8
How happy your people must be, how happy these servants of yours who are always here attending you and get to hear your wisdom!
9
Blessed be ADONAI your God, who took pleasure in you to put you on the throne of Isra'el. Because of ADONAI's eternal love for Isra'el, he has made you king, to administer judgment and justice fairly."
10
Then she gave the king four tons of gold, a huge amount of spices, and precious stones; never again did there arrive such an abundance of spices as those the queen of Sh'va gave to King Shlomo.
11
Hiram's fleet which had brought gold from Ofir now brought in from Ofir a large quantity of sandalwood and precious stones.
12
The king used the sandalwood to make columns for the house of ADONAI and for the royal palace, and also lyres and lutes for the singers. No sandalwood like it has come or been seen to this day.
13
King Shlomo gave the queen of Sh'va everything she wanted, whatever she asked, in addition to the presents he gave her on his own initiative. After this, she returned and went back to her own country, she and her servants.
14
The weight of the gold Shlomo received annually came to twenty-two tons of gold,
15
besides that which came from sales taxes, customs duties and assessments collected by all the kings of the mixed peoples and by the district governors.
16
King Shlomo made 200 large shields of hammered gold; fifteen pounds of gold went into one shield.
17
He made 300 more shields of hammered gold, with three-and-three-quarters pounds going into one shield; the king put these in the House of the L'vanon Forest.
18
The king also made a large throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold.