2 Chronicles, 9

1. When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with subtle questions, accompanied by a very numerous retinue and by camels bearing spices, much gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject in which she was interested.

1. The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame and came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with difficult questions, with a very large retinue with camels laden with spices and an immense quantity of gold and precious stones. Having reached Solomon, she discussed everything that she had in mind with him,

2. Solomon explained to her everything she asked about, and there remained nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her.

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

3. When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon's wisdom, the palace he had built,

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

4. the food at his table, the seating of his ministers, the attendance of his servants and their dress, his cupbearers and their dress, and the holocausts he offered in the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.

4. 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 way they were dressed, and the burnt offerings, which he made in the Temple of Yahweh, it left her breathless,

5. "The account I heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king.

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

6. "Yet I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes. I have discovered that they did not tell me the half of your great wisdom; you have surpassed the stories I heard.

6. Until I came and saw for myself, I did not believe the reports, but clearly I was told less than half about the true extent of your wisdom. You surpass what was reported to me.

7. Happy are your men, happy these servants of yours, who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.

7. How fortunate your people are! How fortunate your courtiers, continually in attendance on you and listening to your wisdom!

8. Blessed be the LORD, your God, who has been so pleased with you as to place you on his throne as king for the LORD, your God. Because your God has so loved Israel as to will to make it last forever, he has appointed you over them as king to administer right and justice."

8. Blessed be Yahweh your God. Because your God loved Israel and meant to keep it secure for ever, he has made you its king to administer law and justice.'

9. Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents and a very large quantity of spices, as well as precious stones. There was no other spice like that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

9. And she presented the king with a hundred and twenty talents of gold and great quantities of spices and precious stones. There never were such spices as those which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10. The servants of Huram and of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought cabinet wood and precious stones.

10. Similarly, the men employed by Huram and the men employed by Solomon, who brought the gold from Ophir, also brought back algum wood and precious stones.

11. With the cabinet wood the king made stairs for the temple of the LORD and the palace of the king; also lyres and harps for the chanters. The like of these had not been seen before in the land of Judah.

11. Of the algum wood the king made steps for the Temple of Yahweh and for the royal palace, and harps and lyres for the musicians, the like of which had never before been seen in Judah.

12. King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she desired and asked him for, more than she had brought to the king. Then she returned to her own country with her servants.

12. And King Solomon, in his turn, presented the queen of Sheba with everything that she expressed a wish for, besides what he gave her in exchange for what she had brought to the king. After which, she went home to her own country, she and her servants.

13. The gold that Solomon received each year weighed six hundred and sixty-six gold talents,

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

14. in addition to what was collected from travelers and what the merchants brought. All the kings of Arabia also, and the governors of the country, brought gold and silver to Solomon.

14. besides what tolls and foreign trade brought in; all the Arab kings and the provincial governors also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15. Moreover, King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, six hundred shekels of beaten gold going into each shield,

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

16. and three hundred bucklers of beaten gold, three hundred shekels of gold going into each buckler; these the king put in the hall of the Forest of Lebanon.

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

17. King Solomon also made a large ivory throne which he overlaid with fine gold.

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

18. The throne had six steps; a footstool of gold was fastened to it, and there was an arm on each side of the seat, with two lions standing beside the arms.

18. The throne had six steps with a golden foot-rest attached to the throne, and arms on each side of the seat and two lions standing beside the arms,

19. Twelve other lions also stood there, one on either side of each step. Nothing like this had ever been produced in any other kingdom.

19. and twelve lions stood on either side of the six steps. Nothing like it had ever been made in any other kingdom.

20. Furthermore, all of King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the utensils in the hall of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered of value in Solomon's time.

20. 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. For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish would return with a cargo of gold and silver, ivory, apes and monkeys.

21. since the king's ships went to Tarshish with Huram's employees, and once every three years the merchantmen would come back laden with gold and silver, ivory, apes and baboons.

22. Thus King Solomon surpassed all the other kings of the earth in riches as well as in wisdom.

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

23. All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon, to hear from him the wisdom which God had put in his heart.

23. and all the kings in the world consulted Solomon to hear the wisdom which God had implanted in his heart,

24. Year in and year out, each one would bring his tribute-silver and gold articles, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules.

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

25. Solomon also had four thousand stalls of horses, chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he assigned to the chariot cities and to the king in Jerusalem.

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

26. He was ruler over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines and down to the border of Egypt.

26. He was overlord of all the kings from the River to the territory of the Philistines and the Egyptian border.

27. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, while cedars became as numerous as the sycamores of the foothills.

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

28. Horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all the lands.

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

29. The rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are written, as is well known, in the acts of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer which concern Jeroboam, son of Nebat.

29. The rest of the history of Solomon, from first to last, is this not all written down in the records 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. Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

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

31. He rested with his ancestors; he was buried in his father's City of David, and his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.

31. When Solomon fell asleep with his ancestors, he was buried in the City of his father David; Rehoboam his son succeeded him.