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2 Chronicles 9

The Message Bible MSG

1 The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's reputation and came to Jerusalem to put his reputation to the test, asking all the tough questions. She made a showy entrance - an impressive retinue of attendants and camels loaded with perfume and much gold and precious stones. She emptied her heart to Solomon, talking over everything she cared about.

2 And Solomon answered everything she put to him - nothing stumped him.

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

4 the meals that were served, the impressive array of court officials, the sharply dressed waiters, the cupbearers, and then the elaborate worship extravagant with Whole-Burnt-Offerings at The Temple of God, it all took her breath away.

5 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.

6 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.

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

8 And blessed be your God who has taken such a liking to you, making 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."

9 She then gave the king four and a half tons of gold and sack after sack of spices and precious stones. There hasn't been a cargo of spices like the shipload the queen of Sheba brought to King Solomon.

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

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

12 King Solomon, for his part, gave the queen of Sheba all her heart's desire - everything she asked for. She took away more than she brought. Satisfied, she returned home with her train of servants.

13 Solomon received twenty-five tons of gold annually.

14 This was above and beyond the taxes and profit on trade with merchants and traders. All kings of Arabia and various and assorted governors also brought silver and gold to Solomon.

15 King Solomon crafted 200 body-length shields of hammered gold - about fifteen pounds of gold to each shield

16 - and about 300 small shields about half that size. He stored the shields in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

17 The king made a massive throne of ivory with a veneer of gold.

18 The throne had six steps leading up to it with an attached footstool of gold. The armrests on each side were flanked by lions.

19 Lions, twelve of them, were placed at either end of the six steps. There was no throne like it in any other kingdom.

20 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 in the time of Solomon.

21 The king's ships, manned by Hiram's sailors, made a round trip to Tarshish every three years, returning with a cargo of gold, silver, and ivory, apes and peacocks.

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

23 Kings came from all over the world to be with Solomon and get in on the wisdom God had given him.

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

25 Solomon collected horses and chariots. He had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen in barracks in the chariot-cities and in Jerusalem.

26 He ruled over all the kings from the River Euphrates in the east, throughout the Philistine country, and as far west as the border of Egypt.

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

28 He carried on a brisk horse-trading business with Egypt and other places.

29 The rest of Solomon's life and rule, from start to finish, one can read in the records of Nathan the prophet, the prophecy of Ahijah of Shiloh, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat.

30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

31 Solomon died and was buried in the City of David his father. His son Rehoboam was the next king.

New Living Translation NLT

1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived 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.

2 Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.

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

4 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 their robes, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD .

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

6 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 your great wisdom! It is far beyond what I was told.

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

8 Praise the LORD your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne as king to rule for him. Because God loves Israel and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king over them so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”

9 Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10 (In addition, the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought red sandalwood and precious jewels.

11 The king used the sandalwood to make steps for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before had such beautiful things been seen in Judah.)

12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for—gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.

13 Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold.

14 This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the provinces also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 15 pounds.

16 He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 7 pounds. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

17 Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with pure gold.

18 The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne.

19 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!

20 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!

21 The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish manned by the sailors sent by Hiram. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

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

23 Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.

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

25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots, and he had 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem.

26 He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south.

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 many other countries.

29 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in and and also in concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat.

30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

31 When he died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.