²¹ All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!

¹⁷ He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing nearly four pounds.^[a] The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

² One of Solomon’s buildings was called the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.^[a] There were four rows of cedar pillars, and great cedar beams rested on the pillars.

²⁰ All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!

²¹ The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish manned by the sailors sent by Hiram.^[a] Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.^[b]

²² So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth.