2 Chronicles 9

1 Now when the queen [ruler, monarch] of Sheba [a region in southern Arabia] heard about the fame [reputation, renown] of Solomon, she came to test [prove, examine] him with difficult [hard, perplexing] questions. She arrived in Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Judah] with a very large [great, abundant] caravan—with camels bearing [carrying, loaded with] spices, gold [precious metal, wealth] in abundance [plenty, richness], and precious [valuable, costly] stones. So she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all [everything, every matter] that was on her mind [heart, thoughts]. word study 2 And Solomon [the king of Israel, successor of David] answered [declared, told] all her questions [matters, things she asked]; nothing [not a single thing, no matter] was too difficult [hid, concealed] for him to explain [make clear, tell]. word study 3 When the queen [ruler, female monarch] of Sheba [a region in southern Arabia] saw [perceived, gained insight into] the wisdom [prudence, good judgment] of Solomon [a king of Israel], the palace [house, dwelling place] he had built [constructed, established], word study 4 the food [meat, provisions] at his table [place of feasting, sacred purpose], the seating [sitting, dwelling places] of his servants [attendants, slaves], the service [ministry, attendance] and attire [garments, clothing] of his attendants [ministers, officials] and cupbearers [butlers, wine servants], and the burnt offerings [sacrifices, victims] he presented [offered, ascended] at the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, God], it took her breath away [she was astonished, no more spirit in her]. word study 5 She said to the king [the ruler, sovereign], “The report [account, word] I heard [listened to, received] in my own country [land, territory] about your words [sayings, matters] and wisdom [prudence, insight] is true [faithful, trustworthy, having truth]. word study 6 But I did not believe [had no faith in, was skeptical of] the reports [tidings, news] until I came [approached, arrived] and saw [beheld, observed] with my own eyes [with personal experience, firsthand]. Indeed, not half [a small part, a fraction] of the greatness [abundance, magnitude] of your wisdom [prudence, good judgment] was told [declared, revealed] to me. You have far exceeded [surpassed, gone beyond] the report [fame, news] I heard [received, was informed of]. word study 7 How blessed [truly happy, fortunate] are your men [servants, attendants]! How blessed [happy, favored] are these servants [faithful attendants, slaves] of yours who stand [remain, abide] continually [always, constantly] before you and hear [listen to, obey] your wisdom [insight, discernment, divine guidance]! word study 8 Blessed be the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God], who has delighted [taken pleasure, been pleased] in you to set you on His throne [the seat of His authority] to be king for the LORD your God [to rule on His behalf]. Because your God [the God of Israel] loved [had affection for, shown love to] Israel [the descendants of Jacob] enough to establish [make strong, confirm] them forever [for all eternity], He has made you king over them to carry out [execute, administer] justice [righteous judgment] and righteousness [moral virtue].” word study 9 Then she gave the king 120 [a hundred and twenty] talents of gold [a valuable metal], a great quantity [abundance, exceeding much] of spices [fragrant aromas, sweet odours], and precious [highly valued, costly] stones. There had never been [no such, none like] such spices [fragrant gifts, aromatic treasures] as those the queen [a female ruler, a woman of royal authority] of Sheba [a region in southern Arabia] gave to King [a male ruler, a monarch] Solomon [a wise and powerful king]. word study 10 (The servants [of noble birth, slaves] of Hiram [also known as Huram] and of Solomon [a king of Israel] who brought [imported, transported] gold [a valuable metal, brilliant] from Ophir [a region in southern Arabia] also brought [in addition to gold] algum [Almug] wood [trees, a strong and firm object] and precious [valuable, highly esteemed] stones [rocks, gems]. word study 11 The king [ruler, monarch] made the algum wood [sandal-wood, highly valued] into steps [terraces, staircases] for the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, God] and for the king’s [royal] palace, and into lyres [musical instrument] and harps [nabal, stringed instrument] for the singers [musicians, those who sing]. Never before [not previously] had anything like them [such things] been seen [observed, looked upon] in the land [earth, territory] of Judah [the region, the tribe].) word study 12 King Solomon [the peaceful ruler] gave the queen [a female ruler, a woman of royal authority] of Sheba [a region in southern Arabia] all she desired [her heart’s pleasure, every pleasant thing]—whatever she asked [requested, inquired about]—far more [in addition to, beyond] than she had brought [offered, presented] the king [the monarch, the ruler]. Then she left [turned away, departed] and returned [went back, came again] to her own country [land, territory], along with her servants [attendants, those who served her]. word study 13 The weight [amount, quantity] of gold [a valuable metal] that came [was brought, arrived] to Solomon [the king of Israel, successor of David] each year [annually, every twelve months] was 666 [six hundred and sixty-six, a large quantity] talents [units of weight or currency, a significant amount], word study 14 not including the revenue [from trade and commerce] from the merchants [traders and chapmen] and traders [or travelers, going around for business]. And all [every one of] the Arabian [of the country of Arabia] kings [rulers and monarchs] and governors [leaders and officials] of the land [country or territory] also brought [as an offering or gift] gold [a valuable and precious metal] and silver [a valuable resource, often used for payment] to Solomon [the king of Israel, successor of David]. word study 15 King Solomon [the peaceful ruler] made two hundred large shields [bucklers, targets] of hammered [beaten, alloyed] gold; six hundred shekels of hammered [beaten] gold went into each shield [one target, a protective device]. word study 16 He also made three hundred [smaller body-covers, three hundreth] small shields of [beaten] hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold [went to one shield, required for each] went into each shield [for its covering, to make it]. And the king [King’s, royal person] put them in the House [dwelling place, palace] of the Forest [copse of bushes, woods] of Lebanon [white snow or limestone peaks]. word study 17 Additionally, the king [the monarch, ruler] made [constructed, created] a great [large, magnificent] throne [seat of power] of ivory [from elephant tusks, a valuable material] and overlaid [covered, adorned] it with pure [clean, refined] gold [a precious, valuable metal]. word study 18 The throne [a seat or stool] had six [a number often associated with human imperfection] steps, and a footstool [a low stool or a mat] of gold [a valuable and precious metal] was attached to it. There were armrests [or stays, providing support and comfort] on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest [hand]. word study 19 Twelve [a dozen, a complete set] lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step [on opposite ends, in a balanced arrangement]. Nothing [an absence of something] like this [such a unique thing] had ever been made [created or constructed] for any kingdom [a realm or dominion]. word study 20 All [every single one] King Solomon’s [the king of peace] drinking cups [vessels for wine] were gold [pure, refined], and all [every] the utensils [articles, tools] of the House [palace, dwelling place] of the Forest [wood, wooded area] of Lebanon [the white mountain] were pure [refined, purified] gold [valuable, precious metal]. There was no [none, not any] silver [money, wealth], because it was accounted [reckoned, considered] as nothing [of no value, insignificant] in the days [time, period] of Solomon [the king of Israel]. word study 21 For the king [ruler, monarch] had the ships [vessels, fleet] of Tarshish [a merchant vessel, a place on the Mediterranean] that went [sailed, traveled] with Hiram’s [Huram, a skilled architect] servants [slaves, attendants], and once every three [a period of time, thrice] years the ships of Tarshish [Tarshish-ships, merchant vessels] would arrive [come, return] bearing [carrying, lifting] gold [a valuable metal, wealth], silver [money, treasure], ivory [a valuable material, from elephant tusks], apes [monkeys, primates], and peacocks [exotic birds, colorful creatures]. word study 22 So King [ruler, monarch] Solomon [a king of Israel] surpassed [exceeded, became greater than] all [every one of] the kings [royal persons, monarchs] of the earth [land, territory] in riches [wealth, abundance] and wisdom [prudence, good judgment]. word study 23 All [every single one] the kings [rulers, monarchs] of the earth [land, world] sought [searched for, desired] an audience [presence, face to face] with Solomon [king of Israel] to hear [listen to, obey] the wisdom [skill, prudence, good judgment] that God [Elohim, the supreme God] had put [given, placed] in his heart [mind, inner being]. word study 24 Year after year [from one year to the next, annually], each visitor [every man, individual] would bring his tribute [offering, gift]: articles [vessels, utensils] of silver [money, wealth] and gold [valuable metal], clothing [garments, raiment], weapons [armor, military equipment], spices [sweet odors, fragrances], horses [chariot horses, swallows], and mules [the offspring of a horse and a donkey]. word study 25 Solomon had [four thousand, a large number] 4,000 stalls [mangers, enclosures] for horses [swallow, chariot horses] and chariots [vehicles, carriages], and 12,000 [twelve thousand, a multitude] horses [horsemen, cavalry soldiers], which he stationed [placed, settled] in the chariot [war, royal] cities and also [together, with] with him [the king, ruler] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital city]. word study 26 He reigned [exercised authority, ruled] over all [every single one] the kings [royal rulers, monarchs] from the Euphrates [a river, a flood] to the land [territory, region] of the Philistines [a non-Israelite people, immigrants], as far as [till, until] the border [boundary, limit] of Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa]. word study 27 The king [the monarch, ruler] made silver [precious metal, wealth] as common [abundant, plentiful] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Israel] as stones [small rocks, pebbles], and cedar [a strong, durable tree] as abundant [plentiful, in great quantity] as sycamore [a type of fig tree, common in the lowlands] in the foothills [the lowlands, the Shephelah, a region of low-lying hills]. word study 28 Solomon’s [king of Israel] horses [chariot horses, swallows] were imported [brought out, came from] from Egypt [the land of the Nile, northeastern Africa] and from all [every, the whole of] the lands [countries, territories, regions]. word study 29 As for the rest [remainder, what is left] of the acts [chronicles, events] of Solomon [king of Israel], from beginning [first, primary] to end [last, final], are they not written [recorded, inscribed] in the Records [book, history] of Nathan [giver] the Prophet [spokesperson for God], in the Prophecy [prediction, revelation] of Ahijah [brother of Jehovah] the Shilonite [from Shiloh, a place of rest], and in the Visions [revelations, prophetic messages] of Iddo [seer] the Seer [one who receives visions from God] concerning Jeroboam [the people will contend] son [descendant, offspring] of Nebat [an Ephraimite]? word study 30 Solomon [the peaceful one] reigned [ruled, was king] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Israel] over [upon, above] all [every, the whole of] Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] forty [a significant period of time, 40 years] years [a period of time, a year of life]. word study 31 And Solomon [the king of peace] rested [slept, lay down] with his fathers [ancestors, predecessors] and was buried [laid to rest, interred] in the city [town, settlement] of his father [ancestor, predecessor] David [the beloved king]. And his son [descendant, heir] Rehoboam [the people are enlarged] reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position]. word study