1And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem, with a very great entourage, and camels bearing spices, much gold, and precious stones, to test Solomon with hard questions; and when she arrived, she talked with Solomon about all that was on her mind. 2And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from him, that he could not answer for her. 3And when the queen of Sheba had observed all the wisdom of Solomon: the palace he had built; 4The food on his table; the seating order of his officials; the bearing and attire of his attendants; his cupbearers in their robes; and his burnt offerings to the LORD in the Temple – it completely dispelled any skepticism she had when she arrived. 5And she told the king, “It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your achievements, and your wisdom; 6But I did not believe what was said, until I came, and saw with my own eyes. And, indeed, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; for you have far exceeded the report that I heard. 7How blessed and happy are your people, and these your servants, who stand continually before you, and hear your wisdom. 8Blessed be the LORD your God, Who delighted in you to set you on His throne, to be king for the LORD your God; because your God loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.” 9And she gave the king a hundred twenty talents (almost eight thousand pounds) of gold, and a great abundance of spices, and precious stones; nor was there any such spice anywhere like what the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 10And the servants of Hiram, and those of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones. 11And the king made of the algum trees stairways to the Temple of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers; and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. 12And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba whatever she desired and asked for, in return for what she had brought to him. Then she and her servants returned to her own land. 13The weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents (about 22 tons) of gold, 14Not including what was brought in by traders and merchants. Also, the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15And King Solomon made two hundred shields of beaten gold; six hundred shekels (about 15 pounds) of beaten gold went to one shield. 16And he made three hundred bucklers (smaller shields) of beaten gold; three hundred shekels (about 7½ pounds) of gold went into one buckler. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.17Moreover, Then Solomon made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 18And the throne had six steps and a footstool of gold attached to the throne, and the throne had arms on each side of the seat, with two lions standing by the arms. 19And twelve lions stood, one on each end of the six steps. There was nothing like it in any kingdom. 20And all the drinking goblets of King Solomon were of pure gold, as were those in the house of the forest of Lebanon. None were of silver, which was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. 21The king's fleet of ships went to Tarshish with the seamen of Hiram every three years and brought back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 22And King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 23And all the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon, to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart. 24And everyone brought him presents, articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules. 25And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities, and with him at Jerusalem. 26And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. 27And Solomon made silver in Jerusalem as common as stones, and cedar trees as abundant as the sycamore trees that are in the Shephelah (low plains). 28And they brought horses out of Egypt, and other countries, to Solomon. 29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to the last, are they not written in the book of Nathan, the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah, the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo, the seer, concerning Jeroboam, son of Nebat? 30And Solomon reigned over all Israel from Jerusalem for forty years. 31And then Solomon died, and was buried in the city of David, his father; and Rehoboam, his son, reigned in his stead. Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |