1 Kings 10
10
Visit of the Queen of Sheba
1When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, which brought honor to the name of the Lord,#10:1 Or which was due to the name of the Lord. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. she came to test him with hard questions. 2She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. 3Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, 5she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the Lord.
6She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements#10:6 Hebrew your words. and wisdom is true! 7I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom and prosperity are far beyond what I was told. 8How happy your people#10:8 Greek and Syriac versions and Latin Vulgate read your wives. must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! 9Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”
10Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds#10:10 Hebrew 120 talents [4,000 kilograms]. of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11(In addition, Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought rich cargoes of red sandalwood#10:11 Hebrew almug wood; also in 10:12. and precious jewels. 12The king used the sandalwood to make railings for the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before or since has there been such a supply of sandalwood.)
13King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for, besides all the customary gifts he had so generously given. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.
Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor
14Each year Solomon received about 25 tons#10:14 Hebrew 666 talents [23 metric tons]. of gold. 15This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land.
16King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than fifteen pounds.#10:16 Hebrew 600 [shekels] of gold [6.8 kilograms]. 17He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing nearly four pounds.#10:17 Hebrew 3 minas [1.8 kilograms]. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
18Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19The throne had six steps and a rounded back. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. 20There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!
21All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!
22The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish that sailed with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.#10:22 Or and baboons.
23So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 24People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. 25Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
26Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses.#10:26 Or charioteers; also in 10:26b. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities and some near him in Jerusalem. 27The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah.#10:27 Hebrew the Shephelah. 28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt#10:28a Possibly Muzur, a district near Cilicia; also in 10:29. and from Cilicia#10:28b Hebrew Kue, probably another name for Cilicia.; the king’s traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price. 29At that time chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver,#10:29a Hebrew 600 [shekels] of silver, about 15 pounds or 6.8 kilograms in weight. and horses for 150 pieces of silver.#10:29b Hebrew 150 [shekels], about 3.8 pounds or 1.7 kilograms in weight. They were then exported to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.
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Melaḵim Aleph (1 Kings) 10
10
1And the sovereigness of Sheḇa heard of the report of Shelomoh concerning the Name of יהוה, and came to try him with hard questions.
2And she came to Yerushalayim with a very great company, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones. And she came to Shelomoh, and she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
3And Shelomoh answered all her questions. There was no matter hidden for the sovereign that he did not make known to her.
4And the sovereigness of Sheḇa saw all the wisdom of Shelomoh, and the house that he had built,
5and the food on his table, and the seating of his servants, and the service of his waiters and their attire, and his cupbearers, and his ascending offerings which he offered in the House of יהוה, and there was no more spirit in her.
6Then she said to the sovereign, “The word I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom was true.
7“But I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes. And see, I have not been told the half! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the report which I heard.
8“Blessed are your men and blessed are these your servants, who stand continually before you, who are hearing your wisdom!
9“Blessed be יהוה your Elohim, who delighted in you, to put you on the throne of Yisra’ĕl! Because יהוה has loved Yisra’ĕl forever, therefore He made you sovereign, to do right-ruling and righteousness.”
10And she gave the sovereign one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and very many spices, and precious stones. Never again did so many spices come as the sovereigness of Sheḇa gave to Sovereign Shelomoh.
11And also, the ships of Ḥiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought almug wood, a great many, and precious stones from Ophir.
12And the sovereign made steps of the almug wood for the House of יהוה and for the sovereign’s house, also lyres and harps for singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.
13And Sovereign Shelomoh gave the sovereigness of Sheḇa all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what he gave her according to the hand of Sovereign Shelomoh. And she turned and went to her land, she and her servants.
14And the weight of gold that came to Shelomoh yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,
15besides that from men of travel, and the profit from traders, and from all the sovereigns of Araḇia, and from the governors of the land.
16And Sovereign Shelomoh made two hundred large shields of beaten gold – six hundred pieces of gold went into each shield;
17and three hundred shields of beaten gold – three minas of gold went into each shield. And the sovereign put them in the House of the Forest of Leḇanon.
18And the sovereign made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with refined gold.
19The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back, and there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.
20And twelve lions were standing there, one on each side of the six steps. The like of it was never made in any reign.
21And all the drinking vessels of Sovereign Shelomoh were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Leḇanon were of refined gold – not of silver, for this was reckoned of little value in the days of Shelomoh.
22For the sovereign had ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Ḥiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and baboons.
23And Sovereign Shelomoh was greater than any of the sovereigns of the earth in riches and wisdom.
24And all the earth sought the presence of Shelomoh to hear his wisdom, which Elohim had put in his heart.
25And they were each bringing his present: objects of silver and objects of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, the matter of a year by year.
26And Shelomoh gathered chariots and horsemen, and he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the sovereign in Yerushalayim.
27And the sovereign made silver as common in Yerushalayim as stones, and he made cedars as plenty as the sycamores which are in the low country.
28And Shelomoh had horses brought out from Mitsrayim and Quĕh; the sovereign’s merchants bought them in Quĕh at a price.
29And a chariot came up and went out from Mitsrayim for six hundred pieces of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty. And so, by their hand, they brought them out to all the sovereigns of the Ḥittites and the sovereigns of Aram.
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