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
GOD’S WORD Translation
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon(A)
9 The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s reputation. So she came to Jerusalem to test him with riddles. She arrived with a large group of servants, with camels carrying spices, a large quantity of gold, and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she talked to him about everything she had on her mind. 2 Solomon answered all her questions. No question was too difficult for Solomon to answer.
3 When the queen of Sheba saw Solomon’s wisdom, the palace he built, 4 the food on his table, his officers’ seating arrangement, the organization of his officials and the uniforms they wore, his cupbearers [a] and their uniforms, and the burnt offerings that he sacrificed at the Lord’s temple, she was breathless. 5 She told the king, “What I heard in my country about your words and your wisdom is true! 6 But I didn’t believe the reports until I came and saw it with my own eyes. I wasn’t even told about half of the extent of your wisdom. You’ve surpassed the stories I’ve heard. 7 How blessed your men must be! How blessed these servants of yours must be because they are always stationed in front of you and listen to your wisdom! 8 Thank the Lord your God, who is pleased with you. He has put you on his throne to be king on behalf of the Lord your God. Because of your God’s love for the people of Israel, he has established them permanently and made you king over them so that you would maintain justice and righteousness.”
9 She gave the king 9,000 pounds of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never was there such a large quantity of spices ⌞in Israel⌟ as those that the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
10 Huram’s servants and Solomon’s servants who brought gold from Ophir also brought sandalwood and precious stones. 11 With the sandalwood the king made gateways to the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, and lyres and harps for the singers. No one had ever seen anything like them in Judah.
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba anything she wanted, whatever she asked for, more than what she had brought him. Then she and her servants went back to her country.
Solomon’s Wealth(B)
13 The gold that came to Solomon in one year weighed 49,950 pounds, 14 not counting ⌞the gold⌟ which the merchants and traders brought. All the Arab kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, using 15 pounds of gold on each shield. 16 He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold, using 7½ pounds of gold on each shield. The king put them in the hall ⌞named⌟ the Forest of Lebanon.
17 The king also made a large ivory throne and covered it with pure gold. 18 Six steps led to the throne, which had a gold footstool attached to it. There were armrests on both sides of the seat. Two lions stood beside the armrests. 19 Twelve lions stood on six steps, one on each side. Nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.
20 All King Solomon’s cups were gold, and all the utensils for the hall ⌞named⌟ the Forest of Lebanon were fine gold. (Silver wasn’t considered valuable in Solomon’s time.) 21 The king had ships going to Tarshish with Huram’s sailors. Once every three years the Tarshish ships would bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
22 In wealth and wisdom King Solomon was greater than all the ⌞other⌟ kings of the world. 23 All the kings of the world wanted to listen to the wisdom that God gave Solomon. 24 So everyone who came brought him gifts: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This happened year after year.
25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 war horses. He stationed ⌞some⌟ in chariot cities and ⌞others⌟ with himself in Jerusalem. 26 He ruled all the kings from the Euphrates River to the country of the Philistines and as far as the Egyptian border. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as fig trees in the foothills. 28 Horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all other countries.
Solomon’s Death(C)
29 Aren’t the rest of Solomon’s acts from first to last written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and in Iddo the seer’s [b] visions about Jeroboam (son of Nebat)?
30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for 40 years. 31 Solomon lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. His son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.
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