2Ch 9 | NASB2020 | STEP | Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon , she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with riddles . She had a very large entourage , with camels carrying balsam oil and a large amount of gold and precious stones ; and when she came to Solomon , she spoke with him about everything that was on her heart .

2 Chronicles 9

Visit of the Queen of Sheba

1 ^aNow when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with riddles. She had a very large entourage, with camels carrying balsam oil and a large amount of gold and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about everything that was on her heart. 2 Solomon ^{▼▼Lit told her all her words}answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from Solomon which he did not ^{▼▼Lit tell}explain to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he had built, 4 the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his ministers and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and ^{▼▼Or his burnt offering which he offered}his stairway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, she was breathless. 5 Then she said to the king, “It was a true ^{▼▼Lit word}story that I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 6 But I did not believe their ^{▼▼Lit words}stories until I came and my own eyes saw it all. And behold, not even half of the greatness of your wisdom was reported to me. You have surpassed the report that I heard. 7 How ^{▼▼Or happy}blessed are your men, how ^{▼▼Or happy}blessed are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom! 8 Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you, ⁱsetting you on His throne as king for the Lord your God; ^jbecause your God loved Israel, establishing them forever, He made you king over them, to carry out justice and righteousness.” 9 Then she gave the king ^{▼▼About 4.5 tons or 4 metric tons} 120 talents of gold and a very great amount of balsam oil and precious stones; there had never been balsam oil like that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

10 The servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon ^lwho brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones. 11 From the algum trees the king made steps to the house of the Lord and for the king’s palace, and lyres and harps for the singers; and nothing like them was seen before in the land of Judah.

12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba her every desire, whatever she requested, besides gifts equal to what she had brought to the king. Then she turned and went to her own land with her servants.

Solomon’s Wealth and Power

13 ^mNow the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was ^{▼▼About 25 tons or 23 metric tons}666 talents of gold, 14 besides what the traders and merchants brought; and all ^othe kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, ^{▼▼Lit he brought up}using six hundred shekels of beaten gold on each large shield. 16 He made three hundred shields of beaten gold, ^{▼▼Lit he brought up}using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

17 Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and ^{▼▼Lit hands}arms ^{▼▼Lit from this and from this at the place of the seat}on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the ^{▼▼Lit hands}arms. 19 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. 20 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; silver was not considered ^{▼▼Lit anything}valuable in the days of Solomon. 21 ^vFor the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22 ^wSo King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 24 ^xThey were bringing, each of them his gift: articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, balsam oil, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

25 Now Solomon had ^yfour thousand stalls for horses and chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26 ^zHe was ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. 27 ^aaAnd the king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the ^{▼▼Heb shephelah}lowland. 28 ^acAnd they were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.

29 ^adNow the rest of the acts of Solomon, from the first to the last, ^aeare they not written in the ^{▼▼Lit words}records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of ^{▼▼Heb Jedo}Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 ^ahSolomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

Death of Solomon

31 And Solomon ^{▼▼I.e., died}lay down with his fathers and was buried in ^ajthe city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.