1 Kings 10
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
10 The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame, which was connected with the fame of the Lord, so she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great entourage[a]—with camels carrying spices and a large quantity of gold and precious stones. She came to Solomon and told him everything that was on her heart.
3 Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.
4 The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he built, 5 and the food on his table. When she saw the council meeting of his officials, the careful attention of his ministers,[b] as well as their attire, his cupbearers, and the whole burnt offerings which he offered at the House of the Lord,[c] it took her breath away.
6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your accomplishments[d] and your wisdom is true. 7 I did not believe the report until I came and saw it with my own eyes. The truth is, not even half of it was told to me! Your wisdom and wealth surpass the report which I heard. 8 Blessed are your men, blessed are your servants, who stand before you continually hearing your wisdom! 9 May the Lord your God be blessed, who was pleased to put you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loves Israel forever, he made you king to administer justice and righteousness.”
10 Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents[e] of gold and a great quantity of spices and many precious stones. There was never again anything comparable to the huge amount of spices and incense which the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 In addition, Hiram’s fleet brought gold from Ophir and a great quantity of almug[f] wood and also precious stones. 12 The king made the almug wood into steps[g] for the Lord’s house and for the house of the king, as well as lyres and harps for his singers. So much fine almug wood has never been brought or seen to this present day.
13 King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked for, besides what he had given to her from his royal resources. Then she and her servants returned to her country.
Solomon’s Wealth and Glory
14 The weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents,[h] 15 not counting what he collected from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold. He put seven and a half pounds[i] of gold into each large shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold. He put almost four pounds[j] of gold into each small shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 The king made a large ivory throne and overlaid it with fine gold.[k] 19 There were six steps to the throne. The throne had a rounded back and armrests on either side of the seat. Two lions were standing beside the armrests. 20 Twelve lions were standing on the steps, one on each end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any kingdom.
21 All of Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all of the utensils in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.[l] No silver was used, because it was considered of little value in Solomon’s days, 22 because Solomon’s merchant fleet[m] was at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the fleet returned, carrying gold and silver, ivory, monkeys, and peacocks.[n]
23 King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. 24 The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom which God put in his heart. 25 They each brought gifts: articles of gold and silver, clothing, scents,[o] spices, horses and mules, year after year.
26 Solomon accumulated chariots and charioteers until he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand charioteers. He stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as plentiful as stone in Jerusalem and cedar wood as abundant as sycamore trees in the Shephelah.[p] 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue.[q] The king’s dealers bought them from Kue for the market price. 29 A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred silver shekels and a horse for one hundred fifty. In this same way they were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 10:2 Or a very impressive display of wealth
- 1 Kings 10:5 Literally the sitting of his servants and the standing of his ministers
- 1 Kings 10:5 Or the passageway by which he went up to the House of the Lord. Passageway is the main reading in the parallel text in 2 Chronicles 9:4. Whole burnt offerings is the reading of 1 Kings 10:5. The context seems to favor reference to something impressive about the palace.
- 1 Kings 10:6 Or words
- 1 Kings 10:10 About nine thousand pounds
- 1 Kings 10:11 Perhaps a type of sandalwood. The parallels in 2 Chronicles 2:8 and 9:10-11 reverse the consonants and read algum wood.
- 1 Kings 10:12 Or supports
- 1 Kings 10:14 Almost fifty thousand pounds
- 1 Kings 10:16 The Hebrew text gives only a number (six hundred), without a unit of measure. If the unit is bekas, then the amount in the text is a good approximation. If the measure is shekels, the weight would be about fifteen pounds.
- 1 Kings 10:17 Literally three minas
- 1 Kings 10:18 Or gold from Uphaz. The precise significance of this phrase is uncertain.
- 1 Kings 10:21 Literally closed gold. This may mean pure gold or solid gold, or gold plate.
- 1 Kings 10:22 Literally fleet of Tarshish
- 1 Kings 10:22 Or apes or baboons
- 1 Kings 10:25 Or tools and weapons
- 1 Kings 10:27 That is, the western foothills
- 1 Kings 10:28 Probably Cilicia, on the southeast coast of Turkey
1 Kings 10
King James Version
10 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions.
2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.
6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
9 Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.
10 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.
12 And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.
13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
15 Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.
16 And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
17 And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.
19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.
20 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
21 And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
25 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.
27 And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.
28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
29 And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.