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Solomon Entertains a Queen

When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon,[a] she came to challenge[b] him[c] with difficult questions.[d] She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp,[e] bringing with her camels carrying spices,[f] a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king.[g] When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s wisdom, the palace[h] he had built, the food in his banquet hall,[i] his servants and attendants[j] in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the Lord’s temple,[k] she was amazed.[l] She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight[m] was true! I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story![n] Your wisdom surpasses what was reported to me. Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy![o] May the Lord your God be praised because he favored[p] you by placing you on his throne as the one ruling on his behalf.[q] Because of your God’s love for Israel and his lasting commitment to them,[r] he made you king over them so you could make just and right decisions.”[s] She gave the king 120 talents[t] of gold and a very large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched.[u] 10 (Huram’s[v] servants, aided by Solomon’s servants, brought gold from Ophir, as well as[w] fine[x] timber and precious gems. 11 With the timber the king made steps[y] for the Lord’s temple and royal palace as well as stringed instruments[z] for the musicians. No one had seen anything like them in the land of Judah before that.[aa]) 12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, more than what she had brought him.[ab] Then she left and returned[ac] to her homeland with her attendants.

Solomon’s Wealth

13 Solomon received 666 talents[ad] of gold per year,[ae] 14 besides what he collected from the merchants[af] and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures[ag] of hammered gold were used for each shield. 16 He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures[ah] of gold were used for each of those shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest.[ai]

17 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and a gold footstool was attached to the throne.[aj] The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side.[ak] 19 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.[al]

20 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time.[am] 21 The king had a fleet of large merchant ships[an] manned by Huram’s men[ao] that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet[ap] came into port with cargoes of[aq] gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[ar]

22 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.[as] 23 All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.[at] 24 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.[au]

25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses[av] and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and also with him in Jerusalem.[aw] 26 He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River[ax] to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt. 27 The king made silver as plentiful[ay] in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was[az] as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the foothills.[ba] 28 Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands.

Solomon’s Reign Ends

29 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded[bb] in the Annals of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Vision of Iddo the Seer pertaining to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 30 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem for forty years. 31 Then Solomon passed away[bc] and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king.

The Northern Tribes Rebel

10 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in[bd] Shechem to make Rehoboam[be] king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. Jeroboam returned from Egypt. They sent for him,[bf] and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, “Your father made us work too hard![bg] Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.”[bh] He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.

King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served[bi] his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them,[bj] “How do you advise me to answer these people?” They said to him, “If you are fair to these people, grant their request, and are cordial to them, they will be your servants from this time forward.”[bk] But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up.[bl] He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?”[bm] 10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam[bn] had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden’[bo]—say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father![bp] 11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier.[bq] My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’”[br]

12 Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 13 The king responded to the people harshly. He[bs] rejected the advice of the older men 14 and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you;[bt] I will make them even heavier.[bu] My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.”[bv] 15 The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this turn of events[bw] so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made[bx] through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

16 When all Israel saw[by] that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David—no share in the son of Jesse![bz] Return to your homes, O Israel![ca] Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!”[cb] So all Israel returned to their homes.[cc] 17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 18 King Rehoboam sent Hadoram,[cd] the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 9:1 tn Heb “the report about Solomon.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 9:1 tn Or “test.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 9:1 tn Heb “Solomon.” The recurrence of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead.
  4. 2 Chronicles 9:1 tn Or “riddles.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 9:1 tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew word חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue or to the great wealth she brought with her.
  6. 2 Chronicles 9:1 tn Or “balsam oil.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 9:2 tn Heb “Solomon declared to her all her words; there was not a word hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.” If riddles are specifically in view (see v. 1), then one might translate, “Solomon explained to her all her riddles; there was no riddle too complex for the king.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 9:3 tn Heb “house.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 9:4 tn Heb “the food on his table.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 9:4 tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 9:4 tc The Hebrew text has here, “and his upper room [by] which he was going up to the house of the Lord.” But עֲלִיָּתוֹ (ʿaliyyato, “his upper room”) should be emended to עֹלָתוֹ, (ʿolato, “his burnt sacrifice[s]”). See the parallel account in 1 Kgs 10:5.
  12. 2 Chronicles 9:4 tn Or “it took her breath away”; Heb “there was no breath still in her.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 9:5 tn Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 9:6 tn Heb “the half was not told to me.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 9:7 tn Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!”
  16. 2 Chronicles 9:8 tn Or “delighted in.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 9:8 tn Heb “as king for the Lord your God.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 9:8 tn Heb “to make him stand permanently.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 9:8 tn Heb “to do justice and righteousness.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 9:9 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold was 8,076 lbs. (3,672 kg).
  21. 2 Chronicles 9:9 tn Heb “there has not been like those spices which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”
  22. 2 Chronicles 9:10 tn Heb “Huram’s” (also in v. 21). Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual.
  23. 2 Chronicles 9:10 tn Heb “who brought gold from Ophir, brought.”
  24. 2 Chronicles 9:10 tn Heb “algum.”
  25. 2 Chronicles 9:11 tn Heb “tracks.” The parallel text in 1 Kgs 10:12 has a different term whose meaning is uncertain: “supports,” perhaps “banisters” or “parapets.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 9:11 tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).
  27. 2 Chronicles 9:11 tn Heb “there was not seen like these formerly in the land of Judah.”
  28. 2 Chronicles 9:12 tn Heb “besides what she brought to the king.”
  29. 2 Chronicles 9:12 tn Heb “turned and went.”
  30. 2 Chronicles 9:13 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold Solomon received annually was 44,822 lbs. (20,380 kg).
  31. 2 Chronicles 9:13 tn Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold.”
  32. 2 Chronicles 9:14 tn Heb “traveling men.”
  33. 2 Chronicles 9:15 tn The Hebrew text has simply “600,” with no unit of measure given.
  34. 2 Chronicles 9:16 tn The Hebrew text has simply “300,” with no unit of measure given.
  35. 2 Chronicles 9:16 sn This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest. See 1 Kgs 7:2.
  36. 2 Chronicles 9:18 tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:19 has instead “and the back of it was rounded on top.”
  37. 2 Chronicles 9:18 tn Heb “[There were] armrests on each side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.”
  38. 2 Chronicles 9:19 tn Heb “nothing like it had been made for any kingdom.”
  39. 2 Chronicles 9:20 tn Heb “there was no silver regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.”
  40. 2 Chronicles 9:21 tn Heb “for ships belonging to the king were going [to] Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
  41. 2 Chronicles 9:21 tn Heb “servants.”
  42. 2 Chronicles 9:21 tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”
  43. 2 Chronicles 9:21 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish came carrying.”
  44. 2 Chronicles 9:21 tn The meaning of this word is unclear; some suggest it refers to “baboons.” NEB has “monkeys,” NASB, NRSV “peacocks,” and NIV “baboons.”
  45. 2 Chronicles 9:22 tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and wisdom.”
  46. 2 Chronicles 9:23 tn Heb “and all the kings of the earth were seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”
  47. 2 Chronicles 9:24 tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”
  48. 2 Chronicles 9:25 tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:26 reads “fourteen hundred chariots.”
  49. 2 Chronicles 9:25 tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”
  50. 2 Chronicles 9:26 tn Heb “the River.” In biblical Hebrew the Euphrates River was typically referred to simply as “the River.”
  51. 2 Chronicles 9:27 tn The words “as plentiful” are supplied for clarification.
  52. 2 Chronicles 9:27 tn Heb “he made cedar.”
  53. 2 Chronicles 9:27 sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the region between the Judean hill country and the Mediterranean coastal plain.
  54. 2 Chronicles 9:29 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Solomon, the former and the latter, are they not written?”
  55. 2 Chronicles 9:31 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  56. 2 Chronicles 10:1 tn Heb “come [to].”
  57. 2 Chronicles 10:1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  58. 2 Chronicles 10:3 tn Heb “They sent and called for him.”
  59. 2 Chronicles 10:4 tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”
  60. 2 Chronicles 10:4 tn Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with vav (וְנַעַבְדֶךָ, venaʿavedekha, “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (הָקֵל, haqel, “lighten”) indicates purpose/result. The conditional sentence used in the present translation is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.
  61. 2 Chronicles 10:6 tn Heb “stood before.”
  62. 2 Chronicles 10:6 tn Heb “saying.”
  63. 2 Chronicles 10:7 tn Heb “If you are for good to these people and you are favorable to them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”
  64. 2 Chronicles 10:8 tn Heb “Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.”
  65. 2 Chronicles 10:9 tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”
  66. 2 Chronicles 10:10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  67. 2 Chronicles 10:10 tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”
  68. 2 Chronicles 10:10 tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.
  69. 2 Chronicles 10:11 tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”
  70. 2 Chronicles 10:11 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
  71. 2 Chronicles 10:13 tn Heb “King Rehoboam.” The pronoun “he” has been used in the translation in place of the proper name in keeping with contemporary English style.
  72. 2 Chronicles 10:14 tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will make heavy your yoke,” but many medieval Hebrew mss and other ancient textual witnesses have, “my father made heavy your yoke.”
  73. 2 Chronicles 10:14 tn Heb “but I will add to your yoke.”
  74. 2 Chronicles 10:14 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
  75. 2 Chronicles 10:15 tn Heb “because this turn of events was from God.”
  76. 2 Chronicles 10:15 tn Heb “so that the Lord might bring to pass his word which he spoke.”
  77. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tc The MT does not include the word “saw,” but many medieval Hebrew mss as well as several ancient versions have it. See the parallel text of 1 Kings 12:16, which has the verb וַיַּרְא (from רָאָה, raʾah, “to see”).
  78. 2 Chronicles 10:16 sn The people’s point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.
  79. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tn Heb “each one to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  80. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”
  81. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tn Heb “went to their tents.”
  82. 2 Chronicles 10:18 sn In the parallel account in 1 Kgs 12:18 this name appears as “Adoniram.”