| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. | 1When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the LORD, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. |
| 2And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. | 2Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan--with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones--she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. |
| 3And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. | 3Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. |
| 4And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, | 4When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, |
| 5And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. | 5the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed. |
| 6And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. | 6She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. |
| 7Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. | 7But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. |
| 8Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. | 8How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! |
| 9Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. | 9Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness." |
| 10And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. | 10And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. |
| 11And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones. | 11(Hiram's ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones. |
| 12And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day. | 12The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the LORD and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.) |
| 13And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants. | 13King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country. |
| 14Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, | 14The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, |
| 15Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country. | 15not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories. |
| 16And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. | 16King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. |
| 17And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. | 17He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. |
| 18Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. | 18Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. |
| 19The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays. | 19The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. |
| 20And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom. | 20Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. |
| 21And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. | 21All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's days. |
| 22For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. | 22The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons. |
| 23So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. | 23King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. |
| 24And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. | 24The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. |
| 25And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. | 25Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift--articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. |
| 26And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. | 26Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. |
| 27And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance. | 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. |
| 28And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price. | 28Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue --the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. |
| 29And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means. | 29They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans. |
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