1 Kings 10
10
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
(2 Chronicles 9:1–12)
1The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s reputation. (He owed his reputation to the name of the Lord.) So she came to test him with riddles. 2She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of servants, with camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she talked to him about everything she had on her mind. 3Solomon answered all her questions. No question was too difficult for the king to answer.
4When the queen of Sheba saw all of Solomon’s wisdom, the palace he built, 5the food on his table, his officers’ seating arrangement, the organization of his officials and the uniforms they wore, his cupbearers,#10:5 A cupbearer was a trusted royal official who ensured that the king’s drink was not poisoned. and the burnt offerings that he sacrificed at the Lord’s temple, she was breathless. 6She told the king, “What I heard in my country about your words and your wisdom is true! 7But I didn’t believe the reports until I came and saw it with my own eyes. I wasn’t even told half of it. Your wisdom and wealth surpass the stories I’ve heard. 8How blessed your men must be! How blessed these servants of yours must be because they are always stationed in front of you, listening to your wisdom! 9Thank the Lord your God, who is pleased with you. He has put you on the throne of Israel. Because of your God’s eternal love for the people of Israel, he has made you king so that you would maintain justice and righteousness.”
10She gave the king 9,000 pounds of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was such a large quantity of spices brought ⌞into Israel⌟ as those that the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
11Hiram’s fleet that brought gold from Ophir also brought a large quantity of sandalwood and precious stones from Ophir. 12With the sandalwood the king made supports for the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, and lyres and harps for the singers. Never again was sandalwood like this imported ⌞into Israel⌟, nor has any been seen ⌞there⌟ to this day.
13King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba anything she wanted, whatever she asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal generosity. Then she and her servants went back to her country.
Solomon’s Wealth
(2 Chronicles 9:13–25, 27–28; 1:14–17)
14The gold that came to Solomon in one year weighed 49,950 pounds, 15not counting ⌞the gold⌟ which came from the merchants, the traders’ profits, all the Arab kings, and the governors of the country.
16King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, using 15 pounds of gold on each shield. 17He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold, using four pounds of gold on each shield. The king put them in the hall ⌞which he called⌟ the Forest of Lebanon.
18The king also made a large ivory throne and covered it with fine gold. 19Six steps led to the throne. Carved into the back of the throne was a calf’s head. There were armrests on both sides of the seat. Two lions stood beside the armrests. 20Twelve lions stood on six steps, one on each side. Nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.
21All King Solomon’s cups were gold, and all the utensils for the hall ⌞which he called⌟ the Forest of Lebanon were fine gold. (Nothing was silver, because it wasn’t considered valuable in Solomon’s time.) 22The king had a fleet headed for Tarshish with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the Tarshish fleet would bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
23In wealth and wisdom King Solomon was greater than all the ⌞other⌟ kings of the world. 24The whole world wanted to listen to the wisdom that God gave Solomon. 25So everyone who came brought him gifts: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This happened year after year.
26Solomon built up ⌞his army⌟ with chariots and war horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 war horses. He stationed ⌞some⌟ in chariot cities and ⌞others⌟ with himself in Jerusalem. 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as fig trees in the foothills.
28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue. The king’s traders bought them from Kue for a fixed price. 29Each chariot was imported from Egypt for 15 pounds of silver and each horse for 6 ounces of silver. For the same price they obtained horses to export to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.
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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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