1 ARST The queen who ruled the land of Sheba heard that Yahweh had caused Solomon to become famous, so she traveled to Jerusalem to ask him questions that were difficult to answer. BSB BSB: Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions.
2 ARST She came with a large group of wealthy people, and she brought camels that were loaded with spices, precious gems, and much gold. When she met Solomon, she asked him questions about all the things in which she was interested. BSB BSB: She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind.
3 ARST Solomon answered all her questions. He explained everything that she asked about, even things that were very difficult. BSB BSB: And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain.
4 ARST The queen realized that Solomon was very wise. She saw his palace, BSB BSB: When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,
5 ARST she saw the food that was served on his table every day, she saw where his officials lived, their uniforms, the servants who served the food and wine, and the sacrifices that he took to the temple to be offered. She was extremely amazed. BSB BSB: the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.
6 ARST She said to the king,“Everything that I heard in my own country about you and about how wise you are is true! BSB BSB: She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true.
7 ARST But I did not believe it was true until I came here and saw it myself. But really, what they told me is only half of what they could have told me about you. You are extremely wise and rich, more than what people told me. BSB BSB: But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told to me. Your wisdom and prosperity have far exceeded the report I heard.
8 ARST How fortunate are your wives! And how fortunate are your servants, who are waiting to serve you, who are listening to the wise things that you say! BSB BSB: How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
9 ARST Praise Yahweh, your God, who has shown that he is pleased with you by causing you to become the king of Israel! God has always loved the Israelite people, and therefore he has appointed you to be their king, in order that you will rule them fairly and righteously.” BSB BSB: Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to carry out justice and righteousness.”
10 ARST Then the queen gave to the king the things that she had brought. She gave him over 4, 000 kilograms of gold and a large amount of spices and gems. Never again did King Solomon receive more spices than the queen gave him at that time. BSB BSB: Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again were spices in such abundance brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 ARST In the ships that belong to King Hiram, in which they had previously brought gold from Ophir, they also brought a large amount of almug wood and precious gem stones. BSB BSB: (The fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir also brought from Ophir a great cargo of almug wood and precious stones.
12 ARST King Solomon told his workers to use that wood to make pillars in the temple and in his palace, and also to make harps and lyres for the musicians. That wood was the largest amount of fine wood that had ever been brought to or seen in Israel. BSB BSB: The king made the almug wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had such almug wood been brought in, nor has such been seen again to this day.)
13 ARST King Solomon gave to the queen from Sheba everything that she wanted. He gave her those gifts in addition to the gifts that he always gave to other rulers who visited him. Then she and the people who came with her returned to her own land. BSB BSB: King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.
14 ARST Each year there was brought to Solomon a total of twenty- two metric tons of gold. BSB BSB: The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,
15 ARST That was in addition to the taxes paid to him by the merchants and traders, and the annual taxes paid by the kings of Arabia and by the governors of the districts in Israel. BSB BSB: not including the revenue from the merchants, traders, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.
16 ARST King Solomon’ s workers took this gold and hammered it into thin sheets and covered two hundred large shields with those thin sheets of gold. They put six and one- half kilograms of gold on each shield. BSB BSB: King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.
17 ARST His workers made three hundred smaller shields. They covered each of them with one and three- quarters kilograms of gold. Then the king put those shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. BSB BSB: He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 ARST His workers also made for him a large throne. Part of it was covered with ivory, and part of it was covered with very fine gold. BSB BSB: Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.
19 ARST There were six steps in front of the throne. There was a statue of a lion on both sides of each step. So altogether there were twelve statues of lions. The back of the throne was rounded at the top. At each side of the throne there was an armrest and alongside each armrest there was a small statue of a lion. No throne like that had ever existed in any other kingdom. BSB BSB: The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest.
21 ARST All of Solomon’ s cups were made of gold, and all the various dishes in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were made of gold. They did not make things from silver, because during the years that Solomon ruled silver was not considered to be valuable. BSB BSB: All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
22 ARST The king had a fleet of ships that sailed with the ships that King Hiram owned. Every three years the ships returned from the places to which they had sailed bringing gold, silver, ivory, monkeys, and baboons. BSB BSB: For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
23 ARST King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king. BSB BSB: So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
24 ARST People from all over the world wanted to come and listen to the wise things that Solomon said, things that God had put into his mind. BSB BSB: The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
25 ARST All the people who came to him brought presents. They brought things made from silver or gold, or robes, or weapons, or spices, or horses, or mules. The people continued to do this every year. BSB BSB: Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
27 ARST During the years that Solomon was king, silver became as common in Jerusalem as stones, and lumber from cedar trees in the foothills of Judah were as plentiful as lumber from fig trees. BSB BSB: The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
28 ARST Solomon’ s agents bought horses and supervised the bringing of them into Israel from the areas of Egypt and Kue that were famous for breeding horses. BSB BSB: Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.
29 ARST In Egypt they bought chariots and horses. They paid six and one- half kilograms of silver for each chariot and one and three- fifths kilograms of silver for each horse. They brought them to Israel. Then they sold many of them to the kings of the Hittite people group and the kings of Aram. BSB BSB: A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. Likewise, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram.
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