¹⁰ Then the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon 4 1/2 tons^[a] of gold, a huge amount of spices, and precious stones. She gave him more spices than anyone has ever brought into Israel.

¹¹ Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir. They also brought jewels and a special kind of wood.^{[b] 12} Solomon used this special wood to build supports in the Temple and the palace as well as harps and lyres for the singers. That was the last time such a large shipment of that kind of wood was brought to Israel. There hasn’t been any seen around here since then.^[c]