1 Kings 10

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame and came to test him with difficult questions.	1 The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon's fame, came to test him with subtle questions.
2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels laden with spices and an immensequantity of gold and precious stones. Having reached Solomon, she discussed with him everything that she hadin mind,	2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue, and with camels bearing spices, a large amount of gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject in which she was interested.
3 and Solomon had an answer for al her questions; not one of them was too obscure for the king toanswer for her.	3 King Solomon explained everything she asked about, and there remained nothing hidden from him that he could not explain to her.
4 When the queen of Sheba saw how very wise Solomon was, the palace which he had built,	4 When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon's great wisdom, the palace he had built,
5 the food at his table, the accommodation for his officials, the organisation of his staff and the way theywere dressed, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings which he presented in the Temple of Yahweh, it left herbreathless,	5 the food at his table, the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters, his banquet service, and the holocausts he offered in the temple of the LORD, she was breathless.
6 and she said to the king, 'The report I heard in my own country about your wisdom in handling youraffairs was true then!	6 "The report I heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king.
7 Until I came and saw for myself, I did not believe the reports, but clearly I was told less than half: forwisdom and prosperity, you surpass what was reported to me.	7 "Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes, I have discovered that they were not telling me the half. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard.
8 How fortunate your wives are! How fortunate these courtiers of yours, continual y in attendance on youand listening to your wisdom!	8 Happy are your men, happy these servants of yours, who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.
9 Blessed be Yahweh your God who has shown you his favour by setting you on the throne of Israel!Because of Yahweh's everlasting love for Israel, he has made you king to administer law and justice.'	9 Blessed be the LORD, your God, whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel. In his enduring love for Israel, the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice."
10 And she presented the king with a hundred and twenty talents of gold and great quantities of spicesand precious stones; no such wealth of spices ever came again as those which the queen of Sheba gave to KingSolomon.	10 Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 Similarly, Hiram's fleet, which brought the gold from Ophir, also brought back great cargoes of almugtimber and precious stones.	11 Hiram's fleet, which used to bring gold from Ophir, also brought from there a large quantity of cabinet wood and precious stones.
12 Of the almug timber the king made supports for the Temple of Yahweh and for the royal palace, andharps and lyres for the musicians; no more of this almug timber has since come or been seen to this day.	12 With the wood the king made supports for the temple of the LORD and for the palace of the king, and harps and lyres for the chanters. No more such wood was brought or seen to the present day.
13 And King Solomon, in his turn, presented the queen of Sheba with everything that she expressed awish for, besides those presents which he gave her with a munificence worthy of King Solomon. After which, shewent home to her own country, she and her servants.	13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she desired and asked for, besides such presents as were given her from Solomon's royal bounty. Then she returned with her servants to her own country.
14 The weight of gold received annually by Solomon amounted to six hundred and sixty-six talents ofgold,	14 The gold that Solomon received every year weighed six hundred and sixty-six gold talents,
15 besides what tol s and foreign trade, as well as everything the Arab kings and the provincial governorsbrought in.	15 in addition to what came from the Tarshish fleet, from the traffic of merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country.
16 King Solomon made two hundred great shields of beaten gold, six hundred shekels of gold going intoone shield;	16 Moreover, King Solomon made two hundred shields of beaten gold (six hundred gold shekels went into each shield)
17 also three hundred small shields of beaten gold, three mina of gold going into one shield; and the kingput these into the House of the Forest of Lebanon.	17 and three hundred bucklers of beaten gold (three minas of gold went into each buckler); and he put them in the hall of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 The king also made a great ivory throne which he overlaid with refined gold.	18 The king also had a large ivory throne made, and overlaid it with refined gold.
19 The throne had six steps, a back with a rounded top, and arms on each side of the seat; two lionsstood beside the arms,	19 The throne had six steps, a back with a round top, and an arm on each side of the seat. Next to each arm stood a lion;
20 and twelve lions stood on each side of the six steps. Nothing like it has ever been made in any otherkingdom.	20 and twelve other lions stood on the steps, two to a step, one on either side of each step. Nothing like this was produced in any other kingdom.
21 Al King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and al the plate in the House of the Forest ofLebanon was of pure gold; silver was little thought of in Solomon's days,	21 In addition, all King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the utensils in the hall of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. There was no silver, for in Solomon's time it was considered worthless.
22 since the king had a fleet of Tarshish at sea with Hiram's fleet, and once every three years the fleet ofTarshish would come back laden with gold and silver, ivory, apes and baboons.	22 The king had a fleet of Tarshish ships at sea with Hiram's fleet. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish ships would come with a cargo of gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
23 For riches and for wisdom, King Solomon surpassed al kings on earth,	23 Thus King Solomon surpassed in riches and wisdom all the kings of the earth.
24 and the whole world consulted Solomon to hear the wisdom which God had implanted in his heart;	24 And the whole world sought audience with Solomon, to hear from him the wisdom which God had put in his heart.
25 and everyone would bring a present with him: things made of silver, things made of gold, robes,armour, spices, horses and mules; and this went on year after year.	25 Each one brought his yearly tribute: silver or gold articles, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules.
26 Solomon then built up a force of chariots and cavalry; he had one thousand four hundred chariots andtwelve thousand horses, these he stationed in the chariot towns and near the king in Jerusalem.	26 Solomon collected chariots and drivers; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand drivers; these he allocated among the chariot cities and to the king's service in Jerusalem.
27 In Jerusalem the king made silver as common as stones, and cedar wood as plentiful as sycamore inthe lowlands.	27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as numerous as the sycamores of the foothills.
28 Solomon's horses were imported from Muzur and Cilicia. The king's dealers acquired them fromCilicia at the prevailing price.	28 Solomon's horses were imported from Cilicia, where the king's agents purchased them.
29 A chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred silver shekels and a horse from Cilicia for ahundred and fifty. They also supplied the Hittite and Aramaean kings, who al used them as middlemen.	29 A chariot imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels, a horse one hundred and fifty shekels; they were exported at these rates to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.