1And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the LORD, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. 2And she arrived with a very great retinue - camels bearing spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she met Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart. 3And Solomon answered all her questions; there was not anything too hard for Solomon answer and explain to her. 4And when the queen of Sheba had observed all of Solomon's wisdom, and saw the house that he had built, 5The food of his table, the seating of his officials, his attending servants and ministers in their splendid attire, his cupbearers, and his offerings that 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 my own land of your acts and of your wisdom. 7However, I did not believe what was said, until I came, and have seen it with my own eyes; and the half of it was not told to me: your wisdom and prosperity far exceed the report I heard. 8How happy are your men, happy to be your servants, and to stand continually before you, and to hear your wisdom! 9Blessed be the LORD your God, Who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel! Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, He has made you king, to execute justice and righteousness.” 10And she gave the king a hundred twenty talents (almost 8,000 pounds) of gold, a huge amount of spices, and precious stones. There never came a greater abundance of spices as what the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11And the navy of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, also brought in from Ophir very many almug trees (the wood from almug trees was very hard, durable, and a rich red in color), and precious stones. 12And the king made pillars for the Temple of the LORD and for the king's house out of the wood from the almug trees, as well as for harps and psalteries for singers; there came no much almug wood as was seen in that day. 13And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired and asked for, beside what Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. And then she and her servants returned to her own country. 14Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents (about 44,000 pounds) of gold, 15This did not include what came from merchants and the spice trade, and from all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the countries. 16And King Solomon made two hundred bucklers (small round shields) of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold (about 15 pounds) went into one buckler. 17And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas (about 3.75 pounds) of gold went into one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 18The king also made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. 19The throne had six steps, and had a rounded top behind; and there were armrests on either side of the seat, and two lions stood beside the arms. 20And twelve lions stood on the six steps - one on each side of each step; there was no other throne like it in any 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 not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon. 22For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram; and once every three years, the fleet came from Tarshish, bringing gold, silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 23So King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth – both in riches and in wisdom. 24And people from all over the earth consulted Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had given him. 25And many brought him presents - items of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, year after year. 26And Solomon accumulated chariots and horsemen; he had a thousand, four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he posted in his chariot cities, as well as with him at Jerusalem. 27And the king caused silver to be regarded as stones, and cedars were as plentiful as the sycamore trees that grew in the foothills. 28And Solomon imported horses from Egypt and Keveh; the king's merchants got them at the market price: 29A chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver; and a horse, for a hundred fifty; and Solomon’s merchants sold some of them to the kings of the Hittites, and of Syria. Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |