1 Kings 10:14–28

Solomon’s Great Wealth

^14lNow the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, ¹⁵besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land. ¹⁶King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels² of gold went into each shield. ¹⁷And he made 300 ^mshields of beaten gold; three minas³ of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in ⁿthe House of the Forest of Lebanon. ¹⁸The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. ¹⁹The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top,⁴ and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, ²⁰while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in any kingdom. ²¹All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of ⁿthe House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. ²²For the king had ^oa fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.⁵

^23pThus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. ²⁴And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. ²⁵Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh,⁶ spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

^26qAnd Solomon gathered together ^rchariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the ^schariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ²⁷And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as ^tthe sycamore of the Shephelah. ²⁸And Solomon’s ^uimport of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s traders received them from Kue at a price.