The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon^(A)

10 When the queen of Sheba^(B) heard about the fame^(C) of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions.^{(D) 2} Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan^(E)—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. ³ Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. ⁴ When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, ⁵ the food on his table,^(F) the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at^[a] the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

⁶ She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. ⁷ But I did not believe^(G) these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth^(H) you have far exceeded the report I heard. ⁸ How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear^(I) your wisdom! ⁹ Praise^(J) be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love^(K) for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice^(L) and righteousness.”

¹⁰ And she gave the king 120 talents^[b] of gold,^(M) large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹¹ (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir;^(N) and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood^[c] and precious stones. ¹² The king used the almugwood to make supports^[d] for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)

¹³ King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

Solomon’s Splendor^(O)

¹⁴ The weight of the gold^(P) that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,^{[e] 15} not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.

¹⁶ King Solomon made two hundred large shields^(Q) of hammered gold; six hundred shekels^[f] of gold went into each shield. ¹⁷ He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas^[g] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.^(R)

¹⁸ Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. ¹⁹ The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. ²⁰ Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. ²¹ All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.^(S) Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. ²² The king had a fleet of trading ships^[h](T) at sea along with the ships^(U) of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

²³ King Solomon was greater in riches^(V) and wisdom^(W) than all the other kings of the earth. ²⁴ The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom^(X) God had put in his heart. ²⁵ Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift^(Y)—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

²⁶ Solomon accumulated chariots and horses;^(Z) he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,^[i] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. ²⁷ The king made silver as common^(AA) in Jerusalem as stones,^(AB) and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig^(AC) trees in the foothills. ²⁸ Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue^[j]—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. ²⁹ They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.^[k] They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites^(AD) and of the Arameans.

Solomon’s Wives

11 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women^(AE) besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites,^(AF) Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. ² They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry^(AG) with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines,^(AH) and his wives led him astray.^{(AI) 4} As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods,^(AJ) and his heart was not fully devoted^(AK) to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ He followed Ashtoreth^(AL) the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek^(AM) the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did evil^(AN) in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

⁷ On a hill east^(AO) of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh^(AP) the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek^(AQ) the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁸ He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

Jesus Walks on the Water^(A)(B)

⁴⁵ Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat^(C) and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida,^(D) while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.^(E)

⁴⁷ Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost.^(F) They cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”^{(G) 51} Then he climbed into the boat^(H) with them, and the wind died down.^(I) They were completely amazed, ⁵² for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.^(J)

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.^{(K) 54} As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵ They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶ And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak,^(L) and all who touched it were healed.

That Which Defiles^(M)

7 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus ² and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled,^(N) that is, unwashed. ³ (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.^{(O) 4} When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.^[a])^(P)

⁵ So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders^(Q) instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

⁶ He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”^(S)

⁹ And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe^[c] your own traditions!^{(T) 10} For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’^[d](U) and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’^{[e](V) 11} But you say^(W) that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— ¹² then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. ¹³ Thus you nullify the word of God^(X) by your tradition^(Y) that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

Wisdom Bestows Well-Being