The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
(2 Chronicles 9.1-12)1 The Queen of Sheba heard how famous Solomon was, so she went to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions. 2 She took along several of her officials, and she loaded her camels with gifts of spices, jewels, and gold. When she arrived, she and Solomon talked about everything she could think of. 3 He answered every question, no matter how difficult it was.
4-5 The Queen was amazed at Solomon's wisdom. She was breathless when she saw his palace, the food on his table, his officials, his servants in their uniforms, the people who served his food, and the sacrifices he offered at the Lord's temple. 6 She said:
Solomon, in my own country I had heard about your wisdom and all you've done. 7 But I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes! And there's so much I didn't hear about. You are wiser and richer than I was told. 8 Your wives and officials are lucky to be here where they can listen to the wise things you say.
9 I praise the Lord your God. He is pleased with you and has made you king of Israel. The Lord has always loved Israel, so he has given them a king who will rule fairly and honestly.
10 The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon more than four tons of gold, many jewels, and more spices than anyone had ever brought into Israel.
11-13 In return, Solomon gave her the gifts he would have given any other ruler, but he also gave her everything else she wanted. Then she and her officials went back to their own country.
Solomon's Wealth
(2 Chronicles 9.13-28)King Hiram's ships brought gold, juniper wood, and jewels from the country of Ophir. Solomon used the wood to make steps for the temple and palace, and harps and other stringed instruments for the musicians. It was the best juniper wood anyone in Israel had ever seen.
14 Solomon received almost 23 tons of gold a year. 15 The merchants and traders, as well as the kings of Arabia and rulers from Israel, also gave him gold.
16 Solomon made 200 gold shields and used almost seven kilograms of gold for each one. 17 He also made 300 smaller gold shields, using almost two kilograms for each one, and he put the shields in his palace in Forest Hall.
18 His throne was made of ivory and covered with pure gold. 19-20 The back of the throne was rounded at the top, and it had armrests on each side. There was a statue of a lion on both sides of the throne, and there was a statue of a lion at both ends of each of the six steps leading up to the throne. No other throne in the world was like Solomon's.
21 Since silver was almost worthless in those days, everything was made of gold, even the cups and dishes used in Forest Hall.
22 Solomon had a lot of seagoing ships. Every three years he sent them out with Hiram's ships to bring back gold, silver, and ivory, as well as monkeys and peacocks.
23 He was the richest and wisest king in the world. 24 People from every nation wanted to hear the wisdom God had given him. 25 Year after year people came and brought gifts of silver and gold, as well as clothes, weapons, spices, horses, or mules.
26 Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.
27 While he was king, there was silver everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.
28-29 Solomon's merchants bought his horses and chariots in the regions of Musri and Kue. They paid 600 pieces of silver for a chariot and 150 pieces of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to the Hittite and Syrian kings.
1 And the Queene of Sheba hearing ye fame of Salomon (concerning the Name of the Lord) came to proue him with hard questions. 2 And she came to Ierusalem with a verie great traine, and camels that bare sweete odours, and golde exceeding much, and precious stones: and shee came to Salomon, and communed with him of all that was in her heart. 3 And Salomon declared vnto her all her questions: nothing was hid from the King, which he expounded not vnto her. 4 Then the Queene of Sheba sawe all Salomons wisedome, and the house that he had built, 5 And the meate of his table, and the sitting of his seruants, and the order of his ministers, and their apparel, and his drinking vessels, and his burnt offrings, that he offered in the house of the Lord, and she was greatly astonied. 6 And shee sayde vnto the King, It was a true worde that I heard in mine owne lande of thy sayings, and of thy wisedome. 7 Howebeit I beleeued not this report till I came, and had seene it with mine eyes: but lo, ye one halfe was not tolde mee: for thou hast more wisedome and prosperitie, then I haue heard by report. 8 Happy are the men, happie are these thy seruants, which stande euer before thee, and heare thy wisedome. 9 Blessed be the Lord thy God, which loued thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel, because the Lord loued Israel for euer and made thee King to doe equitie and righteousnesse. 10 And she gaue the King sixe score talents of golde, and of sweete odours exceeding much, and precious stones. There came no more such aboundance of sweete odours, as the Queene of Sheba gaue to King Salomon. 11 The nauie also of Hiram (that caried gold from Ophir) brought likewise great plentie of Almuggim trees from Ophir and precious stones. 12 And the King made of ye Almuggim trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for ye Kings palace, and made harpes and psalteries for singers. There came no more such Almuggim trees, nor were any more seene vnto this day. 13 And King Salomon gaue vnto the Queene of Sheba, whatsoeuer she would aske, besides that, which Salomon gaue her of his kingly liberalitie: so she returned and went to her owne countrey, both shee, and her seruantes. 14 Also the weight of golde, that came to Salomon in one yeere, was sixe hundreth three score and six talents of gold, 15 Besides that he had of marchant men and of the marchandises of them that solde spices, and of all the Kinges of Arabia, and of the princes of the countrey. 16 And King Salomon made two hundreth targets of beaten golde, sixe hundreth shekels of gold went to a target: 17 And three hundreth shieldes of beaten golde, three pound of gold went to one shielde: and the King put them in the house of the wood of Lebanon. 18 Then the King made a great throne of yuorie, and couered it with the best golde. 19 And the throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind, and there were stayes on either side on the place of the throne, and two lions standing by the stayes. 20 And there stoode twelue lions on the sixe steps on either side: there was not the like made in any kingdome. 21 And all King Salomons drinking vessels were of golde, and all the vessels of the house of the woode of Lebanon were of pure golde, none were of siluer: for it was nothing esteemed in the dayes of Salomon. 22 For the King had on the sea the nauie of Tharshish with the nauie of Hiram: once in three yere came the nauie of Tharshish, and brought golde and siluer, yuorie, and apes and peacockes. 23 So King Salomon exceeded all the kings of the earth both in riches and in wisedome. 24 And al the world sought to see Salomon, to heare his wisedome, which God had put in his heart, 25 And they brought euery man his present, vessels of siluer, and vessels of golde, and raiment, and armour, and sweete odours, horses and mules, from yeere to yeere. 26 Then Salomon gathered together charrets and horsemen: and he had a thousand and foure hundreth charets, and twelue thousande horsemen, whome hee placed in the charet cities, and with the King at Ierusalem. 27 And the King gaue siluer in Ierusalem as stones, and gaue cedars as the wilde figtrees that growe abundantly in the plaine. 28 Also Salomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and fine linen: the Kings marchants receiued the linen for a price. 29 There came vp and went out of Egypt some charet, worth sixe hundreth shekels of siluer: that is, one horse, an hundreth and fiftie and thus they brought horses to all the Kings of the Hittites and to the Kings of Aram by their meanes.