2 Chronicles 9

1When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions. She came with a very large retinue and with camels carrying spices, gold in great quantity, and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she talked with him about everything that was on her mind.

2Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her.

3When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the house he had built,

4the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attendance of his servants and their clothing, his cupbearers and their clothing, and the ascent by which he went up to the house of Yahweh, she was left breathless.

5She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom was true,

6but I did not believe what they said until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told to me! You have surpassed the report I heard.

7How happy your men must be! How happy these servants of yours who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom!

8Blessed be Yahweh your God, who delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for Yahweh your God. Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

9Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were never any spices like those the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

10Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir brought algum wood and precious stones.

11The king used the algum wood to make steps for the house of Yahweh and for the royal palace, and lyres and harps for the singers. Nothing like them had ever been seen before in the land of Judah.

12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she desired, whatever she asked, apart from what she had brought to the king. Then she turned and went back to her own land, she and her servants.

13The weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,

14besides what the traders and merchants brought. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each large shield.

16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into each small shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

17The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold.

18The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with two lions standing beside the armrests.

19Twelve lions stood there on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any kingdom.

20All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Silver was not considered worth anything in Solomon’s days.

21For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with Hiram’s servants. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish would come carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

23All the kings of the earth sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

24Each of them brought his gift—articles of silver and articles of gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules—a fixed amount year after year.

25Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

26He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt.

27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore-fig trees in the lowland.

28Horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all the lands.

29The rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?

30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

31Then Solomon rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. Rehoboam his son became king in his place.