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1 Kings 10

New Living Translation NLT

1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, which brought honor to the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions.

2 She arrived in Jerusalem 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.

3 Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her.

4 When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built,

5 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 the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD .

6 She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true!

7 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 it! Your wisdom and prosperity are far beyond what I was told.

8 How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom!

9 Praise the LORD your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD ’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”

10 Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

11 (In addition, Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought rich cargoes of red sandalwood and precious jewels.

12 The king used the sandalwood to make railings for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before or since has there been such a supply of sandalwood.)

13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for, besides all the customary gifts he had so generously given. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.

14 Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold.

15 This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land.

16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than fifteen pounds.

17 He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing nearly four pounds. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

18 Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with fine gold.

19 The throne had six steps and a rounded back. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne.

20 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!

21 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!

22 The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish that sailed with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

23 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth.

24 People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.

25 Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

26 Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities and some near him in Jerusalem.

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.

28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Cilicia ; the king’s traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price.

29 At that time chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver, and horses for 150 pieces of silver. They were then exported to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

The Message Bible MSG

1 The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon and his connection with the Name of God. She came to put his reputation to the test by asking tough questions.

2 She made a grand and showy entrance into Jerusalem - camels loaded with spices, a huge amount of gold, and precious gems. She came to Solomon and talked about all the things that she cared about, emptying her heart to him.

3 Solomon answered everything she put to him - nothing stumped him.

4 When the queen of Sheba experienced for herself Solomon's wisdom and saw with her own eyes the palace he had built,

5 the meals that were served, the impressive array of court officials and sharply dressed waiters, the lavish crystal, and the elaborate worship extravagant with Whole-Burnt-Offerings at the steps leading up to The Temple of God, it took her breath away.

6 She said to the king, "It's all true! Your reputation for accomplishment and wisdom that reached all the way to my country is confirmed.

7 I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself; they didn't exaggerate! Such wisdom and elegance - far more than I could ever have imagined.

8 Lucky the men and women who work for you, getting to be around you every day and hear your wise words firsthand!

9 And blessed be God, your God, who took such a liking to you and made you king. Clearly, God's love for Israel is behind this, making you king to keep a just order and nurture a God-pleasing people."

10 She then gave the king four and a half tons of gold, and also sack after sack of spices and expensive gems. There hasn't been a cargo of spices like that since that shipload the queen of Sheba brought to King Solomon.

11 The ships of Hiram also imported gold from Ophir along with tremendous loads of fragrant sandalwood and expensive gems.

12 The king used the sandalwood for fine cabinetry in The Temple of God and the palace complex, and for making harps and dulcimers for the musicians. Nothing like that shipment of sandalwood has been seen since.

13 King Solomon for his part gave the queen of Sheba all her heart's desire - everything she asked for, on top of what he had already so generously given her. Satisfied, she returned home with her train of servants.

14 Solomon received twenty-five tons of gold in tribute annually.

15 This was above and beyond the taxes and profit on trade with merchants and assorted kings and governors.

16 King Solomon crafted two hundred body-length shields of hammered gold - seven and a half pounds of gold to each shield

17 - and three hundred smaller shields about half that size. He stored the shields in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

18 The king built a massive throne of ivory accented with a veneer of gold.

19 The throne had six steps leading up to it, its back shaped like an arch. The armrests on each side were flanked by lions.

20 Lions, twelve of them, were placed at either end of the six steps. There was no throne like it in any of the surrounding kingdoms.

21 King Solomon's chalices and tankards were made of gold and all the dinnerware and serving utensils in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold - nothing was made of silver; silver was considered common and cheap.

22 The king had a fleet of ocean-going ships at sea with Hiram's ships. Every three years the fleet would bring in a cargo of gold, silver, and ivory, and apes and peacocks.

23 King Solomon was wiser and richer than all the kings of the earth - he surpassed them all.

24 People came from all over the world to be with Solomon and drink in the wisdom God had given him.

25 And everyone who came brought gifts - artifacts of gold and silver, fashionable robes and gowns, the latest in weapons, exotic spices, and horses and mules - parades of visitors, year after year.

26 Solomon collected chariots and horses: fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses! He stabled them in the special chariot cities as well as in Jerusalem.

27 The king made silver as common as rocks and cedar as common as the fig trees in the lowland hills.

28 His horses were brought in from Egypt and Cilicia, specially acquired by the king's agents.

29 Chariots from Egypt went for fifteen pounds of silver and a horse for about three and three-quarter pounds of silver. Solomon carried on a brisk horse-trading business with the Hittite and Aramean royal houses.