1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Jehovah, she came to test him with hard questions.2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great company, with camels bearing spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was on her heart.3 And Solomon made known all her matters; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her.4 And when the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,5 the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of Jehovah, it took her breath away.6 Then she said to the king: It was a true word which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.7 However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I have heard.8 Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!9 Blessed is Jehovah your God, who has delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because of Jehovahs eternal love for Israel, therefore He made you king, to execute justice and righteousness.10 And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.11 And the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, also brought great quantities of almug wood and precious stones from Ophir.12 And the king made pillars of the almug wood for the house of Jehovah and for the kings house, and harps and lutes for the singers. There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.13 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given to her according to the hand of the king. So she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.14 The weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,15 besides that from the traveling merchants, from the income of traders, from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the land.16 And King Solomon made two hundred shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.17 He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the house of the Forest of Lebanon.18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.20 Twelve lions were standing there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.21 All King Solomons drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the house of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.22 For the king had a fleet of ships at sea from Tarshish along with the fleet of Hiram; and once every three years the ships from Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.23 Thus King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.24 And all the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his heart.25 Each man was bringing his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.26 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.28 Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Mikveh; the kings merchants got them at Mikveh for a price.29 Now a chariot that came up out from Egypt was six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; and thus, by their hand, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
1 But also the queen of Saba, whanne the fame of Salomon was herd, cam in the name of the Lord to tempte hym in derk and douti questiouns.2 And sche entride with myche felouschipe and richessis in to Jerusalem, and with camels berynge swete smellynge thingis, and gold greetli with out noumbre, and preciouse stoonys; and sche cam to king Salomon, and spak to hym alle thingis whiche sche hadde in hir herte.3 And Salomon tauyte hir alle wordis whiche sche hadde put forth; no word was, that myyte be hid fro the kyng, and which he answeryde not to hir.4 Forsothe the queen of Saba siy al the wisdom of Salomon, and the hows which he hadde bildid,5 and the metis of his table, and the dwellyng places of hise seruauntis, and the ordris of mynystris, and the clothis of hem, and the boteleris, and the brent sacrifices whiche he offride in the hows of the Lord; and sche hadde no more spirite.6 And sche seide to the kyng, The word is trewe, which Y herde in my lond, of thi wordis, and of thi wisdom;7 and Y bileuyde not to men tellynge to me, til Y my silf cam, and siy with myn iyen, and preuede that the half part was not teld to me; thi wisdom is more and thi werkis, than the tale which Y herde.8 Thi men ben blessid, and thi seruauntis ben blessid, these that stonden bifor thee euere, and heren thi wisdom.9 Blessid be thi Lord God, whom thou plesedist, and hath set thee on the trone of Israel; for the Lord louyde Israel with outen ende, and hath ordeynyd thee kyng, that thou schuldist do doom and riytfulnesse.10 Therfor sche yaf to the kyng sixe score talentis of gold, and ful many swete smellynge thingis, and precious stoonus; so many swete smellynge thingis weren no more brouyt, as tho which the queen of Saba yaf to kyng Salomon.11 But also the schip of Hiram, that brouyte gold fro Ophir, brouyte fro Ophir ful many trees of tyme, and preciouse stoonys.12 And kyng Salomon made of the trees of tyme vndir settyngis of the hows of the Lord, and of the kyngis hows, and harpis, and sitols to syngeris; siche trees of tyme weren not brouyt nether seyn, til in to present dai.13 Sotheli kyng Salomon yaf to the queen of Saba alle thingis whiche sche wolde, and axide of hym, outakun these thingis whiche he hadde youe to hir bi the kyngis yifte wilfuli; and sche turnede ayen, and yede in to hir lond with hir seruauntis.14 Forsothe the weyte of gold, that was offrid to Salomon bi ech yeer, was of sixe hundrid and sixe and sixti talentis of gold,15 outakun that which men that weren on the talagis, `that is, rentis for thingis borun aboute in the lond, and marchauntis, and alle men sillynge scheeldys, and alle the kyngis of Arabie, and dukis of erthe yauen.16 And kyng Salomon made two hundrid scheeldis of pureste gold; he yaf sixe hundrid siclis of gold in to the platis of oo scheeld;17 and he made thre hundrid of bokeleris of preued gold; thre hundrid talentis of gold clothiden o bokeler. And the kyng puttide tho in the hows of the forest of Lyban.18 Also kyng Salomon made a greet trone of yuer, and clothide it with ful fyn gold;19 which trone hadde sixe grees; and the hiynesse of the trone was round in the hynderere part; and tweine hondis on this side and on that side, holdynge the seete, and twei lyouns stoden bisidis ech hond;20 and twelue litil liouns stondynge on sixe grees on this side and on that side; siche a werk was not maad in alle rewmes.21 But also alle the vessels, of which kyng Salomon drank, weren of gold, and alle the purtenaunce of the hows of the forest of Liban was of pureste gold; siluer was not, nether it was arettid of ony prijs in the daies of Salomon.22 For the schip of `the kyng wente onys bi thre yeer with the schip of Hiram in to Tharsis, and brouyte fro thennus gold, and siluer, and teeth of olifauntis, and apis, and pokokis.23 Therfor kyng Salomon was magnified aboue alle kyngis of erthe in richessis and wisdom.24 And al erthe desiride to se the cheer of Salomon, to here the wisdom of him, which wisdom God hadde youe in his herte.25 And alle men brouyten yiftis to hym, vessels of gold, and of siluer, clothis, and armeris of batel, and swete smellynge thingis, and horsis, and mulis, bi ech yeer.26 And Salomon gaderide togidere charis, and knyytis; and a thousinde and foure hundrid charis weren maad to hym, and twelue thousynde `of knyytis; and he disposide hem bi strengthid citees, and with the kyng in Jerusalem.27 And he made, that so greet aboundaunce of siluer was in Jerusalem, how greet was also of stoonys; and he yaf the multitude of cedris as sicomoris, that growen in feeldy places.28 And the horsis of Salomon weren led out of Egipt, and of Coa; for the marchauntis of the kyng bouyten of Coa, and brouyten for prijs ordeyned.29 Forsothe a chare yede out of Egipt for sixe hundrid siclis of siluer, and an hors for an hundrid and fifti siclis; and bi this maner alle the kyngis of Etheis and of Sirye seelden horsis.