1   Bvt the Queene of ^note Saba also hauing heard the fame of Salomon, in the name of our Lord came to proue him, in hard propositions.

2   And entring into Ierusalem with a great trayne, and riches, and camels carying spices, and gold exceding infinite, and pretious stones, she came to king Salomon, and spake to him al thinges that she had in her hart.

3   And Salomon interpreted to her al the wordes, that she proposed: there was not a word, that the king could be ignorant of, and could not answer her.

4   And the queene of Saba seing al the wisedom of Salomon, and the house, which he had built,

5   and the meates of his table, and the habitations of his seruantes, and the orders of them that serued, and their garmentes, cupbearers, and the holocaustes

Salomon. which he offered in the house of our Lord ^note she had no longer spirit,

6   and she said to the king: The report is true, which I haue heard in my countrie,

7   concerning thy wordes, and concerning thy wisedom. and I did not beleue them that told me, til my selfe came, and sawe with myne eies, and haue proued that the half not been told me: greater is thy wisdom, and thy workes, then the rumour, which I haue heard.

8   Blessed are thy men, and blessed are thy seruantes, which stand before thee alwaies, and heare thy wisedom.

9   Be the Lord thy God blessed, whom thou hast pleased, and that hath sette thee vpon the throne of Israel, for that the Lord hath loued Israel for euer, and hath appointed thee king, to do iudgement and iustice.

10   She therfore gaue to the king an hundred and twentie talentes of gold, and spices exceding much, and pretious stones: There was no more brought so much spice, as that which the Quene of Saba gaue to king Salomon.

11   (But the naue also of Hiram, which caried gold out of Ophir, brought from Ophir thyine trees exceding manie, and pretious stones.

12   And the king made of the thyine trees the porches of the house of our Lord, and of the kinges house and harpes & vials for the singers: there were not such thyine trees brought, nor seen vntil this present daye.) ^note

13   And king Salomon gaue to the queene of Saba al that she would, and asked of him: beside those thinges, which of him selfe he offered her for a royal gift. Who returned, and went into her countrie with her seruantes.

14   And the weight of the gold, that was brought to Salomon euerie yeare, was of six hundred sixtie six talentes of gold:

15   beside that, which the men brought, that were euer the tributes, and merchantes, and al that sold light wares, and al the kinges of Arabia, and the dukes of the land.

16   Salomon also made two hundred shieldes of most pure gold, six hundred sicles of gold did he allow for the plates of one shield.

17   And three hundred tergattes of tried gold: and three hundred poundes of gold garnished one terget: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Libanus.

18   King Salomon also made a great throne of yuorie: and couered it with gold exceding yellow,

19   which had sixe steppes: and the toppe of the throne was round in the hinder part: and the two handes on either side holding the seate: and two lyons stood at euery hand.

20   And twelue litle lyons standing vpon the sixe steppes on either side: there

Salomon. was not such a worke made in al kingdomes.

21   Yea and al the vessels, out of the which the king Salomon drunke, were of gold: and al the furniture of the house of the forest of Libanus of most pure gold: there was no siluer, neither was it thought of any price in the daies of Salomon,

22   because the kinges nauie, once in three yeares, went with the nauie of Hiram on the sea into Tharsis, bringing thence gold, and siluer, and the teeth of elephantes, and apes, and pecockes.

23   King Salomon therfore was magnified aboue al the kinges of the earth in riches, and wisedom.

24   And al the earth desired to see Salomons face, that they might heare his wisedom, which God had geuen in his hart.

25   And euerie one presented him giftes, vessel of siluer and gold, garmentes and instrumentes for warre, spices also, and horses and mules euerie yeare.

26   And Salomon gathered together the chariotes and horsemen, and there amounted to him a thousand foure hundred chariotes, and twelue thousand horsemen: and he disposed them in fensed cities, and with the king in Ierusalem.

27   And he made that there was as great abundance of siluer In Ierusalem, as of stones: and of ceder trees he caused such a multitude, as if it were sycomore trees, which grow in the playnes.

28   And there were horses brought for Salomon out of Ægypt, and Coa, for the kinges merchantes brought them out of Coa, and brought them at a sette price.

29   And a chariote of foure horses came out of Ægypt, for sixe hundred sicles of siluer, and one horse for an hundred and fiftie. And after this maner did al the kinges of the Hetheites, and of Syria sel horses.

Previous section

Next section