The Queen of Sheba Visits Jerusalem

(1 Kings 10:1-13)

1When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s reputation, she traveled to Jerusalem and tested hima with difficult questions. She brought along a large retinue, camels laden with spices, and lots of gold and precious stones. Upon her arrival, she spoke with Solomon about everything that was on her mind.b 2Solomon answered all of her questions. Because nothing was hidden from Solomon, he hid nothing from her. 3When the queen of Sheba had seen Solomon’s wisdom for herself, the palace that he had built, 4the food set at his table, his servants who waited on him, his ministers in attendance and how they were dressed, his personal staffc and how they were dressed, and even his personal stairway by which he went up to the LORD’s Temple, she was breathless!

5“Everything I heard about your wisdom and what you have to say is true!” she gasped, 6“but I didn’t believe it at first! But then I came here and I’ve seen it for myself! It’s amazing! I wasn’t told half of what’s really great about your wisdom. You’re far better in person than what the reports have said about you! 7How blessed are your staff! And how blessed are your employees,d who serve you continually and get to listen to your wisdom! 8Blessed be the LORD your God, who is delighted with you! He set you in place on his throne to be king for the LORD your God. He made you king over them so you could carry out justice and implement righteousness, because your God loves Israel and intends to establish theme forever.”

9Then she gave the king 120 talentsf of gold, a vast quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices comparable to those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 10Hiram’s servants and Solomon’s servants, who brought gold from Ophir,g also presented algum woodh and other precious stones. 11The king used the algum woodi to have steps made for the LORD’s Temple and for the royal palace, as well as lyres and harps for the choir,j and nothing like that woodk had been seen before in the territory of Judah. 12In return, King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and requested in addition to what she had brought for the king. Afterward, she returned to her own land, accompanied by her servants.

Solomon’s Wealth

(1 Kings 10:14-29; 2 Chronicles 1:14-17)

13Solomon received in any given year about 666 talentsl of gold, 14not including revenue from traders and merchants. In addition, all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the nation brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, overlaying each shield with the gold from 600 gold pieces,m 16and 300 shields from beaten gold, overlaying each shield with the gold from 300 gold pieces.n The king put them in his palace in the Lebanon forest. 17The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. 18Six steps led up to the throne. A golden footstool was attached to the throne, which had armrests on each side of the seat and two lions standing on either side of each armrest. 19Twelve lions were placed on both sides of the six steps leading to the throne,o and nothing comparable was made for any otherp kingdom. 20All of King Solomon’s drinking vessels were made ofq gold, and all the vessels in his palace in the Lebanon forest were made ofr pure gold. Silver was never considered to be valuable during the lifetime of Solomon, 21because the king had ships that sailed to Tarshish accompanied by Hiram’s servants. Once every three years ships from Tarshish returned, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22As a result, King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in regards to wealth and wisdom. 23All the kings of the earth continued to seek audiences with Solomon so they could hear the wise things that God had put in his heart. 24Everyone kept on bringing gifts on an annual basis, including items made of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules. 25Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, along with 12,000 cavalry soldiers. He stationed them in various chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26King Solomons ruled over all the kings from the Euphratest River westu to the land of the Philistines and as far south as the boundary with Egypt.

27The king made silver as common asv stones in Jerusalem, and made cedar trees as abundant as sycamore trees in the Shephelah.w 28They also kept bringing horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all of the surroundingx countries.

The Death of Solomon

(1 Kings 11:41-43)

29Now the rest of Solomon’s accomplishments, from first to last, are written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer pertaining to Nebat’s son Jeroboam, are they not? 30Solomon reigned for 40 years in Jerusalem over all of Israel. 31Then Solomon died, as hady his ancestors, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.