Solomon’s Great Wealth

¹³ The weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,^{(A) 14} besides that which the traders and merchants brought, and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵ King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold; six hundred shekels^[a] of beaten gold went into each large shield. ¹⁶ He made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels^[b] 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 arm rests and two lions standing beside the arm rests,^{(B) 19} while twelve lions were standing, one on each end of a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in any kingdom.^{(C) 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 Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.^[c](D)

²² Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.^{(E) 23} 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 a present, objects of silver and gold, garments, weaponry, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. ²⁵ Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.^{(F) 26} He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the territory of Egypt.^{(G) 27} The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone and cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.^{(H) 28} Horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.^(I)