And the queen of Saba, having heard of the fame of Solomon in the name of the Lord, came to try him with hard questions.

Sed et regina Saba, audita fama Salomonis in nomine Domini, venit tentare eum in ænigmatibus.

And now Solomon was visited by the queen of Saba. She had heard by report of the wisdom with which the Lord’s favour had endowed him, and came to make trial of his powers with knotty questions.

And entering into Jerusalem with a great train, and riches, and camels that carried spices, and an immense quantity of gold, and precious stones, she came to king Solomon, and spoke to him all that she had in her heart.

Et ingressa Jerusalem multo cum comitatu et divitiis, camelis portantibus aromata, et aurum infinitum nimis, et gemmas pretiosas, venit ad regem Salomonem, et locuta est ei universa quæ habebat in corde suo.

Magnificent was the retinue with which she entered Jerusalem; spices and abundant gold and precious stones were the lading of her camels. And when she met king Solomon, she told him all the thoughts that exercised her mind;

And Solomon informed her of all the things she proposed to him: there was not any word the king was ignorant of, and which he could not answer her.

Et docuit eam Salomon omnia verba quæ proposuerat: non fuit sermo qui regem posset latere, et non responderet ei.

every doubt he resolved, no question of hers but found an answer.

And when the queen of Saba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had built,

Videns autem regina Saba omnem sapientiam Salomonis, et domum quam ædificaverat,

And when she saw how wise a man he was, saw, too, the house he had built,

And the meat of his table, and the apartments of his servants, and the order of his ministers, and their apparel, and the cupbearers, and the holocausts, which he offered in the house of the Lord: she had no longer any spirit in her,

et cibos mensæ ejus, et habitacula servorum, et ordines ministrantium, vestesque eorum, et pincernas, et holocausta quæ offerebat in domo Domini: non habebat ultra spiritum.

the food that was on his table, the lodging of his servants, the order and splendour of his court, how the wine went round, and what burnt-sacrifice he offered in the Lord’s temple, she stood breathless in wonder.

And she said to the king: The report is true, which I heard in my own country,

Dixitque ad regem: Verus est sermo quem audivi in terra mea

And she said to the king, It was no false tale I heard in my own country,

Concerning thy words, and concerning thy wisdom. And I did not believe them that told me, till I came myself, and saw with my own eyes, and have found that the half hath not been told me: thy wisdom and thy works, exceed the fame which I heard.

super sermonibus tuis, et super sapientia tua: et non credebam narrantibus mihi, donec ipsa veni, et vidi oculis meis, et probavi quod media pars mihi nuntiata non fuerit: major est sapientia et opera tua, quam rumor quem audivi.

of all thou doest and of all the wisdom that is thine. I could not believe what they told me, without coming and seeing it for myself; and now I find that half of it was lost in the telling; here is greater wisdom, greater prosperity than all the tales that reached me.

Blessed are thy men, and blessed are thy servants, who stand before thee always, and hear thy wisdom.

Beati viri tui, et beati servi tui, qui stant coram te semper, et audiunt sapientiam tuam.

Happy thy folk, happy these servants of thine who wait ever upon thy presence and listen to thy wise words.

Blessed be the Lord thy God, whom thou hast pleased, and who hath set thee upon the throne of Israel, because the Lord hath loved Israel for ever, and hath appointed thee king, to do judgment and justice.

Sit Dominus Deus tuus benedictus, cui complacuisti, et posuit te super thronum Israël, eo quod dilexerit Dominus Israël in sempiternum, et constituit te regem ut faceres judicium et justitiam.

Blessed be the Lord thy God, who, in his eternal love for Israel, has brought thee, his favourite, to the throne, given thee a king’s power to do justice and to make award!

And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices a very great store, and precious stones: there was brought no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Saba gave to king Solomon.

Dedit ergo regi centum viginti talenta auri, et aromata multa nimis, et gemmas pretiosas: non sunt allata ultra aromata tam multa, quam ea quæ dedit regina Saba regi Salomoni.

A hundred and twenty talents’ weight of gold she gave to king Solomon, with many spices and precious stones; never did such abundance of spices come to Israel as those which the queen of Saba gave.

(The navy also of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir great plenty of thyine trees, and precious stones.

(Sed et classis Hiram, quæ portabat aurum de Ophir, attulit ex Ophir ligna thyina multa nimis, et gemmas pretiosas.

(Though indeed Hiram’s fleet, when it brought back the gold from Ophir, brought rich store of sandal-wood, as well as precious stones;

And the king made of the thyine trees the rails of the house of the Lord, and of the king’s house, and citterns and harps for singers: there were no such thyine trees as these brought, nor seen unto this day.)

Fecitque rex de lignis thyinis fulcra domus Domini et domus regiæ, et citharas lyrasque cantoribus: non sunt allata hujuscemodi ligna thyina, neque visa usque in præsentem diem.)

and of this sandal-wood king Solomon made pedestals for temple and palace, harp and zither for his musicians; finer sandal-wood never reached us, no, nor was ever seen.)

And king Solomon gave the queen of Saba all that she desired, and asked of him: besides what he offered her of himself of his royal bounty. And she returned, and went to her own country with her servants.

Rex autem Salomon dedit reginæ Saba omnia quæ voluit et petivit ab eo, exceptis his quæ ultro obtulerat ei munere regio. Quæ reversa est, et abiit in terram suam cum servis suis.

Solomon, in his turn, gave the queen of Saba all she desired and asked for; gave her much, too, unasked, in the royal munificence that was his. And so she went back to her own country, with all her retinue.

And the weight of the gold that was brought to Solomon every year, was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold:

Erat autem pondus auri quod afferebatur Salomoni per annos singulos, sexcentorum sexaginta sex talentorum auri,

The weight of gold that reached Solomon every year was six hundred and sixty-six talents,

Besides that which the men brought him that were over the tributes, and the merchants, and they that sold by retail, and all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the country.

excepto eo quod afferebant viri qui super vectigalia erant, et negotiatores, universique scruta vendentes, et omnes reges Arabiæ, ducesque terræ.

not counting what was brought him by his revenue officers, merchants and pedlars, from the kings of Arabia, and from his own commissioners.

And Solomon made two hundred shields of the purest gold: he allowed six hundred sicles of gold for the plates of one shield.

Fecit quoque rex Salomon ducenta scuta de auro purissimo: sexcentos auri siclos dedit in laminas scuti unius.

Two hundred shields king Solomon made of the purest gold, allowing six hundred sicles of gold to the plating of each;

And three hundred targets of fine gold: three hundred pounds of gold covered one target: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Libanus.

Et trecentas peltas ex auro probato: trecentæ minæ auri unam peltam vestiebant: posuitque eas rex in domo saltus Libani.

three hundred bucklers, too, of assayed gold, with three (hundred) minas of gold to cover each; and all these the king put in the building that was called the Forest of Lebanon.

King Solomon also made a great throne of ivory: and overlaid it with the finest gold.

Fecit etiam rex Salomon thronum de ebore grandem: et vestivit eum auro fulvo nimis,

He also made a great throne of ivory, and lined it with gold unalloyed;

It had six steps: and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were two hands on either side holding the seat: and two lions stood, one at each hand.

qui habebat sex gradus: et summitas throni rotunda erat in parte posteriori: et duæ manus hinc atque inde tenentes sedile: et duo leones stabant juxta manus singulas.

six steps led up to it, and at the back the upper part of it was rounded. The seat itself had two supporters, with a lion standing by each,

And twelve little lions stood upon the six steps on the one side and on the other: there was no such work made in any kingdom.

Et duodecim leunculi stantes super sex gradus hinc atque inde: non est factum tale opus in universis regnis.

and on each step there was a lion at either side; no other kingdom could shew such workmanship.

Moreover all the vessels, out of which king Solomon drank, were of gold: and all the furniture of the house of the forest of Libanus was of most pure gold: there was no silver, nor was any account made of it in the days of Solomon:

Sed et omnia vasa quibus potabat rex Salomon, erant aurea: et universa supellex domus saltus Libani de auro purissimo: non erat argentum, nec alicujus pretii putabatur in diebus Salomonis,

Of gold were all the goblets from which king Solomon drank, of purest gold all the furniture in the building called the Forest of Lebanon; no silver was used, for indeed in King Solomon’s day silver was little thought of.

For the king’s navy, once in three years, went with the navy of Hiram by sea to Tharsis, and brought from thence gold, and silver, and elephants’ teeth, and apes, and peacocks.

quia classis regis per mare cum classe Hiram semel per tres annos ibat in Tharsis, deferens inde aurum, et argentum, et dentes elephantorum, et simias, et pavos.

And every three years the king’s fleet and Hiram’s would sail to Tharsis, whence they came back laden with gold and silver; with ivory, too, and apes, and peacocks for their freight.

And king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches, and wisdom.

Magnificatus est ergo rex Salomon super omnes reges terræ divitiis et sapientia.

So, both in riches and in wisdom, Solomon outvied all the kings of the world;

And all the earth desired to see Solo-mon’s face, to hear his wisdom, which God had given in his heart.

Et universa terra desiderabat vultum Salomonis, ut audiret sapientiam ejus, quam dederat Deus in corde ejus.

and from every part of the world men craved his audience, to make proof for themselves of the wisdom God had put in his heart.

And every one brought him presents, vessels of silver and of gold, garments and armour, and spices, and horses and mules every year.

Et singuli deferebant ei munera, vasa argentea et aurea, vestes et arma bellica, aromata quoque, et equos et mulos per annos singulos.

And all these brought him gifts, so that gold and silver ware, presents of clothes and of armour, spices too, and horses and mules, came in year by year.

And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen, and he had a thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen: and he bestowed them in fenced cities, and with the king in Jerusalem.

Congregavitque Salomon currus et equites, et facti sunt ei mille quadringenti currus, et duodecim millia equitum: et disposuit eos per civitates munitas, et cum rege in Jerusalem.

Of chariots and horsemen king Solomon mustered a great force, fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen; of these, some were in the fortified towns, and some at the king’s side in Jerusalem.

And he made silver to be as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones: and cedars to be as common as sycamores which grow in the plains.

Fecitque ut tanta esset abundantia argenti in Jerusalem, quanta et lapidum: et cedrorum præbuit multitudinem quasi sycomoros quæ nascuntur in campestribus.

Silver he made as common in Jerusalem as stone, and cedars plentiful as the sycamores that grow in the plains.

And horses were brought for Solomon out of Egypt, and Coa: for the king’s merchants brought them out of Coa, and bought them at a set price.

Et educebantur equi Salomoni de Ægypto, et de Coa. Negotiatores enim regis emebant de Coa, et statuto pretio perducebant.

And horses were brought to Solomon from Egypt and from Coa, where his agents bought them and sent them to him for a fixed sum.

And a chariot of four horses came out of Egypt, for six hundred sicles of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. And after this manner did all the kings of the Hethites, and of Syria, sell horses.

Egrediebatur autem quadriga ex Ægypto sexcentis siclis argenti, et equus centum quinquaginta. Atque in hunc modum cuncti reges Hethæorum et Syriæ equos venundabant.

Six hundred pieces of silver was the cost of a chariot brought from Egypt, and fifty of a horse; the kings of the Hethites and of Syria, too, sold him horses at the same price.