The First of Kings

10 Now the queen of She′ba hear the story wey people de talk about Sol′o·mon, wey concern the name of Jehovah, so e come test Sol′o·mon with strong-strong questions.* 2 E come Jerusalem with plenty servants, with camels wey carry balsam oil and plenty gold and fine-fine stones. E go meet Sol′o·mon and discuss everything wey e de think about with-am. 3 Then Sol′o·mon answer all im questions. E no get anything wey too hard for the king* to explain to-am.

4 When the queen of She′ba see the kind sense wey Sol′o·mon get, the house wey e build, 5 the food wey dey im table, the way e arrange im servants make them de sitdown, the way im servants de serve food for im table, and the cloth wey them de wear, im servants wey de give-am drink and the sacrifice them wey e de burn everytime for the house of Jehovah, the thing surprise-am no be small.* 6 So e tell the king say: “The story wey I hear for my own land about the things wey you don do* and the kind sense wey you get, na true. 7 But I no believe the story wey I hear until I come and I see-am with my own eyes. The truth be say, them no even tell me reach half! The kind sense wey you get and the things wey you get, plenty by far pass wetin I hear. 8 Your people go de happy, and your servants wey dey with you everytime go de happy as them de hear the better sense wey de come from your mouth! 9 Make them praise Jehovah your God, wey really like you and put you for the throne of Israel. Because the love wey Jehovah get for Israel people no de ever end, e don choose you to be king wey go de judge well, and de do wetin correct.”

10 Then e give the king 120 talents* of gold and plenty balsam oil and fine-fine stones. Nobody ever bring balsam oil wey plenty like this again come give King Sol′o·mon, like this one wey the queen of She′ba bring for-am.

11 Na the plenty ship wey Hi′ram get wey them use carry gold from O′phir, them still use carry plenty-plenty algum timbers come from O′phir, and fine-fine stones. 12 The king use the algum timbers make things wey hold Jehovah house and the king house.* E still use-am make harps, and music instruments wey get strings, for people wey de sing. Nobody don ever bring this kind of algum timbers come again, and them never see that type till today.

13 King Sol′o·mon too give the queen of She′ba everything wey e want and ask for. E still use im own mind give-am other things join from wetin e get.* After this one, the queen of She′ba comot go back to im own land with im servants.

14 Every year, the gold wey them de bring come give Sol′o·mon de heavy reach 666 talents of gold, 15 and this one no join for the ones wey business men de bring and the gain wey de come from market people and from all the kings of Arab people and the governors for the land.

16 King Sol′o·mon use special gold* make 200 big shields (e use 600 shekels* of special gold make each shield) 17 and e use gold wey them mix with something make 300 small shields* (e use three mi′nas* of gold make each of the small shields). Then the king put them for the House of the Forest of Leb′a·non.

18 The king still use ivory make one big throne and e cover-am with pure gold. 19 E get six steps wey them de climb go the throne, and one small round thing wey be like canopy dey the back of the throne, and where person fit put im hand dey the two sides of the seat. And two lions wey them mold dey near the place wey person fit put im hand. 20 And 12 lions wey them mold dey the six steps. One dey for each side of the six steps. No other kingdom don make anything like this before.

21 Na gold them use make all the things wey King Sol′o·mon de use drink, and na pure gold them use make all the things wey them de use work for the House of the Forest of Leb′a·non. E no get anything wey them use silver make, because for Sol′o·mon time, them no de see silver as anything. 22 Because the king get plenty ships wey de go Tar′shish, and wey de move with Hi′ram ships for sea. Once every three-three years, the ships wey de go Tar′shish de come back with gold and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks wey them load full inside.

23 So King Sol′o·mon get money and sense pass all the other kings for the earth. 24 And people for all the earth de come meet Sol′o·mon* so that them go hear the sense wey God don put for im heart. 25 When them de come, each of them de bring gift like, things wey them make with silver, things wey them make with gold, cloths, weapons, balsam oil, horse them, and mules,* and na so them de do every year.

26 And Sol′o·mon continue to gather chariots and horse them,* e get 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horse them,* and e keep them for the chariot cities near the king for Jerusalem.

27 The king make silver plenty like stones for Jerusalem, and e make cedarwood plenty like the sycamore trees wey dey She·phe′lah.

28 Na from Egypt Sol′o·mon buy* the horse them wey e get, and the people wey de do business for the king go buy the horse them for group* for one particular price. 29 The money wey them take buy each of the chariots from Egypt na 600 silver pieces, and each of the horse them na 150 silver pieces. Then, them go sell* them give all the kings of Hit′tite people and the kings for Syria.