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. 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. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 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.

And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 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. (F)Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! (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.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 10:10 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
  2. 1 Kings 10:16 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
  3. 1 Kings 10:17 A mina was about 1 1/4 pounds or 0.6 kilogram
  4. 1 Kings 10:19 Or and at the back of the throne was a calf's head
  5. 1 Kings 10:22 Or baboons
  6. 1 Kings 10:25 Or armor

10 And when the Malkah (Queen) of Sheva heard of the fame of Sh’lomo, that it was for the Shem Hashem, then she came to test him with chidot (hard questions, riddles).

And she came to Yerushalayim with a very great caravan, with gemalim that bore spices, and very much zahav, and precious gems; and when she was come to Sh’lomo, she spoke intimately with him of all that was on her lev.

And Sh’lomo answered her regarding all her questions; there was not anything hid from HaMelech, which he told her not.

And when the Malkah of Sheva had seen kol chochmat Sh’lomo, and the Bais (Palace) that he had built,

And the ma’akhal (food) of his shulchan, and the moshav (seating) of his avadim (officials), and the ma’amad (station) of his attendants, and their robes, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the Beis Hashem; there was no more ruach (breath) in her.

And she said to HaMelech, It was emes the report that I heard in mine own eretz of thy devarim and of thy chochmah.

Howbeit I believed not the devarim, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and, hinei, the half was not told me; thy chochmah and tov (prosperity) exceedeth the fame which I heard.

Ashrei are thy anashim; ashrei are these thy avadim, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy chochmah.

Yehi Hashem Eloheicha baruch Who delighted in thee, to set thee on the Kisse Yisroel; because Hashem loved Yisroel l’olam, therefore made He thee Melech, to do mishpat and tzedakah.

10 And she gave HaMelech a hundred and twenty talents of zahav, and a very large store of spices and precious gems; there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the Malkah of Sheva gave to Melech Sh’lomo.

11 And the fleet of oniyyot also of Chiram, that brought zahav from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a vast supply of almug wood, and precious gems.

12 And HaMelech made of the almug wood misad (steps, support) for the Beis Hashem, and for the Bais HaMelech, kinnorot (harps) also and nevalim (lyres) for the singers; there came no such almug wood, nor were seen unto this day.

13 And HaMelech Sh’lomo gave unto the Malkah of Sheva all her desire, whatsoever she asked, besides that which Sh’lomo gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her avadim.

14 Now the weight of zahav that came to Sh’lomo in one year was 666 talents of zahav,

15 This was in addition to what he had of the anashei hatarim (merchants), and of the income of traders, and of all the Melachim of Arabia, and of the Governors of the land.

16 And HaMelech Sh’lomo made two hundred large shields of hammered zahav; six hundred shekels of zahav went to one shield.

17 And he made three hundred moginim of hammered zahav; three mina of zahav went to one mogen (shield); and HaMelech put them in the Bais Ya’ar HaLevanon.

18 Moreover HaMelech made a kisse shen gadol (great throne of ivory), and overlaid it with the finest, brightest zahav.

19 The kisse had shesh ma’alot (six steps), and the top of the kisse was rounded; and there were armrests on either side on the makom (place) of the seat, and two arayot (lions) stood beside the armrests.

20 And twelve arayim (lions) stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps; there was not the like made in any mamlakhot (kingdoms).

21 And all HaMelech Sh’lomo’s kelei mashkeh (drinking vessels) were of zahav, and all the vessels of the Bais Ya’ar HaLevanon were of pure zahav; none were of kesef; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Sh’lomo.

22 For HaMelech had at sea a fleet of oniyyot Tarshish with the fleet of oniyyot of Chiram; once in shalosh shanim came the fleet of oniyyot Tarshish, bringing zahav, and kesef, ivory, and monkeys, and peacocks.

23 So HaMelech Sh’lomo exceeded all the Melachim of Ha’Aretz in osher and in chochmah.

24 And kol Ha’Aretz sought the face of Sh’lomo, to hear his chochmah, which Elohim had put in his lev.

25 They brought every ish his minchah, vessels of kesef, vessels of zahav, and robes, and weapons, and spices, susim, and peradim (mules), yearly at each year’s due.

26 And Sh’lomo gathered together merkavot and parashim; and he had a thousand and four hundred merkavot, and twelve thousand parashim, whom he kept in his chariot cities and with HaMelech in Yerushalayim.

27 And HaMelech made kesef to be in Yerushalayim like avanim (rocks), and cedars made he to be like sycamores in the Shefelah, for abundance.

28 And Sh’lomo had susim brought out of Mitzrayim, and from Keveh; HaMelech’s agents acquired from Kevah at a price.

29 And a merkavah (chariot) went out of Mitzrayim for six hundred pieces of kesef, and a sus for a hundred and fifty; and so for all the melachim of the Chittim (Hittites), and for the melachim of Aram, did they [HaMelech’s agents] export them by the same means.