| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp, bringing with her camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. | 1When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. |
| 2Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. | 2Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. |
| 3When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon's extensive wisdom, the palace he had built, | 3When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, |
| 4the food in his banquet hall, his servants and attendants in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the LORD's temple, she was amazed. | 4she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers and their robes, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD. |
| 5She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight was true! | 5She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true! |
| 6I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn't hear even half the story! Your wisdom surpasses what was reported to me. | 6I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of your great wisdom! It is far beyond what I was told. |
| 7Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! | 7How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! |
| 8May the LORD your God be praised because he favored you by placing you on his throne as the one ruling on his behalf! Because of your God's love for Israel and his lasting commitment to them, he made you king over them so you could make just and right decisions." | 8Praise the LORD your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne as king to rule for him. Because God loves Israel and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king over them so you can rule with justice and righteousness.” |
| 9She gave the king 120 talents of gold and a very large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. | 9Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. |
| 10(Huram's servants, aided by Solomon's servants, brought gold from Ophir, as well as fine timber and precious gems. | 10(In addition, the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought red sandalwood and precious jewels. |
| 11With the timber the king made steps for the LORD's temple and royal palace as well as stringed instruments for the musicians. No one had seen anything like them in the land of Judah prior to that.) | 11The king used the sandalwood to make steps for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before had such beautiful things been seen in Judah.) |
| 12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, more than what she had brought him. Then she left and returned to her homeland with her attendants. | 12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for—gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land. Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor |
| 13Solomon received 666 talents of gold per year, | 13Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold. |
| 14besides what he collected from the merchants and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. | 14This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the provinces also brought gold and silver to Solomon. |
| 15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures of hammered gold were used for each shield. | 15King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 15 pounds. |
| 16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures of gold were used for each of those shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest. | 16He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 7 1/2 pounds. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. |
| 17The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. | 17Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. |
| 18There were six steps leading up to the throne, and a gold footstool was attached to the throne. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side. | 18The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. |
| 19There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. | 19There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it! |
| 20All of King Solomon's cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon's time. | 20All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day! |
| 21The king had a fleet of large merchant ships manned by Huram's men that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet came into port with cargoes of gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. | 21The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish manned by the sailors sent by Hiram. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. |
| 22King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. | 22So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. |
| 23All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. | 23Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. |
| 24Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. | 24Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. |
| 25Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. | 25Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots, and he had 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem. |
| 26He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt. | 26He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. |
| 27The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. | 27The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah. |
| 28Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands. | 28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and many other countries. Summary of Solomon’s Reign |
| 29The rest of the events of Solomon's reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Vision of Iddo the Seer pertaining to Jeroboam son of Nebat. | 29The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Nathan the Prophet, and The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and also in The Visions of Iddo the Seer, concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat. |
| 30Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem for forty years. | 30Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. |
| 31Then Solomon passed away and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king. | 31When he died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king. |
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