English Standard Version

New Living Translation

The Queen of Sheba

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.

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Visit of the Queen of Sheba

When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind.

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And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her.

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Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.

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And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,

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When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built,

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the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.

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she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers and their robes, and the burnt offeringsa Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD.

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And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom,

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She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievementsb and wisdom is true!

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but I did not believe thea reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard.

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I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of your great wisdom! It is far beyond what I was told.

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Happy are your wives!b Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!

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How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom!

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Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”

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Praise the LORD your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne as king to rule for him. Because God loves Israel and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king over them so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”

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Then she gave the king 120 talentsc of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

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Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 poundsc of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

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Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones.

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(In addition, the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought red sandalwoodd and precious jewels.

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And the king made from the algum wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.

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The king used the sandalwood to make stepse for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before had such beautiful things been seen in Judah.)

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And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.

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King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for — gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.

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Solomon’s Wealth

Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,

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Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor

Each year Solomon received about 25 tonsf of gold.

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besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.

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This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the provinces also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

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King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekelsd of beaten gold went into each shield.

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King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 15 pounds.g

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And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; 300 shekels of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

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He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 7 1/2 pounds.h The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

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

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Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with pure gold.

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The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests,

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The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne.

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while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom.

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There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!

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All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.

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All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!

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For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.e

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The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish manned by the sailors sent by Hiram.i Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.j

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Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

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So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth.

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And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.

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Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.

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Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh,f spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

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Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

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And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

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Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots, and he had 12,000 horses.k He stationed some of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem.

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And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphratesg to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.

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He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates Riverl in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south.

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And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.

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The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah.m

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And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

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Solomon’s horses were imported from Egyptn and many other countries.

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Solomon’s Death

Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

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Summary of Solomon’s Reign

The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Nathan the Prophet, and The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and also in The Visions of Iddo the Seer, concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat.

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Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

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Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

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And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

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When he died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.

Parallel

English Standard Version

New Living Translation

2 Chronicles 9

2 Chronicles 9