When the queen of Saba1 heard of the fame of Sulayman2, she came to test Sulayman with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very large caravan, and camels that bore spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she came to Sulayman, she talked with him about all that was in her heart. 2Sulayman answered all her questions; and there was nothing hidden from Sulayman which he did not tell her. 3When the queen of Saba had seen the wisdom of Sulayman, and the house that he had built, 4and the food at his table, and the seating of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their clothing, his cup bearers also, and their clothing, and his ascent by which he went up to the House of YAHWEH3; there was no more spirit in her.
5She said to the king, “It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts, and of your wisdom. 6However I didn’t believe their words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me: you exceed the fame that I heard. 7Happy are your men, and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you, and hear your wisdom. 8Praise be to YAHWEH your God, who delighted in you, to set you on his throne, to be king for YAHWEH your God: because your God loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore he made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”
9She gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Saba gave to King Sulayman.
10The servants also of Huram, and the servants of Sulayman, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones. 11The king made from the algum trees terraces for the House of YAHWEH, and for the king’s house, and harps and lyres for the singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. 12King Sulayman gave to the queen of Saba all she wanted, whatever she asked, besides that which she had brought to the king. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.
13Now the weight of gold that came to Sulayman in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 14besides that which the traders and merchants brought: and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Sulayman. 15King Sulayman made two hundred shields of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went into one shield. 16he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 17Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 18There were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and armrests on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests. 19Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps: there was nothing like it made in any kingdom. 20All King Sulayman’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Sulayman. 21For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
22So King Sulayman exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 23All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Sulayman, to hear his wisdom, which God4 had put in his heart. 24They each brought tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and clothing, armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 25Sulayman had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. 26He ruled over all the kings from the River even to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. 27The king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars were as abundant as sycamore trees in the lowland. 28They brought horses for Sulayman out of Egypt, and out of all lands.
29Now the rest of the acts of Sulayman, first and last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat? 30Sulayman reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31Sulayman slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of Dawud his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
- 9:1 Saba, Arabic name derived from the Hebrew name, Sheba. ↩︎
- 9:1 Sulayman, this Arabic name and the name Solomon are both derived from the Hebrew name Shlomo which means “peace.” ↩︎
- 9:4 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎
- 9:23 God, English translation of elohim. Elohim (Hebrew) is related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎