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1 Kings 10:1-13
1599 Geneva Bible
1 Kings 10:1-13
1599 Geneva Bible
10 1 The Queen of Sheba cometh to hear the wisdom of Solomon. 18 His royal throne. 23 His power and magnificence.
1 And the (A)Queen of [a]Sheba hearing the fame of Solomon (concerning the Name of the Lord) came to prove him with hard questions.
2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, and camels that bare sweet odors, and gold exceeding much, and precious stones: and she came to Solomon, and communed with him of all that was in her heart.
3 And Solomon declared unto her all her questions: nothing was hid from the king, which he expounded not unto her.
4 Then the Queen of Sheba saw all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built,
5 And the [b]meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the order of his ministers, and their apparel, and his drinking vessels, and his burnt offerings, that he offered in the house of the Lord, and [c]she was greatly astonied.
6 And she said unto the King, It was a true word that I heard in mine own land of thy sayings, and of thy wisdom.
7 Howbeit I believed not this report, till I came, and had seen it with mine eyes: but lo, the one half was not told me: for thou hast more wisdom and prosperity, than I have heard by report.
8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand ever before thee, and hear thy [d]wisdom.
9 Blessed be the Lord thy God, which [e]loved thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel, because the Lord loved Israel forever, and made thee king to do [f]equity and righteousness.
10 And she gave the king sixscore talents of gold, and of sweet odors exceeding much, and precious stones. There came no more such abundance of sweet odors, as the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
11 The navy also of Hiram (that carried gold from Ophir) brought likewise great plenty of (B)Almuggim trees from Ophir, and precious stones.
12 And the king made of the Almuggim trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king’s palace, and made harps and psalteries for singers. There came no more such Almuggim trees, nor were any more seen unto this day.
13 And King Solomon gave unto the Queen of Sheba, whatsoever she would ask, besides that, which Solomon gave her of his [g]kingly liberality: so she returned and went to her own country, both she and her servants.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 10:1 Josephus saith, that she was Queen of Ethiopia, and that Sheba was the name of the chief city of Meroe, which is an island of Nile.
- 1 Kings 10:5 That is, the whole order, and trade of his house.
- 1 Kings 10:5 Hebrew, there was no more spirit in her.
- 1 Kings 10:8 But much more happy are they, which hear the wisdom of God revealed in his word.
- 1 Kings 10:9 It is a chief sign of God’s favor, when godly and wise rulers sit in the throne of justice.
- 1 Kings 10:9 This is the cause, why Kings are appointed.
- 1 Kings 10:13 Hebrew, by the hand of the King.
1 Kings 10:1-13
New International Version
1 Kings 10:1-13
New International Version
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.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 10:5 Or the ascent by which he went up to
- 1 Kings 10:10 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons
- 1 Kings 10:11 Probably a variant of algumwood; also in verse 12
- 1 Kings 10:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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