9 The Queen of Sheba heard news that Solomon was a great king. So she came to ask Solomon some difficult questions to see how wise he was. She arrived at Jerusalem with a big group of servants. She had many camels that carried spices. They also carried a lot of gold and valuable jewels. When she came to Solomon, she talked to him about everything that was in her mind. 2 Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing that was too difficult for him to explain to her. 3 The Queen of Sheba saw that Solomon was very wise. [ a ] She saw the palace that he had built. 4 She saw all the food that he ate in his palace. She saw all his servants and officers and their beautiful clothes. She saw the servants who prepared his food and wine. She saw the burnt offerings that he offered in the Lord 's temple. All these things caused her to hold her breath in surprise.
5 She said to the king, ‘In my own country I heard news about your wisdom and about all the things that you had done. Everything that I heard was true! 6 But I did not believe those things until I came here. Now I have seen everything with my own eyes, and it is true! Really, they told me less than half of what was true! You are even wiser than the report that people told me. 7 God has blessed your people and your officers! They are always with you, and they can listen to your wise words. 8 So we should praise the Lord your God! He is happy with you and he has chosen you to rule Israel on his behalf. Your God will continue to love Israel for ever, and he will always make them strong. So he has made you king to rule them in a fair and honest way.’
9 The Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon more than four tons of gold, a lot of spices and many valuable jewels. Nobody has ever brought such a great number of spices as she gave to the king.
10 King Hiram's men had brought gold from Ophir. King Solomon's men had helped them to do this. They also brought very good wood, and valuable jewels. 11 The king used the wood to make steps for the Lord 's temple and for the king's palace. He also used it to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nobody had ever seen things like those in Judah.
12 King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba everything that she wanted. He gave more things to her than she had brought to him. Then she left with all her servants and she returned to her own country.
13 Solomon received 25 tons of gold each year. 14 He also received money from traders and from people who travelled to buy things. The kings of Arabia and the rulers of each region in Israel also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon's workers used gold to make 200 large shields. They hit the gold with hammers to make it flat. They used about four kilograms of gold to cover each shield. 16 They also made 300 small shields in the same way. They used about 2 kilograms of gold to cover each shield. He put these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. [ b ]
17 The king used ivory to make a large throne. He covered it with pure gold. 18 There were six steps up to the throne. They fixed a gold box to the throne for the king to put his feet on. On both sides of the seat there were places to put his arms. An image of a lion stood on each side of the throne. 19 There were 12 more images of lions on the six steps. There was one lion at each end of every step. There was no throne like it in any other kingdom. 20 They used gold to make all King Solomon's cups that he drank from. In the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon, all the dishes and other things were made with gold. They used pure gold. They did not make anything with silver. In Solomon's time, people did not think that silver was very valuable. 21 The king had many large ships that King Hiram's men could sail across the seas. [ c ] Every three years they returned to Solomon with their loads. They brought to him gold, silver and ivory. They also brought apes and monkeys. [ d ]
22 King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king in the world. 23 The kings of every nation in the world wanted to talk to Solomon. They wanted to listen to the wisdom that God had given to him. 24 Every year, people who came to visit Solomon brought him gifts. They brought things that were made from silver and gold, as well as clothes, weapons, spices, horses and mules.
25 Solomon had places to keep 4,000 horses that pulled his chariots. He also had 12,000 horses. He kept them in the cities that he had chosen for this and also in Jerusalem where he lived. 26 He ruled over all the kings around Israel, from the Euphrates river as far as the Philistines' country and the border of Egypt. 27 While Solomon ruled as king, there was as much silver in Jerusalem as stones! There was as much wood from cedar trees as there were fig trees that grew in the low hills in the west. 28 People brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all the other countries.
29 People wrote down everything else that Solomon did while he ruled as king, from the beginning to the end. The prophet Nathan wrote them down in his book. The prophet Ahijah who came from Shiloh also wrote them down. The prophet Iddo also wrote about them in his book of the visions that he saw about Nebat's son Jeroboam. 30 Solomon ruled over all Israel for 40 years while he lived in Jerusalem. 31 Then he died. They buried him with his ancestors, in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam became king after him.
9 The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, so she came to test him with hard questions. She had a very large group with her. She had camels that carried spices, much gold, and valuable stones. She traveled to Jerusalem with a very large group of servants. There were many camels carrying spices, jewels, and a lot of gold. She met Solomon and asked him all the questions that she could think of. 2 Solomon answered all the questions. None of her questions was too hard for him to explain. 3 The queen of Sheba saw that Solomon was very wise. She also saw the beautiful palace he had built. 4 She saw the food at the king’s table. She saw his officials meeting together. She saw the servants in the palace and the good clothes they wore. She saw his parties and the sacrifices that he offered in the Lord ’s Temple. She was so amazed, she could hardly breathe!
5 Then she said to King Solomon, “The stories I heard in my country about your great works and your wisdom are true. 6 I did not believe it until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Now I see that it is even greater than what I heard. Your wealth and wisdom is much greater than people told me. 7 Your wives [ a ] and officers are very fortunate! They can serve you and hear your wisdom every day. 8 Praise the Lord your God! He was pleased to make you king of Israel. The Lord God loves Israel, so he made you the king. You follow the law and treat people fairly.”
9 Then the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon 4 1/2 tons [ b ] of gold, a huge amount of spices, and precious stones. She gave Solomon more spices than anyone has ever brought into Israel.
10 Hiram’s servants brought gold from Ophir. They also brought in jewels and a special kind of wood. [ c ] 11 King Solomon used this special wood to make steps for the Lord ’s Temple and the king’s palace. Solomon also used the algum wood to make lyres and harps for the singers. No one ever saw such beautiful things like those made from the algum wood in the country of Judah.
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she asked for. He gave her more than she brought to give him. Then the queen of Sheba and her servants left and went back to their own country.
13 Every year Solomon got almost 25 tons [ d ] of gold. 14 In addition to the gold brought in by the traveling merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold. He used about 15 pounds [ e ] of gold for each shield. 16 He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold. He used about 7 1/2 pounds [ f ] of gold for each shield. The king put them in the Forest-of-Lebanon House. [ g ]
17 King Solomon also built a large throne with ivory decorations. It was covered with pure gold. 18 There were six steps leading up to the throne. The back of the throne was round at the top. There were armrests on both sides of the throne, and there were lions in the sides of the throne under the armrests. 19 There were also two lions on each of the six steps, one at each end. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.
20 All of Solomon’s cups and glasses were made of gold. And all the dishes [ h ] in the building called the “Forest of Lebanon” were made from pure gold. Nothing in the palace was made from silver. There was so much gold that in Solomon’s time people did not think silver was important!
21 The king also had cargo ships that went to Tarshish to trade things with other countries. Hiram’s men were on these ships. Every three years the ships would come back with a new load of gold, silver, ivory, and apes and baboons.
22 King Solomon became greater in riches and wisdom than any other king on earth. 23 People everywhere wanted to see King Solomon. They wanted to hear the great wisdom that God had given him. 24 Every year people came to see the king, and everyone brought a gift. They brought things made from gold and silver, clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
25 Solomon had 4000 stalls to keep horses and chariots. He had 12,000 horse soldiers. Solomon built special cities for these chariots. So the chariots were kept in these cities. King Solomon also kept some of the chariots with him in Jerusalem. 26 Solomon was the king over all the kings from the Euphrates River all the way to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. 27 King Solomon had so much silver that it was as common as rocks in Jerusalem. And he had so much cedar wood that it was as common as sycamore trees in the hill country. 28 The people brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all the other countries.
29 Everything else Solomon did, from the beginning to the end, is written in the writings of Nathan the Prophet, in The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and in The Visions of Iddo the Seer . Iddo was a seer who wrote about Jeroboam son of Nebat. 30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for 40 years. 31 Then he died [ i ] and was buried in the city of David, his father. Then Solomon’s son Rehoboam became the next king.
9 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
2 And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.
3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
4 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the Lord ; there was no more spirit in her.
5 And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom:
6 Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.
7 Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
8 Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.
9 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon.
10 And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.
11 And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the Lord , and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.
12 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.
13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;
14 Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.
16 And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
18 And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:
19 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.
20 And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
21 For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
22 And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.
24 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
26 And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.
27 And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.
28 And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
31 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
9 ( A ) Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with riddles. She had a very large entourage, with camels carrying balsam oil and a large amount of gold and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about everything that was on her heart. 2 Solomon [ a ] answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from Solomon which he did not [ b ] explain to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he had built, 4 the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his ministers and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and [ c ] his stairway by which he went up to the house of the Lord , she was breathless. 5 Then she said to the king, “It was a true [ d ] story that I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 6 But I did not believe their [ e ] stories until I came and my own eyes saw it all . And behold, not even half of the greatness of your wisdom was reported to me. You have surpassed the report that I heard. 7 How [ f ] blessed are your men, how [ g ] blessed are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom! 8 Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you, ( B ) setting you on His throne as king for the Lord your God; ( C ) because your God loved Israel, establishing them forever, He made you king over them, to carry out justice and righteousness.” 9 Then she gave the king [ h ] 120 talents of gold and a very great amount of balsam oil and precious stones; there had never been balsam oil like that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
10 The servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon ( D ) who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones. 11 From the algum trees the king made steps to the house of the Lord and for the king’s palace, and lyres and harps for the singers; and nothing like them was seen before in the land of Judah.
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba her every desire, whatever she requested, besides gifts equal to what she had brought to the king. Then she turned and went to her own land with her servants.
13 ( E ) Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was [ i ] 666 talents of gold, 14 besides what the traders and merchants brought; and all ( F ) the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, [ j ] using six hundred shekels of beaten gold on each large shield. 16 He made three hundred shields of beaten gold, [ k ] using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
17 Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and [ l ] arms [ m ] on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the [ n ] arms. 19 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. 20 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered [ o ] valuable in the days of Solomon. 21 ( G ) For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
22 ( H ) So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 24 ( I ) They were bringing, each of them his gift: articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, balsam oil, horses, and mules, so much year by year.
25 Now Solomon had ( J ) four thousand stalls for horses and chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26 ( K ) He was ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. 27 ( L ) And the king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the [ p ] lowland. 28 ( M ) And they were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.
29 ( N ) Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from the first to the last, ( O ) are they not written in the [ q ] records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of [ r ] Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 ( P ) Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
31 And Solomon [ s ] lay down with his fathers and was buried in ( Q ) the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
9 When the queen of Sheba ( B ) heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving 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 she had on her mind. 2 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, ( C ) as well as the palace he had built, 4 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at [ a ] the temple of the Lord , she was overwhelmed.
5 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 6 But I did not believe what they said until I came ( D ) and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. 7 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne ( E ) as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king ( F ) over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”
9 Then she gave the king 120 talents [ b ] of gold, ( G ) large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 (The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; ( H ) they also brought algumwood [ c ] and precious stones. 11 The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
13 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, [ d ] 14 not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia ( J ) and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels [ e ] of hammered gold went into each shield. 16 He also made three hundred small shields ( K ) of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels [ f ] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. ( L )
17 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory ( M ) and overlaid with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 19 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. 20 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 day. 21 The king had a fleet of trading ships [ g ] manned by Hiram’s [ h ] servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
22 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. ( N ) 23 All the kings ( O ) of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 24 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift ( P ) —articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, ( Q ) and twelve thousand horses, [ i ] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 26 He ruled ( R ) over all the kings from the Euphrates River ( S ) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. ( T ) 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 all other countries.
29 As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan ( V ) the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah ( W ) the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam ( X ) son of Nebat? 30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David ( Y ) his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.
