| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. | 1When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the LORD, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. |
| 2She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. | 2Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan--with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones--she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. |
| 3So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. | 3Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. |
| 4And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, | 4When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, |
| 5the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. | 5the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed. |
| 6Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. | 6She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. |
| 7However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. | 7But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. |
| 8Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! | 8How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! |
| 9Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” | 9Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness." |
| 10Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. | 10And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. |
| 11Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of almug wood and precious stones from Ophir. | 11(Hiram's ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones. |
| 12And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day. | 12The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the LORD and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.) |
| 13Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants. | 13King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country. |
| 14The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, | 14The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, |
| 15besides that from the traveling merchants, from the income of traders, from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country. | 15not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories. |
| 16And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. | 16King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. |
| 17He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. | 17He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. |
| 18Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. | 18Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. |
| 19The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. | 19The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. |
| 20Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom. | 20Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. |
| 21All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. | 21All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's days. |
| 22For the king had merchant ships at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. | 22The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons. |
| 23So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. | 23King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. |
| 24Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. | 24The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. |
| 25Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year. | 25Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift--articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. |
| 26And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. | 26Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. |
| 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland. | 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. |
| 28Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price. | 28Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue --the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. |
| 29Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; and thus, through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria. | 29They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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