2 Chronicles 9

And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

1The queen of Sheba heard how famous Solomon was. She came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She brought a very large group with her. Her camels carried spices, lots of gold, and jewels. She met Solomon and talked with him about everything on her mind.

2And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.

2Solomon answered every one of her questions. Nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.

3And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,

3The queen saw how wise Solomon was. She saw the palace he had built.

4And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.

4She saw the food on his table. She saw where his helpers sat, and how they served. She saw their fine clothes, and the clothes of the men who poured his drinks. She saw the offerings he brought to the LORD's house. It took her breath away.

5And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom:

5She said to the king, "What I heard back home about you is true. People told me about your words and your wisdom.

6Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.

6But I did not believe it until I came and saw it myself. I was not told even half of how wise you are. You are much greater than the stories I heard.

7Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.

7Your people must be very happy. So must these helpers who stand near you every day. They get to hear your wise words.

8Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.

8Praise the LORD your God! He was pleased with you and put you on his throne. You are king for the LORD your God. Your God loves Israel and wants them to last forever. That is why he made you their king, to rule in a fair and right way."

9And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon.

9Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold. She also gave him many spices and jewels. No one had ever brought spices like the ones she gave King Solomon.

NoteA talent was a large weight, about 75 pounds. So 120 talents of gold was a huge amount.

10And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.

10Huram's workers and Solomon's workers brought gold from a place called Ophir. They also brought algum wood and jewels.

11And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king’s palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.

11The king used the algum wood to make steps for the LORD's house and for his own palace. He also made harps and other stringed instruments for the singers. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah before.

12And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.

12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted. He gave her whatever she asked for. It was even more than she had brought to him. Then she and her helpers went back home.

13Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;

13Each year Solomon received 666 talents of gold.

14Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

14That did not count what traders and sellers brought him. All the kings of Arabia and the rulers of the land brought him gold and silver too.

15And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.

15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold. Each one used six hundred shekels of gold.

NoteA shekel was a small weight, about half an ounce.

16And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold. Each one used three hundred shekels of gold. The king put them all in the building called the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

17Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.

17The king also made a big throne out of ivory. He covered it with pure gold.

18And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:

18The throne had six steps. A gold footstool was attached to it. There were arm rests on both sides of the seat. A lion stood beside each arm rest.

19And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.

19Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at each end of every step. No other kingdom had ever made anything like it.

20And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

20All of King Solomon's cups were made of gold. Every dish in the House of the Forest of Lebanon was pure gold. Nothing was made of silver. In Solomon's days silver was not worth much.

21For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

21The king had big trading ships that sailed with Huram's workers. Once every three years the ships came back. They brought gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

22King Solomon had more riches and more wisdom than any other king on earth.

23And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.

23Kings from everywhere came to see Solomon. They wanted to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

24And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

24Year after year, each visitor brought a gift. They brought silver and gold dishes, clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

25And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

25Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots. He had 12,000 horses. He kept them in the chariot cities and with him in Jerusalem.

26And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.

26He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines. His rule reached all the way to the border of Egypt.

27And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.

27In Jerusalem the king made silver as common as stones. He made cedar wood as easy to find as sycamore trees in the hills.

28And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.

28Horses were brought to Solomon from Egypt and from many other lands.

29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

29The other things Solomon did, from start to finish, are written in other books. They are in the records of Nathan the prophet, a man who told people what God said. They are also in the writings of Ahijah from Shiloh, and in the visions of Iddo the seer about Jeroboam son of Nebat.

NoteA "seer" was another name for a prophet, a person God showed things to.

30And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

30Solomon was king in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

31And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

31Then Solomon died, like his family before him. He was buried in the City of David, the city of his father. His son Rehoboam became king after him.