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 forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”
9Then she gave the king 120 talents9:9 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or 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 algumwood9:10 Probably a variant of almugwood and precious stones. 11The king used the algumwood 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 Splendor
13The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,9:13 That is, about 25 tons or 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 15 pounds or 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 7 1/2 pounds or 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 Euphrates River 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 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.
示巴女王拜訪所羅門
1示巴女王聽聞所羅門的名聲，便來用難題考問他。她率領許多隨從，用駱駝馱著香料、寶石和大量黃金，到耶路撒冷晉見所羅門，與所羅門談論她心中的疑問。 2所羅門解答了她所有的問題，沒有一樣難得住他。 3示巴女王看見所羅門智慧非凡，又看見他建的宮殿、 4席上的美味、入座的群臣、侍立的僕人、酒侍、他們的服裝，以及他在耶和華殿裡獻的燔祭，感到萬分驚奇。 5她對王說：「我在本國聽到的有關你的功業和智慧原來都是真的。 6若不是親眼目睹，我不會相信。其實我聽到的還不到一半！你的智慧遠超過我聽到的傳聞。 7你的百姓真有福氣！你的臣僕經常侍立在你面前聆聽智言慧語，真有福氣！ 8你的上帝耶和華當受稱頌！祂喜愛你，立你坐在祂的寶座上替祂掌權。因為你的上帝愛以色列人，要使他們永遠堅立，所以立你為他們的王，使你秉公行義。」
9示巴女王將八萬兩黃金、大量香料和寶石獻給所羅門王。再無人像示巴女王那樣獻給所羅門王那麼多香料。 10希蘭的僕人和所羅門的僕人從俄斐運來黃金、檀香木和寶石。 11所羅門王用這些檀香木建造耶和華的殿和王宮的階梯，又為歌樂手製作琴瑟。在猶大從來沒有見過這樣的物品。 12所羅門王滿足了示巴女王的一切要求，回贈她的禮物超過了她帶來的。之後，女王和隨從就回示巴去了。
所羅門王的財富
13所羅門每年收到的黃金約四十五萬兩， 14此外還有商人、阿拉伯諸王和國中各總督送給他的金銀。 15所羅門王用錘好的金子打造了二百面大盾牌，每面用一百四十兩金子； 16又用錘好的金子打造了三百面小盾牌，每面用七十兩金子，全部放在黎巴嫩林宮。 17王又造了一個象牙大寶座，外面用純金包裹。 18這寶座有六級臺階，又有金腳凳與寶座相連，寶座兩旁有扶手，扶手兩邊各站著一頭獅子， 19六級臺階上共站著十二頭獅子，每級臺階兩端各站一頭。這寶座舉世無雙。 20所羅門王所有的杯子都是金的，黎巴嫩林宮裡所有的器皿都是純金的，沒有一件是用銀子造的，因為所羅門年間銀子不算什麼。 21王有船隊與希蘭的僕人一起出海去他施，每三年就運回金銀、象牙、猿猴和孔雀。 22所羅門王的財富和智慧超過天下諸王。 23天下的君王都紛紛來朝見所羅門，聆聽上帝賜給他的智言慧語。 24他們年年都帶來禮物，有金銀器皿、衣服、兵器、香料和騾馬。 25所羅門有四千個安置戰車和馬匹的棚，有一萬二千名騎兵，駐紮在屯車城和他所在的耶路撒冷。 26所羅門統管從幼發拉底河到非利士地區，遠至埃及邊境的諸王。 27王使耶路撒冷的銀子多如石頭，使香柏木多如丘陵的桑樹。 28所羅門的馬匹都是從埃及和其他國家運來的。
所羅門逝世
29所羅門其他的事蹟自始至終都記在拿單先知的史記、示羅人亞希雅的《預言書》和易多先見論尼八的兒子耶羅波安的《啟示書》中。 30所羅門在耶路撒冷統治整個以色列四十年， 31他與祖先同眠後，葬在他父親大衛的城裡。他兒子羅波安繼位。
