1 Kings 10
10
The queen of Sheba visits Solomon
1When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. 2Arriving 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. 3Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at#10:5 Or the ascent by which he went up to the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.
6She said to the king, ‘The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7But 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. 8How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9Praise 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.’
10And she gave the king 120 talents#10:10 That is, about 4 metric tons 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 almug-wood#10:11 Probably a variant of algum-wood; also in verse 12 and precious stones. 12The king used the almug-wood to make supports#10:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almug-wood has never been imported or seen since that day.)
13King 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.
Solomon’s splendour
14The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,#10:14 That is, about 23 metric tons 15not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.
16King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels#10:16 That is, about 6.9 kilograms; also in verse 29 of gold went into each shield. 17He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas#10:17 That is, about 1.7 kilograms; or perhaps reference is to double minas, that is, about 3.5 kilograms. of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
18Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19The 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. 20Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21All 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. 22The king had a fleet of trading ships#10:22 Hebrew of ships of Tarshish at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
23King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 25Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift – articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
26Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,#10:26 Or charioteers which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue#10:28 Probably Cilicia – the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. 29They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.#10:29 That is, about 1.7 kilograms They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
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1 Kings 10
10
The Visit of the Queen of Sheba
1Now the queen of Sheba had heard of the fame of Solomon regarding the name of Yahweh, and she came to test him with hard questions. 2So she came to Jerusalem with very great wealth; with camels carrying spices, very much gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon, and she spoke to him all that was on her heart. 3Solomon answered all of her questions;#Literally “Solomon told her all of her words” there was not a thing hidden from the king which he could not explain to her. 4When the queen of Sheba observed all the wisdom of Solomon and the house which he had built, 5the food of his table, the seat of his servants, the manner#Literally “service” of his servants and their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he offered in the house of Yahweh, she was breathless.#Literally “and there was not in her spirit/breath any longer” 6Then she said to the king, “The report which I heard in my land was true concerning your accomplishments and your wisdom. 7I had not believed the report to be true until I came and my eyes had seen, and behold! The half had not been told to me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass#Literally “You have added wisdom and prosperity to” the report that I had heard. 8Happy are your men and happy are these your servants who stand before you continually hearing your wisdom. 9May Yahweh your God be blessed, who has delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel, because of the love of Yahweh for Israel forever, and he has made you king to execute justice and righteousness.” 10Then she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, abundant spices, and precious stones. Spices as these did not come again in such abundance as that which the queen of Sheba brought to King Solomon.
11Moreover, the fleet of ships of Hiram which carried the gold from Ophir also brought from Ophir abundant amounts of almug wood and precious stones. 12The king made a raised structure for the house of Yahweh and for the house of the king out of the almug wood, as well as lyres and harps for the singers. This much almug wood has not come nor been seen again up to this day. 13King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all of her desire that she asked, besides that which King Solomon freely offered her.#Literally “according to the hand of King Solomon” Then she turned and went to her land with her servants.
14The weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 15apart from that of the men of the traders and the profits of the traders, and all the kings of the Arabs and the governors of the land. 16King Solomon made two hundred shields of hammered gold; six hundred measures of gold went up over each shield. 17Also he made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went up over each of the small shields; and the king put them into the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 18The king also made a large ivory throne, and he overlaid it with fine gold. 19Six steps led up to the throne, and there was a circular top to the throne behind it, and armrests were on each side of the seat,#Literally “from this and from this” with two lions standing beside the armrests. 20Twelve lions were standing there, six on each of the six steps on either side;#Literally “from this and from this” nothing like this was made for any of the kingdoms. 21All of the drinking vessels of King Solomon were gold, and all the vessels for the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver; it was not considered as something valuable in the days of Solomon. 22For the fleet of Tarshish belonged to the king and was on the sea with the fleet of Hiram; once every three years the fleet of Tarshish used to come carrying gold and silver, ivory, apes, and baboons.
23King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and wisdom. 24All of the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 25They were each bringing his gift; objects of silver and objects of gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This used to happen year after year.#Literally “A thing of year to year”
26Solomon gathered chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses. He stationed them in the cities of the chariots and with the king in Jerusalem. 27The king made the silver in Jerusalem as the stones, and the cedars he made as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah in abundance. 28The import of the horses which were Solomon’s was from Egypt and from Kue; the traders of the king received horses from Kue at a price. 29A chariot went up and went out from Egypt at six hundred silver shekels and a horse at a hundred and fifty. So it was for all the kings of the Hittites and for the kings of Aram; by their hand they were exported.
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