Melachim I - Chapter 10

1. When the Queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, because of the name of the Lord, and she came to test him with riddles.

2. And she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon she spoke with him all that was in her heart.

3. And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king that he did not tell her.

4. And when the Queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom and the house that he had built.

5. And the food of his table, and the seating of his servants and the station of his attendants and their attire and his cupbearers and his ascent by which he would go up to the Temple of the Lord, she was breathless.

6. And she said to the king; "It was a true report that I heard in my country of your deeds and of your wisdom.

7. However, I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes, and I have beheld that not even a half had been told to me. You have wisdom and goodness in excess of that which I have heard.

8. Fortunate are your men; fortunate are these your servants who always stand before you and listen to your profound wisdom.

9. Blessed be the Lord Your God, who preferred to place you on the throne of Israel; because of the Lord's love for Israel forever, He appointed you as king to do justice and righteousness.

10. And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold and very many spices and precious stones; there had never arrived such an abundance of spices as those which the Queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

11. Also Hiram's ships that delivered gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a huge quantity of almog-wood and precious stones.

12. And the king made of the almog-wood a path to the House of the Lord and to the king's palace, harps and psalteries to [accompany] the vocalists, there had come no such almog-wood nor has there been seen to this day.

13. And King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba all her wish that she requested, aside from what he gave her, according to king Solomon's ability; and she turned and went to her land, she and her servants.

14. The weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold.

15. Aside from [that which came through] merchants and the commerce of spice-peddlers and all the dependent kings and the regents of the land.

16. And king Solomon made two hundred body shields of malleable gold; six hundred [dinar of] gold he would put into one body shield.

17. And three hundred shields of beaten gold, three manehs (three hundred dinar) of gold he would put into one shield, and the king placed them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

18. And the king made an immense ivory throne, and overlaid it with glittering gold.

19. There were six steps to the throne and the top of the throne was circular from behind, and there were arms on both sides by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.

20. And twelve lions stood there on the six steps on one side and on the other; no such throne was made for any kingdom.

21. And all of the king's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the utensils of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none was of silver, [since] it was reckoned with as nothing in the days of Solomon.

22. For the king had at sea ships of Tarshish with Hiram's ships; once in three years, the ships of Tarshish would come bearing gold and silver, ivory and monkeys and peacocks.

23. Now King Solomon transcended all the kings of the earth in affluence and wisdom.

24. And all the [inhabitants of] the earth sought Solomon's presence to hear the wisdom with which God had endowed him.

25. And each one would bring his gift, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, the tribute due each year in its year.

26. Solomon assembled chariots and horsemen, and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen; he led them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

27. And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as common as sycamores, that are in the low lands in abundance.

28. And the source of Solomon's horses was from Egypt and an assemblage. The agents of the king, would buy the assemblage privileges for a price.

29. A chariot that went up and left Egypt went for a price of six hundred silver [pieces], and a horse for one hundred fifty, and so for all the kings of the Hittites and for the kings of Aram did they export them through them.