1 Kings 10:14–28

Wealth, Splendor and Wisdom

^14aNow the weight of gold which came in to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,

¹⁵besides that from the traders and the ¹wares of the merchants and all the kings of the ^aArabs and the governors of the country.

^16aKing Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, ¹using 600 shekels of gold on each large shield.

¹⁷He made ^a300 shields of beaten gold, ¹using three minas of gold on each shield, and ^bthe king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

¹⁸Moreover, the king made a great throne of ^aivory and overlaid it with refined gold.

¹⁹There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its rear, and ¹arms ²on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.

²⁰Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom.

²¹All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered ¹valuable in the days of Solomon.

²²For ^athe king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.

^23aSo King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

²⁴All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, ^ato hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.

^25aThey brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

^26aNow Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he ¹stationed them in the ^bchariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

^27aThe king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the ¹lowland.

^28aAlso Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s merchants procured them from Kue for a price.