1 Kings 10:1-29

1 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the LORD, she came to test Solomon with hard questions.

2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind.

3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her.

4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built,

5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.

6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.

7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard.

8 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!

9 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”

10 And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

11 (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones.

12 The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the LORD and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)

13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,

15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.

16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.

17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

18 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold.

19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them.

20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.

21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days.

22 The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.

24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.

28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price.

29 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

1 KINGS 10: 1-29

🍁 1 Kings 10: 1-13
The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions
She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with 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
And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her
And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her
And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it And behold, the half was not told me Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard
Happy are your men!
Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!
Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel!
Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness

Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones
Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon
Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones
And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers
No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day

And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon
So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants

🍁 1 Kings 10: 14-29
Solomon’s Great Wealth

Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land

King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels of gold went into each shield
And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went into each shield
And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon

The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold
The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps
The like of it was never made in any kingdom

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
None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon
For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram
Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks
Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom

And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind
Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year

And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen
He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem
And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah

And Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s traders received them from Kue at a price
A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver and a horse for 150, and so through the king’s traders they were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria