1 Kings 10

Queen of Sheba’s Visit & Solomon’s Riches

1 When the Queen of Sheba heard all the buzz about Solomon, especially about his connection to the Name of the Lord, she decided to roll up and test him with some hard questions.

2 She came to Jerusalem with a huge crew, a caravan loaded with camels carrying spices, a ton of gold, and mad precious jewels. When she got to Solomon, she hit him with every question she had on her mind.

3 And Solomon answered all her questions. There was not a single thing that was too deep for the king to explain to her.

4 When the Queen of Sheba saw all of Solomon’s wisdom, the palace he built,

5 The food on his table, the way his officials sat, the service of his waiters and their uniforms, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he regularly made in the Lord’s temple, it blew her mind. She was speechless.

6 She told the king, “Listen, the stories I heard back in my hood about your achievements and your wisdom, They were true!”

7 “But I did not believe the hype until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Man, half of it was not even told to me! Your wisdom and wealth are way beyond what I heard.”

8 “Your people are blessed! Your servants, too, who always stand before you and get to hear all your wisdom!”

9 “Shout out to the Lord your God, who was so pleased with you that He put you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loves Israel forever, He made you king to keep justice and righteousness.”

10 Then she gave the king a hundred twenty talents of gold, a massive amount of spices, and precious jewels. Never again did such a big amount of spices come in as what the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

11 (Hiram’s ships, which brought gold from Ophir, also brought a crazy amount of almug wood and precious jewels from there.)

12 The king used the almug wood to make supports for the Lord’s temple and the king’s palace, and also lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before had such almug wood come or been seen up to this day.

13 King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba everything she wanted, whatever she asked for, besides what he already gave her from his royal wealth. Then she turned around and went back to her own country, she and her servants.

Solomon’s Wealth

14 The total gold that came in to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,

15 Besides the revenue from the traveling merchants and the trading deals, and from all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land.

16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; each shield had about fifteen pounds of gold in it.

17 He also made three hundred smaller shields of hammered gold; each shield had about four pounds of gold in it. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

18 The king also made a huge ivory throne, and overlaid it with pure gold.

19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was rounded in the back. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.

20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, six on each side. Nothing like it was ever made in any other kingdom.

21 All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the dishes in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. No silver was considered worth anything in Solomon’s time.

22 Because the king had ships of Tarshish out at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years, the ships of Tarshish would come back, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

23 So King Solomon was richer and wiser than all the other kings on earth.

24 And the whole world tried to get in front of Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

25 Every year, each one would bring their gifts, stuff made of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

26 Solomon gathered up chariots and horses. He had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, which he kept in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

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

28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s traders would buy them from Kue at a set price.

29 A chariot imported from Egypt cost about fifteen pounds of silver, and a horse about four pounds. And they would export them through their traders to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.