10:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon in relation to the name of the LORD, she came to test him with riddles.
10:2 So she came to Jerusalem with a very large entourage, with camels carrying balsam oil and a very large quantity of gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke to him about everything that was in her heart.
10:3 And Solomon ①answered all her questions; nothing was concealed from the king which he did not explain to her.
▷ ①Lit told her all her words
10:4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
10:5 and the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he offered at the house of the LORD, ①she was breathless.
▷ ①Lit there was no more breath in her
10:6 Then she said to the king, “It was a true ①story that I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.
▷ ①Lit word
10:7 But I did not believe the ①stories until I came and my own eyes saw it all. And behold, the half of it was not reported to me. You have exceeded in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard.
▷ ①Lit words
10:8 Blessed are your men, and blessed are these servants of yours who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom!
10:9 Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to put you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loves Israel forever, He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”
10:10 Then she gave the king ①120 talents of gold, and a very large amount of balsam oil and precious stones. Never again did such a large quantity of balsam oil come in as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
▷ ①About 4.5 tons or 4 metric tons
10:11 And the ships of Hiram as well, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a very great number of almug trees and precious stones.
10:12 The king made from the almug trees supports for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, and lyres and harps for the singers; such almug trees have not come in again, nor have they been seen to this day.
10:13 And King Solomon granted the queen of Sheba everything she desired, whatever she requested, besides what he gave her in proportion to ①his royal bounty. Then she ②departed and went to her own land ③together with her servants.
▷ ①Lit the hand of King Solomon ②Lit turned around ③Lit she and her
10:14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was ①666 talents of gold,
▷ ①About 25 tons or 23 metric tons
10:15 besides that from the traders, and the ①wares of the merchants and all the kings of the Arabs and the governors of the country.
▷ ①Or traffic
10:16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, ①using six hundred shekels of gold on each large shield.
▷ ①Lit he brought up
10:17 And he made three hundred small shields of beaten gold, ①using ②three minas of gold on each shield; and the king put them in the house of the timber of Lebanon.
▷ ①Lit he brought up ②About 3.8 lb. or 1.7 kg
10:18 Moreover, the king made a large throne of ivory and overlaid it with fine gold.
10:19 There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its back, and ①armrests ②on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the ③armrests.
▷ ①Lit hands ②Lit from this and from this at the place of the seat ③Lit hands
10:20 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for ①any other kingdom.
▷ ①Lit all kingdoms
10:21 Now all King Solomon’s drinking utensils were of gold, and all the utensils of the house of the timber of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered as amounting to anything in the days of Solomon.
10:22 For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s ships; once every three years the ships of Tarshish would come carrying gold and silver, ivory, monkeys, and peacocks.
10:23 So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom.
10:24 And all the earth was seeking the ①attention of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
▷ ①Lit face
10:25 And they were bringing, everyone, ①a gift: articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, balsam oil, horses, and mules, so much year by year.
▷ ①Lit his gift
10:26 Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he ①stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
▷ ①As in ancient versions; MT led
10:27 And the king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the ①lowland.
▷ ①Heb Shephelah
10:28 Also Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s merchants acquired them from Kue for a price.
10:29 A chariot ①was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for 150; and ②by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of the Arameans.
▷ ①Lit came up and went out from ②Lit in the same way by their hand