2 Chronicles 9

Queen of Sheba Visits & Solomon’s Crazy Rich Life

1 When the Queen of Sheba heard all the buzz about Solomon, she decided to roll up to Jerusalem to test him with some hard questions, bringing a huge crew, with camels loaded with 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.

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

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

4 The food on his table, the way his officials sat, the service of his waiters and their uniforms, and the way they marched up to the Lord’s temple, it blew her mind. She was speechless.

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

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

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

8 “Shout out to the Lord your God, who was so pleased with you that He put you on His throne as king for the Lord your God! Because your God loves Israel and wants to keep them standing forever, He made you king over them to keep justice and righteousness.”

9 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.

10 (Also, Huram’s servants and Solomon’s servants, who brought gold from Ophir, brought almug timber and precious jewels.)

11 The king used the almug timber to make walkways for the Lord’s temple and the king’s palace, and also lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before had such almug timber been seen in the land of Judah.

12 King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba everything she wanted, whatever she asked for, besides what she brought to the king. Then she turned around and went back to her own country, she and her servants.

Solomon’s Crazy Wealth

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

14 Besides the revenue from the traveling merchants and traders, and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land, who brought gold and silver to Solomon.

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

16 He also made three hundred smaller shields of hammered gold; each shield had about seven and a half pounds of gold in it. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

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

18 The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold attached to the throne, and armrests on both sides of the seat, with two lions standing beside the armrests.

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

20 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.

21 Because the king had ships that went to Tarshish with Huram’s servants. Once every three years, the ships of Tarshish would come back, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

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

23 And all the kings of the earth tried to get in front of Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

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

25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

26 He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.

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

28 Horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all other countries.

Solomon’s Death

29 As for the rest of Solomon’s story, from beginning to end, is it not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat,

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

31 Then Solomon passed away and joined his ancestors. They buried him in the City of David his pops. And his son Rehoboam took over as king.