2 Chronicles 9

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
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 Also, when the queen of Sheba had heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem, with great riches and with camels which were carrying aromatics, and very much gold, and precious gems, so that she might test him with enigmas. And when she had approached Solomon, she spoke to him all that was in her heart.
2 and Solomon had an answer for al her questions; not one of them was too obscure for Solomon toanswer for her.	2 And Solomon explained for her all that she had proposed. And there was nothing that he did not make clear to her.
3 When the queen of Sheba saw how wise Solomon was, the palace which he had built,	3 And after she saw these things, specifically, the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which 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 indeed also the foods of his table, and the habitations of the servants, and the duties of his ministers, and their apparel, and also his cupbearers and their garments, and the victims which he was immolating in the house of the Lord, there was no longer any spirit in her, due to astonishment.
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 And she said to the king: “The word is true, which I had heard in my own land, about your virtues and wisdom.
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 I did not believe those who described it, until I had arrived and my eyes had seen, and I had proven that not even half of your wisdom had been described to me. You have exceeded your fame with your virtue.
7 How fortunate your people are! How fortunate your courtiers, continually in attendance on you andlistening to your wisdom!	7 Blessed are your men, and blessed are your servants, who stand before you at all times 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 is the Lord your God, who willed to set you upon his throne as a king for the Lord your God. Since God loves Israel, he wishes to preserve them unto eternity. For this reason, he appointed you as king over them, so that you may accomplish judgment 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 to the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and an exceedingly great abundance of aromatics, and very precious gems. Never were there such aromatics as those that 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 Then too, the servants of Hiram, with the servants of Solomon, brought gold from Ophir, and wood from thyine trees, and very precious gems.
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 And the king made, from this particular thyine wood, steps in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king, and also harps and psalteries for the singing men. Never was there seen such wood 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 Then king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, and all that she requested, and much more than what she had brought to him. And returning, she went away to her own land with her servants.
13 The weight of the gold received annually by Solomon amounted to six hundred and sixty-six talents ofgold,	13 Now the weight of the gold, which was being brought to Solomon throughout each year, was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,
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 apart from the sum that the legates of various nations and the merchants were accustomed to bring, and apart from the gold and silver that all the kings of Arabia, and the princes of the lands, were bringing together for Solomon.
15 King Solomon made two hundred great shields of beaten gold, six hundred shekels of beaten goldgoing into one shield;	15 And so, king Solomon made two hundred gold spears, from six hundred gold pieces, the amount used for each spear,
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 also three hundred gold shields, from three hundred gold pieces, which covered each shield. And the king placed them in the armory, which was situated in a forest.
17 The king also made a great ivory throne which he overlaid with refined gold.	17 Also, the king made a great ivory throne, and he clothed it with the purest 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 And there were six steps, by which he would ascend to the throne, and a footstool of gold, and two arms, one on each side, and 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 Moreover, there were twelve additional little lions standing upon the six steps on both sides. There was no similar throne in all the kingdoms.
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 Also, all the vessels for the feasts of the king were of gold, and the vessels of the forest house of Lebanon were from the purest gold. For silver in those days was considered as nothing.
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 indeed, the ships of the king went to Tarshish, with the servants of Hiram, once every three years. And they brought from there gold, and silver, and ivory, and primates, and peacocks.
22 For riches and for wisdom, King Solomon surpassed al kings on earth,	22 And so, Solomon was magnified above all the kings of the earth in wealth and glory.
23 and al the kings in the world consulted Solomon to hear the wisdom which God had implanted in hisheart,	23 And all the kings of the lands were desiring to see the face of Solomon, so that they might hear the wisdom that God had granted to 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 And they were bringing to him gifts, vessels of silver and of gold, and garments, and armor, and aromatics, and horses, and mules, throughout each year.
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 Also, Solomon had forty thousand horses in the stables, and twelve thousand chariots and horsemen, and he appointed them to the cities of the chariots, and where the king was in Jerusalem.
26 He was overlord of all the kings from the River to the territory of the Philistines and the Egyptianborder.	26 Now he also exercised authority over all the kings from the river Euphrates as far as the land of the Philistines, and as far as the borders of Egypt.
27 In Jerusalem the king made silver as common as stones, and cedar wood as plentiful as sycamore inthe Lowlands.	27 And he brought forth so much silver that it was as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones. And cedar trees were as great in number as the sycamores that spring up in the plains.
28 Horses were imported for Solomon from Muzur and all the other countries too.	28 And horses were brought to him from Egypt and from every region.
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 Now the rest of the works of Solomon, the first and the last, have been written in the words of Nathan, the prophet, and in the books of Ahijah, the Shilonite, as well as in the vision of Iddo, the seer, against Jeroboam, the son of Nabat.
30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.	30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem, over all of 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 And he slept with his fathers. And they buried him in the City of David. And his son, Rehoboam, reigned in his place.