Font Size
1 Kings 10:1-13
New American Standard Bible
1 Kings 10:1-13
New American Standard Bible
The Queen of Sheba
10 (A)Now when the (B)queen of (C)Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon in relation to the name of the Lord, she came (D)to test him with riddles. 2 So she came to Jerusalem with a very large entourage, with camels (E)carrying balsam oil and a very large quantity of gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke to him about everything that was in her heart. 3 And Solomon [a]answered all her questions; nothing was concealed from the king which he did not explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, 5 and the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he offered at the house of the Lord, [b]she was breathless. 6 Then she said to the king, “It was a true [c]story that I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7 But I did not believe the [d]stories until I came and my own eyes saw it all. And behold, the half of it was not reported to me. You have exceeded in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. 8 (F)Blessed are your men, and blessed are these servants of yours who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom! 9 (G)Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to put you on the throne of Israel; (H)because the Lord loves Israel forever, He made you king, (I)to do justice and righteousness.” 10 Then (J)she gave the king [e]120 talents of gold, and a very large amount of balsam oil and precious stones. Never again did such a large quantity of balsam oil come in as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
11 (K)And the ships of Hiram as well, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a very great number of almug trees and precious stones. 12 (L)The king made from the almug trees supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, and lyres and harps for the singers; such almug trees have not come in again, nor have they been seen to this day.
13 And King Solomon granted the queen of Sheba everything she desired, whatever she requested, besides what he gave her in proportion to [f]his royal bounty. Then she [g]departed and went to her own land [h]together with her servants.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 10:3 Lit told her all her words
- 1 Kings 10:5 Lit there was no more breath in her
- 1 Kings 10:6 Lit word
- 1 Kings 10:7 Lit words
- 1 Kings 10:10 About 4.5 tons or 4 metric tons
- 1 Kings 10:13 Lit the hand of King Solomon
- 1 Kings 10:13 Lit turned around
- 1 Kings 10:13 Lit she and her
1 Kings 10:1-13
King James Version
1 Kings 10:1-13
King James Version
10 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions.
2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.
6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
9 Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.
10 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.
12 And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.
13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
Read full chapter
1 Kings 10:1-13
Living Bible
1 Kings 10:1-13
Living Bible
10 When the queen of Sheba heard how wonderfully the Lord had blessed Solomon with wisdom,[a] she decided to test him with some hard questions. 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a long train of camels carrying spices, gold, and jewels; and she told him all her problems. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for him, for the Lord gave him the right answers every time.[b] 4 She soon realized that everything she had ever heard about his great wisdom was true. She also saw the beautiful palace he had built, 5 and when she saw the wonderful foods on his table, the great number of servants and aides who stood around in splendid uniforms, his cupbearers, and the many offerings he sacrificed by fire to the Lord—well, there was no more spirit in her!
6 She exclaimed to him, “Everything I heard in my own country about your wisdom and about the wonderful things going on here is all true. 7 I didn’t believe it until I came, but now I have seen it for myself! And really! The half had not been told me! Your wisdom and prosperity are far greater than anything I’ve ever heard of! 8 Your people are happy and your palace aides are content—but how could it be otherwise, for they stand here day after day listening to your wisdom! 9 Blessed be the Lord your God who chose you and set you on the throne of Israel. How the Lord must love Israel—for he gave you to them as their king! And you give your people a just, good government!”
10 Then she gave the king a gift of $3,500,000 in gold, along with a huge quantity of spices and precious gems; in fact, it was the largest single gift of spices King Solomon had ever received.
11 (And when King Hiram’s ships brought gold to Solomon from Ophir, they also brought along a great supply of algum trees and gems. 12 Solomon used the algum wood to make pillars for the Temple and the palace, and for harps and harpsichords for his choirs. Never before or since has there been such a supply of beautiful wood.)
13 In exchange for the gifts from the queen of Sheba, King Solomon gave her everything she asked him for, besides the presents he had already planned. Then she and her servants returned to their own land.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 10:1 heard how wonderfully the Lord had blessed Solomon with wisdom, literally, “heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord.”
- 1 Kings 10:3 the Lord gave him the right answers every time, literally, “there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.”
1 Kings 10:1-13
New International Version
1 Kings 10:1-13
New International Version
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon(A)
10 When the queen of Sheba(B) heard about the fame(C) of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions.(D) 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan(E)—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5 the food on his table,(F) the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at[a] the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.
6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe(G) these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth(H) you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear(I) your wisdom! 9 Praise(J) be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love(K) for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice(L) and righteousness.”
10 And she gave the king 120 talents[b] of gold,(M) large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir;(N) and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood[c] and precious stones. 12 The king used the almugwood to make supports[d] for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 10:5 Or the ascent by which he went up to
- 1 Kings 10:10 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons
- 1 Kings 10:11 Probably a variant of algumwood; also in verse 12
- 1 Kings 10:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Living Bible (TLB)
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.