2 Chronicles 9

Solomon amazes Queen of Sheba

When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's fame, she went to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She brought a caravan of camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones. When she arrived, she told Solomon everything that was on her mind, and Solomon answered all her questions. There wasn't anything that Solomon couldn't explain to her. When Sheba's queen saw Solomon's wisdom, the house he built, the food he ate, his officials, his servants, the clothes they wore, and the burnt offerings he sacrificed to the Existing One, she was speechless.

She told him, "I didn't believe the rumors that reached my country about your wisdom, but now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I know they're true. Heck, the rumors I heard about your wisdom were only half as big as the truth! Your wives are happy, and your servants are happy just from getting to hear your wisdom. May your God the Existing One be favored. He takes pleasure in you and placed you on the throne as king over his people! God loved Israel and wants to keep them forever, so he made you their king to carry out justice and righteousness." Then she gave the king 9,000 pounds of gold and a large amount of spices and precious stones. The spices that Sheba's queen gave Solomon were unlike any other.

Meanwhile, Hiram's servants and Solomon's servants brought back gold, algum wood, and precious stones from Ophir. The king used the algum wood to make supports for the Existing One's house and the king's palace as well as musical instruments for the singers. They were the finest that the land of Judah had ever seen.

King Solomon gave Sheba's queen everything she wanted: whatever she asked for except what she had already given him. After that, she and her caravan went back to their own country.

Solomon acquires more wealth

The gold that Solomon made in one year weighed 49,950 pounds [666 talents] (not including what the explorers and merchants brought). All of Arabia's kings and governors brought gold and silver to Solomon. King Solomon made 200 large shields that that each contained 14.5 pounds of beaten gold, and he made 300 more shields that each contained 7.25 pounds of beaten gold. He put these shields in the Lebanon's Forest House. The king also made a huge ivory throne overlaid with pure gold. The throne had 6 steps with 2 lions standing on each step leading up to the golden footstool, with more lions standing beside the armrests. No kingdom had ever made anything quite like it. All of King Solomon's cups were gold, and all the vessels in Lebanon's Forest House were also pure gold. Silver was pretty much worthless in Solomon's days. Every three years, Israel's ships went to Tarshish with Hiram where they brought back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

King Solomon's wealth and wisdom surpassed all the other kings in the world. They all wanted to be around Solomon to hear the wisdom God gave him. Year after year, they all brought him presents: trinkets made of silver and gold, clothes, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules. Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots plus 12,000 horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and in Jerusalem. He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, to the border of Egypt. In Jerusalem, he made silver as common as stone, and cedar as plentiful as Shephelah sycamore. He imported horses from Egypt and many other countries.

Solomon dies, Rehoboam takes throne

The rest of Solomon's history including everything he did is recorded in Nathan the prophet's book, in Ahijah the Shilonite's prophecy, and in Iddo the seer's visions about Jeroboam (Nebat's son). Solomon reigned over Israel from Jerusalem for forty years before joining his ancestors and being buried in David's city. Then his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

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2 Chronicles 10

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2 Chronicles 8