FIRST KINGS

 

1 Kings Chapter 10

1 ¶ When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions.

2 And she arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan, with camels that carried spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him of everything that was on her mind.

3 And Solomon answered all her questions: there was nothing hidden from the king, which he could not explain to her.

4 And when the queen of Sheba had observed all of Solomon’s wisdom, and the palace that he had built,

5 And the food on his table, and the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of the LORD; it took her breath away.

6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom.

7 However I did not believe the report, until I came, and saw it with my own eyes: and, honestly, I was not told half of it: your wisdom and prosperity exceeds the report that I heard.

8 Your men, and your servants, who continually stand before you, and hear your wisdom are fortunate.

9 Blessed is the LORD your God, who delights in you, to set you on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel forever, he made you king, to execute justice and righteousness.

10 And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very great store of spices, and precious stones: never again did such a quantity of spices arrive as those which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

11 And the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a large quantity of algum wood, and precious stones.

12 And the king made the algum wood into pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king’s house, and into lyres and harps for the singers: never before has such algum wood come, or been seen to this day.

13 And king Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted, whatever she asked, besides his gifts to her from his royal bounty. So she and her servants returned to her own country.

14 ¶ Now the weight of gold that Solomon received in one year weighed six hundred and sixty-six talents,

15 Besides what the traders brought, and the traffic of the spice merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land.

16 And king Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went into each large shield.

17 And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pounds of gold went into each shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

18 The king also made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.

19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was rounded in the back: and there were arm rests on either side of the seat, and two lions stood beside the arm rests.

20 And twelve lions stood there one on either side of the six steps: there was nothing like it in any kingdom.

21 And all of king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: for silver was not valued in the days of Solomon.

22 For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram: once every three years the fleet of Tarshish arrived, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

24 And the whole world sought out Solomon, to hear the wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

25 And every man brought his present, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, so much each year.

26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had one thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.

27 And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as abundant as the sycamore trees that are in the valley.

28 And Solomon had horses brought from Egypt and Cilicia: the king’s merchants got them from Cilicia at a fixed price.

29. And a chariot could be purchased from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty: and so all the kings of the Hittites, and kings of Syria, got them through Solomon’s merchants.