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New Testament
2 Chronicles 9:1-12
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
91The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's fame, so she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with difficult questions. She came with a very great entourage,[] with camels carrying spices, a large quantity of gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and spoke with him about everything that was on her heart.
2Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her.
3When the Queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he had built, 4the food on his table, the council meeting of his officials, the careful attention of his ministers and their attire, also his cupbearers and their attire, and the passageway by which he went up to the House of the Lord,[] it took her breath away.
5She said to the king, “The report I heard in my land about your accomplishments[] and about your wisdom is true. 6I did not believe the report, until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Now I find that I was not informed about even half of the greatness of your wisdom. You surpass the report that I heard. 7Blessed are your men! Blessed are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!
8“Blessed be the Lord your God, who has been delighted with you and has placed you on his throne as king to serve the Lord your God. Because of your God's love for Israel and his purpose of establishing Israel forever, he has placed you over them as king to administer justice and righteousness.”
9Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents[] of gold, a very great quantity of spices and incense,[] and precious stones. There was nothing comparable to these spices and incense that the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10In addition, the servants of Huram and Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought algum[] wood and precious stones. 11The king made the algum wood into steps[] for the Lord's house and for the house of the king and into lyres and harps for the singers. Nothing like them had ever been seen before in the land of Judah.
12King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba everything she desired, whatever she asked for, more than what she had brought to the king. Then she returned to her land along with her servants.
Footnotes
- 9:1 Or a very impressive display of wealth
- 9:4 Or and the whole burnt offerings which he offered at the House of the Lord, which is the main reading in the parallel in 1 Kings 10:5. The context seems to require something impressive about the palace.
- 9:5 Or words
- 9:9 About nine thousand pounds
- 9:9 Spices and incense— the Hebrew text has only one word here. In English we usually distinguish spices which flavor food, fragrances which are applied to the body, and incense which is burned, but all of these meanings can be expressed by one Hebrew word. Sometimes it takes more than one English word to cover the range of one Hebrew word.
- 9:10 Perhaps a type of sandalwood. In 1 Kings 10:11, it reads almug wood.
- 9:11 Or supports