9:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon,¹ she came to challenge² him³ with difficult questions.⁴ She arrived in Jerusalem with a great deal of pomp,⁵ bringing with her camels carrying spices,⁶ a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 9:2 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king.⁷ 9:3 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom,⁸ the palace⁹ he had built, 9:4 the food in his banquet hall,¹⁰ his servants and attendants¹¹ in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the LORD’s temple,¹² she was amazed.¹³ 9:5 She said to the king, “The report I heard back home¹⁴ about your wise sayings and insight¹⁵ was true. 9:6 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story!¹⁶ Your wisdom surpasses what was reported to me. 9:7 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy!¹⁷ 9:8 The LORD your God is worthy of praise because he favored¹⁸ you by placing you on his throne as the one ruling on his behalf!¹⁹ Because of your God’s love for Israel and his lasting commitment to them,²⁰ he made you king over them so you might make just and right decisions.”²¹ 9:9 She gave the king 120 units²² of gold and a very large quantity of spices, and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched.²³ 9:10 (Huram’s servants, aided by Solomon’s servants, brought gold from Ophir, as well as²⁴ algum timber and precious gems. 9:11 With the algum timber the king made steps²⁵ for the LORD’s temple and royal palace and stringed instruments²⁶ for the musicians. No one had seen anything like them in the land of Judah prior to that.²⁷) 9:12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, exceeding what she had brought him.²⁸ Then she left and returned²⁹ to her homeland with her attendants.

9:13 Solomon received 666 units³⁰ of gold per year,³¹ 9:14 besides what he collected from the merchants³² and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 9:15 King Solomon made 200 hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures³³ of hammered gold were used for each shield. 9:16 He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures³⁴ of gold were used for each shield. The king placed them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.³⁵

9:17 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 9:18 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and a gold footstool was attached to the throne. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side.³⁶ 9:19 There were 12 statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.³⁷

9:20 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time.³⁸ 9:21 The king had a fleet of ships³⁹ manned by Huram’s men,⁴⁰ that traveled to Tarshish. Once every three years the ships from Tarshish came into port with⁴¹ gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks⁴².

9:22 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.⁴³ 9:23 All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.⁴⁴ 9:24 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.⁴⁵

9:25 Solomon had Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses.. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem.⁴⁶ 9:26 He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates⁴⁷ to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt. 9:27 The king made silver as plentiful⁴⁸ in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was⁴⁹ as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands⁵⁰. 9:28 Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands.

9:29 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded⁵¹ in the Annals of Nathan the prophet, the Prophecy of Achijah the Shilonite and the Vision of Iddo the seer pertaining to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 9:30 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem for 40 years. 9:31 Then Solomon passed away⁵² and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king.