1Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. (1Ki 10:1; Mt 12:42; Lu 11:31)2And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her.3And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, (2Ch 9:1)4the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.5And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom,6but I did not believe the[1] reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard.7Happy are your wives![2] Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!8Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” (1Ch 29:23; 2Ch 2:11)9Then she gave the king 120 talents[3] of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.10Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. (2Ch 8:18)11And the king made from the algum wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah. (1Ki 10:12)12And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants. (1Ki 10:13)
Solomon’s Wealth
13Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, (1Ki 10:14)14besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon. (Ps 68:29; Ps 72:10)15King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels[4] of beaten gold went into each shield.16And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; 300 shekels of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. (1Ki 10:17)17The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold.18The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests,19while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom.20All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.21For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[5] (2Ch 20:36)22Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. (1Ki 3:13)23And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.24Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh,[6] spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.25And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. (1Ki 4:26; 1Ki 10:26; 2Ch 1:14)26And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates[7] to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. (Ge 15:18; Ex 23:31; 1Ki 4:21; Ps 72:8)27And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. (2Ch 1:15)28And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands. (2Ch 1:16)
Solomon’s Death
29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? (1Sa 9:9; 2Sa 12:1; 2Sa 24:11; 1Ki 11:29; 1Ki 11:41; 1Ch 29:29; 2Ch 12:15; 2Ch 13:22)30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.31And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place. (1Ki 2:10)
1When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan – with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones – she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind.2Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.3When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built,4the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at[1] the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.5She said to the king, ‘The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.6But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard.7How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!8Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them for ever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.’9Then she gave the king 120 talents[2] of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.10(The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algum-wood[3] and precious stones.11The king used the algum-wood to make steps for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
Solomon’s splendour
13The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,[4]14not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[5] of hammered gold went into each shield.16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels[6] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.17Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with pure gold.18The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them.19Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.20All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day.21The king had a fleet of trading ships[7] manned by Hiram’s[8] servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.22King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.23All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.24Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift – articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.25Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses,[9] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.26He ruled over all the kings from the River Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.
Solomon’s death
29As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, 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?30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.31Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.
2 Chronicles 9
King James Version
1And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.2And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.3And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,4And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.5And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom:6Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it : and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.7Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.8Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.9And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon.10And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.11And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king' palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.12And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.13Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;14Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.15And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.16And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.17Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.18And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:19And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.20And 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 were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon.21For the king' ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.22And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.23And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.24And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.25And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.26And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.27And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.28And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?30And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.31And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
1The queen of Sheba heard about how famous Solomon was. So she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a very large group of attendants. Her camels were carrying spices, huge amounts of gold, and valuable jewels. She came to Solomon and asked him about everything she wanted to know.2He answered all her questions. There wasn’t anything too hard for him to explain to her.3So the queen of Sheba saw how wise Solomon was. She saw the palace he had built.4She saw the food on his table. She saw his officials sitting there. She saw the robes of the servants who waited on everyone. She saw the robes the wine tasters were wearing. And she saw the burnt offerings Solomon sacrificed at the LORD’s temple. She could hardly believe everything she had seen.5She said to the king, ‘Back in my own country I heard a report about you. I heard about how much you had accomplished. I also heard about how wise you are. Everything I heard is true.6But I didn’t believe what people were saying. So I came to see for myself. And now I believe it! You are twice as wise as people say you are. The report I heard doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story about you.7How happy your people must be! How happy your officials must be! They always get to serve you and hear the wise things you say.8May the LORD your God be praised. He takes great delight in you. He placed you on his throne as king. He put you there to rule for him. Your God loves Israel very much. He longs to take good care of them for ever. That’s why he has made you king over them. He knows that you will do what is fair and right.’9She gave the king 4.5 tonnes of gold. She also gave him huge amounts of spices and valuable jewels. There had never been as many spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.10The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir. They also brought algumwood and valuable jewels.11The king used the algumwood to make steps for the LORD’s temple and the royal palace. He also used it to make harps and lyres for those who played the music. No one had ever seen anything like those instruments in Judah before.12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for. In fact, he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left. She returned to her own country with her attendants.
Solomon’s greatness
13Each year Solomon received 24 tonnes of gold.14That didn’t include the money brought in by business and trade. All the kings of Arabia also brought gold and silver to Solomon. So did the governors of the territories.15King Solomon made 200 large shields out of hammered gold. Each one weighed 7 kilograms.16He also made 300 small shields out of hammered gold. Each one weighed almost 4 kilograms. The king put all the shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.17Then he made a large throne. It was covered with ivory. And that was covered with pure gold.18The throne had six steps. A gold stool for the king’s feet was connected to it. The throne had armrests on both sides of the seat. A statue of a lion stood on each side of the throne.19Twelve lions stood on the six steps. There was one at each end of each step. Nothing like that throne had ever been made for any other kingdom.20All of King Solomon’s cups were made out of gold. All the things used in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were made out of pure gold. Nothing was made out of silver. When Solomon was king, silver wasn’t considered to be worth very much.21He had many ships that carried goods to be traded. The crews of those ships were made up of Hiram’s servants. Once every three years the ships returned. They brought gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks.22King Solomon was richer than all the other kings on earth. He was also wiser than they were.23All these kings wanted to meet Solomon in person. They wanted to see for themselves how wise God had made him.24Year after year, everyone who came to him brought a gift. They brought gifts made out of silver and gold. They brought robes, weapons and spices. They also brought horses and mules.25Solomon had 4,000 spaces where he kept his horses and chariots. He had 12,000 horses. He kept some of his horses and chariots in the chariot cities. He kept the others with him in Jerusalem.26Solomon ruled over all the kings from the River Euphrates to the land of the Philistines. He ruled all the way to the border of Egypt.27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones. He made cedar wood as common there as sycamore-fig trees in the western hills.28Solomon got horses from Egypt. He also got them from many other countries.
Solomon dies
29The other events of Solomon’s rule from beginning to end are written down. They are written in the records of Nathan the prophet. They are written in the prophecy of Ahijah. He was from Shiloh. They are also written in the records of the visions of Iddo the prophet about Jeroboam. Jeroboam was the son of Nebat.30Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over the whole nation of Israel for 40 years.31Then he joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in the city of his father David. Solomon’s son Rehoboam became the next king after him.