2 Chronicles 9:13-28

Expanded Bible

Solomon’s Wealth^(A)

¹³ Every year King Solomon received ·about fifty thousand pounds [^L666 talents] of gold. ¹⁴ Besides that, he also received gold from traders and merchants. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

¹⁵ King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold, each of which contained ·about seven and one-half pounds [^Lsix hundred shekels] of hammered gold. ¹⁶ He also made three hundred smaller shields of hammered gold, each of which contained ·about four pounds [^Lthree hundred shekels] of gold. The king put them in the ·Palace [^Lhouse] of the Forest of Lebanon [1 Kin. 7:2; 10:17, 21].

¹⁷ The king built a large throne of ivory and ·covered [overlaid] it with pure gold. ¹⁸ The throne had six steps on it and an attached gold footstool. There were armrests on both sides of the ·chair [seat], and each armrest had a lion beside it. ¹⁹ Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any other kingdom. ²⁰ All of Solomon’s drinking cups, as well as the ·dishes [vessels; utensils] in the ·Palace [^Lhouse] of the Forest of Lebanon, were made of pure gold. In Solomon’s time ·people did not think silver was valuable [silver was considered worthless].

²¹ King Solomon had many ships that ·he sent out to trade [^Lwent to Tarshish; ^Cin present-day Spain, hence a large, seagoing trading ship], with ·Hiram’s [or Huram’s; 2:3] men as the crews. Every three years the ships returned, bringing back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and ·baboons [or peacocks].

²² King Solomon had more riches and wisdom than all the other kings on earth. ²³ All the kings of the earth ·wanted to see [sought audience with; came to consult] Solomon and listen to the wisdom God had given him. ²⁴ Year after year everyone who came brought gifts of silver and gold, ·clothes [robes], weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

²⁵ Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and he had twelve thousand ·horses [or horsemen; cavalry]. He kept some in ·special cities for the chariots [chariot cities], and others he kept with him in Jerusalem. ²⁶ Solomon ·ruled [reigned] over all the ·kingdoms [^Lkings] from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt [1 Kin. 4:20–21]. ²⁷ In Jerusalem the king made silver as common as stones and cedar trees as plentiful as the ·fig [sycamore-fig] trees ·on the western hills [^Lin the Shephelah]. ²⁸ Solomon imported horses from Egypt and all other countries.