The Queen of Sheba (2 Chronicles 9:1–12)
1 Brenton And the queen of Saba heard of the name of Solomon, and the name of the Lord, and she came to try him with riddles. 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 Brenton And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train; and there came camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and she came in to Solomon, and told him all that was in her heart. 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 Brenton And Solomon answered all her questions: and there was not a question overlooked by the king which he did not answer her. BSB BSB: And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain.
4 Brenton And the queen of Saba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he built, BSB BSB: When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,
5 Brenton and the provision of Solomon and the sitting of his attendants, and the standing of his servants, and his raiment, and his cup-bearers, and his whole-burnt-offering which he offered in the house of the Lord, and she was utterly 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 Brenton And she said to king Solomon, It was a true report which I heard in my land of thy words and thy wisdom. BSB BSB: She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true.
7 Brenton But I believed not them that told me, until I came and my eyes saw: and, behold, the words as they reported to me are not the half: thou hast exceeded in goodness all the report which I heard in my land. 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 Brenton Blessed are thy wives, blessed are these thy servants who stand before thee continually, who hear all thy wisdom. BSB BSB: How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
9 Brenton Blessed be the Lord thy God, who has taken pleasure in thee, to set thee upon the throne of Israel, because the Lord loved Israel to establish him for ever; and he has made thee king over them, to execute judgment with justice, and in their causes. 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 Brenton And she gave to Solomon a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and very many spices, and precious stones: there had not come any other spices so abundant as those which the queen of Saba gave to king Solomon. 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 Brenton And the ship of Chiram which brought the gold from Suphir, brought very much hewn timber and precious 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 Brenton And the king made the hewn timber into buttresses of the house of the Lord and the king's house, and lyres and harps for singers: such hewn timber had not come upon the earth, nor have been seen anywhere until this day. 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 Brenton And king Solomon gave to the queen of Saba all that she desired, whatsoever she asked, besides all that he had given her by the hand of king Solomon: and she returned, and came into her own land, she and her servants. 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.
Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor (2 Chronicles 1:14–17; 2 Chronicles 9:13–28)
14 Brenton And the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold. BSB BSB: The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,
15 Brenton Besides the tributes of them that were subjects, both merchants and all the kings of the country beyond the river , and of the princes of the land. BSB BSB: not including the revenue from the merchants, traders, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.
16 Brenton And Solomon made three hundred spears of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold were upon one spear. BSB BSB: King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.
17 Brenton And three hundred shields of beaten gold: and three pounds of gold were in one shield: and the king put them in the house 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 Brenton And the king made a great ivory throne, and gilded it with pure gold. BSB BSB: Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.
19 Brenton The throne had six steps, and calves in bold relief to the throne behind it, and side-pieces on either hand of the place of the seat, and two lions standing by the side-pieces, 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.
20 Brenton and twelve lions standing there on the six steps on either side: it was not so done in any other kingdom. BSB BSB: Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.
21 Brenton And all the vessels made by Solomon were of gold, and the lavers were golden, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; there was no silver, for it was not accounted of in the days of Solomon. 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 Brenton For Solomon had a ship of Tharsis in the sea with the ships of Chiram: one ship came to the king every three years out of Tharsis, laden with gold and silver, and wrought stones, and hewn stones. This was the arrangement of the provision which king Solomon fetched to build the house of the Lord, and the house of the king, and the wall of Jerusalem, and the citadel; to fortify the city of David, and Assur, and Magdal, and Gazer, and Bæthoron the upper, and Jethermath, and all the cities of the chariots, and all the cities of the horsemen, and the fortification of Solomon which he purposed to build in Jerusalem and in all the land, so that none of the people should rule over him that was left of the Chettite and the Amorite, and the Pherezite, and the Chananite, and the Evite, and the Jebusite, and the Gergesite, who were not of the children of Israel, their descendants who had been left with him in the land, whom the children of Israel could not utterly destroy; and Solomon made them tributaries until this day. But of the children of Israel Solomon made nothing; for they were the warriors, and his servants and rulers, and captains of the third order, and the captains of his chariots, and his horsemen. 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 Brenton And Solomon increased beyond all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. BSB BSB: So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
24 Brenton And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which the Lord had put into his heart. BSB BSB: The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
25 Brenton And they brought every one their gifts, vessels of gold, and raiment, and stacte, and spices, and horses, and mules, a rate year by year. BSB BSB: Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
27 Brenton and he ruled over all the kings from the river to the land of the Philistines, and to the borders of Egypt. And the king made gold and silver in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as the sycamores in the plain for multitude. BSB BSB: The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
28 Brenton And the goings forth of Solomon's horsemen was also out of Egypt, and the king's merchants were of Thecue; and they received them out of Thecue at a price. BSB BSB: Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.
29 Brenton And that which proceeded out of Egypt went up thus, even a chariot for a hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for fifty shekels of silver: and thus for all the kings of the Chettians, and the kings of Syria, they came out by sea. 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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