20. Twelve lions stood on six steps, one on each side. Nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.
21. All King Solomon’s cups were gold, and all the utensils for the hall ⌊which he called⌋ the Forest of Lebanon were fine gold. (Nothing was silver, because it wasn’t considered valuable in Solomon’s time.)
22. The king had a fleet headed for Tarshish with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the Tarshish fleet would bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
23. In wealth and wisdom King Solomon was greater than all the ⌊other⌋ kings of the world.
24. The whole world wanted to listen to the wisdom that God gave Solomon.
25. So everyone who came brought him gifts: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This happened year after year.
26. Solomon built up ⌊his army⌋ with chariots and war horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 war horses. He stationed ⌊some⌋ in chariot cities and ⌊others⌋ with himself in Jerusalem.
27. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as fig trees in the foothills.
28. Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue. The king’s traders bought them from Kue for a fixed price.
29. Each chariot was imported from Egypt for 15 pounds of silver and each horse for 6 ounces of silver. For the same price they obtained horses to export to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.