1 Kings 10:14-25

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Solomon’s Wealth

¹⁴The weight^(A) of gold that came to Solomon annually was 25 tons,^[a] ¹⁵besides what came from merchants,^(B) traders’ merchandise, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.^(C)

¹⁶King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold; 15 pounds^[b] of gold went into each shield. ¹⁷He made 300 small shields of hammered gold; about four pounds^[c] of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.^(D)

¹⁸The king also made a large ivory throne and overlaid it with fine gold. ¹⁹The throne had six steps; there was a rounded top at the back of the throne, armrests on either side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests. ²⁰Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps, one at each end. Nothing like it had ever been made in any other kingdom.

²¹All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon^(E) were pure gold.^(F) There was no silver, since it was considered as nothing in Solomon’s time, ²²for the king had ships of Tarshish^(G) at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.^[d]^(H)

²³King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom.^(I) ²⁴The whole world wanted an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.^(J) ²⁵Every man would bring his annual tribute: items^[e] of silver and gold, clothing, weapons,^[f] spices, and horses and mules.^(K)