2 Chronicles 9
1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. So she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was on her mind.
Now the queen of Sheba, hearing great things of Solomon, came to Jerusalem to put his wisdom to the test with hard questions; and with her came a very great train, and camels weighted down with spices, and great stores of gold and jewels: and when she came to Solomon she had talk with him of everything in her mind.
2 And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for him to explain.
And Solomon gave her answers to all her questions; there was no secret which he did not make clear to her.
3 When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,
And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had made,
4 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 at his table, and all his servants seated there, and those who were waiting on him in their places, and their robes, and his wine-servants and their robes, and the burned offerings which he made in the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.
5 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 account which was given to me in my country of your acts and your wisdom was true.
6 But I did not believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not half of the greatness of your wisdom was told to me. You have far exceeded the report I heard.
But I had no faith in what was said about you, till I came and saw for myself; and truly, word was not given me of half your great wisdom; you are much greater than they said.
7 How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
Happy are your wives and happy these your servants whose place is ever before you, hearing your words of wisdom.
8 Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.”
Praise be to the Lord your God whose pleasure it was to put you on the seat of his kingdom to be king for the Lord your God: because, in his love for Israel, it was the purpose of your God to make them strong for ever, he made you king over them, to be their judge in righteousness.
9 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a great store of spices and jewels: never had such spices been seen as the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon.
10 (The servants of Hiram and of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought algum wood and precious stones.
And the servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon, in addition to gold from Ophir, came back with sandal-wood and jewels.
11 The king made the algum 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 anything like them been seen in the land of Judah.)
And with the sandal-wood the king made steps for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, and instruments of music for the makers of melody; never before had such been seen in the land of Judah.
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—far more than she had brought the king. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.
And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she made request for, in addition to what she had taken to the king. So she went back to her country with her servants.
13 The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,
Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents;
14 not including the revenue from the merchants and traders. And all the Arabian kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
And in addition to what he got from traders of different sorts, all the kings of Arabia and the rulers of the country gave gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield.
And King Solomon made two hundred body-covers of hammered gold, every one having six hundred shekels of gold in it.
16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
And he made three hundred smaller body-covers of hammered gold, using three hundred shekels of gold for every cover, and the king put them in the house of the Woods of Lebanon.
17 Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.
Then the king made a great ivory seat, plated with the best gold.
18 The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest.
There were six steps up to it, and a foot-rest of gold fixed to it, and arms on the two sides of the seat, with two lions at the side of the arms.
19 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 were placed on one side and on the other side on the six steps: there was nothing like it in any kingdom.
20 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.
All King Solomon's drinking-vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the Woods of Lebanon were of the best gold: no one gave a thought to silver in the days of Solomon.
21 For the king had the ships of Tarshish that went with Hiram’s servants, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
For the king had Tarshish-ships sailing with the servants of Huram: once every three years the Tarshish-ships came back with gold and silver, ivory and monkeys and peacocks.
22 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
And King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and in wisdom.
23 All the kings of the earth sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
And all the kings of the earth came to see Solomon and to give ear to his wisdom, which God had put into his heart.
24 Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
And everyone took with him an offering, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and robes, and coats of metal, and spices, and horses and beasts for transport, regularly year by year.
25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
Solomon had four thousand buildings for his horses and his war-carriages, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he kept, some in the carriage-towns and some with the king in Jerusalem.
26 He reigned over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.
And he was ruler over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the limit of Egypt.
27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem and cedars like the sycamore-trees of the lowlands in number.
28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all the lands.
They got horses for Solomon from Egypt and from every land.
29 As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Records of Nathan the Prophet, in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the Visions of Iddo the Seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?
Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not recorded in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the words of Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh, and in the visions of Iddo the seer about Jeroboam, the son of Nebat?
30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
Solomon was king over Israel in Jerusalem for forty years.
31 And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
And Solomon went to rest with his fathers, and was put into the earth in the town of David his father; and Rehoboam his son became king in his place.
