1 Kings 10
10
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
1The queen of Sheba heard about how famous Solomon was. She also heard about how he served and worshiped the Lord. So she came to test Solomon with hard questions. 2She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large group of attendants. Her camels were carrying spices, huge amounts of gold, and valuable jewels. She came to Solomon and asked him about everything she wanted to know. 3Solomon answered all her questions. There wasn’t anything too hard for the king to explain to her. 4So the queen of Sheba saw how very wise Solomon was. She saw the palace he had built. 5She saw the food on his table. She saw his officials sitting there. She saw the robes of the servants who waited on everyone. She saw his wine tasters. And she saw the burnt offerings Solomon sacrificed at the Lord’s temple. She could hardly believe everything she had seen.
6She said to the king, “Back in my own country I heard a report about you. I heard about how much you had accomplished. I also heard about how wise you are. Everything I heard is true. 7But I didn’t believe those things. So I came to see for myself. And now I believe it! You are twice as wise and wealthy as people say you are. The report I heard doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story about you. 8How happy your people must be! How happy your officials must be! They always get to serve you and hear the wise things you say. 9May the Lord your God be praised. He takes great delight in you. He placed you on the throne of Israel. The Lord will love Israel for all time to come. That’s why he has made you king. He knows that you will do what is fair and right.”
10She gave the king four and a half tons of gold. She also gave him huge amounts of spices and valuable jewels. No one would ever bring to King Solomon as many spices as the queen of Sheba gave him.
11Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir. From there they also brought huge amounts of almugwood and valuable jewels. 12The king used the almugwood to make supports for the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He also used it to make harps and lyres for those who played the music. That much almugwood has never been brought into Judah or seen there since that day.
13King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for. That was in addition to what he had given her out of his royal riches. Then she left. She returned to her own country with her attendants.
Solomon’s Greatness
14Each year Solomon received 25 tons of gold. 15That didn’t include the money brought in by business and trade. It also didn’t include the money from all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the territories.
16King Solomon made 200 large shields out of hammered gold. Each one weighed 15 pounds. 17He also made 300 small shields out of hammered gold. Each one weighed seven and a half pounds. The king put all the shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
18Then he made a large throne. It was covered with ivory. And that was covered with fine gold. 19The throne had six steps. Its back had a rounded top. The throne had armrests on both sides of the seat. A statue of a lion stood on each side of the throne. 20Twelve lions stood on the six steps. There was one at each end of each step. Nothing like that throne had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21All of King Solomon’s cups were made out of gold. All the things used in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were made out of pure gold. Nothing was made out of silver. When Solomon was king, silver wasn’t considered to be worth very much. 22He had many ships that carried goods to be traded. His ships went to sea along with Hiram’s ships. Once every three years the ships returned. They brought gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks.
23King Solomon was richer than all the other kings on earth. He was also wiser than they were. 24People from the whole world wanted to meet Solomon in person. They wanted to see for themselves how wise God had made him. 25Year after year, everyone who came to him brought a gift. They brought gifts made out of silver and gold. They brought robes, weapons and spices. They also brought horses and mules.
26Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept some of his horses and chariots in the chariot cities. He kept the others with him in Jerusalem. 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones. He made cedar wood as common there as sycamore-fig trees in the western hills. 28Solomon got horses from Egypt and from Kue. The royal traders bought them from Kue at the current price. 29They weighed out 15 pounds of silver for a chariot from Egypt. And they weighed out almost four pounds of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Arameans.
Currently Selected:
1 Kings 10: NIrV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
I Kings 10
10
The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon
1Now when the #2 Chr. 9:1; Matt. 12:42; Luke 11:31queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came #Judg. 14:12; Ps. 49:4; Prov. 1:6to test him with hard questions. 2She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 3So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. 4And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, #1 Chr. 26:16; 2 Chr. 9:4and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. 6Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. 8#Prov. 8:34Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! 9#1 Kin. 5:7Blessed be the Lord your God, who #2 Sam. 22:20delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, #2 Sam. 8:15; Ps. 72:2; (Prov. 8:15)to do justice and righteousness.”
10Then she #Ps. 72:10, 15gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11#1 Kin. 9:27, 28; Job 22:24Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of almug wood and precious stones from Ophir. 12#2 Chr. 9:11And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such #2 Chr. 9:10almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.
13Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
Solomon’s Great Wealth
14The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 15besides that from the #2 Chr. 1:16traveling merchants, from the income of traders, #2 Chr. 9:24; Ps. 72:10from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country.
16And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. 17He also made #1 Kin. 14:26three hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the #1 Kin. 7:2House of the Forest of Lebanon.
18#1 Kin. 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:17; Ps. 45:8Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 19The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. 20Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.
21#2 Chr. 9:20All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 22For the king had #Gen. 10:4; 2 Chr. 20:36merchant ships at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant #1 Kin. 9:26–28; 22:48; Ps. 72:10ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. 23So #1 Kin. 3:12, 13; 4:30; 2 Chr. 1:12King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
24Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.
26#1 Kin. 4:26; 2 Chr. 1:14; 9:25And Solomon #(Deut. 17:16); 1 Kin. 9:19gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. 27#(Deut. 17:17); 2 Chr. 1:15–17The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.
28#(Deut. 17:16); 2 Chr. 1:16; 9:28Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price. 29Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; #Josh. 1:4; 2 Kin. 7:6, 7and thus, through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.