2 Chronicles 9 ISV NIV Parallel

◄ 2 Chronicles 9 ►

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1When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's reputation, she traveled to Jerusalem and tested him with difficult questions. She brought along a large retinue, camels laden with spices, and lots of gold and precious stones. Upon her arrival, she spoke with Solomon about everything that was on her mind.

1When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan--with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones--she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind.

2Solomon answered all of her questions. Because nothing was hidden from Solomon, he hid nothing from her.

2Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.

3When the queen of Sheba had seen Solomon's wisdom for herself, the palace that he had built,

3When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built,

4the food set at his table, his servants who waited on him, his ministers in attendance and how they were dressed, his personal staff and how they were dressed, and even his personal stairway by which he went up to the LORD's Temple, she was breathless!

4the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.

5"Everything I heard about your wisdom and what you have to say is true!" she gasped,

5She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.

6"but I didn't believe it at first! But then I came here and I've seen it for myself! It's amazing! I wasn't told half of what's really great about your wisdom. You're far better in person than what the reports have said about you!

6But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard.

7How blessed are your staff! And how blessed are your employees, who serve you continually and get to listen to your wisdom!

7How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!

8Blessed be the LORD your God, who is delighted with you! He set you in place on his throne to be king for the LORD your God. He made you king over them so you could carry out justice and implement righteousness, because your God loves Israel and intends to establish them forever."

8Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the LORD your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness."

9Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a vast quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices comparable to those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

9Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10Hiram's servants and Solomon's servants, who brought gold from Ophir, also presented algum wood and other precious stones.

10(The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood and precious stones.

11The king used the algum wood to have steps made for the LORD's Temple and for the royal palace, as well as lyres and harps for the choir, and nothing like that wood had been seen before in the territory of Judah.

11The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the LORD and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)

12In return, King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and requested in addition to what she had brought for the king. Afterward, she returned to her own land, accompanied by her servants.

12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

13Solomon received in any given year about 666 talents of gold,

13The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,

14not including revenue from traders and merchants. In addition, all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the nation brought gold and silver to Solomon.

14not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, overlaying each shield with the gold from 600 gold pieces,

15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield.

16and 300 shields from beaten gold, overlaying each shield with the gold from 300 gold pieces. The king put them in his palace in the Lebanon forest.

16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

17The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold.

17Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with pure gold.

18Six steps led up to the throne. A golden footstool was attached to the throne, which had armrests on each side of the seat and two lions standing on either side of each armrest.

18The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them.

19Twelve lions were placed on both sides of the six steps leading to the throne, and nothing comparable was made for any other kingdom.

19Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.

20All of King Solomon's drinking vessels were made of gold, and all the vessels in his palace in the Lebanon forest were made of pure gold. Silver was never considered to be valuable during the lifetime of Solomon,

20All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's day.

21because the king had ships that sailed to Tarshish accompanied by Hiram's servants. Once every three years ships from Tarshish returned, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

21The king had a fleet of trading ships manned by Hiram's servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

22As a result, King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in regards to wealth and wisdom.

22King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.

23All the kings of the earth continued to seek audiences with Solomon so they could hear the wise things that God had put in his heart.

23All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

24Everyone kept on bringing gifts on an annual basis, including items made of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules.

24Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift--articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

25Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, along with 12,000 cavalry soldiers. He stationed them in various chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

25Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

26King Solomon ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River west to the land of the Philistines and as far south as the boundary with Egypt.

26He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.

27The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and made cedar trees as abundant as sycamore trees in the Shephelah.

27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.

28They also kept bringing horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all of the surrounding countries.

28Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.

29Now the rest of Solomon's accomplishments, from first to last, are written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer pertaining to Nebat's son Jeroboam, are they not?

29As for the other events of Solomon's reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?

30Solomon reigned for 40 years in Jerusalem over all of Israel.

30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

31Then Solomon died, as had his ancestors, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

31Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

New International Version (NIV)

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