1 Kings 10:14-25

Expanded Bible

Solomon’s Wealth^(A)

¹⁴ ·Every [or In one] year King Solomon received ·about fifty thousand pounds [^L666 talents] of gold. ¹⁵ Besides that, he also received gold from the traders and merchants, as well as from the kings of Arabia and governors of the ·land [territories; provinces].

¹⁶ King Solomon made two hundred large shields of ·hammered [beaten] gold, each of which contained ·about seven and one-half pounds [^Lsix hundred shekels] of gold. ¹⁷ He also made three hundred smaller shields of ·hammered [beaten] gold, each of which contained ·about four pounds [^Lthree minas] of gold. The king put them in the ·Palace [^LHouse] of the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁸ The king built a large throne ·of [decorated with] ivory and covered it with fine gold. ¹⁹ The throne had six steps on it, and its back was round at the top. There were armrests on both sides of the chair, and each armrest had a lion beside it. ²⁰ Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any other kingdom. ²¹ All of Solomon’s drinking ·cups [goblets; vessels], as well as the ·dishes [utensils; vessels] in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon, were made of pure gold. Nothing was made from silver, because silver was ·not valuable [considered worthless/nothing] in Solomon’s time.

²² King Solomon also had ·many trading ships [^La fleet of ships of Tarshish] at sea, along with Hiram’s ships. Every three years the ·ships [^Lfleet of Tarshish] returned, bringing back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and ·baboons [or peacocks].

²³ So Solomon had more riches and wisdom than all the other kings on earth. ²⁴ ·People everywhere wanted [The whole earth sought] to see King Solomon and listen to the wisdom God had ·given him [^Lput into his heart/mind]. ²⁵ Every ·year [or one of] those who came brought gifts of silver and gold, ·clothes [robes; garments], weapons, spices, horses, and mules.