10:1 示巴女王聽見所羅門因耶和華之名所得的名聲,就來要用難解的話試問所羅門。
10:2 跟隨她到耶路撒冷的人甚多,又有駱駝馱著香料、寶石,和許多金子。她來見了所羅門王,就把心裡所有的對所羅門都說出來。
10:3 所羅門王將她所問的都答上了,沒有一句不明白、不能答的。
10:4 示巴女王見所羅門大有智慧,和他所建造的宮室,
10:5 席上的珍饈美味,群臣分列而坐,僕人兩旁侍立,以及他們的衣服裝飾和酒政的衣服裝飾,又見他上耶和華殿的臺階(或譯:他在耶和華殿裡所獻的燔祭),就詫異得神不守舍;
10:6 對王說:「我在本國裡所聽見論到你的事和你的智慧實在是真的!
10:7 我先不信那些話,及至我來親眼見了才知道人所告訴我的還不到一半。你的智慧和你的福分越過我所聽見的風聲。
10:8 你的臣子、你的僕人常侍立在你面前聽你智慧的話是有福的!
10:9 耶和華─你的上帝是應當稱頌的!他喜悅你,使你坐以色列的國位;因為他永遠愛以色列,所以立你作王,使你秉公行義。」
10:10 於是,示巴女王將一百二十他連得金子和寶石,與極多的香料,送給所羅門王。她送給王的香料,以後奉來的不再有這樣多。
10:11 (希蘭的船隻從俄斐運了金子來,又從俄斐運了許多檀香木(或譯:烏木;下同)和寶石來。
10:12 王用檀香木為耶和華殿和王宮做欄杆,又為歌唱的人做琴瑟。以後再沒有這樣的檀香木進國來,也沒有人看見過,直到如今。)
10:13 示巴女王一切所要所求的,所羅門王都送給她,另外照自己的厚意餽送她。於是女王和她臣僕轉回本國去了。
10:14 所羅門每年所得的金子共有六百六十六他連得。
10:15 另外還有商人和雜族(雜族在歷代下九章十四節是阿拉伯)的諸王,與國中的省長所進的金子。
10:16 所羅門王用錘出來的金子打成擋牌二百面,每面用金子六百舍客勒;
10:17 又用錘出來的金子打成盾牌三百面,每面用金子三彌那,都放在黎巴嫩林宮裡。
10:18 王用象牙製造一個寶座,用精金包裹。
10:19 寶座有六層臺階,座的後背是圓的,兩旁有扶手,靠近扶手有兩個獅子站立。
10:20 六層臺階上有十二個獅子站立,每層有兩個:左邊一個,右邊一個;在列國中沒有這樣做的。
10:21 所羅門王一切的飲器都是金子的。黎巴嫩林宮裡的一切器皿都是精金的。所羅門年間,銀子算不了甚麼。
10:22 因為王有他施船隻與希蘭的船隻一同航海,三年一次,裝載金銀、象牙、猿猴、孔雀回來。
10:23 所羅門王的財寶與智慧勝過天下的列王。
10:24 普天下的王都求見所羅門,要聽上帝賜給他智慧的話。
10:25 他們各帶貢物,就是金器、銀器、衣服、軍械、香料、騾馬,每年有一定之例。
10:26 所羅門聚集戰車馬兵,有戰車一千四百輛,馬兵一萬二千名,安置在屯車的城邑和耶路撒冷,就是王那裡。
10:27 王在耶路撒冷使銀子多如石頭,香柏木多如高原的桑樹。
10:28 所羅門的馬是從埃及帶來的,是王的商人一群一群按著定價買來的。
10:29 從埃及買來的車,每輛價銀六百舍客勒,馬每匹一百五十舍客勒。赫人諸王和亞蘭諸王所買的車馬,也是按這價值經他們手買來的。
When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at[a] the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.
6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”
10 And she gave the king 120 talents[b] of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood[c] and precious stones. 12 The king used the almugwood to make supports[d] for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,[e] 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[f] of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas[g] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships[h] at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,[i] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue[j]—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. 29 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.[k] They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
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示巴女王和所羅門王相見的情形,可以用一句成語來形容,也就是:「百聞不如一見」!
這也說明了從別人得著的經驗傳述,和自己的體會是有差異的!也因為這樣,我們與上帝的關係也要親自體驗,不只是透過別人的轉述和分享。而上帝樂意將自己與我們分享,就是透過聖靈向我們啟示祂自己!正如主耶穌在得榮耀之前向門徒說:「我要求父,父就另外賜給你們一位保惠師(或譯:訓慰師;下同),叫他永遠與你們同在,就是真理的聖靈,乃世人不能接受的;因為不見他,也不認識他。你們卻認識他,因他常與你們同在,也要在你們裡面。…還有不多的時候,世人不再看見我,你們卻看見我;因為我活著,你們也要活著。…有了我的命令又遵守的,這人就是愛我的;愛我的必蒙我父愛他,我也要愛他,並且要向他顯現。」(約翰福音14:16-17,49,21)
主不但在聖靈裡向我們顯現,也透過聖餐的餅和杯向我們顯現,正如主耶穌也說過:「吃我肉、喝我血的人常在我裡面,我也常在他裡面。永活的父怎樣差我來,我又因父活著;照樣,吃我肉的人也要因我活著。」(約翰福音6:56-57)
你有沒有在聖靈裡以及聖餐的餅和杯中尋找到主耶穌呢?親自去感受與親近祂呢?