Wealth, Splendor, and Wisdom

^14 (A)Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was ^[a]666 talents of gold, ¹⁵ besides that from the traders, and the ^[b]wares of the merchants and all the kings of the ^(B)Arabs and the governors of the country. ^16 (C)King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, ^[c]using six hundred shekels of gold on each large shield. ¹⁷ And he made ^(D)three hundred small shields of beaten gold, ^[d]using ^[e]three minas of gold on each shield; and ^(E)the king put them in the house of the timber of Lebanon. ¹⁸ Moreover, the king made a large throne of ^(F)ivory and overlaid it with fine gold. ¹⁹ There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its back, and ^[f]armrests ^[g]on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the ^[h]armrests. ²⁰ Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for ^[i]any other kingdom. ²¹ Now all King Solomon’s drinking utensils were of gold, and all the utensils of the house of the timber of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered as amounting to anything in the days of Solomon. ²² For ^(G)the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s ships; once every three years the ships of Tarshish would come carrying gold and silver, ivory, monkeys, and peacocks.

^23 (H)So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. ²⁴ And all the earth was seeking the ^[j]attention of Solomon, ^(I)to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. ²⁵ And ^(J)they were bringing, everyone, ^[k]a gift: articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, balsam oil, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

^26 (K)Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he ^[l]stationed them in the ^(L)chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ^27 (M)And the king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the ^[m]lowland. ^28 (N)Also Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s merchants acquired them from Kue for a price. ²⁹ A chariot ^[n]was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for 150; and ^[o]by the same means they exported them ^(O)to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of the Arameans.