1 Kings 10

1 And the queen of Sheba is hearing of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Jehovah, and cometh to try him with enigmas,

When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame concerning the name of Yahweh, she came to test him with hard questions.

2 and she cometh to Jerusalem, with a very great company, camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stone, and she cometh unto Solomon, and speaketh unto him all that hath been with her heart.

She came to Jerusalem with a very long caravan, with camels loaded with spices, much gold, and many precious gemstones. When she arrived, she told Solomon all that was in her heart.

3 And Solomon declareth to her all her matters — there hath not been a thing hid from the king that he hath not declared to her.

Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing she asked that the king did not answer.

4 And the queen of Sheba seeth all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he built,

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

5 and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the standing of his ministers, and their clothing, and his butlers, and his burnt-offering that he causeth to ascend in the house of Jehovah, and there hath not been in her any more spirit.

the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the work of his servants and their clothing, also his cupbearers, and the manner in which he offered burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh, there was no more breath in her.

6 And she saith unto the king, 'True hath been the word that I heard in my land, concerning thy matters and thy wisdom;

She said to the king, “It is true, the report that I heard in my own land of your words and your wisdom.

7 and I gave no credence to the words till that I have come, and my eyes see, and lo, it was not declared to me — the half; thou hast added wisdom and goodness unto the report that I heard.

I did not believe what I heard until I came here, and now my eyes have seen it. Not half was told me about your wisdom and wealth! You have exceeded the fame that I heard about.

8 O the happiness of thy men, O the happiness of thy servants — these — who are standing before thee continually, who are hearing thy wisdom!

How blessed are your wives, and how blessed are your servants who constantly stand before you, because they hear your wisdom.

9 Jehovah thy God is blessed who delighted in thee, to put thee on the throne of Israel; in Jehovah's loving Israel to the age He doth set thee for king, to do judgment and righteousness.

May Yahweh your God be praised, who has taken pleasure in you, who placed you on the throne of Israel. Because Yahweh loved Israel forever, he has made you king, for you to do justice and righteousness!”

10 And she giveth to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices very many, and precious stone; there came not like that spice any more for abundance that the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

She gave the king 120 talents of gold and a large amount of spices and precious stones. No greater amount of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon was ever given to him again.

11 And also, the navy of Hiram that bore gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir almug-trees very many, and precious stone;

The fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a large amount of almug wood and precious stones.

12 and the king maketh the almug-trees a support for the house of Jehovah, and for the house of the king, and harps and psalteries for singers; there have not come such almug-trees, nor have there been seen [such] unto this day.

The king made almug wood pillars for the temple of Yahweh and for the king's palace, and harps and lyres for the singers. No such quantity of almug wood has ever come or been seen again to this day.

13 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire that she asked, apart from that which he gave to her as a memorial of king Solomon, and she turneth and goeth to her land, she and her servants.

King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba everything she wished for, whatever she asked, in addition to what Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she returned to her own land with her servants.

14 And the weight of the gold that hath come to Solomon in one year is six hundred sixty and six talents of gold,

Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,

15 apart from [that of] the tourists, and of the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the land.

besides the gold that the traders and merchants brought. All the kings of Arabia and the governors in the country also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

16 And king Solomon maketh two hundred targets of alloyed gold — six hundred of gold go up on the one target;

King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of gold went into each one.

17 and three hundred shields of alloyed gold — three pounds of gold go up on the one shield; and the king putteth them [in] the house of the forest of Lebanon.

He also made three hundred shields of beaten gold. Three minas of gold went into each shield; the king put them into the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

18 And the king maketh a great throne of ivory, and overlayeth it with refined gold;

Then the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold.

19 six steps hath the throne, and a round top [is] to the throne behind it, and hands [are] on this [side] and on that, unto the place of the sitting, and two lions are standing near the hands,

There were six steps to the throne, and the back of it had a rounded top. There were armrests on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.

20 and twelve lions are standing there on the six steps, on this [side] and on that; it hath not been made so for any kingdom.

Twelve lions stood on the steps, one on each side of each of the six steps. There was no throne like it in any other kingdom.

21 And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon [are] of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon [are] of refined gold — there are none of silver; it was not reckoned in the days of Solomon for anything,

All King Solomon's drinking cups were gold, and all the drinking cups in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were silver, because silver was not considered valuable in Solomon's days.

22 for a navy of Tarshish hath the king at sea with a navy of Hiram; once in three years cometh the navy of Tarshish, bearing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

The king had at sea a fleet of oceangoing ships, along with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet brought gold, silver, and ivory, as well as apes and baboons.

23 And king Solomon is greater than any of the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom,

So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom.

24 and all the earth is seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom that God hath put into his heart,

All the earth sought the presence of Solomon in order to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

25 and they are bringing each his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, the matter of a year in a year.

Those who visited brought tribute, vessels of silver and of gold, and clothes, armor, and spices, as well as horses and mules, year after year.

26 And Solomon gathereth chariots, and horsemen, and he hath a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, and he placeth them in the cities of the chariot, and with the king in Jerusalem.

Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen that he stationed in the chariot cities and with himself in Jerusalem.

27 And the king maketh the silver in Jerusalem as stones, and the cedars he hath made as the sycamores that [are] in the low country, for abundance.

The king had silver in Jerusalem, as much as the stones on the ground. He made cedar wood to be as abundant as the sycamore fig trees that are in the lowlands.

28 And the outgoing of the horses that king Solomon hath [is] from Egypt, and from Keveh; merchants of the king take from Keveh at a price;

The horses that belonged to Solomon were imported from Egypt, and Kue and the king's merchants purchased them from Kue.

29 and a chariot cometh up and cometh out of Egypt for six hundred silverlings, and a horse for fifty and a hundred, and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Aram; by their hand they bring out.

Chariots were purchased out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver each, and horses for 150 shekels each. Many of these were then sold to all the kings of the Hittites and Aram.