2 Chronicles
Chapter 9
1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame, she went to test him with difficult questions in Jerusalem. She brought a large group, camels carrying spices, lots of gold, and valuable gems. When she arrived, she talked with Solomon about everything she was thinking.
2 Solomon answered all her questions, and he hid nothing from her.
3 When the queen of Sheba saw Solomon’s wisdom and the house he built,
4 The food on his table, the way his servants sat, how his officials served, and their clothes; also his cupbearers, and their clothes; and the steps he took to go up to God’s house; all this left her breathless.
5 She told the king, “The stories I heard in my country about your achievements and your wisdom are true.”
6 I didn’t believe what they said until I came and saw for myself. And truly, they didn’t tell me even half of how wise you are; you are even greater than what I heard.
7 Your men are happy, and your servants who always stand before you and listen to your wisdom are happy.
8 God blesses you because he was pleased to make you king on his throne, for God’s sake: God loved Israel and wanted them to last forever, so he made you their king to bring them fairness and justice.
9 She gave the king 120 talents of gold, lots of spices, and precious stones. No one had ever given such spices as the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 Huram’s workers and Solomon’s workers, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones.
11 The king used the algum trees to make balconies for God’s house and the royal palace, and he made harps and stringed instruments for musicians. No one had ever seen anything like them in Judah before.
12 King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba everything she wanted, beyond what she had brought to the king. Then she went back to her land with her servants.
13 Every year, Solomon received 666 talents of gold.
14 Merchants and traders brought things. Also, Arabian kings and regional leaders brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; each shield used six hundred pieces of gold.
16 He made three hundred shields out of hammered gold, using three hundred gold coins for each shield. The king placed them in the Lebanon Forest House.
17 The king made a big throne out of ivory and covered it with pure gold.
18 The throne had six steps and a gold footrest attached to it, with armrests on each side of the seat and two lions next to the armrests.
19 Twelve lions were on each side of the six steps; nothing like this was made in any other kingdom.
20 All of King Solomon’s cups were gold, and all items from the Lebanon forest house were pure gold: none were silver, because silver was not valued in Solomon’s time.
21 The king’s ships sailed to Tarshish with Huram’s servants. Every three years, the Tarshish ships returned with gold, silver, ivory, monkeys, and peacocks.
22 King Solomon was richer and wiser than all other kings on earth.
23 All the kings of the world wanted to meet Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had given him.
24 They each brought gifts: silver and gold items, clothes, gear, spices, horses, and mules, regularly every year.
25 Solomon had four thousand spaces for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand riders; he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
26 He ruled over all the kings from the river to the land of the Philistines, and up to Egypt’s border.
27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as plentiful as the sycamore trees in the low plains.
28 They brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.
29 The other things Solomon did, from beginning to end, are written in Nathan the prophet’s book, in Ahijah the Shilonite’s prophecies, and in the visions that Iddo the seer had about Jeroboam son of Nebat, right?
30 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
31 Solomon died and was buried in his father David’s city. Then his son Rehoboam became king.