The Queen of Sheba Visits King Solomon |
1 Kings 10:1-29 1 Kings [in Smaller Chunks] |
When the Queen of Sheba heard of [Solomon’s] fame [related] to the name of the Lord, she came to [challenge] him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a [long caravan] of camels [carrying lots of] gold & precious [gems]. |
When she [came] to Solomon, she [talked] with him [about] everything on her heart. Solomon answered all her questions & there was [nothing too difficult for] the king [to tell her]. |
When the Queen of Sheba saw all Solomon’s wisdom & the [palace] he built, the [food] on his table, his [servant’s table settings,] the attendance of his ministers & their [elaborate clothing,] his cup bearers, & [Solomon’s] ascent up to the Lord’s house, [she was overwhelmed] & there wasn’t [any] spirit [left] in her. |
She said to king [Solomon,] It was a true report [that] I heard in my land [about] your words & wisdom. [But] I didn’t [believe it] until I had seen it [with my own] eyes. [See,] 1/2 [of it] wasn’t [even] told [to] me. Your wisdom, prosperity & fame [exceeds] the fame I heard. |
Your men & your servants are happy [who] stand before you continually & hear your wisdom. Blessed be the Lord your God [who] delights in you, to [put] you on the throne of Israel, because the Lord loved Israel forever. |
Therefore, He made you king to [provide] judgment & justice. The Queen of Sheba gave king [Solomon] 120 talents of gold, a [large variety] of [rare] spices in abundance & precious [gems]. [Hiram’s] navy also brought gold from Ophir & a great [amount] of almug trees & precious gems from Ophir. |
KIng [Solomon used] the almug trees to [make] pillars [columns] for the [Lord’s] house & also for [Solomon’s palace,] harps & [lyres] for the singers. There haven’t [ever been] seen [that many] almug trees to this day. |
King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba all [she] desired & [whatever] she asked for [in addition to] all the royal bounty Solomon gave her. So, she & her servants [returned] to her own country. |
Now, the weight of [the] gold that came to Solomon in 1 year was 666 talents of gold [vCalc.com says the current U.S. value of that amount of gold is: $1,358,277,003]. [Plus, the money Solomon got from merchants] & [traders] of spices & all the kings of Arabia & the governors of the country. |
King Solomon made 200 [large shields] of [hammered] gold & 600 shekels of gold went [into making each shield]. He [also,] made 300 [smaller] shields & 3 [pounds] of gold went [into making 1] shield. |
The king put them in the [Palace] of the Forest of Lebanon. [Also,] the king made a [big] ivory throne & overlaid it with the best gold. The throne had 6 steps & the throne [had a rounded] top. |
There were [armrests] on either side of the [seat] & 2 lion [statues] by the [armrests]. [There were a total of] 12 lion [statues] that stood [1 on each] side upon the 6 steps. |
There wasn’t anything like [this] made in any kingdom. All king Solomon’s drinking vessels were [made] of gold. All the vessels of the [Palace] of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold & [not] silver. Nothing [was like it] in the days of Solomon. |
King [Solomon] had a navy of [Tarshish] [a.k.a Tharshish] at sea with [Hiram’s] navy. The navy of [Tarshish] came once [every 3 years, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes & peacocks. |
King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth [in] riches & wisdom. All the earth sought to hear [Solomon’s] wisdom, which God had put in his heart. Every man brought [presents of:] silver vessels, gold vessels, [clothing,] armor, spices, horses & mules, a [particular] rate year by year. |
Solomon gathered together 1,4000 chariots & 12,000 horsemen, whom he [kept] in the chariot cities & with the king [in] Jerusalem. [Solomon] made made silver [abundant & as common as the] stones in Jerusalem. |
He made Cedar [trees abundant & as common as the] Sycamore trees in the [valley]. Solomon had horses brought [from] Egypt & linen yarn. The king’s merchants [purchased] & received the linen yarn [for] a price. |
A chariot [was imported from] Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150 [shekels of silver]. So, [they exported them] for all the kings of the Hittites & for the kings of Syria. |