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And when the queen of Saba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to try him with hard questions at Jerusalem, with great riches, and camels, which carried spices, and abundance of gold, and precious stones. And when she was come to Solomon, she proposed to him all that was in her heart.

And Solomon explained to her all that she proposed: and there was not any thing that he did not make clear unto her.

And when she had seen these things, to wit, the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had built,

And the meats of his table, and the dwelling places of his servants, and the attendance of his officers, and their apparel, his cupbearers also, and their garments, and the victims which he offered in the house of the Lord: there was no more spirit in her, she was so astonished.

And she said to the king: The word is true which I heard in my country of thy virtues and wisdom.

I did not believe them that told it, until I came, and my eyes had seen, and I had proved that scarce one half of thy wisdom had been told me: thou hast exceeded the same with thy virtues.

Happy are thy men, and happy are thy servants, who stand always before thee, and hear thy wisdom.

Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath been pleased to set thee on his throne, king of the Lord thy God. Because God loveth Israel, and will preserve them for ever: therefore hath he made thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.

And she gave to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and most precious stones: there were no such spices as these which the queen of Saba gave to king Solomon.

10 And the servants also of Hiram, with the servants of Solomon, brought gold from Ophir, and thyine trees, and most precious stones:

11 And the king made of the thyine trees stairs in the house of the Lord, and in the king's house, and harps and psalteries for the singing men: never were there seen such trees in the land of Juda.

12 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Saba all that she desired, and that she asked, and many more things than she brought to him: so she returned, and went to her own country with her servants.

13 And the weight of the gold, that was brought to Solomon every year, was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold:

14 Beside the sum which the deputies of divers nations, and the merchants were accustomed to bring, and all the kings of Arabia, and the lords of the lands, who I brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15 And king Solomon made two hundred golden spears, of the sum of six hundred pieces of gold, which went to every spear:

16 And three hundred golden shields of three hundred pieces of gold, which went to the covering of every shield: and the king put them in the armoury, which was compassed with a wood.

17 The king also made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.

18 And six steps to go up to the throne, and a footstool of gold, and two arms one on either side, and two lions standing by the arms:

19 Moreover twelve other little lions standing upon the steps on both sides: there was not such a throne in any kingdom.

20 And all the vessels of the king's table were of gold, and the vessels of the house of the forest of Libanus were of the purest gold. For no account was made of silver in those days.

21 For the king's ships went to Tharsis with the servants of Hiram, once in three years: and they brought thence gold and silver, and ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

22 And Solomon was magnified above all the kings of the earth for riches and glory.

23 And all the kings of the earth desired to see the face of Solomon, that they might hear the wisdom which God had given in his heart.

24 And every year they brought him presents, vessels of silver and of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, and horses, and mules.

25 And Solomon had forty thousand horses in the stables, and twelve thousand chariots, and horsemen, and he placed them in the cities of the chariots, and where the king was in Jerusalem.

26 And he exercised authority over all the kings from the river Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, and to the borders of Egypt.

27 And he made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones: and cedars as common as the sycamores, which grow in the plains.

28 And horses were brought to him out of Egypt, and out of all countries.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon first and last are written in the words of Nathan the prophet, and in the books of Ahias the Silonite, and in the vision of Addo the seer, against Jeroboam the son of Nabat.

30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

31 And he slept with his fathers: and they buried him in the city of David: and Roboam his son reigned in his stead.

示巴女王来访所罗门(A)

示巴女王听见所罗门的名声,就来到耶路撒冷,要用难题试试所罗门。跟随她的人很多,又有骆驼驮着香料、大批黄金和宝石。她来到所罗门那里,就把她心里所有的难题,都对所罗门说出来。 所罗门把她的一切难题,都给她解答了;没有一样难倒所罗门,不能给她解答的。 示巴女王看见所罗门的智慧和他建造的宫殿, 他席上的食物,群臣的座位,仆人的侍候和他们的服饰,酒政和酒政的服饰,以及所罗门在耶和华殿里所献的燔祭,就十分惊讶。 于是她对王说:“我在本国听见关于你的事和你的智慧,实在是真的。 我先前不信他们的话,等到我来了,亲眼看见了,才知道你智慧的伟大,人告诉我的还不到一半。你实在是见面胜似闻名。 属你的人是有福的,你的臣仆是有福的,因为他们可以常常侍立在你面前,聆听你的智慧。 耶和华你的 神是应当称颂的,因他喜悦你,使你坐在他的王位上,为耶和华你的 神作王;因为你的 神爱以色列人,要永远坚立他们,所以立你作他们的王,好秉公行义。”

示巴女王赠送的礼物(B)

于是示巴女王把约四千公斤金子、大批香料和宝石送给所罗门王;示巴女王送给所罗门王的香料,是犹大地从来没有过的。 10 希兰的仆人和所罗门的仆人从俄斐把黄金运来,也把檀香木和宝石运了来。 11 王用檀香木为耶和华的殿和王宫作了台阶,又为唱歌的人作了琴瑟;像这样的东西,是在犹大地从来没有见过的。

所罗门的回礼(C)

12 所罗门王按着示巴女王带来给他的,回送她礼物;此外,还把女王所愿所求的,都送给她,于是女王和她的臣仆都返回本国去了。

所罗门的财富与智慧(D)

13 所罗门每年所得的金子,共重两万三千公斤, 14 另外,还有从商人和行商运来的,阿拉伯诸王和本国的各总督,都把金银运来给所罗门。 15 所罗门王用锤炼好的金子做了二百面大盾牌,每一面大盾牌用锤炼好的金子七公斤。 16 又用锤炼好的金子做了三百面小盾牌,每一面小盾牌用锤炼好的金子约三公斤;王把这些盾牌都放在黎巴嫩林宫。

17 王用象牙做了一个大宝座,包上纯金。 18 宝座有六级台阶,又用金脚凳和宝座相连,座位两边都有扶手,扶手旁边各有一只狮子站立。 19 六级台阶上共有十二只狮子站立;每级两只,一左一右;在列国中都没有这样做的。 20 所罗门王的一切杯爵都是金的;黎巴嫩林宫里的一切器皿都是精金做的;在所罗门的时代,银子算不得甚么。 21 因为王的船只和希兰的仆人一同到他施去;往他施的船只每三年回来一次,载着金银、象牙、猿猴和孔雀回来。

22 所罗门王的财富和智慧,胜过世上的列王。 23 世上的列王都求见所罗门的面,要听 神赐给他的智慧。 24 他们各人带来的礼物有:银器、金器、衣服、兵器、香料、骡马;每年都有一定的数量。

25 所罗门有四千马廊的车马,还有马兵一万二千,他把这些人马安置在囤车城和耶路撒冷,就是与王在一起。 26 所罗门统治列王,从幼发拉底河到非利士地,直到埃及的边界。 27 王在耶路撒冷使银子好象石头,使香柏木好象平原的桑树那么多。 28 人们从埃及和各地把马匹运到所罗门那里。

所罗门逝世(E)

29 所罗门其余的事迹,一生的始末,不是都记在拿单先知的记录上,示罗人亚希雅的预言上,以及先见易多论到尼八的儿子耶罗波安的启示录上吗? 30 所罗门在耶路撒冷作王统治全以色列共四十年。 31 所罗门和他的列祖同睡,埋葬在他父亲大卫的城里;他的儿子罗波安接续他作王。