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1 Kings 10
New English Translation

Solomon Entertains a Queen

10 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon,[a] she came to challenge[b] him with difficult questions.[c] 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp,[d] bringing with her camels carrying spices,[e] a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king.[f] 4 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom,[g] the palace[h] he had built, 5 the food in his banquet hall,[i] his servants and attendants,[j] their robes, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he presented in the Lord’s temple, she was amazed.[k] 6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight[l] was true! 7 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story![m] Your wisdom and wealth[n] surpass what was reported to me. 8 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy![o] 9 May the Lord your God be praised because he favored[p] 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.”[q] 10 She gave the king 120 talents[r] 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.[s] 11 (Hiram’s fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems. 12 With the timber the king made supports[t] for the Lord’s temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments[u] for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day.[v]) 13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her.[w] Then she left and returned[x] to her homeland with her attendants.

Solomon’s Wealth

14 Solomon received 666 talents[y] of gold per year,[z] 15 besides what he collected from the merchants,[aa] traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land. 16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures[ab] of gold were used for each shield. 17 He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold; three minas[ac] of gold were used for each of these shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest.[ad]

18 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 19 There 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.[ae] 20 There 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.[af]

21 All 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.[ag] 22 Along with Hiram’s fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships[ah] that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet[ai] came into port with cargoes of[aj] gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[ak]

23 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.[al] 24 Everyone[am] in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.[an] 25 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.[ao]

26 Solomon accumulated[ap] chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem.[aq] 27 The king made silver as plentiful[ar] in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was[as] as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the foothills.[at] 28 Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt[au] and from Que; the king’s traders purchased them from Que. 29 They 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.[av]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 10:1 tn Heb “the report about Solomon.”tc The Hebrew text also has, “to the name of the Lord,” which is very awkward due to its unusual syntax. The phrase is omitted in the parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:1. The word “report” is followed by the preposition ל (lamed) in Isa 23:5 and Hos 7:12 and indicates whom the message came to. And otherwise the collocation of לְשֵׁם (leshem, “to the name”) does not follow either a proper noun or the word report elsewhere in scripture. If retained, perhaps it should be translated, “for the reputation of the Lord.”
  2. 1 Kings 10:1 tn Or “test.”
  3. 1 Kings 10:1 tn Or “riddles.”
  4. 1 Kings 10:2 tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew term חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or to the great wealth she brought with her.
  5. 1 Kings 10:2 tn Or “balsam oil.”
  6. 1 Kings 10:3 tn Heb “Solomon declared to her all her words; there was not a word hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.” If riddles are specifically in view (see v. 1), then one might translate, “Solomon explained to her all her riddles; there was no riddle too complex for the king.”
  7. 1 Kings 10:4 tn Heb “all the wisdom of Solomon.”
  8. 1 Kings 10:4 tn Heb “house.”
  9. 1 Kings 10:5 tn Heb “the food on his table.”
  10. 1 Kings 10:5 tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.”
  11. 1 Kings 10:5 tn Heb “there was no breath still in her.”
  12. 1 Kings 10:6 tn Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.”
  13. 1 Kings 10:7 tn Heb “the half was not told to me.”
  14. 1 Kings 10:7 tn Heb “good.”
  15. 1 Kings 10:8 tn Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!”
  16. 1 Kings 10:9 tn Or “delighted in.”
  17. 1 Kings 10:9 tn Heb “to do justice and righteousness.”
  18. 1 Kings 10:10 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 9,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “five tons”; TEV “4,000 kilogrammes.”
  19. 1 Kings 10:10 tn Heb “there has not come like those spices yet for quantity which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”
  20. 1 Kings 10:12 tn This Hebrew architectural term occurs only here. The meaning is uncertain; some have suggested “banisters” or “parapets”; cf. TEV, NLT “railings.” The parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:11 has a different word, meaning “tracks,” or perhaps “steps.”
  21. 1 Kings 10:12 tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither” [?]), and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).
  22. 1 Kings 10:12 tn Heb “there has not come thus, the fine timber, and there has not been seen to this day.”
  23. 1 Kings 10:13 tn Heb “besides what he had given her according to the hand of King Solomon.”
  24. 1 Kings 10:13 tn Heb “turned and went.”
  25. 1 Kings 10:14 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 50,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV); CEV, NLT “twenty-five tons”; TEV “almost 23,000 kilogrammes.”
  26. 1 Kings 10:14 tn Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold.”
  27. 1 Kings 10:15 tn Heb “from the traveling men.”
  28. 1 Kings 10:16 tn The Hebrew text has simply “six hundred,” with no unit of measure given.
  29. 1 Kings 10:17 sn Three minas. The mina was a unit of measure for weight.
  30. 1 Kings 10:17 sn The Palace of the Lebanon Forest. This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest.
  31. 1 Kings 10:19 tn Heb “[There were] armrests on each side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.”
  32. 1 Kings 10:20 tn Heb “nothing like it had been made for all the kingdoms.”
  33. 1 Kings 10:21 tn Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.”
  34. 1 Kings 10:22 tn Heb “a fleet of Tarshish [ships].” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
  35. 1 Kings 10:22 tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”
  36. 1 Kings 10:22 tn Heb “came carrying.”
  37. 1 Kings 10:22 tn The meaning of this word is unclear. Some suggest “baboons.”
  38. 1 Kings 10:23 tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and with respect to wisdom.”
  39. 1 Kings 10:24 tc The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have “all the kings of the earth.” See 2 Chr 9:23.
  40. 1 Kings 10:24 tn Heb “and all the earth was seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”
  41. 1 Kings 10:25 tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”
  42. 1 Kings 10:26 tn Or “gathered.”
  43. 1 Kings 10:26 tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”
  44. 1 Kings 10:27 tn The words “as plentiful” are added for clarification.
  45. 1 Kings 10:27 tn Heb “he made.”
  46. 1 Kings 10:27 sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the region between the Judean hill country and the Mediterranean coastal plain.
  47. 1 Kings 10:28 sn From Egypt. Because Que is also mentioned, some prefer to see in vv. 28-29 a reference to Mutsur. Que and Mutsur were located in Cilicia/Cappadocia (in modern southern Turkey). See HALOT 625 s.v. מִצְרַיִם.
  48. 1 Kings 10:29 tn Heb “and a chariot went up and came out of Egypt for six hundred silver [pieces], and a horse for one hundred fifty, and in the same way to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram by their hand they brought out.”
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1 Kings 10
International Standard Version

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon(A)

10 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s reputation with the Lord, she came to test him[a] with difficult questions. 2 She brought along a large retinue, camels laden with spices, and lots of gold and precious stones. Upon her arrival, she spoke with Solomon about everything that was on her mind.[b] 3 Solomon answered all of her questions. Nothing was hidden from Solomon that he did not explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba had seen all of Solomon’s wisdom for herself, the palace that he had built, 5 the food set at his table, his servants who sat with him, his ministers in attendance and how they were dressed, his personal staff[c] and how they were dressed, and even his personal stairway by which he went up to the Lord’s Temple, she was breathless!

6 “Everything I heard about your wisdom and what you have to say is true!” she gasped, 7 “but I didn’t believe it at first! But then I came here and I’ve seen it for myself! It’s amazing! I wasn’t told half of what’s really great about your wisdom. You’re far better in person than what the reports have said about you! 8 How blessed are your staff! And how blessed are your employees,[d] who serve you continuously and get to listen to your wisdom! 9 And blessed be the Lord your God, who is delighted with you! He set you in place on the throne of Israel because the Lord loved Israel forever. That’s why he made you to be king, so you could carry out justice and implement righteousness.”

10 Then she gave the king 120 talents[e] of gold, a vast quantity of spices, and precious stones. No spices ever came again that were comparable to those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11 Hiram’s ships that brought gold from Ophir,[f] also brought from Ophir[g] lots of algum wood[h] and precious stones. 12 The king used the algum wood[i] to have supports made for the Lord’s Temple and for the royal palace, as well as lyres and harps for the choir,[j] and nothing like that wood[k] has ever come again or even been seen since right to this day. 13 In return, King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and had requested in addition to what he had given her consistent with his generosity. Afterward, she returned to her own land with her servants.

Solomon’s Wealth(B)

14 Solomon’s annual revenue was 666 talents[l] of gold, 15 not including revenue from traders, merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land. 16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, overlaying each large shield with the gold from 600 gold pieces,[m] 17 and 300 shields from beaten gold, overlaying each shield with the gold from 300 gold pieces.[n] The king put them in his palace in the Lebanon forest. 18 The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. 19 Six steps led up to the throne, which had a round canopy fastened to the rear of the throne and armrests on each side of the seat and two lions standing on either side of each armrest. 20 Twelve lions were placed on both sides of the six steps leading to the throne,[o] and nothing comparable was made for any other[p] kingdoms. 21 All of King Solomon’s drinking vessels were made of[q] gold, and all the vessels in his palace in the Lebanon forest were made of[r] pure gold. None were of silver, because silver was never considered to be valuable during Solomon’s lifetime, 22 because the king had ships that sailed to Tarshish accompanied by Hiram’s ships. Once every three years ships from Tarshish returned, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 23 As a result, King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in regards to wealth and wisdom. 24 All the earth continued to seek audiences with Solomon so they could hear the wise things that God had put in his heart. 25 Everyone kept on bringing gifts on an annual basis, including items made of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules. 26 Solomon accumulated chariots and cavalry. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 cavalry soldiers. He stationed them in various chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common as[s] stones in Jerusalem, and made cedar trees as abundant as sycamore[t] trees in the Shephelah.[u] 28 Solomon imported horses from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s buyers procured them at market price from Kue. 29 A chariot from Egypt cost 600 pieces[v] of silver, and a horse 150 pieces of silver,[w] but then they were exported to all the Hittite kings and to the Aramean kings.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 10:1 Lit. Solomon
  2. 1 Kings 10:2 Lit. was with her heart
  3. 1 Kings 10:5 Lit. his cupbearers
  4. 1 Kings 10:8 Lit. servants
  5. 1 Kings 10:10 I.e. about 9,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  6. 1 Kings 10:11 Or from a source of fine gold; cf. 1Chr 29:4
  7. 1 Kings 10:11 Or from a source of fine gold; cf. 1Chr 29:4
  8. 1 Kings 10:11 Or presented Juniper trees
  9. 1 Kings 10:12 Or the Juniper trees
  10. 1 Kings 10:12 Lit. singers
  11. 1 Kings 10:12 The Heb. lacks wood
  12. 1 Kings 10:14 I.e. about 49,950 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  13. 1 Kings 10:16 MT does not identify the individual unit of measure
  14. 1 Kings 10:17 MT does not identify the individual unit of measure
  15. 1 Kings 10:20 The Heb. lacks leading to the throne
  16. 1 Kings 10:20 The Heb. lacks other
  17. 1 Kings 10:21 The Heb. lacks made of
  18. 1 Kings 10:21 The Heb. lacks made of
  19. 1 Kings 10:27 The Heb. lacks as common as
  20. 1 Kings 10:27 The sycamore fruit tree native to Israel bears figs
  21. 1 Kings 10:27 I.e. the verdant central lowlands of Israel; cf. Josh 10:40
  22. 1 Kings 10:29 The denomination of silver coin is not specified.
  23. 1 Kings 10:29 The Heb. lacks pieces of silver
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