2 Chronicles, 9

1. And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

1. The fame of Solomon having reached the queen of Sheba, she came to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions. She came with immense riches, camels loaded with spices, great quantities of gold and precious stones. On coming to Solomon, she asked him all the questions that she had in mind,

2. And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.

2. and Solomon had an answer for all her questions, not one was too difficult for him to explain.

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

3. When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,

4. And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.

4. the food at his table, the accommodations for his officials, the organization of his staff and the way they were dressed, his cupbearers and the burnt offerings he offered in the Temple of Yahweh, it left her breathless;

5. And she said to the king, [It was] a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom:

5. and she said to the king, "What I heard in my own country about you and your wisdom was true, then!

6. Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen [it]: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: [for] thou exceedest the fame that I heard.

6. I could not believe what they told me was not even half of your wisdom for the reality surpasses what I heard.

7. Happy [are] thy men, and happy [are] these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.

7. How happy your wives are! How happy these servants of yours who wait on you always and hear your wisdom!

8. Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, [to be] king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.

8. Blessed be Yahweh your God who loves you and made you king to rule in his name. Because your God loves Israel and wants to preserve them forever, he has made you their king to administer law and justice."

9. And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon.

9. And the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon almost five tons of gold and great quantities of spices and precious stones. There never were spices like those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10. And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.

10. Similarly the servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon, who carried gold from Ophir, brought algummim wood and precious stones.

11. And the king made [of] the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.

11. Of the algummim wood the king made floorboards for Yahweh's House and for the royal palace, and lyres and harps for the musicians; nothing like them had ever been seen before in the land of Judah.

12. And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside [that] which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.

12. And King Solomon, in his turn, gave the queen of Sheba everything she expressed any wish for, besides returning what she had brought to the king. Then she went home, she and her servants, to her own country.

13. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;

13. The weight of gold coming to Solomon in one year was over twenty-five tons,

14. Beside [that which] chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

14. not counting the taxes paid by the traders and merchants; all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15. And king Solomon made two hundred targets [of] beaten gold: six hundred [shekels] of beaten gold went to one target.

15. King Solomon made two hundred great shields of beaten gold, and plated each shield with about fifteen pounds of gold,

16. And three hundred shields [made he of] beaten gold: three hundred [shekels] of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

16. and also three hundred small shields of beaten gold, and plated each of these with about eight pounds of gold; and he put them in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.

17. Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.

17. The king also made a great ivory throne and plated it with purest gold.

18. And [there were] six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, [which were] fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:

18. The throne had six steps, with a platform behind and arms at either side of the seat; two lions stood beside the arms,

19. And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.

19. and twelve lions stood on either side of the six steps. No throne like this was ever made in any other kingdom.

20. And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon [were of] gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon [were of] pure gold: none [were of] silver; it was [not] any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

20. All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the furnishings in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered valuable in the time of Solomon.

21. For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

21. And the king also had ships that went to Tarshish with Huram's men, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would come back bringing gold and silver, ivory, apes and baboons.

22. And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

22. King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king in the world.

23. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.

23. All the kings of the earth consulted Solomon to hear the wisdom God had given him,

24. And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

24. and each would bring his own present: gold vessels, silver vessels, robes, armor, spices, horses and mules; and this went on year after year.

25. And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

25. Solomon had four thousand stalls for his horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses; these were stationed in the chariot towns and near the king in Jerusalem.

26. And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.

26. Solomon extended his power over all the kingdoms from the river to the land of the Philistines and the Egyptian border.

27. And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that [are] in the low plains in abundance.

27. In Jerusalem the king made silver as common as stone, and cedars as plentiful as the sycamores of the Lowlands.

28. And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.

28. Horses were imported for Solomon from Cilicia and all the other countries too.

29. Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, [are] they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

29. The rest of the history of Solomon, from first to last, is recorded in the History of Nathan the prophet, in the Prophecy of Ahijah of Shiloh, and in the Vision of Iddo, the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat.

30. And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

30. Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

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

31. Then Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David his father; his son Rehoboam succeeded him.