Solomon’s Great Wealth

13 And it happened that the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 14 besides the gold and silver the traders and merchants brought, and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought. 15 And King Solomon made two hundred shields of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went into each shield. 16 And he made three hundred small shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels went into each small shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 17 And the king made a large ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 And the throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to the throne. And there were armrests on each side.[fn] And by the seat[fn] were two lions standing beside the armrests. 19 And twelve lions were standing there on each of the six steps on each end.[fn] And there was nothing like it made in all the kingdom. 20 And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not valued as anything in the days of Solomon. 21 For the ships of the king went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram.[fn] Once every three years[fn] the ships of Tarshish came carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22 Thus King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth sought the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom that God put in his heart. 24 And each of them brought his gifts, objects of silver, objects of gold, cloaks, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, as an amount year by year. 25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26 And he ruled over all the kings from the River[fn] to the land of the Philistines, to the boundary of Egypt. 27 And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as the sycamore trees that are in the Shephelah for abundance. 28 And the horses were imported from Egypt and from all lands for Solomon.