The Queen of Sheba

10 ^(A)Now when ^(B)the queen of ^(C)Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came ^(D)to test him with hard questions. ² She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels ^(E)bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. ³ And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. ⁴ And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, ⁵ the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.

⁶ And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, ⁷ but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard. ^8 (F)Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! ^9 (G)Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! ^(H)Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, ^(I)that you may execute justice and righteousness.” ^10 (J)Then she gave the king 120 talents^[a] of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹¹ Moreover, ^(K)the fleet of Hiram, which brought ^(L)gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones. ¹² And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, also lyres and harps for the singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.

¹³ And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.

Solomon's Great Wealth

^14 (M)Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, ¹⁵ besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land. ¹⁶ King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels^[b] of gold went into each shield. ¹⁷ And he made 300 ^(N)shields of beaten gold; three minas^[c] of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in ^(O)the House of the Forest of Lebanon. ¹⁸ The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. ¹⁹ The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top,^[d] and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, ²⁰ while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in any kingdom. ²¹ All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of ^(P)the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. ²² For the king had ^(Q)a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.^[e]

^23 (R)Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. ²⁴ And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. ²⁵ Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh,^[f] spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

^26 (S)And Solomon gathered together ^(T)chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the ^(U)chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ²⁷ And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as ^(V)the sycamore of the Shephelah. ²⁸ And Solomon's ^(W)import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king's traders received them from Kue at a price. ²⁹ A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver and a horse for 150, and so through the king's traders they were exported to all the kings of ^(X)the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

Greeting

1 Paul and Timothy, servants^[a] of Christ Jesus,

To all the ^(A)saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the ^(B)overseers^[b] and ^(C)deacons:^[c]

^2 (D)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

^3 (E)I thank my God ^(F)in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ^5 (G)because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began ^(H)a good work in you ^(I)will bring it to completion at ^(J)the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you ^(K)in my heart, for you are all ^(L)partakers with me of grace,^[d] both ^(M)in my imprisonment and in ^(N)the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸ For ^(O)God is my witness, ^(P)how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And it is my prayer that ^(Q)your love may abound more and more, ^(R)with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, ^(S)and so be pure and blameless ^(T)for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled ^(U)with the fruit of righteousness that comes ^(V)through Jesus Christ, ^(W)to the glory and praise of God.

The Advance of the Gospel

¹² I want you to know, brothers,^[e] that what has happened to me has really ^(X)served to advance the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard^[f] and ^(Y)to all the rest that ^(Z)my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴ And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold ^(AA)to speak the word^[g] without fear.

^15 (AB)Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, ^(AC)knowing that I am put here for ^(AD)the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former proclaim Christ ^(AE)out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

To Live Is Christ

Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that ^(AF)through your prayers and ^(AG)the help of ^(AH)the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope ^(AI)that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full ^(AJ)courage now as always Christ ^(AK)will be honored in my body, ^(AL)whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me ^(AM)to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ^23 (AN)I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is ^(AO)to depart and ^(AP)be with Christ, for that is far better. ²⁴ But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. ^25 (AQ)Convinced of this, ^(AR)I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your ^(AS)progress and ^(AT)joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that in me ^(AU)you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

²⁷ Only ^(AV)let your manner of life be ^(AW)worthy^[h] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you ^(AX)that you are standing firm in one spirit, with ^(AY)one mind ^(AZ)striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is ^(BA)a clear sign to them of their destruction, but ^(BB)of your salvation, and that from God. ²⁹ For ^(BC)it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also ^(BD)suffer for his sake, ³⁰ engaged in the same ^(BE)conflict that ^(BF)you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Vision of the New Temple

40 ^(A)In the twenty-fifth year ^(B)of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, ^(C)in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, ^(D)the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city.^{[a] 2} In ^(E)visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on ^(F)a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. ³ When he brought me there, behold, there was ^(G)a man whose appearance was ^(H)like bronze, with ^(I)a linen cord and ^(J)a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. ⁴ And the man said to me, ^(K)“Son of man, ^(L)look with your eyes, and ^(M)hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. ^(N)Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

The East Gate to the Outer Court

⁵ And behold, there was ^(O)a wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed in the man's hand was six long cubits, ^(P)each being a cubit and a handbreadth^[b] in length. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed. ⁶ Then he went into ^(Q)the gateway facing east, ^(R)going up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep.^{[c] 7} And ^(S)the side rooms, one reed long and one reed broad; and the space between the side rooms, five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate at the inner end, one reed. ⁸ Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, on the inside, one reed. ⁹ Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; ^(T)and its jambs, two cubits; and the vestibule of the gate was at the inner end. ¹⁰ And there were three side rooms on either side of the east gate. ^(U)The three were of the same size, and the jambs on either side were of the same size. ¹¹ Then he measured the width of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gateway, thirteen cubits. ¹² There was a barrier before the side rooms, one cubit on either side. And the side rooms were six cubits on either side. ¹³ Then he measured the gate from the ceiling of the one side room to the ceiling of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; the openings faced each other. ¹⁴ He measured also ^(V)the vestibule, sixty cubits. And around the vestibule of the gateway was the court.^{[d] 15} From the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the inner vestibule of the gate was fifty cubits. ¹⁶ And the gateway had ^(W)windows all around, narrowing inwards toward the side rooms and toward their ^(X)jambs, and likewise the vestibule had windows all around inside, and on the jambs were ^(Y)palm trees.

The Outer Court

¹⁷ Then he brought me into ^(Z)the outer court. And behold, there were ^(AA)chambers and a ^(AB)pavement, all around the court. ^(AC)Thirty chambers faced the pavement. ¹⁸ And the pavement ran along the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates. This was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the distance from the inner front of the lower gate to the outer front of the inner court,^[e] a hundred cubits on the east side and on the north side.^[f]

The North Gate

²⁰ As for ^(AD)the gate that faced toward the north, belonging to ^(AE)the outer court, he measured its length and its breadth. ²¹ Its ^(AF)side rooms, three on either side, and its jambs and its vestibule were of the same size as those of ^(AG)the first gate. Its length was ^(AH)fifty cubits, and its breadth ^(AI)twenty-five cubits. ²² And ^(AJ)its windows, its vestibule, and ^(AK)its palm trees were of the same size as those of the gate that faced toward the east. And by seven steps ^(AL)people would go up to it, and find its vestibule before them. ²³ And opposite the gate on the north, as on the east, was a gate to ^(AM)the inner court. And ^(AN)he measured from gate to gate, a hundred cubits.

The South Gate

²⁴ And he led me toward the south, and behold, there was a gate on the south. And ^(AO)he measured its jambs and its vestibule; they had the same size as the others. ²⁵ Both it and its vestibule ^(AP)had windows all around, like the windows of the others. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. ²⁶ And there were seven steps leading up to it, and its vestibule was before them, and it had ^(AQ)palm trees on its jambs, one on either side. ²⁷ And there was a gate on the south of ^(AR)the inner court. And he measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits.

The Inner Court

²⁸ Then he brought me to ^(AS)the inner court through the south gate, and ^(AT)he measured the south gate. It was of the same size as the others. ²⁹ Its ^(AU)side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule ^(AV)had windows all around. ^(AW)Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. ³⁰ And there were vestibules all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits broad. ³¹ Its vestibule faced the outer court, and ^(AX)palm trees were on its jambs, and ^(AY)its stairway had eight steps.

³² Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and ^(AZ)he measured the gate. It was of the same size as the others. ³³ Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others, and both it and its vestibule had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. ^34 (BA)Its vestibule faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.

³⁵ Then he brought me to ^(BB)the north gate, and ^(BC)he measured it. It had the same size as the others. ³⁶ Its side rooms, its jambs, and its vestibule were of the same size as the others,^[g] and it had windows all around. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty-five cubits. ³⁷ Its vestibule^[h] faced the outer court, and it had palm trees on its jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.

³⁸ There was ^(BD)a chamber with its door in the vestibule of the gate,^{[i] (BE)}where the burnt offering was to be washed. ³⁹ And in the vestibule of the gate were two ^(BF)tables on either side, on which the ^(BG)burnt offering and the ^(BH)sin offering and the ^(BI)guilt offering were to be slaughtered. ⁴⁰ And off to the side, on the outside as one goes up to the entrance of the north gate, were two tables; and off to the other side of the vestibule of the gate were two tables. ^41 (BJ)Four tables were on either side of the gate, eight tables, ^(BK)on which to slaughter. ⁴² And there were four tables ^(BL)of hewn stone for the burnt offering, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high, on which the instruments were to be laid with which the ^(BM)burnt offerings and the sacrifices were slaughtered. ⁴³ And hooks,^[j] a handbreadth long, were fastened all around within. And on the tables the flesh of the offering was to be laid.

Chambers for the Priests

⁴⁴ On the outside of the inner gateway there were two ^(BN)chambers^[k] in the ^(BO)inner court, one^[l] at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south^[m] gate facing north. ⁴⁵ And he said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests ^(BP)who have charge of the temple, ⁴⁶ and the chamber that faces north is for the priests ^(BQ)who have charge of the altar. These are ^(BR)the sons of Zadok, who alone^[n] among the sons of Levi may come ^(BS)near to the Lord to minister to him.” ⁴⁷ And he measured the court, ^(BT)a hundred cubits long and ^(BU)a hundred cubits broad, a square. And ^(BV)the altar was in front of the temple.

The Vestibule of the Temple

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to ^(BW)the vestibule of the temple and measured the ^(BX)jambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side. And the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate^[o] were three cubits on either side. ^49 (BY)The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the breadth twelve^[p] cubits, and people would go up to it by ten steps.^[q] And there were pillars beside the jambs, one on either side.

My Refuge and My Fortress