1 Kings 10:1-13

Modern English Version

The Queen of Sheba^(A)

10 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame connected to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. ² She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. ³ Solomon answered all her questions; there was not anything too difficult for the king which he could not answer. ⁴ When the queen of Sheba observed Solomon’s wisdom and the house he had built ⁵ and the meat of his table and the sitting of his servants and the attendance of his ministers and their clothing and his cupbearers and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, it took her breath away.

⁶ She said to the king, “What I heard in my own land about your acts and your wisdom was true! ⁷ I did not believe it until I came and saw it with my own eyes! In fact, I was not even told half. Your wisdom and prosperity are greater than the stories I heard! ⁸ Happy are your men, and happy are these your servants who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! ⁹ Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel, because the Lord loved Israel forever; therefore He made you king in order to execute judgment and justice.”

¹⁰ She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents^[a] of gold and a great amount of spices and precious stones. No one gave as many spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹¹ The ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a large quantity of almug wood and precious stones. ¹² The king made pillars for the house of the Lord out of the almug trees and harps also and psalteries for singers for the king’s house. Never before had such almug wood been brought, nor has any such been seen to this day.

¹³ King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, no matter what she asked for, in addition to what Solomon gave her from his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.