2 Chronicles 9
9
Visit of the Queen of Sheba
1When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived 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. 2Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, 4she 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 their robes, and the burnt offerings#9:4 As in Greek and Syriac versions (see also 1 Kgs 10:5); Hebrew reads and the ascent. Solomon made at the Temple of the Lord.
5She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements#9:5 Hebrew your words. and wisdom is true! 6I 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 your great wisdom! It is far beyond what I was told. 7How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! 8Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne as king to rule for him. Because God loves Israel and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king over them so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”
9Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds#9:9 Hebrew 120 talents [4,000 kilograms]. of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10(In addition, the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought red sandalwood#9:10 Hebrew algum wood (also in 9:11); perhaps a variant spelling of almug. Compare parallel text at 1 Kgs 10:11-12. and precious jewels. 11The king used the sandalwood to make steps#9:11 Or gateways. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. for the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before had such beautiful things been seen in Judah.)
12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for—gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.
Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor
13Each year Solomon received about 25 tons#9:13 Hebrew 666 talents [23 metric tons]. of gold. 14This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the provinces also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 15 pounds.#9:15 Hebrew 600 [shekels] of hammered gold [6.8 kilograms]. 16He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 7-1/2 pounds.#9:16 Hebrew 300 [shekels] of gold [3.4 kilograms]. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
17Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. 18The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. 19There 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!
20All 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!
21The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish manned by the sailors sent by Hiram.#9:21a Hebrew Huram, a variant spelling of Hiram. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.#9:21b Or and baboons.
22So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 23Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. 24Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
25Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots, and he had 12,000 horses.#9:25 Or 12,000 charioteers. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem. 26He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River#9:26 Hebrew the river. in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. 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.#9:27 Hebrew the Shephelah. 28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt#9:28 Possibly Muzur, a district near Cilicia. and many other countries.
Summary of Solomon’s Reign
29The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Nathan the Prophet, and The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and also in The Visions of Iddo the Seer, concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat. 30Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 31When he died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.
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2 Chronicles 9: NLT
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2 Chronicles 9
9
Visit of the Queen of Sheba
1When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with riddles. She was accompanied by a very large number of attendants, with camels bearing spices (balsam oil) and a large amount of gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was on her mind. 2Solomon #9:2 Lit told…her words.answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from him which he did not make clear to her. 3So when the queen of Sheba saw the [depth of] Solomon’s wisdom, and the house which he had built, 4and the food of his table, the [vast] seating order of his officials, the attendance and service of his ministers and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and his #9:4 Or burnt offerings which he offered at.stairway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, she was breathless. 5She said to the king, “The report which I heard in my own land regarding your [accomplishments and your] words and your wisdom was true, 6but I did not believe the reports until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told to me; you have surpassed the report that I heard. 7Blessed and fortunate are your people, how blessed and fortunate are these servants of yours who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom! 8Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne as king for the Lord your God; because your God loved Israel, establishing them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.” 9Then she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, a very large amount of spices (balsam oil) and precious stones; there was no such spice [anywhere] like that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10The servants of Huram and those of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought almug trees and precious stones. 11From the almug timber the king made #9:11 Or terraces.stairways for the house of the Lord and for the king’s palace, and lyres and harps for the singers; none like that was seen before in the land of Judah.
12King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all [the things] she desired, whatever she asked, #9:12 Following tradition, Solomon wanted his royal visitor to leave with a greater gift than she had given him.besides a return for what she had brought to the king. So she returned to her own land with her servants.
Solomon’s Wealth and Power
13Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents, 14besides what the traders and merchants brought; and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, using six hundred shekels of beaten gold on each large shield. 16And he made three hundred [smaller] shields of beaten gold, using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield; and the king put them in the #9:16 A building in Jerusalem whose purpose is not mentioned. Since it had utensils for dining (v 20), however, it may have been a separate banquet hall. It is described in 1 Kin 7:2-5 and was larger than the temple.house of the Forest of Lebanon.
17Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 18There were six steps to the throne and a golden footstool attached to the throne, and arms on each side of the seat, with two lions standing beside the arms. 19Also, twelve lions were standing there, one on each side of the six steps. Nothing like it had ever been made for any [other] kingdom. 20All 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 valuable in the days of Solomon. 21For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.
22So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. 23And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put into his heart. 24Each man brought his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules, so much year by year.
25Now Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities or with the king at Jerusalem. [Deut 17:16, 17] 26He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. 27The king made silver in Jerusalem as common as stones, and cedar wood as plentiful as the #9:27 This tree, ficus sycomorus, is native to Egypt and Asia Minor and produces an edible fruit similar but inferior to the common fig.sycamore-fig trees that are in the #9:27 Heb shephelah.lowland. 28And they were importing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all [the other] countries.
29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from the first to the last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem over all Israel.
Death of Solomon
31And Solomon slept with his fathers [in death]; he was buried in the city of his father David. Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
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