The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon

9 The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame. So she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She had a very large group of people with her. She had camels that carried spices, much gold and many gems. She came to Solomon and talked with him about all her questions. ² And Solomon answered all her questions. Nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. ³ The queen of Sheba saw that Solomon was very wise. She also saw the palace he had built. ⁴ She saw the food on his table and his many officers. She saw the palace servants and their good clothes. She saw the servants who served Solomon his wine. And she saw their good clothes. She saw the burnt offerings he made in the Temple of the Lord. All these things amazed her. ⁵ So she said to King Solomon, “I heard in my own country about your achievements and wisdom. And all of it is true. ⁶ I did not believe it then. But now I have come and seen it with my own eyes. Not even half of your great wisdom was told to me! You are much greater than I had heard. ⁷ Your men and officers are very lucky! Since they are always serving you, they are able to hear your wisdom! ⁸ Praise the Lord your God! He was pleased to make you king. He has put you on his throne to rule for the Lord your God. Your God loves Israel and supports Israel forever. So the Lord has made you king of Israel to keep law and order and to rule fairly.”

⁹ Then the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon about 9,000 pounds of gold. She also gave him many spices and gems. No one had ever given such fine spices as she gave to King Solomon.

¹⁰ Hiram’s men and Solomon’s men brought in gold from Ophir. They also brought in juniper wood and gems. ¹¹ King Solomon used the juniper wood to make steps for the Temple of the Lord and the palace. He also used it to make lyres and harps for the singers. No one in Judah had ever seen such beautiful things as these.

¹² King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for. He gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she and her servants left and returned to their own country.

Solomon’s Great Wealth

¹³ The amount of gold that Solomon received in one year weighed about 50,000 pounds. ¹⁴ Besides that, he also received gold from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the rulers of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

¹⁵ King Solomon made 200 large shields from hammered gold. Each shield contained about 7½ pounds of hammered gold. ¹⁶ Solomon also made 300 small shields of hammered gold. Each shield contained about 4 pounds of gold. King Solomon put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷ Then he built a large throne of ivory. And he covered it with pure gold. ¹⁸ The throne had six steps on it. And it had a gold footstool on it. There were armrests on both sides of the chair. And beside each armrest was a statue of a lion. ¹⁹ Twelve lions stood on the six steps. There was one lion at each end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any other kingdom. ²⁰ All King Solomon’s drinking cups were made of gold. All of the dishes in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. In Solomon’s time people did not think silver was valuable. So nothing was made of silver. ²¹ King Solomon had many ships that he sent out to trade. Hiram’s men sailed Solomon’s ships. Every three years the ships returned. They brought back gold, silver, ivory, apes and baboons.

²² King Solomon had more riches and wisdom than all the other kings on earth. ²³ All the kings of the earth came to see Solomon. They wanted to hear the wisdom God had given him. ²⁴ Every year everyone who came brought a gift. They brought things made of silver and gold, clothes, weapons, spices, horses and mules.

²⁵ Solomon had 4,000 stalls to hold his horses and chariots. He had 12,000 horses. He kept them in special cities for the chariots. And he kept some with him in Jerusalem. ²⁶ Solomon was king over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the Philistine country to the border of Egypt. ²⁷ In Jerusalem silver was as common as stones while Solomon was king. Cedar trees were as common as the fig trees growing on the western mountain slopes. ²⁸ Solomon imported horses from Egypt and all other countries.

Solomon’s Death

²⁹ The other things Solomon did as king, from the beginning to the end, are written down. They are in the writings of Nathan the prophet. And they are in the prophecy of Ahijah and the visions of Iddo. Ahijah was from Shiloh. Iddo was a seer who wrote about Jeroboam, Nebat’s son. ³⁰ Solomon was king in Jerusalem over all Israel for 40 years. ³¹ Then Solomon died and was buried in Jerusalem. This was the city of his father David. And Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king in his place.