Once upon a time there was a king whose name was Solomon. Solomon was very clever and wise. People said that God had given him more wisdom than any other king in the world. His kingdom was very large and everyone thought it was wonderful.
In a distant land lived a queen. Her name was the Queen of Sheba. She heard of Solomon’s wisdom and of the great things he had built. Then she became curious and thought: “I want to see for myself whether everything people say is true!”
So the Queen of Sheba set out on a long journey. Their camels carried many gifts – gold, precious stones and fine spices. It was a journey through the desert, with hot winds whirling around the camels like little dancers.
When she arrived at King Solomon’s house, she asked him many, many questions. Solomon answered every question wisely and patiently. No secret was too difficult for him. The queen was amazed: “Wow, he really is the wisest king!”
Solomon showed her all that he had built—his magnificent palace and the great temple. The gold treasures sparkled like glitter in the sunlight, and everything was even more impressive than the queen had imagined.
“Everything I have heard is true!” exclaimed the Queen of Sheba enthusiastically. “Your God must really love you very much for giving you so much wisdom and wealth!”
Before the Queen of Sheba returned home, she gave Solomon the many gifts from her journey. And Solomon also gave her precious things. It was a visit full of wonder and friendship.
The Queen of Sheba traveled back to her land while the sun sparkled in the sky, with a heart full of gratitude and wonder at the love and wisdom of God.
Message of history
God gives wisdom, and this helps us to make good decisions. In addition, the story shows how nice it is to accept the friendship and gifts of other people.
Bible passage
The story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba can be found in 1 Kings 10:1-13 in the Schlachter 2000 translation:
*”And when the queen of Sheba heard Solomon’s fame because of the name of the Lord, she came to put him to the test with riddles. 2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and a great deal of gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she spoke to him about all that was in her heart. 3 And Solomon gave her an answer to everything, and there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not tell her. 4 But when the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, 5 and the food on his table, and the seating of his servants, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothes, and his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings that he offered in the house of the Lord, 6 she was beside herself and said to the king, It is true what I have heard about you and your wisdom in my country! 7 And I did not believe it until I came and saw it with my own eyes. And behold, not half of it has been reported to me! You have surpassed in wisdom and prosperity the news I have heard. 8 Happy are your husbands, happy are these servants of yours, who always stand before you and hear your wisdom. 9 Blessed be the Lord your God, who is pleased with you, so that he has set you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loves Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may exercise justice and righteousness. 10 And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a great deal of spices and precious stones; never again has there been so much spice as this which the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11 And the ships of Hiram, which brought gold out of Ophir, brought a great deal of almugim wood and precious stones from Ophir. 12 And the king made of the almugim wood a staircase for the house of the Lord and for the house of the king, and also lutes and harps for the singers. so much Almuggim wood has never come again and has never been seen again until this day.
13 And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she desired and asked for, except what he gave her out of royal generosity. Then she returned to her country with her entourage.” *
