< 1 Kings 10 >
1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions.
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon in connection with the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with riddles.
2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones. So she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind.
And she came to Jerusalem with an exceedingly great train, with camels bearing spices, and gold in great abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she spoke with him of all that was on her heart.
3 And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain.
And Solomon solved [for] her all her questions: nothing remained hidden from the king, which he did not tell her.
4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,
And when the queen of Sheba saw all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
5 the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.
And the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cup-bearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord: there was no more spirit in her.
6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true.
And she said to the king, The truth only was the word that I heard in my own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told to me. Your wisdom and prosperity have far exceeded the report I heard.
And I believed not in the words, until I came, and my eyes saw [all]: and, behold, the half hath not been told me; thou excellest in wisdom and prosperity the report which I have heard.
8 How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, who stand before thee continually, who hear thy wisdom.
9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who has 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 carry out justice and righteousness.”
Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath had delight in thee, to place thee on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loveth Israel for ever, therefore hath he made thee king, to do justice and righteousness.
10 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was such an abundance of spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
And she gave to the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices a very great store, and precious stones: there came no more spices in such abundance as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
11 (The fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir also brought from Ophir a great cargo of almug wood and precious stones.
And also the ship of Hiram, that fetched gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir in great abundance sandal-wood and precious stones.
12 The king made the almug wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had such almug wood been brought in, nor has such been seen to this day.)
And the king made of the sandal-wood a railing for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, and harps and psalteries for the singers: there came no such sandal-wood, nor was it seen [again] until this day.
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.
And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her pleasure, whatsoever she asked, beside what Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned about and went to her own country, she and her servants.
14 The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,
Now the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty and six talents of gold,
15 not including the revenue from the merchants, traders, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.
Beside [what he had] of the traveling tradesmen, and of the traffic of the merchants, and of the kings of confederate nations, and of the governors of the country.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.
And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold he used for each one target.
17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
And [he made] three hundred shields of beaten gold; three manehs of gold he used for each one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
18 Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.
The king also made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.
19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest.
The throne had six steps, and there was a round top on the throne behind; and there were arms on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the arms.
20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.
And twelve lions stood there upon the six steps on both sides: there was not the like made in any other kingdom.
21 All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
And 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 valued in the days of Solomon at the least.
22 For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
For the king had a Tharshish-ship at sea with the ship of Hiram: once in three years the Tharshish-ship used to come home, laden with gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
And king Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
24 The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
And [men of] all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
25 Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules: and so year by year.
26 Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he quartered in the cities for chariots, and near the king at Jerusalem.
27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
And the king rendered the silver in Jerusalem like stones, and the cedars he rendered like the sycamore-trees that are in the lowlands, for abundance.
28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.
And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt; and a company of the king's merchants bought a quantity at a price.
29 A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. Likewise, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram.
And a chariot-team came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a 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.