The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon

9 The queen of Sheba heard how well Solomon was known in all the lands. So she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She came with many servants and camels carrying spices and much gold and stones of much worth. When she came to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was on her heart. ² And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from him which he could not make clear to her. ³ Then the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon and the house he had built. ⁴ She saw the food at his table, and all his captains sitting there. She saw all those who were bringing in the food, and how they were dressed. She saw those who carried the cups, and their clothing. And she saw the burnt gifts that Solomon gave at the house of the Lord. After that, there was no more spirit in her. ⁵ She said to the king, “The news was true which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁶ But I did not believe the news until I came and saw it with my own eyes. See, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told to me. You are greater than what I had heard. ⁷ Happy are your men! Happy are your servants who stand in front of you all the time hearing your wisdom! ⁸ Praise be to the Lord your God Who was pleased with you! He set you on His throne as king for the Lord your God. Your God loved Israel and would have them last forever. So He made you king over them to do what is fair and right and good.” ⁹ Then she gave the king gold weighing as much as 120 men, a very large amount of spices, and stones of much worth. There had never been spices like what the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹⁰ Huram’s servants and Solomon’s servants brought gold from Ophir. They also brought algum trees and stones of much worth. ¹¹ The king used the algum wood to make steps for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house. And he used it to make different kinds of harps for the singers. There were none seen like them before in the land of Judah.

¹² King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she asked for, much more than she had brought to him. Then she returned to her own land with her servants.

King Solomon’s Riches

¹³ The gold that came to Solomon in one year weighed as much as 666 men. ¹⁴ Traders and men who buy and sell brought gold also. And all the kings of Arabia and the leaders of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵ King Solomon made 200 battle-coverings of beaten gold. The beaten gold he used to make each large covering was as much as 600 gold pieces. ¹⁶ And he made 300 battle-coverings of beaten gold, using as much as 300 gold pieces worth of gold for each covering. The king put them in the House of the Trees of Lebanon.

¹⁷ The king made a great throne of ivory and covered it with pure gold. ¹⁸ There were six steps to the throne, and a part made of gold for his feet was joined to the throne. The throne had arms on each side, and two lions standing beside the arms. ¹⁹ Twelve lions were standing on each side of the six steps. Nothing like it had ever been made for the king of any other nation. ²⁰ All King Solomon’s cups were made of gold. And all the cups of the House of the Trees of Lebanon were made of pure gold. Silver was not thought of as having much worth in the days of Solomon. ²¹ For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with Huram’s servants. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

²² So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. ²³ And all the kings of the earth wanted to be with Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put into his heart. ²⁴ Every one of them brought his gift. Objects of silver and gold, clothing, objects for battle, spices, horses and donkeys, were brought each year.

²⁵ Solomon had 4,000 rooms for horses and war-wagons, and 12,000 horsemen. He put them in the war-wagon cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ²⁶ He was the ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the land of Egypt. ²⁷ And the king made silver as easy to find as stones in Jerusalem. He made cedar trees as easy to find as sycamore trees in the valley. ²⁸ And horses were brought in for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.

Death of Solomon

²⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are written in the words of Nathan the man of God. They are written in the holy words of Ahijah the Shilonite. And they are written in the special dreams of Iddo, the man who tells what will happen in the future, about Jeroboam the son of Nebat. ³⁰ Solomon ruled forty years in Jerusalem over all Israel. ³¹ When he died he was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam ruled in his place.

Rehoboam Rules

10 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem. All Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ² When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard about it, he returned from Egypt. For Jeroboam had run to Egypt to get away from King Solomon. ³ And the people sent for him. Jeroboam and all Israel came to Rehoboam and said, ⁴ “Your father gave us a heavy load to carry. So now make our work easier than your father made us work. Do not let our load be as heavy as the one he put on us. And we will work for you.” ⁵ Rehoboam said to them, “Come to me again in three days.” So the people left.

⁶ Then King Rehoboam spoke with the leaders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive. He said, “Tell me, how do you think I should answer these people?” ⁷ They said to him, “If you will be kind to these people and please them and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.” ⁸ But Rehoboam would not listen to the wise words of the leaders. He spoke with the young men who grew up with him and served him. ⁹ He said to them, “Tell me, how do you think I should answer these people who have said to me, ‘Do not let our load be as heavy as the one your father put on us’?” ¹⁰ The young men who grew up with him said to him, “Say this to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our load heavy, but you make it easier for us.’ Tell them, ‘My little finger is bigger around than my father’s body! ¹¹ My father gave you a heavy load. I will add to your load. My father punished you with whips. But I will punish you with scorpions.’”

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had told them, saying, “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³ The king answered them with strong words. King Rehoboam did not listen to the wise words of the leaders. ¹⁴ Instead he listened to the words of the young men. And he said to them, “My father made your load heavy, but I will add to it. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people. God made this happen so that He might make His Word come true which He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ All Israel saw that the king did not listen to them. So the people said to the king, “What share do we have in David? We have no share in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now look to your own house, David!” So all Israel left and went to their tents. ¹⁷ But Rehoboam ruled over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, the man who made the people work. But the people of Israel killed him with stones. So King Rehoboam got on his war-wagon in a hurry, to go to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Israel has been against the family of David to this day.