1 Kings, 10

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

1. And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove 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. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

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 told her all her questions: there was not [any] thing hid from the king, which he told her not.

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 Solomon's wisdom, and 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. And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto 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, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy 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. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen [it]: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame 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] thy men, happy [are] these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, [and] that hear thy 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 thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.

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. And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such 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. And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, 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 trees pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto 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 unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside [that] which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and 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 threescore and 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. Beside [that he had] of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.

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

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

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 pound of gold went to one 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. Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best 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 the top of the throne [was] round behind: and [there were] stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.

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

20. 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.

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. And 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 nothing accounted of 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 at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

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

23. So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.

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

24. And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

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. And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate 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: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at 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 [to be] in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he [to be] as the sycomore trees that [are] in the vale, for abundance.

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 had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn 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. And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred [shekels] of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring [them] out by their means.