Kings III 10

1 And the queen of Saba heard of the name of Solomon, and the name of the Lord, and she came to try him with riddles.

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.

2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train; and [there came] camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and she came in to Solomon, and told him all that was in her heart.

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.

3 And Solomon answered all her questions: and there was not a question overlooked by the king which he did not answer her.

And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain.

4 And the queen of Saba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he built,

When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,

5 and the provision of Solomon and the sitting of his attendants, and the standing of his servants, and his raiment, and his cupbearers, and his whole burnt offering which he offered in the house of the Lord, and she was utterly amazed.

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.

6 And she said to king Solomon, [It was] a true report which I heard in my land of your words and your wisdom.

She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true.

7 But I believed not them that told me, until I came and my eyes saw: and, behold, the words as they reported to me are not the half: you have exceeded in goodness all the report which I heard in my land.

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.

8 Blessed [are] your wives, blessed [are] these your servants who stand before you continually, who hear all your wisdom.

How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!

9 Blessed be the Lord your God, who has taken pleasure in you, to set you upon the throne of Israel, because the Lord loved Israel to establish [him] for ever; and he has made you king over them, to execute judgement with justice, and in their causes.

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.”

10 And she gave to Solomon a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and very many spices, and precious stones: there had not come any other spices so abundant as those which the queen of Saba gave to king Solomon.

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.

11 And the ship of Chiram which brought the gold from Suphir, brought very much hewn timber and precious stones.

(The fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir also brought from Ophir a great cargo of almug wood and precious stones.

12 And the king made the hewn timber [into] buttresses of the house of the Lord and the king's house, and lyres and harps for singers: such hewn timber had not come upon the earth, nor have been seen anywhere until this day.

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.)

13 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Saba all that she desired, whatever she asked, besides all that he had given her by the hand of king Solomon: and she returned, and came into her own land, she and her servants.

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.

14 And the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold.

The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,

15 Besides the tributes of them that were subjects, both merchants and all the kings of the [country] beyond [the river], and of the princess of the land.

not including the revenue from the merchants, traders, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.

16 And Solomon made three hundred spears of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold were upon one spear.

King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.

17 And three hundred shields of beaten gold: and three pounds of gold were in one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

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.

18 And the king made a great ivory throne, and gilded it with pure gold.

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

19 The throne [had] six steps, and calves in bold relief to the throne behind it, and side-pieces on either hand of the place of the seat, and two lions standing by the side-pieces,

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.

20 and twelve lions standing there on the six steps on either side: it was not so done in any [other] kingdom.

Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.

21 And all the vessels made by Solomon [were] of gold, and the lavers [were] golden, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; there was no silver, for it was not accounted of in the days of Solomon.

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.

22 For Solomon had a ship of Tharsis in the sea with the ships of Chiram: one ship came to the king every three years out of Tharsis, [laden with] gold and silver, and wrought stones, and hewn stones.

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.

23 And Solomon increased beyond all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom.

So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

24 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which the Lord [had] put into his heart.

The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.

25 And they brought every one their gifts, vessels of gold, and raiment, and stacte, and spices, and horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

26 And Solomon had four thousand mares for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen: and he put them in the cities of his chariots, and with the king in Jerusalem: and he ruled over all the kings from the river to the land of the Philistines, and to the borders of Egypt.

Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

27 And the king made gold and silver in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as the sycamores in the plain for multitude.

The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.

28 And the goings forth of Solomon's horsemen [was] also out of Egypt, and the king's merchants [were] of Thecue; and they received them out of Thecue at a price.

Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.

29 And that which proceeded out of Egypt went up [thus, even] a chariot for a hundred [shekels] of silver, and a horse for fifty [shekels] of silver: and thus for all the kings of the Chettians, and the kings of Syria, they came out by sea.

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.