1 Kings 10

1 The queen of Sheba heard how famous Solomon was, so she came to Jerusalem to test him with tough questions.

And, when, the queen of Sheba, heard the report of Solomon, as pertaining to the Name of Yahweh, she came to prove him, with abstruse questions.

2 She brought with her a very large entourage, with camels loaded with spices, large amounts of gold, and precious gemstones. She came to Solomon and asked him about everything she had on her mind.

Yea she came to Jerusalem with a very heavily-laden train, of camels bearing spices, and gold in great abundance, and precious stones, —and, when she was come to Solomon, she spake unto him all that was near her heart;

3 Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing he couldn't explain to her.

and Solomon answered her all her questions, —there was nothing hidden from the king, which he told her not.

4 When the queen of Sheba saw Solomon's wisdom, and the palace he had built,

And, when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, —and the house which he had built;

5 the food on the table, how his officials lived, how his servants operated and how they were dressed, the clothes of the waiters, and the burnt offerings he presented at the Lord's Temple, she was so astonished she could hardly breathe.

and the food of his table, and the seated assembly of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers with their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he ascended unto the house of Yahweh, there was in her no more spirit.

6 She told the king, “It's true what I heard in my own country about your proverbs and your wisdom!

And she said unto the king, True, was the word which I heard in mine own land, —concerning thine affairs, and concerning thy wisdom.

7 But I didn't believe what they told me until I came and saw with my own eyes. In fact, I wasn't told the half of it—the extent of your wisdom far exceeds what I heard!

Howbeit I believed not the words, until that I had come and mine own eyes had seen, and lo! there had not been told me, the half, —thou dost exceed, in wisdom and prosperity, even the report which I heard!

8 How happy your people must be! How happy those who work for you, who stand here every day listening to your wisdom!

How happy, are thy wives, how happy, are these thy servants, —who do stand before thee continually, who hear thy wisdom!

9 Praise the Lord your God who is so pleased with you, who placed you on his throne as king to rule on his behalf. Because of the love of your God for Israel he has made them secure forever, and he has made you king over them to do what is fair and right.”

Yahweh thy God be blessed, who delighted in thee, to set thee upon the throne of Israel, —because Yahweh loveth Israel unto times age-abiding, therefore hath he appointed thee to be king, to execute justice and righteousness.

10 She presented the king with one hundred and twenty talents of gold, huge amounts of spices and precious stones. Never before had there been spices like those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

And she gave unto the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones, —there came in no more, such spice for abundance, as that which the queen of Sheba gave unto King Solomon.

11 (Hiram's fleet of ships brought gold from Ophir, and also carried algum wood and precious stones.

Moreover also, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in, from Ophir sandal-wood in great abundance, and precious stones.

12 The king used the algum wood to make steps for the Temple and for the royal palace, and into lyres and harps for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen before in the land of Judah.)

So the king made of the sandal-wood a footpath to the house of Yahweh, and to the house of the king, lyres also and harps, for the singers, —there hath neither come in such sandal-wood, nor been seen, unto this day.

13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she wanted, whatever she asked for. This was in addition to the usual gifts he had generously given her. Then she and her attendants returned home to her own country.

And, when, King Solomon, had given unto the queen of Sheba, all her desire, which she asked, besides that which he gave her as the bounty of King Solomon, she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.

14 The weight of gold that Solomon received each year was 666 talents,

And it came to pass that, the weight of the gold which came in unto Solomon in one year, was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold;

15 not including that received from traders and merchants, and all the kings of Arabia and governors of the land.

besides the tribute of the subjugated, and of the travelling merchants, —and of all the kings of Arabia, and the pashas of the land.

16 King Solomon made two hundred shields of hammered gold. Each shield required six hundred shekels of hammered gold.

And King Solomon made two hundred shields, of beaten gold, six hundred [shekels] of gold, laid he upon one shield;

17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold. Each of these shields required three gold minas. The king placed them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

and three hundred bucklers, of beaten gold, one hundred and fifty shekels of gold, laid he upon one buckler, —and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

18 The king also made a great throne of ivory, and covered it with pure gold.

And the king made a great throne of ivory, —and overlaid it with gold from Uphaz.

19 The throne had six steps, with a rounded top at the back. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with lions standing beside the armrests.

There were, six steps, to the throne, and there was, a circular top, to the throne, behind it, and there were supports on this side and on that, unto the place of the seat, —with two lions standing beside the supports;

20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one on opposite ends of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.

and, twelve lions, were standing there, upon the six steps, on this side and on that, —there had never been made the like, for any of the kingdoms.

21 All of King Solomon's drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. No silver was used, because it was not valued in the days of Solomon.

And, all the drinking vessels of King Solomon, were of gold, and, all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon, were of pure gold, —none was of silver, it was accounted in the days of Solomon, as nothing.

22 The king had a fleet of ships from Tarshish crewed by Hiram's sailors. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive with a cargo of gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

For, a fleet of Tarshish, had the king, at sea, with the fleet of Hiram, —once in three years, came in the fleet of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes, and peacocks.

23 King Solomon was greater than any other king on earth in wealth and wisdom.

So King Solomon became greater than any of the kings of the earth, —for riches and for wisdom.

24 The whole world wanted to meet Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had placed in his mind.

And, all the earth, did seek the face of Solomon, —to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

25 Year after year, every visitor would bring gifts—articles of silver and gold, clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

And, they, did bring every man his present—vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses and mules, —a rate of a year in a year.

26 Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen. He kept them in the chariot towns, and also with him in Jerusalem.

And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen, and so it was that he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, —for whom he found place in the chariot cities, and near the king, in Jerusalem.

27 The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar wood as plentiful as sycamore-figs in the foothills.

And the king caused silver in Jerusalem to be as stones, —cedars also, caused he to be as the sycamores that are in the lowlands, for abundance.

28 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and Kue—the royal merchants purchased them in Kue.

And the horses that Solomon had were, an export, out of Egypt, —and, a company of the merchants of the king, used to fetch, a drove, at a price,

29 A chariot imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the Hittite kings, and to the Aramean kings.

And a chariot came up and forth 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, by their means, came they forth.