1 Kings, 10

1. The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame and came to test him with difficult questions.

1. 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.

2. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels laden with spices and an immense quantity of gold and precious stones. Having reached Solomon, she discussed with him everything that she had in mind,

2. 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.

3. and Solomon had an answer for all her questions; not one of them was too obscure for the king to answer for her.

3. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king which he could not explain to her.

4. When the queen of Sheba saw how very wise Solomon was, the palace which he had built,

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

5. the food at his table, the accommodation for his officials, the organisation of his staff and the way they were dressed, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings which he presented in the Temple of Yahweh, it left her breathless,

5. the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he offered at the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.

6. and she said to the king, 'The report I heard in my own country about your wisdom in handling your affairs was true then!

6. And she said to the king, "The report was true which I heard in my own land of your affairs and of your wisdom,

7. Until I came and saw for myself, I did not believe the reports, but clearly I was told less than half: for wisdom and prosperity, you surpass what was reported to me.

7. 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 which I heard.

8. How fortunate your wives are! How fortunate these courtiers of yours, continually in attendance on you and listening to your wisdom!

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

9. Blessed be Yahweh your God who has shown you his favour by setting you on the throne of Israel! Because of Yahweh's everlasting love for Israel, he has made you king to administer law and justice.'

9. Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel for ever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness."

10. And she presented the king with a hundred and twenty talents of gold and great quantities of spices and precious stones; no such wealth of spices ever came again as those which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10. Then she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones; never again came such an abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

11. Similarly, Hiram's fleet, which brought the gold from Ophir, also brought back great cargoes of almug timber and precious stones.

11. Moreover the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones.

12. Of the almug timber the king made supports for the Temple of Yahweh and for the royal palace, and harps and lyres for the musicians; no more of this almug timber has since come or been seen to this day.

12. And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, lyres also and harps for the singers; no such almug wood has come or been seen, to this day.

13. And King Solomon, in his turn, presented the queen of Sheba with everything that she expressed a wish for, besides those presents which he gave her with a munificence worthy of King Solomon. After which, she went home to her own country, she and her servants.

13. 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.

14. The weight of gold received annually by Solomon amounted to six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

14. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

15. besides what tolls and foreign trade, as well as everything the Arab kings and the provincial governors brought in.

15. besides that which came from the traders and from the traffic of the merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia and from the governors of the land.

16. King Solomon made two hundred great shields of beaten gold, six hundred shekels of gold going into one shield;

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

17. also three hundred small shields of beaten gold, three mina of gold going into one shield; and the king put these into the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

17. And he made three hundred 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.

18. The king also made a great ivory throne which he overlaid with refined gold.

18. The king also made a great ivory throne, and overlaid it with the finest gold.

19. The throne had six steps, a back with a rounded top, and arms on each side of the seat; two lions stood beside the arms,

19. The throne had six steps, and at the back of the throne was a calf's head, and on each side of the seat were arm rests and two lions standing beside the arm rests,

20. and twelve lions stood on each side of the six steps. Nothing like it has ever been made in any other kingdom.

20. 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.

21. All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the plate in the House of the Forest of Lebanon was of pure gold; silver was little thought of in Solomon's days,

21. 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, it was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.

22. since the king had a fleet of Tarshish at sea with Hiram's fleet, and once every three years the fleet of Tarshish would come back laden with gold and silver, ivory, apes and baboons.

22. 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.

23. For riches and for wisdom, King Solomon surpassed all kings on earth,

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

24. and the whole world consulted Solomon to hear the wisdom which God had implanted in his heart;

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

25. and everyone would bring a present with him: things made of silver, things made of gold, robes, armour, spices, horses and mules; and this went on year after year.

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

26. Solomon then built up a force of chariots and cavalry; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, these he stationed in the chariot towns and near the king in Jerusalem.

26. And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

27. In Jerusalem the king made silver as common as stones, and cedar wood as plentiful as sycamore in the lowlands.

27. And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephe'lah.

28. Solomon's horses were imported from Muzur and Cilicia. The king's dealers acquired them from Cilicia at the prevailing price.

28. And Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Ku'e, and the king's traders received them from Ku'e at a price.

29. A chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred silver shekels and a horse from Cilicia for a hundred and fifty. They also supplied the Hittite and Aramaean kings, who all used them as middlemen.

29. A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty; and so through the king's traders they were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.