1 Kings 10:14-29
New Living Translation
Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor
14 Each year Solomon received about 25 tons[a] of gold. 15 This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land.
16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than fifteen pounds.[b] 17 He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing nearly four pounds.[c] The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps and a rounded back. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. 20 There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!
21 All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!
22 The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish that sailed with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[d]
23 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 24 People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. 25 Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
26 Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses.[e] He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities and some near him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah.[f] 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt[g] and from Cilicia[h]; the king’s traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price. 29 At that time chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver,[i] and horses for 150 pieces of silver.[j] They were then exported to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 10:14 Hebrew 666 talents [23 metric tons].
- 10:16 Hebrew 600 [shekels] of gold [6.8 kilograms].
- 10:17 Hebrew 3 minas [1.8 kilograms].
- 10:22 Or and baboons.
- 10:26 Or charioteers; also in 10:26b.
- 10:27 Hebrew the Shephelah.
- 10:28a Possibly Muzur, a district near Cilicia; also in 10:29.
- 10:28b Hebrew Kue, probably another name for Cilicia.
- 10:29a Hebrew 600 [shekels] of silver, about 15 pounds or 6.8 kilograms in weight.
- 10:29b Hebrew 150 [shekels], about 3.8 pounds or 1.7 kilograms in weight.
1 Kings 10:14-29
Christian Standard Bible
Solomon’s Wealth
14 The weight(A) of gold that came to Solomon annually was twenty-five tons,[a] 15 besides what came from merchants,(B) traders’ merchandise, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.(C)
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; fifteen pounds[b] of gold went into each shield. 17 He made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; nearly four pounds[c] of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.(D)
18 The king also made a large ivory throne and overlaid it with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps; there was a rounded top at the back of the throne, armrests on either side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests. 20 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps, one at each end. Nothing like it had ever been made in any other kingdom.
21 All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon(E) were pure gold.(F) There was no silver, since it was considered as nothing in Solomon’s time, 22 for the king had ships of Tarshish(G) at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[d](H)
23 King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom.(I) 24 The whole world wanted an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.(J) 25 Every man would bring his annual tribute: items[e] of silver and gold, clothing, weapons,[f] spices, and horses and mules.(K)
26 Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen(L) and stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.(M) 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones,(N) and he made cedar(O) as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills. 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue.[g] The king’s traders bought them from Kue at the going price.(P) 29 A chariot was imported from Egypt for fifteen pounds[h] of silver, and a horse for four pounds.[i] In the same way, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram through their agents.(Q)
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