20. All King Solomon’s drinking cups were made of gold. All of the dishes in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. In Solomon’s time people did not think silver was valuable. So nothing was made of silver.
21. King Solomon had many ships that he sent out to trade. Hiram’s men sailed Solomon’s ships. Every three years the ships returned. They brought back gold, silver, ivory, apes and baboons.
22. King Solomon had more riches and wisdom than all the other kings on earth.
23. All the kings of the earth came to see Solomon. They wanted to hear the wisdom God had given him.
24. Every year everyone who came brought a gift. They brought things made of silver and gold, clothes, weapons, spices, horses and mules.
25. Solomon had 4,000 stalls to hold his horses and chariots. He had 12,000 horses. He kept them in special cities for the chariots. And he kept some with him in Jerusalem.
26. Solomon was king over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the Philistine country to the border of Egypt.