¹⁴The gold that came to Solomon in one year weighed 49,950 pounds, ¹⁵not counting ⸤the gold⸥ which came from the merchants, the traders’ profits, all the Arab kings, and the governors of the country.

¹⁶King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, using 15 pounds of gold on each shield. ¹⁷He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold, using four pounds of gold on each shield. The king put them in the hall ⸤which he called⸥ the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁸The king also made a large ivory throne and covered it with fine gold. ¹⁹Six steps led to the throne. Carved into the back of the throne was a calf’s head. There were armrests on both sides of the seat. Two lions stood beside the armrests. ²⁰Twelve lions stood on six steps, one on each side. Nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.

²¹All King Solomon’s cups were gold, and all the utensils for the hall ⸤which he called⸥ the Forest of Lebanon were fine gold. (Nothing was silver, because it wasn’t considered valuable in Solomon’s time.) ²²The king had a fleet headed for Tarshish with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the Tarshish fleet would bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.

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