| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's reputation with the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. | 1When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult questions. |
| 2She 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. | 2She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp, bringing with her camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. |
| 3Solomon answered all of her questions. Nothing was hidden from Solomon that he did not explain to her. | 3Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. |
| 4When the queen of Sheba had seen all of Solomon's wisdom for herself, the palace that he had built, | 4When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon's extensive wisdom, the palace he had built, |
| 5the food set at his table, his servants who sat with him, his ministers in attendance and how they were dressed, his personal staff and how they were dressed, and even his personal stairway by which he went up to the LORD's Temple, she was breathless! | 5the food in his banquet hall, his servants and attendants, their robes, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he presented in the LORD's temple, she was amazed. |
| 6"Everything I heard about your wisdom and what you have to say is true!" she gasped, | 6She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight was true! |
| 7"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! | 7I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn't hear even half the story! Your wisdom and wealth surpass what was reported to me. |
| 8How blessed are your staff! And how blessed are your employees, who serve you continuously and get to listen to your wisdom! | 8Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! |
| 9And blessed be the LORD your God, who is delighted with you! He set you in place on the throne of Israel because the LORD loved Israel forever. That's why he made you to be king, so you could carry out justice and implement righteousness." | 9May the LORD your God be praised because he favored you by placing you on the throne of Israel! Because of the LORD's eternal love for Israel, he made you king so you could make just and right decisions." |
| 10Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a vast quantity of spices, and precious stones. No spices ever came again that were comparable to those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. | 10She gave the king 120 talents of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. |
| 11Hiram's ships that brought gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir lots of algum wood and precious stones. | 11(Hiram's fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems. |
| 12The king used the algum wood to have supports made for the LORD's Temple and for the royal palace, as well as lyres and harps for the choir, and nothing like that wood has ever come again or even been seen since right to this day. | 12With the timber the king made supports for the LORD's temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day.) |
| 13In return, King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and had requested in addition to what he had given her consistent with his generosity. Afterward, she returned to her own land with her servants. | 13King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her. Then she left and returned to her homeland with her attendants. |
| 14Solomon's annual revenue was 666 talents of gold, | 14Solomon received 666 talents of gold per year, |
| 15not including revenue from traders, merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land. | 15besides what he collected from the merchants, traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land. |
| 16King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, overlaying each large shield with the gold from 600 gold pieces, | 16King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures of gold were used for each shield. |
| 17and 300 shields from beaten gold, overlaying each shield with the gold from 300 gold pieces. The king put them in his palace in the Lebanon forest. | 17He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold were used for each of these shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest. |
| 18The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. | 18The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. |
| 19Six steps led up to the throne, which had a round canopy fastened to the rear of the throne and armrests on each side of the seat and two lions standing on either side of each armrest. | 19There were six steps leading up to the throne, and the back of it was rounded on top. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side. |
| 20Twelve lions were placed on both sides of the six steps leading to the throne, and nothing comparable was made for any other kingdoms. | 20There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. |
| 21All of King Solomon's drinking vessels were made of gold, and all the vessels in his palace in the Lebanon forest were made of pure gold. None were of silver, because silver was never considered to be valuable during Solomon's lifetime, | 21All of King Solomon's cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon's time. |
| 22because the king had ships that sailed to Tarshish accompanied by Hiram's ships. Once every three years ships from Tarshish returned, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. | 22Along with Hiram's fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet came into port with cargoes of gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. |
| 23As a result, King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in regards to wealth and wisdom. | 23King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. |
| 24All the earth continued to seek audiences with Solomon so they could hear the wise things that God had put in his heart. | 24Everyone in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. |
| 25Everyone kept on bringing gifts on an annual basis, including items made of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules. | 25Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. |
| 26Solomon accumulated chariots and cavalry. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 cavalry soldiers. He stationed them in various chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. | 26Solomon accumulated chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. |
| 27The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and made cedar trees as abundant as sycamore trees in the Shephelah. | 27The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. |
| 28Solomon imported horses from Egypt and Kue, and the king's buyers procured them at market price from Kue. | 28Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt and from Que; the king's traders purchased them from Que. |
| 29A chariot from Egypt cost 600 pieces of silver, and a horse 150 pieces of silver, but then they were exported to all the Hittite kings and to the Aramean kings. | 29They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt and 150 silver pieces for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria. |
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