2 Chronicles 9
1 Now the queen of Sheba, hearing great things of Solomon, came to Jerusalem to put his wisdom to the test with hard questions; and with her came a very great train, and camels weighted down with spices, and great stores of gold and jewels: and when she came to Solomon she had talk with him of everything in her mind.
Also the queen of Saba, whanne sche hadde herd the fame of Salomon, cam to tempte hym in derk figuris `in to Jerusalem, with grete ritchessis, and camels, that baren swete smellynge spices, and ful myche of gold, and preciouse iemmes, `ether peerlis. And whanne sche was comun to Salomon, sche spak to hym what euer thingis weren in hir herte.
2 And Solomon gave her answers to all her questions; there was no secret which he did not make clear to her.
And Salomon expownede to hir alle thingis whiche sche hadde put forth, and no thing was, which he made not opyn to hir.
3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had made,
And aftir that sche siy these thingis, that is, the wisdom of Salomon, and the hows which he hadde bildid,
4 And the food at his table, and all his servants seated there, and those who were waiting on him in their places, and their robes, and his wine-servants and their robes, and the burned offerings which he made in the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.
also and the metis of his boord, and the dwellyng places of seruauntis, and the offices of hise mynystris, and the clothis of hem, and the boteleris, and her clothis, and the sacrifices whiche he offride in the hows of the Lord, spirit was no more in hir for wondryng.
5 And she said to the king, The account which was given to me in my country of your acts and your wisdom was true.
And sche seide to the kyng, The word `is trewe, which Y herde in my lond, of thi vertues and wisdom;
6 But I had no faith in what was said about you, till I came and saw for myself; and truly, word was not given me of half your great wisdom; you are much greater than they said.
Y bileuyde not to telleris, til Y my silf hadde come, and myn yyen hadden seyn, and Y hadde preued that vnnethis the half of thi wisdom was teld to me; thou hast ouercome the fame bi thi vertues.
7 Happy are your wives and happy these your servants whose place is ever before you, hearing your words of wisdom.
Blessid ben thi men, and blessid ben thi seruauntis, these that stonden bifor thee in al tyme, and heren thi wisdom.
8 Praise be to the Lord your God whose pleasure it was to put you on the seat of his kingdom to be king for the Lord your God: because, in his love for Israel, it was the purpose of your God to make them strong for ever, he made you king over them, to be their judge in righteousness.
Blessid be `thi Lord God, that wolde ordeyne thee on his trone kyng of the puple of `thi Lord God; treuli for God loueth Israel, and wole saue hym with outen ende, therfor he hath set thee kyng on hym, that thou do domes and riytfulnesse.
9 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a great store of spices and jewels: never had such spices been seen as the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon.
Forsothe sche yaf to the kyng sixe scoore talentis of gold, and ful many swete smellynge spices, and moost preciouse iemmes; ther weren not siche swete smellynge spices, as these whiche the queen of Saba yaf `to kyng Salomon.
10 And the servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon, in addition to gold from Ophir, came back with sandal-wood and jewels.
But also the seruauntis of Iram with the seruauntis of Salomon brouyten gold fro Ophir, and trees of thyne, and most preciouse iemmes; of whiche,
11 And with the sandal-wood the king made steps for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, and instruments of music for the makers of melody; never before had such been seen in the land of Judah.
that is, of the trees of thyne, the kyng made grees in the hows of the Lord, and in the hows of the kyng, `harpis also, and sautrees to syngeris; siche trees weren neuere seyn in the lond of Juda.
12 And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she made request for, in addition to what she had taken to the king. So she went back to her country with her servants.
Forsothe Salomon yaf to the queen of Saba alle thingis whiche sche wolde, and whiche sche axide, many moo than sche hadde brouyt to hym. And sche turnede ayen, and yede in to hir lond with hir seruauntis.
13 Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents;
Forsothe the weiyt of gold, that was brouyt to Salomon bi ech yeer, was sixe hundrid and sixe and sixti talentis of gold,
14 And in addition to what he got from traders of different sorts, all the kings of Arabia and the rulers of the country gave gold and silver to Solomon.
outakun that summe whiche the legatis of dyuerse folkis, and marchauntis weren wont to brynge, and alle the kyngis of Arabie, and the princes of londis, that brouyten togidere gold and siluer to Salomon.
15 And King Solomon made two hundred body-covers of hammered gold, every one having six hundred shekels of gold in it.
Therfor kyng Salomon made two hundrid goldun speris of the summe of sixe hundrid `floreyns, ether peesis of gold, that weren spendid in ech spere;
16 And he made three hundred smaller body-covers of hammered gold, using three hundred shekels of gold for every cover, and the king put them in the house of the Woods of Lebanon.
and he made thre hundrid goldun scheeldis of thre hundrid floreyns, with whiche ech scheeld was hilid; and the kyng puttide tho in the armure place, that was set in the wode.
17 Then the king made a great ivory seat, plated with the best gold.
Also the kyng made a greet seete of yuer, and clothide it with clennest gold;
18 There were six steps up to it, and a foot-rest of gold fixed to it, and arms on the two sides of the seat, with two lions at the side of the arms.
and he made sixe grees, bi whiche me stiede to the seete, and a goldun stool, and tweyne armes, oon ayens `the tother, and twei liouns stondynge bisidis the armes;
19 And twelve lions were placed on one side and on the other side on the six steps: there was nothing like it in any kingdom.
but also he made twelue othere litle liouns stondynge on sixe grees on euer either side. Siche a seete was not in alle rewmes.
20 All King Solomon's drinking-vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the Woods of Lebanon were of the best gold: no one gave a thought to silver in the days of Solomon.
And alle the vessels of the feeste of the kyng weren of gold, and the vessels of the hows of the forest of the Liban weren of pureste gold; for siluer in tho daies was arettid for nouyt.
21 For the king had Tarshish-ships sailing with the servants of Huram: once every three years the Tarshish-ships came back with gold and silver, ivory and monkeys and peacocks.
For also the schippis of the kyng yeden in to Tharsis with the seruauntis of Iram onys in thre yeer, and brouyten fro thennus gold, and siluer, and yuer, and apis, and pokokis.
22 And King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and in wisdom.
Therfor kyng Salomon was magnyfied ouer alle kyngis of erthe for richessis and glorie.
23 And all the kings of the earth came to see Solomon and to give ear to his wisdom, which God had put into his heart.
And alle the kyngis of londis desireden to se the face of Salomon, for to here the wisdom which God hadde youe in his herte; and thei brouyten to hym yiftis,
24 And everyone took with him an offering, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and robes, and coats of metal, and spices, and horses and beasts for transport, regularly year by year.
vessels of siluer and of gold, clothis and armuris, and swete smellynge spices, horsis and mulis, bi ech yeer.
25 Solomon had four thousand buildings for his horses and his war-carriages, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he kept, some in the carriage-towns and some with the king in Jerusalem.
Also Salomon hadde fourti thousynde of horsis in stablis, and twelue thousynde of charis and of knyytis; and `he ordeynede hem in the citees of charis, and where the kyng was in Jerusalem.
26 And he was ruler over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the limit of Egypt.
Forsothe he vside power on alle the kyngis, fro the flood Eufrates `til to the lond of Filisteis, and `til to the termes of Egipt.
27 The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem and cedars like the sycamore-trees of the lowlands in number.
And he yaf so greet plente of siluer in Jerusalem, as of stoonys, and so greet multitude of cedris, as of sycomoris that growen in feeldi places.
28 They got horses for Solomon from Egypt and from every land.
Forsothe horsis weren brouyt fro Egipt, and fro alle cuntreis.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not recorded in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the words of Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh, and in the visions of Iddo the seer about Jeroboam, the son of Nebat?
Sotheli the residue of the formere werkis and the laste of Salomon ben writun in the wordis of Nathan, the prophete, and in the wordis of Achie of Silo, and in the visioun, `ether prophesie, of Addo, the prophete, ayens Jeroboam, sone of Nabath.
30 Solomon was king over Israel in Jerusalem for forty years.
Sotheli Salomon regnede in Jerusalem on al Israel fourti yeer,
31 And Solomon went to rest with his fathers, and was put into the earth in the town of David his father; and Rehoboam his son became king in his place.
and he slepte with his fadris; and thei birieden hym in the citee of Dauid, and Roboam, his sone, regnyde for hym.
