¹³The gold that came to Solomon in one year weighed 49,950 pounds, ¹⁴not counting ⸤the gold⸥ which the merchants and traders brought. All the Arab kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

¹⁵King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, using 15 pounds of gold on each shield. ¹⁶He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold, using 7½ pounds of gold on each shield. The king put them in the hall ⸤named⸥ the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷The king also made a large ivory throne and covered it with pure gold. ¹⁸Six steps led to the throne, which had a gold footstool attached to it. There were armrests on both sides of the seat. Two lions stood beside the armrests. ¹⁹Twelve lions stood on six steps, one on each side. Nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.

²⁰All King Solomon’s cups were gold, and all the utensils for the hall ⸤named⸥ the Forest of Lebanon were fine gold. (Silver wasn’t considered valuable in Solomon’s time.) ²¹The king had ships going to Tarshish with Huram’s sailors. Once every three years the Tarshish ships would bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.

²²In wealth and wisdom King Solomon was greater than all the ⸤other⸥ kings of the world. ²³All the kings of the world wanted to listen to the wisdom that God gave Solomon. ²⁴So everyone who came brought him gifts: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This happened year after year.

²⁵Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 war horses. He stationed ⸤some⸥ in chariot cities and ⸤others⸥ with himself in Jerusalem. ²⁶He ruled all the kings from the Euphrates River to the country of the Philistines and as far as the Egyptian border. ²⁷The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as fig trees in the foothills. ²⁸Horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all other countries.

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