2 Chronicles 9
New Living Translation
Visit of the Queen of Sheba
9 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. 2 Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, 4 she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers and their robes, and the burnt offerings[a] Solomon made at the Temple of the Lord.
5 She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements[b] and wisdom is true! 6 I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of your great wisdom! It is far beyond what I was told. 7 How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! 8 Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne as king to rule for him. Because God loves Israel and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king over them so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”
9 Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds[c] of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 (In addition, the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought red sandalwood[d] and precious jewels. 11 The king used the sandalwood to make steps[e] for the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before had such beautiful things been seen in Judah.)
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for—gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.
Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor
13 Each year Solomon received about 25 tons[f] of gold. 14 This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the provinces also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 15 pounds.[g] 16 He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 7 1⁄2 pounds.[h] The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
17 Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. 19 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!
20 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!
21 The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish manned by the sailors sent by Hiram.[i] Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[j]
22 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 23 Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. 24 Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots, and he had 12,000 horses.[k] He stationed some of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem. 26 He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River[l] in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. 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.[m] 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt[n] and many other countries.
Summary of Solomon’s Reign
29 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Nathan the Prophet, and The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and also in The Visions of Iddo the Seer, concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat. 30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 31 When he died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.
Footnotes
- 9:4 As in Greek and Syriac versions (see also 1 Kgs 10:5); Hebrew reads and the ascent.
- 9:5 Hebrew your words.
- 9:9 Hebrew 120 talents [4,000 kilograms].
- 9:10 Hebrew algum wood (also in 9:11); perhaps a variant spelling of almug. Compare parallel text at 1 Kgs 10:11-12.
- 9:11 Or gateways. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 9:13 Hebrew 666 talents [23 metric tons].
- 9:15 Hebrew 600 [shekels] of hammered gold [6.8 kilograms].
- 9:16 Hebrew 300 [shekels] of gold [3.4 kilograms].
- 9:21a Hebrew Huram, a variant spelling of Hiram.
- 9:21b Or and baboons.
- 9:25 Or 12,000 charioteers.
- 9:26 Hebrew the river.
- 9:27 Hebrew the Shephelah.
- 9:28 Possibly Muzur, a district near Cilicia.
2 Chronicles 9
1599 Geneva Bible
9 1, 9 The Queen of Sheba cometh to see Solomon, and bringeth gifts. 13 His yearly revenues. 30 The time of his reign. 31 His death.
1 And (A)when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to [a]prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bare sweet odors and much gold, and precious stones: and when she came to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
2 And Solomon declared her all her questions, and there was [b]nothing hid from Solomon, which he declared not unto her.
3 Then the Queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
4 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the order of his waiters, and their apparel, and his butlers, and their apparel, and his [c]burnt offerings which he offered in the house of the Lord, and she was greatly [d]astonied.
5 And she said to the King, It was a true word which I heard in mine own land of thy [e]sayings, and of thy wisdom:
6 Howbeit, I believed not their report, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and behold, the one half of thy great wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.
7 Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand before thee always, and hear thy wisdom.
8 Blessed be the Lord thy God, which loved thee, to set thee on his [f]throne as king, in the stead of the Lord thy God: because thy God loveth Israel, to establish it forever, therefore hath he made thee king over them, to execute judgments and justice.
9 Then she gave the King sixscore talents of gold, and of sweet odors exceedingly much, and precious stones: neither was there such sweet odors since, as the Queen of Sheba gave unto King Solomon.
10 And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon which brought gold from Ophir, brought [g]Algummim wood and precious stones.
11 And the King made of the Algummim wood [h]stairs in the house of the Lord, and in the king’s house, and harps and viols for singers: and there was no such seen before in the land of Judah.
12 And King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba every pleasant thing that she asked, [i]besides for that which she had brought unto the king: so she returned and went to her own country, both she, and her servants.
13 ¶ Also the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year, was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
14 Besides that which chapmen and merchants brought: and all the Kings of Arabia, and the princes of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 And King Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold, and [j]six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.
16 And three hundred shields of beaten gold: three hundred [k]shekels of gold went to one shield, and the king put them in the house of the wood of Lebanon.
17 And the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
18 And the throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold [l]fastened to the throne, and stays on either side on the place of the seats, and two lions standing by the [m]stays.
19 And twelve lions stood there on the six steps on either side: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
20 And all King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the wood of Lebanon were of pure gold: for silver was nothing esteemed in the days of Solomon.
21 For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram, every three years once came the ships of [n]Tarshish, and brought gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
22 So king Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 And all the Kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom that God had put in his heart.
24 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, armor, and sweet odors, horses, and mules, from year to year.
25 And Solomon had [o]four thousand stalls of horses, and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
26 And he reigned over all the kings from the [p]River even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.
27 And the king gave silver in Jerusalem, [q]as stones, and gave cedar trees as the wild fig trees, that are abundant in the plain.
28 And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.
29 Concerning the rest of the acts of Solomon first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the Prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of [r]Iddo the Seer [s]against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
31 And Solomon (B)slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 9:1 To know whether his wisdom were so great as the report was.
- 2 Chronicles 9:2 There was no question so hard that he did not resolve.
- 2 Chronicles 9:4 Or, galleries whereby he went up.
- 2 Chronicles 9:4 Hebrew, there was no spirit in her.
- 2 Chronicles 9:5 Or, acts.
- 2 Chronicles 9:8 Meaning, that the Israelites were God’s peculiar people, and that Kings are the lieutenants of God, which ought to grant unto him the superiority, and minister justice to all.
- 2 Chronicles 9:10 Read 2 Chron. 2:8 and 1 Kings 10:11.
- 2 Chronicles 9:11 Or pillars: meaning, the garnishing, and trimming of the stairs or pillars.
- 2 Chronicles 9:12 That is, which the King gave her for recompense of the treasure which she brought.
- 2 Chronicles 9:15 Which sum mounteth to 2400 crowns of the sun, Budeus De Asse.
- 2 Chronicles 9:16 Or, pounds called mina, whereof every one seemed to make an hundred shekels.
- 2 Chronicles 9:18 That is, the steps and the footstool were fastened to the throne.
- 2 Chronicles 9:18 Upon the pommels or knops.
- 2 Chronicles 9:21 Which country of the best writers is thought to be Cilicia, read 1 Kings 10:22.
- 2 Chronicles 9:25 That is, ten horses in every stable, which in all amounts to forty thousand , as 1 Kings 4:26.
- 2 Chronicles 9:26 Or, Euphrates.
- 2 Chronicles 9:27 The abundance of these temporal treasures in Solomon’s kingdom is a figure of the Spiritual treasures, which the elect shall enjoy in the heavens under the true Solomon, Christ.
- 2 Chronicles 9:29 Or, Iddo.
- 2 Chronicles 9:29 That is, which prophesied against him.
2 Chronicles 9
English Standard Version
The Queen of Sheba
9 (A)Now when (B)the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. 2 And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her. 3 And when (C)the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 4 the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.
5 And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 6 but I did not believe the[a] reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard. 7 Happy are your wives![b] Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8 Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you (D)and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! (E)Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” 9 Then she gave the king 120 talents[c] of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, (F)who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. 11 And the king made from the algum wood (G)supports for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.
12 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked (H)besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.
Solomon's Wealth
13 (I)Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 14 besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. (J)And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels[d] of beaten gold went into each shield. 16 And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; (K)300 shekels of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 17 The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, 19 while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom. 20 All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. 21 For the king's ships went to (L)Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[e]
22 Thus King Solomon (M)excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. 24 Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh,[f] spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. 25 And Solomon had (N)4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26 (O)And he ruled over all the kings (P)from the Euphrates[g] to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. 27 (Q)And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 28 (R)And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.
Solomon's Death
29 (S)Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from (T)first to last, are they not written in the history of (U)Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of (V)Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of (W)Iddo (X)the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in (Y)the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 9:6 Hebrew their
- 2 Chronicles 9:7 Septuagint (compare 1 Kings 10:8); Hebrew men
- 2 Chronicles 9:9 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
- 2 Chronicles 9:15 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
- 2 Chronicles 9:21 Or baboons
- 2 Chronicles 9:24 Or armor
- 2 Chronicles 9:26 Hebrew the River
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
