Beginning

9 And the queen of Sheba, when she had heard (of) the fame of Solomon, came into Jerusalem for to assay him in dark figures^[a], or likenesses (came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions), (along) with great riches, and camels, that bare sweet smelling spices, and full much of gold, and precious gems, either pearls. And when she was come to Solomon, she spake to him whatever things were in her heart.

² And Solomon expounded to her (on) all things which she had put forth to him, and nothing was, that he made not open, or known, to her.

³ And after that she saw these things, that is, the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had builded,

⁴ also and the meats of his board (and also the food on his table), and the dwelling places of his servants, and the offices of his ministers, and the clothes of them, and the butlers, and their clothes, and the sacrifices which he offered in the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit (left) in her for wondering, for these things passed her understanding.

⁵ And she said to the king, The word is true, which I heard in my land, of thy virtues (of thy works, or thy deeds), and [of thy] wisdom;

⁶ I believed not to [the] tellers, till I myself had come, and mine eyes had seen, and I had proved that scarcely the half of thy wisdom was told to me; thou hast overcome, or (sur)passed, the fame by thy virtues (thou hast even surpassed the reports that I heard).

⁷ Blessed be thy men, and blessed be thy servants, these that stand before thee in all time (these who always stand in thy presence), and hear thy wisdom.

⁸ Blessed be the Lord God, that would ordain thee on his throne king of the people of the Lord thy God; truly for God loveth Israel, and will save him without end, therefore he hath set thee king upon him, that thou do dooms and rightfulness. (Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath ordained thee upon his throne to be the king of the people of the Lord thy God; for God truly loveth Israel, and will save them forevermore, and so he hath set thee to be king upon them, so that thou can give them judgements and laws.)

⁹ And she gave to the king sixscore talents of gold, and full many sweet smelling spices, and most precious gems; there were not such sweet smelling spices, as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon (there were never such sweet smelling spices in Israel, as those which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon).

¹⁰ But also the servants of Hiram^[b], with the servants of Solomon, brought gold from Ophir, and trees of thyine (and algum wood), and most precious gems;

¹¹ of which, that is, of the thyine trees, the king made degrees in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king, and also he made harps, and psalteries to singers; such trees were never seen in the land of Judah. (of which, from the algum wood, the king made stairs in the House of the Lord, and in the house of the king, and also he made harps, and lutes for the singers; such wood was never seen before in the land of Judah.)

¹² And [king] Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all things which she would, and which she asked, many more than she had brought to him. And she turned again, and went into her land with her servants. (And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all the things which she desired, and which she asked for, indeed many more things than she had brought to him. And then she returned to her land with her servants.)

¹³ And the weight of gold, that was brought to Solomon by each year, was six hundred and six and sixty talents of gold,

¹⁴ besides that sum which the legates of diverse folks, and merchants were wont to bring, and all the kings of Arabia, and the princes of (other) lands, which brought together gold and silver to Solomon (who all brought gold and silver to Solomon).

¹⁵ Therefore king Solomon made two hundred golden spears of the sum of six hundred florins, either pieces of gold, that were spended in each spear; (And so King Solomon made two hundred gold spears, where six hundred florins, or pieces of gold, were used to make each spear;)

¹⁶ and he made three hundred golden shields of three hundred florins/three hundred pieces of gold, with which each shield was covered; and the king putted those in the armoury place, that was set in the wood (and the king put them all in the House of the Forest of Lebanon).

¹⁷ Also the king made a great seat, or throne, of ivory, and he covered it with most clean gold; (And the king made a great ivory throne, and he covered it with the purest gold;)

¹⁸ and he made six degrees by which men went up to the seat, and a golden stool, and twain arms, one against the tother, and two lions standing beside the arms; (and he made six steps by which people went up to the throne, and a gold stool, and it had two arms, one opposite the other, and two lions standing beside the arms;)

¹⁹ but also he made twelve little lions standing upon [the] six degrees on ever either side of the throne (and he also made twelve little lions standing on the six steps on either side of the throne). Such a throne was not in all realms, that is, in none of all the realms of the world.

²⁰ And all the vessels of the feast of the king were (made) of gold, and the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were (made) of most pure gold; for silver in those days was areckoned for nought.

²¹ For also the ships of the king went into Tarshish with the servants of Hiram once in three years, and they brought (back) from thence gold, and silver, and ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

²² And king Solomon was magnified over all [the] kings of the earth for his riches and glory.

²³ And all the kings of (the) lands desired to see the face of Solomon, for to hear the wisdom that God had given in his heart;

²⁴ and they brought to him gifts, vessels of silver and of gold, clothes, and armours (and arms, or weapons), and sweet smelling spices, horses and mules, by each year.

²⁵ And Solomon had forty thousand of horses in stables, and twelve thousand of chariots and of knights; and he ordained them in the cities of chariots, and where the king was in Jerusalem. (And Solomon had four thousand chariots and their horses in his stables, and twelve thousand cavalry horses; and he ordained them to be in the cities for the chariots, and where the king was in Jerusalem.)

²⁶ Forsooth he used power on all the kings, from the flood of Euphrates unto the land of Philistines, and unto the terms of Egypt. (And he exercised power over all the kings from the Euphrates River unto the land of the Philistines, and the border with Egypt.)

²⁷ And he gave so great plenty of silver in Jerusalem, as of stones, and so great multitude of cedar trees, as of sycamores that grow in field places. (And he made silver in Jerusalem to be as plentiful as stones, and cedar trees to be as plentiful as the sycamores that grow in the fields.)

²⁸ And horses were brought to Solomon from Egypt, and from all countries.

²⁹ Soothly the residue of the former works and the last of Solomon (And the rest of the first and the last deeds of Solomon), be written in the words of Nathan, the prophet, and in the words of Ahijah of Shiloh, and in the vision, either prophecy, of Iddo, the prophet, against Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.

³⁰ Soothly Solomon reigned in Jerusalem on all Israel (for) forty years,

³¹ and he slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David, and Rehoboam, his son, reigned for him.

10 Forsooth Rehoboam went forth into Shechem; for all Israel came together thither to make him king.

² And when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that was in Egypt, for he fled thither (from) before Solomon, had heard this, he turned again anon. (And when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, for he had fled there from Solomon, had heard this, he returned at once.)

³ And they called him, and he came with all Israel, and they spake to Rehoboam, and said,

⁴ Thy father oppressed us with a full hard yoke; command thou lighter things on us than thy father, the which set upon us a grievous servage; and release thou a little of our burden, that we serve thee. (Thy father oppressed us with a very hard yoke; command thou lighter things upon us than thy father, who set upon us a grievous slavery; and if thou release a little of our burden, then we shall gladly serve thee.)

⁵ And he said, After three days turn ye again to me (And he said, Return to me after three days). And when the people was gone [away],

⁶ he took counsel with [the] eld men, that stood before his father Solomon, while he lived yet (he took counsel with the old men, or the elders, who stood before his father Solomon, while yet he lived), and said, What counsel give ye, that I answer to the people?

⁷ And they said to him, If thou pleasest this people, and makest them soft, or quietest them, by meek words, they shall serve thee in all time. (And they said to him, If thou pleasest this people, and quietest them, with humble words, they shall loyally serve thee always.)

⁸ And he forsook the counsel of the eld men, and began to treat (this in thought) with (the) young men, that were nourished with him, and were in his company. (But he forsook the counsel of the old men, that is, the elders, and began to discuss this with the young men, who grew up with him, and were his friends.)

⁹ And he said to them, What seemeth to you? either what thing ought I (to) answer to this people, that said to me, Release thou the yoke, that thy father hath put upon us?

¹⁰ And they answered, as young men, and nourished with him in delights, and said, Thus thou shalt speak to the people that said to thee, Thy father made grievous our yoke, release thou it; and thus thou shalt answer to them, My least finger is greater than the loins of my father; (And these young men, who had grown up with him in ease, said, Thus shalt thou say to the people who said to thee, Thy father made our yoke grievous, release thou it; thou shalt answer this to them, My least finger is greater than my father’s loins;)

¹¹ my father put upon you a grievous yoke, and I shall lay to (you) a greater burden (but I shall put upon you a far greater burden); my father beat you with scourges, but I shall beat you with scorpions, that is, hard-knotted ropes.

¹² And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam in the third day, as he had commanded to them.

¹³ And the king answered (to them) hard things, after that he had forsaken the counsel of the elder men,

¹⁴ and he spake by the will of the young men, (and said,) My father putted on you a grievous yoke, which I shall make grievouser; my father beat you with scourges, soothly I shall beat you with scorpions.

¹⁵ And Rehoboam assented not to the prayers of the people; for it was the will of God, that his word should be [ful]filled, which he had spoken by the hand of Ahijah of Shiloh to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ And when the king had said these harder things, all the people spake thus to him, No part be to us in David, neither heritage in the son of Jesse; Israel, turn thou again into thy tabernacles; and thou, David, feed thine own house. And Israel went into his tabernacles. (And when the king had said these hard things, all the people spoke thus to him, We shall have no part with David, nor inheritance with the son of Jesse; Israel, return thou to thy tents, or to thy homes; and thou, David, feed thy own house. And the people of Israel went back to their tents/went back home.)

¹⁷ And Rehoboam reigned upon the sons of Israel, that dwelled in the cities of Judah. (And so Rehoboam reigned only upon the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.)

¹⁸ And king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, that was sovereign over the tributes; and the sons of Israel stoned him, and he was dead (And King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was the ruler over the tributes, or the taxes; and the Israelites stoned him, and he died). And king Rehoboam hasted him(self) to go up into his chariot, and fled into Jerusalem.

¹⁹ And Israel went away from the house of David unto this day.

11 Forsooth Rehoboam came into Jerusalem, and he called together all the house of Judah and of Benjamin, unto ninescore thousand of chosen men and warriors, for to fight against Israel, and for to turn again his realm to him (and to bring back his kingdom to him).

² And the word of the Lord was made to Shemaiah, the man of God, and said,

³ Speak thou to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel, which is in Judah and Benjamin; (and say,) (Speak thou to Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all Israel, who be in Judah and Benjamin; and say,)

⁴ The Lord saith these things, Ye shall not go up, neither ye shall fight against your brethren; each man turn again to his house, for this thing is done by my will. And when they had heard the word of the Lord, they turned again, and went not against king Jeroboam. (The Lord saith these things, Ye shall not go up, nor shall ye fight against your kinsmen; each man return to his house, for this thing is done by my will. And when they had heard the word of the Lord, they returned to their homes, and did not go up against King Jeroboam.)

⁵ And Rehoboam dwelled in Jerusalem, and he builded walled cities in Judah; (And Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built walls for many cities in Judah;)

⁶ and he builded Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, (yea, he fortified Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,)

⁷ and Bethzur; and Shoco, and Adullam;

⁸ also and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph;

⁹ but also Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah;

¹⁰ and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which were in Judah and Benjamin, full strong cities (all well-fortified cities).

¹¹ And when he had closed those with walls, he set princes in them, and barns of meats, that is, of oil, and of wine. (And when he had enclosed them with walls, he put leaders in them, and storehouses of food, and oil, and wine.)

¹² But also in each city he made places of armours of shields, and spears, and he made those strong with most diligence; and he reigned on Judah and Benjamin. (And also in each city he made places for arms, or for weapons, that is, for shields and spears, and he fortified the cities with most diligence; and so he reigned upon Judah and Benjamin.)

¹³ And the priests and the deacons, that were in all Israel, came to Rehoboam from all their cities, (And the priests and the Levites, who were in all Israel, came to Rehoboam from all their cities,)

¹⁴ and they forsook their suburbs and their possessions, and they passed into Judah and to Jerusalem (and they abandoned their suburbs and their possessions, and they went to Judah and Jerusalem); for Jeroboam and his after-comers had cast them away, that they should not be set in the priesthood of the Lord;

¹⁵ the which Jeroboam made to him[self] priests of high places, and of fiends, and of calves, which he had made. (and Jeroboam made for himself priests for the hill shrines, and for the fiends, and for the calves, or the idols, which he had made.)

¹⁶ But also of all the lineages of Israel, whichever gave their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel, they came to Jerusalem for to offer their sacrifices before the Lord God of their fathers. (And from all the tribes of Israel, whoever gave their heart to seek after the Lord God of Israel, they came to Jerusalem, to offer their sacrifices to the Lord God of their fathers.)

¹⁷ And they strengthened the realm of Judah, and strengthened Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, by three years; for they went in the ways of David, and of Solomon, only by three years. (And so they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and Solomon’s son Rehoboam, for three years; for they went in the ways of David, and Solomon, but only for three years.)

¹⁸ Forsooth Rehoboam wedded a wife, Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David, and (of) Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, the son of Jesse;

¹⁹ and she childed to him sons (and she bare for him three sons), Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham.

²⁰ Also after this wife he took Maachah, the daughter of Absalom, and she childed to him Abijah (and she bare for him Abijah), and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.

²¹ And Rehoboam loved Maachah, the daughter of Absalom, above all his wives and his secondary wives. And he had wedded eighteen wives, and he had sixty secondary wives; and he begat eight and twenty sons, and sixty daughters (And he wedded eighteen wives, and he had sixty concubines; and he begat twenty-eight sons, and sixty daughters).

²² And he ordained Abijah, the son of Maachah, the head, (and) duke over all his brethren; for he thought to make Abijah king, (And he ordained Abijah, Maachah’s son, to be the head, and the ruler, over all his brothers; for he thought to make Abijah king.)

²³ for he was wiser and mightier over all his sons; and in all the coasts of Judah and of Benjamin, and in all the walled cities, he set his sons; and he gave to them full many meats, and he had many wives/and he took to them many wives. (And he treated all his sons wisely, and he placed them in authority, in all the land of Judah and of Benjamin, in all the fortified cities; and he gave them a great deal of food, or provisions, and many wives.)

12 And when the realm of Rehoboam was made strong and strengthened, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. (But when Rehoboam’s kingdom was made strong and established, he abandoned the Law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.)

² And in the fifth year of the realm of Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, went up into Jerusalem, for they, that is, the men of Jerusalem, [had] sinned against the Lord; (And in the fifth year of the reign of Rehoboam, Shishak, the king of Egypt, went up against Jerusalem, for they, that is, the people of Jerusalem, had sinned against the Lord;)

³ and he ascended with a thousand and two hundred chariots, and with sixty thousand horsemen, and no number was of the common people, that came with him from Egypt, that is, Libyans, and Troglodytes, and Ethiopians. (and he went up with a thousand and two hundred chariots, and sixty thousand horsemen, and there was no number of the common people, who came with him from Egypt, that is, Libyans, and Sukkiims, and Ethiopians.)

⁴ And he took [the] full strong cities in Judah, and he came to Jerusalem. (And he took the fortified cities in Judah, and then he came to Jerusalem.)

⁵ And Shemaiah, the prophet, entered to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, which, fleeing from Shishak, were gathered together in Jerusalem. And he said to them, The Lord saith these things, Ye have forsaken me, and I have forsaken you in the hand of Shishak. (And the prophet Shemaiah went in to Rehoboam, and to the leaders of Judah, who, fleeing from Shishak, were gathered together in Jerusalem. And he said to them, The Lord saith these things, Ye have deserted me, and so now I have deserted you unto the power of Shishak.)

⁶ And the princes of Israel and the king were astonished, and said, The Lord is just. (And Israel’s leaders and the king were astonished, but they said, The Lord is just.)

⁷ And when the Lord had seen that they were meeked, the word of the Lord was made to Shemaiah, and said, For they be meeked, I shall not destroy them, and I shall give to them a little help, and my strong vengeance shall not drop upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. (And when the Lord had seen that they were humbled, the word of the Lord was made to Shemaiah, and said, For they be humbled, I shall not destroy them, and I shall give them a little help, and my strong vengeance shall not drop upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.)

⁸ Nevertheless they shall serve him, that they know the diversity of my service, and of the service of the realm of lands. (But they shall still serve him, so that they know the difference between serving me, and serving the rulers of other lands.)

⁹ Therefore Shishak, the king of Egypt, went away from Jerusalem, after that he had taken away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king’s house; and he took all things with him, and (even) the gold shields which Solomon had made,

¹⁰ for which golden shields king Rehoboam made brazen shields, and he betook those to the princes of [the] shield-makers, that kept the porch of the palace. (for which gold shields King Rehoboam then made bronze shields, and he gave them to the leaders of the guards, who guarded the entrance to the palace.)

¹¹ And when the king entered into the house of the Lord, the shield-makers came, and took those shields, and (then) they brought them again to his armoury place. (And when the king entered into the House of the Lord, the guards came, and brought those shields, and afterward they took them back to his armoury.)

¹² Nevertheless for they were meeked, the ire of the Lord was turned away from them, and they were not done away utterly; for good works were found also in Judah. (But because they were humbled, the Lord’s anger was turned away from them, and they were not utterly done away with; for good works were also found in Judah.)

¹³ Therefore king Rehoboam was comforted in Jerusalem, and reigned (And so King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned). And he was of one and forty years, when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord chose (out) of all the lineages of Israel, that he should confirm his name there. And the name of his mother was Naamah (an) Ammonitess.

¹⁴ And he did evil, and he made not ready his heart to seek God. (But he did evil, and he did not ordain his heart to seek God’s will.)

¹⁵ And the first and the last works of Rehoboam be written, and diligently declared, in the books of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the prophet. And Rehoboam and Jeroboam fought in all days against themselves (And Rehoboam and Jeroboam fought against each other in all their days).

¹⁶ And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David; and Abijah, his son, reigned for him.