Page 238 - Bible History

THE ISRAELITES UNDER KING SOLOMON 211
boring nations spoke of him with great admiration. His reputation spread to Arabia. There a queen ruled over Saba, a small city state. She was not convinced by all that she had heard about Solomon, so she de­ cided to go to Jerusalem and see for herself if every­ thing were true.
She set out from Saba er royal city, and came to Jerusalem with presents of gold and precious stones. Solomon received her kindly, and permitted her to ask him all sorts of di cult questions to try him. There was nothing for which Solomon did not have the right answer. On leaving, the queen said to him, "The re­ port is true which I heard in my own country concern­ ing thy words and thy wisdom. And I did not believe them that told me till I came myself and saw with my own eyes and have found that the half hath not been told me. Blessed be the Lord thy God Whom thou hast pleased and Who hath set thee upon the throne of Israel.''
2. THE TEMPLE Is BurLT
No sooner had Solomon ascended the throne than
he began to prepare for the building of the Temple. He made an agreement with King Hiram to furnish rs and cedars from the Lebanon Mountains. Hiram had the wood brought to the sea and oated to Joppe. From that point it was taken over-land to Jerusalem. For this labor and material, Solomon paid Hiram an­ nually one hundred and forty gallons of olive oil, and twenty- ve hundred bushels of wheat.
Solomon sent his own men to the Lebanon Moun-
Prepara­ tionsfor building the Temple