sapienza di Salomone, la casa che egli aveva edificato, | 4 Then, when the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, |
| 5 il cibo della sua mensa, l’abitazione dei suoi servitori, il suo servizio, le loro vesti, i suoi coppieri e gli olocausti, che egli offriva nel tempio di Jahve, e non ci fu più respiro in lei. | 5 and the food of his table, and the dwelling places of his servants, and the rows of his ministers, and their apparel, and the cupbearers, and the holocausts that he was offering in the house of the Lord, she had no longer any spirit in her. |
| 6 Allora disse al re: « Era dunque verità ciò che avevo udito nella mia terra a proposito dei tuoi atti e della tua saggezza! | 6 And she said to the king: “The word is true, which I have heard in my own land, |
| 7 Tuttavia non ho creduto a quelle cose finchè non sono venuta e i miei occhi non hanno visto. Ma, ecco, neppure la metà mi era stata riferita! La tua sapienza e il tuo benessere sono ben superiori a quanto io avevo sentito dire! | 7 about your words and your wisdom. But I did not believe those who explained it to me, until I went myself and saw it with my own eyes. And I have discovered that the half of it has not been told to me: your wisdom and works are greater than the report that I have heard. |
| 8 Felici le tue donne, felici questi tuoi servitori, i quali stanno continuamente al tuo cospetto e ascoltano la tua sapienza! | 8 Blessed are your men, and blessed are your servants, who stand before you always, and who hear your wisdom. |
| 9 Sia benedetto Jahve tuo Dio, che si è compiaciuto di te per metterti sul trono di Israele, a causa dell’amore di Jahve verso Israele per sempre e ti ha costituito re per esercitare il diritto e la giustizia». | 9 Blessed is the Lord your God, whom you have greatly pleased, and who has placed you upon the throne of Israel. For the Lord loves Israel forever, and he has appointed you as king, so that you may accomplish judgment and justice.” |
| 10 Poi essa diede al re centoventi talenti d’oro, aromi in abbondanza e pietre preziose. Non arrivarono mai più tanti aromi quanti ne diede la regina di Saba al re Salomone. | 10 Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and an exceedingly great amount of aromatics and precious stones. No greater quantity of aromatics was ever again brought forth as these, which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. |
| 11 Ma anche le navi di Khiram, che avevano trasportato oro da Ofir, fecero giungere da Ofir legno di sandalo in gran quantità e pietre preziose. | 11 Then, too, the navy of Hiram, which carried gold from Ophir, brought an exceedingly great quantity of thyine wood and precious stones from Ophir. |
| 12 Il re si servì del legno di sandalo il tempio di Jahve e per la reggia e costruì lire e arpe per i cantori. Non arrivò mai più nè si vide tanto legno di sandalo fino a oggi. | 12 And the king made, from the thyine wood, the posts of the house of the Lord, and of the house of the king, and citharas and lyres for the musicians. No thyine trees of this kind were ever again brought forth or seen, even to the present day. |
| 13 Il re Salomone poi assecondò ogni desiderio e ogni domanda della regina di Saba, oltre tutto ciò che le diede in proporzione della sua ricchezza regale. Quindi essa riprese il cammino verso la sua terra, insieme con i suoi servitori. | 13 Then king Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all that she desired and requested of him, aside from what he himself had offered to her from his royal bounty. And she returned and went away to her own land, with her servants. |
| 14 Il peso dell’oro che giungeva a Salomone ogni anno era di seicentosessantasei talenti d’oro, | 14 Now the weight of the gold that was brought to Solomon each year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold, |
| 15 oltre quello proveniente dalle tasse dei mercanti all’ingrosso e dal provento dei piccoli commercianti, da tutti i re di Arabia e dai governatori del paese. | 15 aside from what was brought to him by the men who were over the tributes, and by the merchants, and by those selling every kind of small item, and by all the kings of Arabia, and by the rulers of the land. |
| 16 Il re Salomone fece pure duecento scudi d’oro’ battuto, impiegando per ogni scudo seicento sicli d’oro; | 16 Also, king Solomon made two hundred large shields from the purest gold. He dispensed six hundred shekels of gold for the layers of one shield. |
| 17 preparò trecento scudi leggeri di oro battuto, usando per ciascuno tre mine d’oro. Il re li pose nel palazzo della foresta del Libano. | 17 And for the three hundred crescent-shaped shields of tested gold, there were three hundred minas of gold covering one shield. And the king placed these in the house of the forest of Lebanon. |
| 18 Il re costruì pure un grande trono d’avorio e lo rivestì di oro puro. | 18 Also, king Solomon made a great throne from ivory. And he clothed it with a great quantity of red gold. |
| 19 Il trono aveva sei gradini e, dietro, presentava teste di vitello; ai lati del sedile C'erano due braccioli, mentre due leoni stavano ai fianchi dei braccioli. | 19 The throne had six steps, and the summit of the throne was rounded in the back section. And there were two hands, on one side and the other, holding the seat. And two lions were standing beside each hand, |
| 20 Dodici leoni stavano sui sei gradini da una parte e dall’altra. In nessun regno fu mai fatto un lavoro simile. | 20 with twelve little lions standing upon the six steps, on one side and the other. No similar work has been made, ever in any kingdom. |
| 21 Anche tutte le coppe del re Salomone erano d’oro e così tutte le suppellettili del palazzo della foresta del Libano erano d’oro battuto. Al tempo di Salomone l’argento non era richiesto per nessun lavoro. | 21 Moreover, all the vessels from which king Solomon would drink were of gold. And all the items in the house of the forest of Lebanon were of the purest gold. There was no silver, nor was any accounting made of silver in the days of Solomon. |
| 22 Il re infatti, oltre le navi di Khiram, aveva in mare le navi di Tarsis e, ogni tre anni, le navi di Tarsis ritornavano cariche d’oro, d’argento, d’avori, di scimmie e di babbuini. | 22 For the navy of the king, once every three years, went with the navy of Hiram by sea to Tarshish, bringing from there gold, and silver, and elephant tusks, and primates, and peacocks. |
| 23 Il re Salomone superò tutti i re della terra in ricchezza e sapienza. | 23 And so, king Solomon was magnified above all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. |
| 24 Tutta la terra desiderava vedere Salomone per udire la sapienza, che Dio gli aveva messo nel cuore. | 24 And all the earth desired to see the face of Solomon, so as to hear his wisdom, which God had granted to his heart. |
| 25 Ora ognuno, anno per anno, gli portava la. sua offerta: suppellettili d’argento, d’oro, vesti, armi, aromi, cavalli e muli. | 25 And each one brought him gifts, vessels of silver and of gold, clothing and weapons of war, as well as aromatics, and horses, and mules, throughout each year. |
| 26 Salomone radunò carri ed ebbe cavalieri: millequattrocento carri e dodicimila cavalieri e li sistemò nelle città dei carri e vicino al re, a Gerusalemme. | 26 And Solomon gathered together the chariots and horsemen. And he had one thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And he placed them in the walled cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. |
| 27 il re rese l’argento a Gerusalemme come i sassi e i cedri, come i sicomori, di cui c’è abbondanza nella Shefela. | 27 And he caused silver to be as abundant in Jerusalem as stones, and he supplied a multitude of cedars like the sycamores that grow in the plains. |
| 28 Salomone importava i cavalli da Muzri e da Kue. I mercanti del re li prendevano da Kue a un prezzo determinato. | 28 And horses were brought for Solomon from Egypt and from Kue. For the merchants of the king were buying these from Kue. And they paid out the established price. |
| 29 Un carro, importato da Muzri, costava seicento sicli d’argento e un cavallo centocinquanta. E così era anche per tutti i re degli Hittiti e i re di Aram, i quali importavano tramite i loro agenti. | 29 Now a four-horse chariot would be sent from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty. And in this manner, all the kings of the Hittites and of Syria were selling horses. |
