Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon
concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard
questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with
camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And
when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.
And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden
from the king that he could not explain to her. And when the queen
of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had
built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the
attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his
burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the LORD, there was
no more breath in her.

  And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my
own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe
the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold,
the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the
report that I heard. Happy are your men! Happy are your servants,
who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be
the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the
throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has
made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”
Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great
quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an
abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King
Solomon.

  Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir,
brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious
stones. And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house
of the LORD and for the king's house, also lyres and harps for the
singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.

  And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired,
whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King
Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her
servants.

  Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666
talents of gold, besides that which came from the explorers and
from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the
west and from the governors of the land. King Solomon made 200
large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels of gold went into each
shield. And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold
went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the
Forest of Lebanon. The king also made a great ivory throne and
overlaid it with the finest gold. The throne had six steps, and the
throne had a round top, and on each side of the seat were armrests
and two lions standing beside the armrests, while twelve lions
stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. The like
of it was never made in any kingdom. 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. None were of silver; silver
was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. For the king
had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram.
Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come
bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

  Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches
and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon
to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. Every one of
them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments,
myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

  And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400
chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot
cities and with the king in Jerusalem. And the king made silver as
common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the
sycamore of the Shephelah. And Solomon's import of horses was from
Egypt and Kue, and the king's traders received them from Kue at a
price. A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of
silver and a horse for 150, and so through the king's traders they
were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of
Syria.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.