The Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1–13)
1 UDB The queen who ruled the Sheba area in Arabia heard that Solomon had become famous, so she traveled to Jerusalem to ask him questions that were difficult to answer. She came with a large group of servants, and she brought camels that were loaded with spices, and valuable gems. When she arrived, she shared her thoughts with him. BSB BSB: Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was on her mind.
2 UDB 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 him to explain.
3 UDB The queen realized that Solomon was very wise. She saw his palace, BSB BSB: When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,
4 UDB 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, the attire of his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.
5 UDB 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.
6 UDB But I did not believe it was true until I came here and saw it myself. You are extremely wise and rich, even more than what people told me. BSB BSB: But I did not believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not half of the greatness of your wisdom was told to me. You have far exceeded the report I heard.
7 UDB The men who work for you are very fortunate! Your servants who are constantly standing in front of you and listening to the wise things that you say are also fortunate! BSB BSB: How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
8 UDB I praise Yahweh your God, who has shown that he is pleased with you by appointing you to be the king of Israel for him. God has always loved the Israelite people, and he desires to assist them forever, so 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 His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.”
9 UDB Then the queen gave to Solomon about four metric tons of gold and a large amount of spices and gemstones. Never had King Solomon received 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. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 UDB King Solomon gave to the queen from Sheba everything that she wanted. He gave her more than she had given to him. Then she and those who came with her returned to her own land. The men of Hiram worked with the men of Solomon to bring gold from Ophir. They also brought a large amount of algum wood. The wood was used to make steps for the house of Yahweh, and they also used the wood to make harps and lyres for those who played music. No one in all the land of Judah had ever seen anything like the quality of the algum wood that was used to make the steps and the instruments. BSB BSB: (The servants of Hiram and of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought algum wood and precious stones.
Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor (1 Kings 10:14–29)
13 UDB Each year there was brought to Solomon about twenty-two metric tons of gold. That was in addition to the taxes paid to him by the merchants and traders. BSB BSB: The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,
14 UDB Also, the kings of Arabia and the governors of the districts in Israel brought gold and silver to Solomon. BSB BSB: not including the revenue from the merchants and traders. And all the Arabian kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 UDB 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 about 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 hammered gold went into each shield.
16 UDB 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 House of the Forest of Lebanon. BSB BSB: He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
17 UDB 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.
18 UDB There were six steps in front of the throne. There was a gold footstool that was attached to the throne. At each side of the throne there was an armrest, and alongside each armrest there was a statue of a lion. BSB BSB: The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest.
19 UDB So there were twelve statues of lions. No throne like that had ever existed 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.
20 UDB All of Solomon's cups were made of gold, and all the various dishes in the House 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.
21 UDB The king had a fleet of ships capable of sailing far out on the ocean. It sailed along with Hiram's merchant fleet. Every three years the fleet brought gold, silver, ivory, apes, and baboons. BSB BSB: For the king had the ships of Tarshish that went with Hiram’s servants, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
22 UDB King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on the earth. BSB BSB: So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 UDB Kings 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: All the kings of the earth sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
24 UDB All the people who came to him brought presents: things made from silver or gold; they also brought robes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. The merchants 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.
25 UDB Solomon had four thousand stalls for his horses and chariots, and twelve thousand men who rodes horses. Solomon put some of them in Jerusalem and some of them in other cities where he kept his chariots. BSB BSB: Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
26 UDB Solomon ruled over all the kings in the area from the Euphrates River in the northeast, to the region of Philistia in the west, and to the border of Egypt in the south. BSB BSB: He reigned over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.
27 UDB During the years that Solomon was king, he caused silver to become as common in Jerusalem as stone; and he caused cedar trees in the foothills of Judah to become as plentiful as sycamore fig trees. BSB BSB: The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
28 UDB Solomon's agents brought horses to the land of Judah from Egypt and from many other lands. BSB BSB: Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all the lands.
The Death of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41–43)
29 UDB Lists of all the other things that Solomon did are written in the scrolls written by the prophet Nathan, and by the prophet Ahijah from the city of Shiloh, and in the scroll in which was written the visions of the prophet Iddo (a scroll in which Iddo's visions about Jeroboam son of Nebat were also written). BSB BSB: As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, from beginning to end, 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?
30 UDB Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all of Israel for forty years. BSB BSB: Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
31 UDB Then Solomon died; they buried him in the part of Jerusalem called 'the city of David.' And his son Rehoboam became the next king. BSB BSB: And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
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