New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible 1995

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.

1Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with difficult questions. She had a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and a large amount of gold and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was on her heart.

2Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.

2Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from Solomon which he did not explain to her.

3When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built,

3When the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he had built,

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.

4the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his ministers and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, she was breathless.

5She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true!

5Then she said to the king, "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.

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.

6"Nevertheless I did not believe their reports until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You surpass the report that I heard.

7How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom!

7"How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom.

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.”

8"Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you, setting you on His throne as king for the LORD your God; because your God loved Israel establishing them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."

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.

9Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold and a very great amount of spices and precious stones; there had never been spice like that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10(In addition, the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought red sandalwood and precious jewels.

10The servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones.

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.)

11From the algum trees the king made steps for the house of the LORD and for the king's palace, and lyres and harps for the singers; and none like that was seen before in the land of Judah.

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

12King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she requested besides a return for what she had brought to the king. Then she turned and went to her own land with her servants.

13Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold.

13Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,

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.

14besides that which the traders and merchants brought; and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 15 pounds.

15King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, using 600 shekels of beaten gold on each large shield.

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.

16He made 300 shields of beaten gold, using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

17Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with pure gold.

17Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.

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.

18There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.

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!

19Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom.

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!

20All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon.

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.

21For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.

22So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth.

22So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

23Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.

23And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.

24Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

24They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules, so much year by year.

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.

25Now Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

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.

26He was the ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River even to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt.

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.

27The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland.

28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and many other countries. Summary of Solomon’s Reign

28And they were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.

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.

29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

30Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

30Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem over all Israel.

31When he died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.

31And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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