2 Chronicles 9
Solomon Entertains a Queen
9:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon,1 she came to challenge2 him3 with difficult questions.4 She arrived in Jerusalem5 with a great display of pomp,6 bringing with her camels carrying spices,7 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.8
9:3 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom,9 the palace10 he had built,
9:4 the food in his banquet hall,11 his servants and attendants12 in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the
Solomon’s Wealth
9:13 Solomon received 666 talents32 of gold per year,33 9:14 besides what he collected from the merchants34 and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 9:15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures35 of hammered gold were used for each shield. 9:16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures36 of gold were used for each of those shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest.37
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.38 The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side.39 9:19 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.40
9:20 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time.41 9:21 The king had a fleet of large merchant ships42 manned by Huram’s men43 that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet44 came into port with cargoes of45 gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.46
9:22 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.47 9:23 All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.48 9:24 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.49
9:25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses50 and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem.51 9:26 He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River52 to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt. 9:27 The king made silver as plentiful53 in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was54 as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands55. 9:28 Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands.
Solomon’s Reign Ends
9:29 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded56 in the Annals of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Vision of Iddo the Seer pertaining to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 9:30 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem57 for forty years. 9:31 Then Solomon passed away58 and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king.