9 When the queen of Sh’va heard what was being said about Shlomo, she came to test him with difficult questions in Yerushalayim, accompanied by a very great retinue, including camels bearing spices and gold in abundance, and precious stones. When she appeared before Shlomo, she spoke with him about everything on her heart; ² and Shlomo answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. ³ After the queen of Sh’va had seen Shlomo’s wisdom, the palace he had built, ⁴ the food at his table, the manner of seating his officials, the manner in which his staff served him and how they were dressed, his personal servants and how they were dressed, and his manner of going up to the house of Adonai, it left her breathless. ⁵ She said to the king, “What I heard in my own country about your deeds and your wisdom is true, ⁶ but I couldn’t believe the report until I came and saw for myself. Actually, they didn’t tell me even half of how great your wisdom is. In reality, you surpass the reports I heard. ⁷ How happy your people must be, how happy these servants of yours who are always here attending you and get to hear your wisdom! ⁸ Blessed be Adonai your God, who took pleasure in you to put you on his throne, so that you could be king for Adonai your God. Because of your God’s love for Isra’el, to establish them forever, he has made you king over them, to administer law and judgment.” ⁹ Then she gave the king four tons of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there had never been spices like those the queen of Sh’va gave to King Shlomo.

¹⁰ Huram’s servants and Shlomo’s servants, who had brought the gold from Ofir, now brought sandalwood and precious stones. ¹¹ The king used the sandalwood to make walkways for the house of Adonai and for the royal palace, also lyres and lutes for the singers. None like these had been seen before in the land of Y’hudah.

¹² King Shlomo gave the queen of Sh’va everything she wanted, whatever she asked, more than what she had brought to the king. After this, she returned and went back to her own country, she and her servants.

¹³ The weight of the gold Shlomo received annually came to twenty-two tons, ¹⁴ besides that which came from customs duties and sales taxes; also all the Arab kings and regional governors brought gold and silver to Shlomo. ¹⁵ King Shlomo made 200 large shields of hammered gold; fifteen pounds of hammered gold went into one shield. ¹⁶ He made 300 more shields of hammered gold, with seven-and-a-half pounds going into one shield; the king put these in the House of the L’vanon Forest.

¹⁷ The king also made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ The throne had six steps and a gold footstool; these were fastened to the throne. There were arms on either side of the seat, two lions standing beside the arms, ¹⁹ and twelve more lions standing on each side of the six steps. Nothing like it had ever been made in any kingdom.

²⁰ All King Shlomo’s drinking vessels were of gold; and all the utensils in the House of the L’vanon Forest were of pure gold; for in Shlomo’s time, silver was regarded as having little value. ²¹ The king had ships that could go to Tarshish with Huram’s servants; once every three years the “Tarshish” ships came in, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks.

²² So King Shlomo surpassed all the kings on earth in both wealth and wisdom. ²³ All the kings on earth sought to have an audience with Shlomo, in order to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. ²⁴ Each one brought his present — articles of silver, articles of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses and mules; and this continued year after year.

²⁵ Shlomo also had 4,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and his 12,000 horsemen; he assigned them to the chariot cities and to the king in Yerushalayim. ²⁶ He ruled over all the kingdoms from the [Euphrates] River through the land of the P’lishtim to the border of Egypt. ²⁷ The king made silver in Yerushalayim as common as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as sycamore-fig trees are in the Sh’felah. ²⁸ They brought horses for Shlomo from Egypt and from all countries.

²⁹ Other activities of Shlomo, from beginning to end, are written in the records of Natan the prophet, in the prophecy of Achiyah of Shiloh and in the visions of Ye‘do the seer concerning Yarov‘am the son of N’vat. ³⁰ Shlomo reigned in Yerushalayim over all Isra’el for forty years. ³¹ Then Shlomo slept with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David his father, and Rechav‘am his son became king in his place.

10 Rechav‘am went to Sh’khem, where all Isra’el had come in order to proclaim him king. ² When Yarov‘am the son of N’vat heard of it, he returned from Egypt, where he had fled from Shlomo. ³ They sent and summoned him, so Yarov‘am and all Isra’el came and said to Rechav‘am, ⁴ “Your father laid a harsh yoke on us. But if you will lighten the harsh service we had to render your father and ease his heavy yoke that he put on us, we will serve you.” ⁵ He said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” So the people left.

⁶ King Rechav‘am consulted the older men who had been in attendance on Shlomo his father during his lifetime and asked, “What advice would you give me as to how to answer these people?” ⁷ They said to him, “If you will treat these people kindly, pleasing them and giving them favorable consideration, they will be your servants forever.” ⁸ But he didn’t take the advice the older men gave him; instead he consulted the young men he had grown up with, who were now his attendants. ⁹ He said to them, “What advice would you give me, so that we can give an answer to these people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father laid on us’?” ¹⁰ The young men he had grown up with said to him, “The people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter for us’ — here’s the answer you should give them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! ¹¹ Yes, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will make it heavier! My father controlled you with whips, but I [will control you] with scorpions!’”

¹² So Yarov‘am and all the people came to Rechav‘am the third day, as the king had requested by saying, “Come to me again the third day”; ¹³ and the king answered them harshly. Abandoning the advice of the older men, King Rechav‘am ¹⁴ addressed them according to the advice of the young men and said, “I will make your yoke heavy, and I will add to it! My father controlled you with whips, but I will control you with scorpions!” ¹⁵ So the king didn’t listen to the people; and that was something God brought about, so that Adonai could fulfill his word, which he had spoken through Achiyah from Shiloh to Yarov‘am the son of N’vat.

¹⁶ When all Isra’el [saw] that the king wasn’t listening to them, the people answered the king,

So all Isra’el left for their tents.

¹⁷ But as for the people of Isra’el living in the cities of Y’hudah, Rechav‘am ruled over them. ¹⁸ King Rechav‘am then sent Hadoram, who was in charge of forced labor; but the people of Isra’el stoned him to death. King Rechav‘am managed to mount his chariot and flee to Yerushalayim. ¹⁹ Isra’el has been in rebellion against the dynasty of David to this day.