The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon
1 Nowwhen the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions,havinga very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
2 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for Solomon that he could not explain it to her.
3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
4 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, hiscupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of theLord, there was no more spirit in her.
5 Then she said to the king: “Itwasa true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.
6 However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard.
7 Happyareyour men and happyarethese your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
8 Blessed be theLordyour God, who delighted in you, setting you on His thronetobeking for theLordyour God! Because your God hasloved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”
9 And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there never were any spices such as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon,who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones.
11 And the king made walkwaysofthe algum wood for the house of theLordand for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none suchastheseseen before in the land of Judah.
12 Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked,muchmorethan she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
Solomon’s Great Wealth
13 The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,
14 besideswhatthe traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundredshekelsof hammered gold went into each shield.
16 Healsomadethree hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundredshekelsof gold went into each shield. The king put them in theHouse of the Forest of Lebanon.
17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
18 The thronehadsix steps, with a footstool of gold,whichwerefastened to the throne; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.
19 Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing likethishad been made for anyotherkingdom.
20 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.
21 For the king’s ships went toTarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ships came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
22 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
24 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments,armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.
25 Solomonhad four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.
26 So he reigned over all the kingsfrom the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.
27 The king made silverascommonin Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar treesas abundant as the sycamores whicharein the lowland.
28 And they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.
Death of Solomon
29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last,arethey not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy ofAhijah the Shilonite, and in the visions ofIddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
31 Then Solomon rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.