The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon
1 Now when thequeen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of theLord, she cameto test him with hard questions.
2 She 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.
3 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explainitto her.
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers,and his entryway by which he went up to the house of theLord, there was no more spirit in her.
6 Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.
7 However 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 Happyareyour men and happyarethese your servants, who stand continually before youandhear your wisdom!
9 Blessed be theLordyour God, whodelighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because theLordhas loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king,to do justice and righteousness.”
10 Then shegave 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 Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of almug wood and precious stones from Ophir.
12 And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of theLordand for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came suchalmug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.
13 Now 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
14 The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,
15 besidesthatfrom thetraveling merchants, from the income of traders,from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country.
16 And King Solomon made two hundred large shieldsofhammered gold; six hundredshekelsof gold went into each shield.
17 He alsomadethree hundred shieldsofhammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in theHouse of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the thronewasround at the back;therewerearmrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.
20 Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing likethishad been made for anyotherkingdom.
21 All King Solomon’s drinking vesselsweregold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanonwerepure gold. Notonewassilver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
22 For the king hadmerchant ships at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the merchantships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
23 SoKing Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
24 Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
25 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.
26 And Solomongathered 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 The king made silverascommonin Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores whicharein the lowland.
28 Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at thecurrentprice.
29 Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundredshekelsof silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty;and thus, through their agents, they exportedthemto all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.