2 Chronicles 9

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame and came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with difficultquestions, with a very large retinue with camels laden with spices and an immense quantity of gold and preciousstones. Having reached Solomon, she discussed everything that she had in mind with him,	1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with subtle questions, accompanied by a very numerous retinue and by camels bearing spices, much gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject in which she was interested.
2 and Solomon had an answer for al her questions; not one of them was too obscure for Solomon toanswer for her.	2 Solomon explained to her everything she asked about, and there remained nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her.
3 When the queen of Sheba saw how wise Solomon was, the palace which he had built,	3 When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon's wisdom, the palace he had built,
4 the food at his table, the accommodation for his officials, the organisation of his staff and the way theywere dressed, his cupbearers and the way they were dressed, and the burnt offerings, which he made in theTemple of Yahweh, it left her breathless,	4 the food at his table, the seating of his ministers, the attendance of his servants and their dress, his cupbearers and their dress, and the holocausts he offered in the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.
5 and she said to the king, 'The report I heard in my own country about you and about your wisdom inhandling your affairs was true, then!	5 "The account I heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king.
6 Until I came and saw for myself, I did not believe the reports, but clearly I was told less than half aboutthe true extent of your wisdom. You surpass what was reported to me.	6 "Yet I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes. I have discovered that they did not tell me the half of your great wisdom; you have surpassed the stories I heard.
7 How fortunate your people are! How fortunate your courtiers, continually in attendance on you andlistening to your wisdom!	7 Happy are your men, happy these servants of yours, who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.
8 Blessed be Yahweh your God. Because your God loved Israel and meant to keep it secure for ever, hehas made you its king to administer law and justice.'	8 Blessed be the LORD, your God, who has been so pleased with you as to place you on his throne as king for the LORD, your God. Because your God has so loved Israel as to will to make it last forever, he has appointed you over them as king to administer right and justice."
9 And she presented the king with a hundred and twenty talents of gold and great quantities of spicesand precious stones. There never were such spices as those which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.	9 Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents and a very large quantity of spices, as well as precious stones. There was no other spice like that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 Similarly, the men employed by Huram and the men employed by Solomon, who brought the goldfrom Ophir, also brought back algum wood and precious stones.	10 The servants of Huram and of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought cabinet wood and precious stones.
11 Of the algum wood the king made steps for the Temple of Yahweh and for the royal palace, and harpsand lyres for the musicians, the like of which had never before been seen in Judah.	11 With the cabinet wood the king made stairs for the temple of the LORD and the palace of the king; also lyres and harps for the chanters. The like of these had not been seen before in the land of Judah.
12 And King Solomon, in his turn, presented the queen of Sheba with everything that she expressed awish for, besides what he gave her in exchange for what she had brought to the king. After which, she wenthome to her own country, she and her servants.	12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she desired and asked him for, more than she had brought to the king. Then she returned to her own country with her servants.
13 The weight of the gold received annually by Solomon amounted to six hundred and sixty-six talents ofgold,	13 The gold that Solomon received each year weighed six hundred and sixty-six gold talents,
14 besides what tol s and foreign trade brought in; all the Arab kings and the provincial governors alsobrought gold and silver to Solomon.	14 in addition to what was collected from travelers and what the merchants brought. All the kings of Arabia also, and the governors of the country, brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made two hundred great shields of beaten gold, six hundred shekels of beaten goldgoing into one shield;	15 Moreover, King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, six hundred shekels of beaten gold going into each shield,
16 also three hundred smal shields of beaten gold, three hundred shekels of gold going into one shield;and the king put these into the House of the Forest of Lebanon.	16 and three hundred bucklers of beaten gold, three hundred shekels of gold going into each buckler; these the king put in the hall of the Forest of Lebanon.
17 The king also made a great ivory throne which he overlaid with refined gold.	17 King Solomon also made a large ivory throne which he overlaid with fine gold.
18 The throne had six steps with a golden foot-rest attached to the throne, and arms on each side of theseat and two lions standing beside the arms,	18 The throne had six steps; a footstool of gold was fastened to it, and there was an arm on each side of the seat, with two lions standing beside the arms.
19 and twelve lions stood on either side of the six steps. Nothing like it had ever been made in any otherkingdom.	19 Twelve other lions also stood there, one on either side of each step. Nothing like this had ever been produced in any other kingdom.
20 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,	20 Furthermore, all of King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the utensils in the hall of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered of value in Solomon's time.
21 since the king's ships went to Tarshish with Huram's employees, and once every three years themerchantmen would come back laden with gold and silver, ivory, apes and baboons.	21 For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish would return with a cargo of gold and silver, ivory, apes and monkeys.
22 For riches and for wisdom, King Solomon surpassed al kings on earth,	22 Thus King Solomon surpassed all the other kings of the earth in riches as well as in wisdom.
23 and al the kings in the world consulted Solomon to hear the wisdom which God had implanted in hisheart,	23 All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon, to hear from him the wisdom which God had put in his heart.
24 and everyone would bring a present with him: objects of silver and of gold, robes, armour, spices,horses and mules; and this went on year after year.	24 Year in and year out, each one would bring his tribute-silver and gold articles, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules.
25 Solomon also had four thousand stal s for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand cavalrymen;these he stationed in the chariot towns and near the king in Jerusalem.	25 Solomon also had four thousand stalls of horses, chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he assigned to the chariot cities and to the king in Jerusalem.
26 He was overlord of all the kings from the River to the territory of the Philistines and the Egyptianborder.	26 He was ruler over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines and down to the border of Egypt.
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, while cedars became as numerous as the sycamores of the foothills.
28 Horses were imported for Solomon from Muzur and all the other countries too.	28 Horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all the lands.
29 The rest of the history of Solomon, from first to last, is this not all written down in the records ofNathan the prophet, in the Prophecy of Ahijah of Shiloh, and in the Vision of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboamson of Nebat?	29 The rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are written, as is well known, in the acts of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer which concern Jeroboam, son of Nebat.
30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.	30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
31 When Solomon fel asleep with his ancestors, he was buried in the City of his father David; Rehoboamhis son succeeded him.	31 He rested with his ancestors; he was buried in his father's City of David, and his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.