| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult questions. | 1When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, which brought honor to the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. |
| 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. | 2She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. |
| 3Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. | 3Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. |
| 4When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon's extensive wisdom, the palace he had built, | 4When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, |
| 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. | 5she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD. |
| 6She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight was true! | 6She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true! |
| 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. | 7I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom and prosperity are far beyond what I was told. |
| 8Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! | 8How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! |
| 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." | 9Praise the LORD your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.” |
| 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. | 10Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. |
| 11(Hiram's fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems. | 11(In addition, Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought rich cargoes of red sandalwood and precious jewels. |
| 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.) | 12The king used the sandalwood to make railings for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before or since has there been such a supply of sandalwood.) |
| 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. | 13King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for, besides all the customary gifts he had so generously given. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land. Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor |
| 14Solomon received 666 talents of gold per year, | 14Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold. |
| 15besides what he collected from the merchants, traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land. | 15This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land. |
| 16King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures of gold were used for each shield. | 16King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than fifteen pounds. |
| 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. | 17He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing nearly four pounds. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. |
| 18The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. | 18Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. |
| 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. | 19The throne had six steps and a rounded back. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. |
| 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. | 20There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it! |
| 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. | 21All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day! |
| 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. | 22The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish that sailed with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. |
| 23King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. | 23So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. |
| 24Everyone in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. | 24People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. |
| 25Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. | 25Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. |
| 26Solomon accumulated chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. | 26Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities and some near him in Jerusalem. |
| 27The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. | 27The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah. |
| 28Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt and from Que; the king's traders purchased them from Que. | 28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Cilicia ; the king’s traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price. |
| 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. | 29At that time chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver, and horses for 150 pieces of silver. They were then exported to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram. |
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