The queen of Sheba visits Solomon
1When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan – with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones – she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind. 2Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, 4the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at9:4 Or and the ascent by which he went up to the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.
5She said to the king, ‘The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 6But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. 7How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them for ever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.’
9Then she gave the king 120 talents9:9 That is, about 4 metric tons of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10(The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algum-wood9:10 Probably a variant of almug-wood and precious stones. 11The king used the algum-wood to make steps for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)
12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
Solomon’s splendour
13The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,9:13 That is, about 23 metric tons 14not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels9:15 That is, about 6.9 kilograms of hammered gold went into each shield. 16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels9:16 That is, about 3.5 kilograms of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
17Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. 18The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 19Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 20All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day. 21The king had a fleet of trading ships9:21 Hebrew of ships that could go to Tarshish manned by Hiram’s9:21 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
22King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 23All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 24Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift – articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
25Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses,9:25 Or charioteers which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 26He ruled over all the kings from the River Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.
Solomon’s death
29As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are they 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? 30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 31Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.
示巴女王拜访所罗门
1示巴女王听闻所罗门的名声，便来用难题考问他。她率领许多随从，用骆驼驮着香料、宝石和大量的黄金到耶路撒冷晋见所罗门王，与所罗门谈论她心中的疑问。 2所罗门王解答了她所有的问题，没有一样难得住他。 3示巴女王看见所罗门的智慧，又看见他建的宫殿、 4席上的美味、入座的群臣、侍立一旁的仆人、他们的服装、酒政、以及他在耶和华殿里献的燔祭，感到万分惊奇。 5她对所罗门王说：“我在本国听到的有关你的功业和智慧原来都是真的。 6若不是亲眼目睹，我不会相信。事实上，我听到的还不到一半！你的智慧远超过我听到的传闻。 7你的臣仆经常侍立在你面前聆听智慧之言，真有福气！ 8你的上帝耶和华当受称颂！祂喜爱你，立你做王统治祂的子民。因为你的上帝爱以色列人，要使他们永远坚立，所以立你为他们的王，使你秉公行义。”
9示巴女王将四吨黄金、大量香料和宝石献给所罗门王。再无人像示巴女王那样献给所罗门王那么多香料。 10希兰的仆人和所罗门的仆人从俄斐运来黄金、檀香木和宝石。 11所罗门王用这些檀香木建造耶和华的殿和王宫的阶梯，又制作歌乐手的琴瑟。在犹大从来没有见过这样的物品。 12所罗门王满足了示巴女王的一切要求，回赠她的礼物超过了她带来的。之后，女王和随从就回示巴去了。
所罗门王的财富
13所罗门每年收到的黄金约二十三吨， 14此外还有商人、阿拉伯诸王和国内各总督送给他的金银。 15所罗门王用锤好的金子打造了二百面大盾牌，每面用七公斤金子； 16又用锤好的金子打造了三百面小盾牌，每面用三点五公斤金子，全部放在黎巴嫩林宫。 17王又造了一个象牙大宝座，外面用纯金包裹。 18这宝座有六级台阶，又有金脚凳与宝座相连，宝座两旁有扶手，扶手两边各站着一头狮子， 19六级台阶上共站着十二头狮子，每级台阶两端各站一头。这宝座举世无双。 20所罗门王所有的杯子都是金的，黎巴嫩林宫里所有的器皿都是纯金的，没有一件是用银子造的，因为所罗门年间银子不算什么。 21王有船队与希兰的仆人一起出海去他施，每三年就运回金银、象牙、猿猴和孔雀。 22所罗门王的财富和智慧超过天下诸王。 23天下的君王都纷纷来朝见所罗门，聆听上帝赐给他的智言慧语。 24他们年年都带来礼物，有金银器皿、衣服、兵器、香料和骡马。 25所罗门有四千个安置战车和马匹的棚，有一万二千名骑兵，驻扎在屯车城和他所在的耶路撒冷。 26所罗门统管从幼发拉底河到非利士地区，远至埃及边境的诸王。 27王使耶路撒冷的金银多如石头，使香柏木多如丘陵的无花果树。 28所罗门的马匹都是从埃及和其他国家运来的。
所罗门逝世
29所罗门一生的事迹，自始至终都记在拿单先知的史记、示罗人亚希雅的《预言书》和易多先见论尼八的儿子耶罗波安的《启示书》中。 30所罗门在耶路撒冷统治以色列四十年， 31他与祖先同眠后，葬在他父亲大卫的城里。他儿子罗波安继位。
