2 Chronicles 9 - Easy To Read Version

¹ The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame. She came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions. The Queen of Sheba had a very large group with her. She had camels that carried spices, much gold, and valuable stones. She came to Solomon and talked with him. She had many questions to ask Solomon.

² Solomon gave answers to all her questions. There was nothing too hard for Solomon to explain or answer.

³ The Queen of Sheba saw Solomon’s wisdom, and the house he built.

⁴ She saw the food on Solomon’s table, and his many important officials. She saw the way his servants worked and the clothes they wore. She saw Solomon’s wine servers and the clothes they wore. She saw the burnt offerings {\cf2\super [146]} Solomon made in the temple {\cf2\super [147]} of the Lord. When the Queen of Sheba saw all these things she was amazed!

⁵ Then she said to King Solomon, “The stories I heard in my country about your great works and your wisdom are true.

⁶ I didn’t believe those stories until I came here and saw with my own eyes. Oh, not even half of your great wisdom has been told me! You are greater than the stories I heard!

⁷ Your wives {\cf2\super [148]} and officers are very fortunate! They can hear your wisdom while they are serving you!

⁸ Praise be to the Lord your God! He is happy with you and has put you on his throne to be king for the Lord your God. Your God loves Israel, and supports Israel forever. This is why the Lord has made you king of Israel to do what is fair and what is right.”

⁹ Then the Queen of Sheba gave King Solomon 4 1/2 tons {\cf2\super [149]} of gold, a great many spices, and valuable stones. No person gave such fine spices to King Solomon as the Queen of Sheba did.

¹⁰ Hiram’s servants and Solomon’s servants brought in gold from Ophir. {\cf2\super [150]} They also brought in algum wood and valuable stones.

¹¹ King Solomon used the algum wood to make steps for the Lord’s temple, {\cf2\super [151]} and for the king’s house. Solomon also used the algum wood to make lyres {\cf2\super [152]} and harps for the singers. No person ever saw such beautiful things like those things made from the algum wood in the country of Judah.

¹² King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for. He gave her more than she brought to give him. Then the Queen of Sheba and her servants left and went back to their own country.

¹³ The amount of gold that Solomon got in one year weighed 25 tons. {\cf2\super [153]}

¹⁴ The traveling merchants {\cf2\super [154]} and traders brought more gold to Solomon. All the kings of Arabia and the rulers of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

¹⁵ King Solomon made 200 large shields from hammered gold. About 7 1/2 pounds {\cf2\super [155]} of hammered gold was used to make each shield.

¹⁶ Solomon also made 300 small shields of hammered gold. About 3 3/4 pounds {\cf2\super [156]} of gold was used to make each shield. King Solomon put the gold shields in the Forest Palace of Lebanon.

¹⁷ King Solomon used ivory to make a large throne. He covered the throne with pure gold.

¹⁸ The throne had six steps on it. And it had a footstool {\cf2\super [157]} that was made of gold. There were armrests on both sides of the throne’s seat. A statue of a lion stood next to each armrest.

¹⁹ There were statues of 12 lions that stood by the six steps. One lion on each side of each step. There was no throne like this made in any other kingdom.

²⁰ All King Solomon’s drinking cups were made of gold. All the household things in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were made of pure gold. \{There was so much wealth\} in Solomon's time that silver was not thought valuable \{enough\}.

²¹ Why? Because King Solomon had ships that Hiram's men sailed to Tarshish. {\cf2\super [158]} And every three years the ships would return from Tarshish loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

²² King Solomon became greater in riches and wisdom than any other king on earth.

²³ All the kings of the earth came to visit Solomon to hear his wise decisions. They came to hear the wisdom that God gave to Solomon.

²⁴ Every year those kings brought gifts to Solomon. They brought things made of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

²⁵ Solomon had 4,000 stalls to keep horses and chariots. He had 12,000 chariot drivers. Solomon kept them in the special cities for the chariots and in Jerusalem with him.

²⁶ Solomon was the king over all the kings from the Euphrates River all the way to the land of the Philistine people, and to the border of Egypt.

²⁷ King Solomon had so much silver that it was as common as rocks in Jerusalem. And he had so much cedar wood that it was as common as sycamore trees in the hill country.

²⁸ The people brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all the other countries.

²⁹ The other things Solomon did, from the beginning to the end, are written in the writings of Nathan the Prophet, in The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh and in The Visions of Iddo the Seer. Iddo was a seer {\cf2\super [159]} who wrote about Jeroboam son of Nebat.

³⁰ Solomon was king in Jerusalem over all Israel for 40 years.

³¹ Then Solomon rested with his ancestors. {\cf2\super [160]} The people buried him in the City of David his father. Solomon’s son Rehoboam became the new king in Solomon’s place.