2 Chronicles 9
The Half Had Not Been Told Her
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The Queen of Saba
9:1The queen of Saba heard Solomon’s name and came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with riddles, with a very great force and camels carrying spices, plentiful gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and spoke to him about everything in her soul.
9:2Solomon explained all her questions to her. No matter escaped Solomon that he did not explain to her.
9:3When the queen of Saba saw Solomon’s wisdom and the house he had built,
9:4the food of the tables, the seating of his servants, the station of his ministers and their clothing, his wine-pourers and their attire, and the whole burnt offerings he offered in the Lord’s house, she was beside herself.
9:5She said to the king, “The report I heard in my land about your words and wisdom was true.
9:6I did not believe the words until I came and my eyes saw. Look, not half the abundance of your wisdom was reported to me! You surpass the report I heard.
9:7Happy are the men, happy these servants of yours who stand by you continually and hear your wisdom!
9:8Blessed be the Lord your God, who favored you to put you on His throne as king for the Lord your God! Because the Lord your God loved Israel, to establish it forever, He made you king over them to enact judgment and righteousness.”
9:9She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There was nothing like those spices the queen of Saba gave King Solomon.
9:10Solomon’s servants and Chiram’s servants brought gold to Solomon from Souphir, pinewood, and precious stones.
9:11The king made the pinewood into stairways for the Lord’s house and the king’s house, and kitharas and nablas for the singers. Such things had not previously been seen in Judah’s land.
9:12King Solomon gave the queen of Saba everything she desired and requested, apart from all that she had brought to King Solomon. Then she returned to her land.
The Gold and the Shields of Solomon
9:13The weight of gold brought to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,
9:14apart from what the subjected men and merchants brought; all Arabia’s kings and the land’s satraps brought gold and silver to King Solomon.
9:15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold: six hundred pure gold pieces for each large shield; six hundred gold pieces went onto each shield.
9:16He made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundred gold pieces were applied to each shield. The king placed them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
The Great Ivory Throne
9:17The king made a great ivory throne of tusks and gilded it with tested gold.
9:18The throne had six steps fastened with gold, with armrests on either side of the throne’s seat and two lions standing beside the armrests.
9:19Twelve lions stood there on the six steps, on either side. Nothing like it had existed in any kingdom.
9:20All King Solomon’s vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were covered with gold. Silver was considered of no account in Solomon’s days.
9:21For a ship belonging to the king traveled to Tharsis with Chiram’s servants. Once every three years ships came from Tharsis to the king, laden with gold, silver, elephant tusks, and apes.
Solomon Greater Than All the Kings
9:22Solomon became greater than all the kings in both wealth and wisdom.
9:23All earth’s kings sought Solomon’s presence to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
9:24Each brought his gifts: silver vessels, gold vessels, clothing, stacte, aromatic spices, horses, and mules, year after year.
9:25Solomon had four thousand mares for chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. He stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
9:26He was leader over all the kings from the River to the foreigners’ land and to Egypt’s border.
9:27The king made gold and silver in Jerusalem like stones, and cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the plain.
9:28The supply of horses for Solomon came out of Egypt and all the land.
The Death of Solomon
9:29The remaining deeds of Solomon, first and last—look, they are written in the records of Nathan the prophet, the records of Achia the Selonite, and the visions of Joel the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nabat.
9:30King Solomon reigned over all Israel for forty years.
9:31Solomon fell asleep, and they buried him in the city of David his father. Rehoboam his son became king in his place.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.