10 1WHEN THE queen of Sheba heard of [the constant connection of] the fame of Solomon with the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions (problems and riddles). 2She came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels bearing spices, very much gold, and precious stones. When she had come to Solomon, she communed with him about all that was in her mind. 3Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king which he failed to explain to her. 4When the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom and skill, the house he had built, 5The food of his table, the seating of his officials, the standing at attention of his servants, their apparel, his cupbearers, his ascent by which he went up to the house of the Lord [or the burnt offerings he sacrificed], she was breathless and overcome. 6She said to the king, It was a true report I heard in my own land of your acts and sayings and wisdom. 7I did not believe it until I came and my eyes had seen. Behold, the half was not told me. You have added wisdom and goodness exceeding the fame I heard. 8Happy are your men! Happy are these your servants who stand continually before you, hearing your wisdom! 9Blessed be the Lord your God, Who delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, He made you king to execute justice and righteousness. 10And she gave the king 120 talents of gold and of spices a very great store and precious stones. Never again came such abundance of spices as these the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon. 11The navy also of Hiram brought from Ophir gold and a great plenty of almug (algum) wood and precious stones. 12Of the almug wood the king made pillars for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, and lyres also and harps for the singers. No such almug wood came again or has been seen to this day. 13King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she wanted, whatever she asked, besides his gifts to her from his royal bounty. So she returned to her own country, she and her servants. 14Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one [particular] year was 666 talents of gold, 15Besides what the traders brought and the traffic of the merchants and from all the [tributary] kings and governors of the land of Arabia. 16King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels of gold went into each shield. 17And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 18Also the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold. 19The throne had six steps, and attached at the rear of the top of the throne was a round covering or canopy. On either side of the seat were armrests, and two lions stood beside the armrests. 20Twelve lions stood there, one on either end of each of the six steps; there was nothing like it ever made in any kingdom. 21All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 22For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 23So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom (skill). 24And all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had put in his mind. 25Every man brought tribute: vessels of silver and gold, garments, equipment, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. 26Solomon collected chariots and horsemen; he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as plentiful as the sycamore trees in the lowlands. 28Solomon’s horses were brought out of Egypt, and the king’s merchants received them in droves, each at a price. 29A chariot could be brought out of Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150. And so to all the kings of the Hittites and of Syria they were exported by the king’s merchants.
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