| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's reputation, she traveled to Jerusalem and tested him 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. | 1When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult questions. She 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. |
| 2Solomon answered all of her questions. Because nothing was hidden from Solomon, he hid nothing from her. | 2Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. |
| 3When the queen of Sheba had seen Solomon's wisdom for herself, the palace that he had built, | 3When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon's extensive wisdom, the palace 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 staff and how they were dressed, and even his personal stairway by which he went up to the LORD's Temple, she was breathless! | 4the food in his banquet hall, his servants and attendants in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the LORD's temple, she was amazed. |
| 5"Everything I heard about your wisdom and what you have to say is true!" she gasped, | 5She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight was true! |
| 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! | 6I 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 surpasses what was reported to me. |
| 7How blessed are your staff! And how blessed are your employees, who serve you continually and get to listen to your wisdom! | 7Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! |
| 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 them forever." | 8May the LORD your God be praised because he favored you by placing you on his throne as the one ruling on his behalf! Because of your God's love for Israel and his lasting commitment to them, he made you king over them so you could make just and right decisions." |
| 9Then she gave the king 120 talents 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. | 9She gave the king 120 talents of gold and a very large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. |
| 10Hiram's servants and Solomon's servants, who brought gold from Ophir, also presented algum wood and other precious stones. | 10(Huram's servants, aided by Solomon's servants, brought gold from Ophir, as well as fine timber and precious gems. |
| 11The king used the algum wood to have steps 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 had been seen before in the territory of Judah. | 11With the timber the king made steps for the LORD's temple and royal palace as well as stringed instruments for the musicians. No one had seen anything like them in the land of Judah prior to that.) |
| 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. | 12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, more than what she had brought him. Then she left and returned to her homeland with her attendants. |
| 13Solomon received in any given year about 666 talents of gold, | 13Solomon received 666 talents of gold per year, |
| 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. | 14besides what he collected from the merchants and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also 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, | 15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures of hammered gold were used for each shield. |
| 16and 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. | 16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures of gold were used for each of those shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest. |
| 17The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. | 17The king made a large throne decorated with ivory 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. | 18There were six steps leading up to the throne, and a gold footstool was attached to the throne. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side. |
| 19Twelve lions were placed on both sides of the six steps leading to the throne, and nothing comparable was made for any other kingdom. | 19There 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. |
| 20All 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. Silver was never considered to be valuable during the lifetime of Solomon, | 20All 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. |
| 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. | 21The king had a fleet of large merchant ships manned by Huram's men that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet came into port with cargoes of 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. | 22King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. |
| 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. | 23All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. |
| 24Everyone kept on bringing gifts on an annual basis, including items made of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules. | 24Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, 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. | 25Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. |
| 26King Solomon ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River west to the land of the Philistines and as far south as the boundary with Egypt. | 26He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt. |
| 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. |
| 28They also kept bringing horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all of the surrounding countries. | 28Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands. |
| 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? | 29The rest of the events of Solomon's reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Vision of Iddo the Seer pertaining to Jeroboam son of Nebat. |
| 30Solomon reigned for 40 years in Jerusalem over all of Israel. | 30Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem for forty years. |
| 31Then Solomon died, as had his ancestors, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place. | 31Then Solomon passed away and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king. |
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