2 Chronicles 9

1When the queen of Sheba heard Solomon's fame attentively, she came to Jerusalem to prove him with riddles, with a very great force, camels bearing spices and gold in abundance and precious stones, and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him all that was on her heart.

2Solomon answered all her questions, and no question was hidden from Solomon that he did not answer for her.

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

4the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the stations of those who attended him and their garments, his cupbearers and their garments, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of Yahweh—there was no more spirit in her.

5She said to the king, "The account I heard in my land about your deeds and your wisdom is true."

6I did not believe their words until I came and my eyes had seen it; behold, not half the greatness of your wisdom was reported to me—you surpass the fame that I heard.

7Blessed are your men, and blessed these servants of yours who stand continually before you, hearing your wisdom.

8Blessed is Yahweh your God, who delighted in you to seat you on his throne as king for Yahweh your God, because your God loved Israel to establish them forever; therefore he appointed you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.

9She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in exceeding abundance, and precious stones; no spice like that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon ever existed.

10Huram's servants and Solomon's servants, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones.

11The king made terraces from the algum trees for the house of Yahweh and for the king's house, and harps and psalteries for the singers; nothing like them had appeared before in the land of Judah.

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

13The weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents.

14Besides what traders and merchants brought, all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15King Solomon made two hundred shields of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one shield.

16Three hundred beaten-gold shields, three hundred shekels of gold to one shield; the king placed them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

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

18Six steps led up to the throne, with a footstool of gold fastened to it by supports, armrests on either side beside the seat, and two lions standing next to the armrests.

19Twelve lions stood there on the six steps, on one side and the other; nothing like it was made in 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 reckoned as nothing in the days of Solomon.

21For the king had ships going to Tarshish with Huram's servants; every three years the Tarshish ships would arrive carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

23All the kings of the earth sought Solomon's presence to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

24Each of them brought his gift: vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

25Solomon had four thousand horse and chariot stalls and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he placed in chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

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

27The king made silver in Jerusalem like stones, and cedars like sycamore trees that are in the lowland, in abundance.

28They brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

29The rest of Solomon's deeds, former and latter, are they not written in the words 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 over all Israel in Jerusalem forty years.

31Solomon lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of his father David, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.