CHAPTER 9
1 And the queen of Sheba, when she had heard of the fame of Solomon, came into Jerusalem for to assay him in dark figures*, or likenesses, with great riches, and camels, that bare sweet smelling spices, and full much of gold, and precious gems, either pearls. And when she was come to Solomon, she spake to him whatever things were in her heart.
2 And Solomon expounded to her on all things which she had put forth to him, and nothing was, that he made not open, or known, to her.
3 And after that she saw these things, that is, the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had builded,
4 also and the meats of his board, and the dwelling places of his servants, and the offices of his ministers, and the clothes of them, and the butlers, and their clothes, and the sacrifices which he offered in the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her for wondering, for these things passed her understanding.
5 And she said to the king, The word is true, which I heard in my land, of thy virtue, and [of thy] wisdom;
6 I believed not to [the] tellers, till I myself had come, and mine eyes had seen, and I had proved that scarcely the half of thy wisdom was told to me; thou hast overcome, or surpassed, the fame by thy virtues.
7 Blessed be thy men, and blessed be thy servants, these that stand before thee in all time, and hear thy wisdom.
8 Blessed be the Lord God, that would ordain thee on his throne king of the people of the Lord thy God; truly for God loveth Israel, and will save him without end, therefore he hath set thee king upon him, that thou do dooms and rightfulness [or rightwiseness].
9 And she gave to the king sixscore talents of gold, and full many sweet smelling spices, and most precious gems; there were not such sweet smelling spices, as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
10 But also the servants of Hiram†, with the servants of Solomon, brought gold from Ophir, and trees of thyine, and most precious gems;
11 of which, that is, of the thyine trees, the king made degrees in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king, and also he made harps, and psalteries to singers; such trees were never seen in the land of Judah.
12 And [king] Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all things which she would or desired, and which she asked for, many more than she had brought to him. And she turned again, and went into her land with her servants.
13 And the weight of gold, that was brought to Solomon by each year, was six hundred and six and sixty talents of gold,
14 besides that sum which the legates of diverse folks, and merchants were wont to bring, and all the kings of Arabia, and the princes of lands, which brought together gold and silver to Solomon.
15 Therefore king Solomon made two hundred golden spears of the sum of six hundred florins, either pieces of gold, that were spended in each spear;
16 and he made three hundred golden shields of three hundred florins of gold, with which each shield was covered; and the king putted those [or put them] in the armoury place, that was set in the woods.
17 Also the king made a great seat, or throne, of ivory, and he covered it with most clean gold;
18 and he made six degrees by which men went up to the seat, and a golden stool, and twain [or two] arms, one against the tother, and two lions standing beside the arms;
19 but also he made twelve little lions standing upon [the] six degrees on ever either side of the throne. Such a throne was not in all realms, that is, in none of all the realms of the world.
20 And all the vessels of the feast of the king were of gold, and the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were made of most pure gold; for silver in those days was areckoned for nought.
21 For also the ships of the king went into Tarshish with the servants of Hiram once in three years, and they brought from thence gold, and silver, and ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
22 And king Solomon was magnified over all [the] kings of the earth for his riches and glory.
23 And all the kings of lands desired to see the face of Solomon, for to hear the wisdom that God had given in his heart;
24 and they brought to him gifts, vessels of silver and of gold, clothes, and armours [or arms], and sweet smelling spices, horses and mules, by each year.
25 And Solomon had forty thousand of horses in stables, and twelve thousand of chariots and of knights; and he ordained them in the cities of chariots, and where the king was in Jerusalem.
26 Forsooth he used power on all the kings, from the flood of Euphrates unto the land of Philistines, and unto the terms of Egypt.
27 And he gave so great plenty of silver in Jerusalem, as of stones, and so great multitude of cedar trees, as of sycamores that grow in field places.
28 And horses were brought to Solomon from Egypt, and from all countries.
29 Soothly the residue of the former works and the last of Solomon, be written in the words of Nathan, the prophet, and in the words of Ahijah of Shiloh, and in the vision, either prophecy, of Iddo, the prophet, against Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.
30 Soothly Solomon reigned in Jerusalem on all Israel forty years,
31 and he slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David, and Rehoboam, his son, reigned for him.
* CHAPTER 9:1 Figurative speech is to speak one thing, and to understand another. † CHAPTER 9:10 Also known as Huram.