1And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to test Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him of all that was in her heart.
2And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from Solomon which he did not tell her.
3And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
4The food of his table, and the seating order 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 temple 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 my own land of your acts, and of your wisdom;
6But I did not believe their words, until I came, and have seen it with my own eyes. And, behold, the one half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; for you exceed the fame that I heard.
7Blessed and happy are your people, and these your servants, who stand continually before you, and hear your wisdom.
8Blessed be the LORD your God, Who delighted in you to set you on His throne, to be king for the LORD your God; because your God loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.
9And she gave the king a hundred twenty talents (almost eight thousand pounds) of gold, and a great abundance of spices, and precious stones; neither was there any such spice anywhere like the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
10And the servants also of Huram, and those of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones.
11And the king made of the algum trees stairways to the temple of the LORD, and to the king's 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 whatever she desired and asked for, in return for what she had brought to the king. So she returned to her own land, with her servants.
13Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents (about 22 tons) of gold,
14Beside what the traders 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 bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels (about 15 pounds) of beaten gold went to one buckler.
16And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels (about 7½ pounds) 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 arms on each side of the seat, with two lions standing by the arms.
19And twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps. There was nothing like it 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, which was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon.
21For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
22And King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
24And every man brought his present, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, raiment, armor, spices, horses, and mules, a certain amount year by year.
25And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities, and with him 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 as abundant as the sycamore trees that are in the Shephelah (low plains).
28And they brought horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands, to Solomon.
29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from the first to the 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, concerning 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. Easy Reader Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2023 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |
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