1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Officials and Governors
1So King Solomon ruled over the whole nation of Israel.
2Here are the names of his chief officials.
Azariah was the priest. He was the son of Zadok.
3Elihoreph and Ahijah were secretaries. They were the sons of Shisha.
Jehoshaphat kept the records. He was the son of Ahilud.
4Benaiah was the commander in chief. He was the son of Jehoiada.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
5Azariah was in charge of the local governors. He was the son of Nathan.
Zabud was a priest. He was also the king’s adviser. He was the son of Nathan.
6Ahishar was in charge of the palace.
Adoniram was in charge of those who were forced to work for the king. He was the son of Abda.
7Solomon had 12 local governors over the whole land of Israel. They provided supplies for the king and the royal family. Each governor had to provide supplies for one month out of each year.
8Here are their names and areas.
Ben-Hur’s area was the hill country of Ephraim.
9Ben-Deker’s area was Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan.
10Ben-Hesed’s area was Arubboth. Sokoh and the whole land of Hepher were included in his area.
11Ben-Abinadab’s area was Naphoth Dor. He married Solomon’s daughter Taphath.
12Baana’s area was Taanach, Megiddo and the whole territory of Beth Shan. Beth Shan was next to Zarethan below Jezreel. Baana’s area reached from Beth Shan all the way to Abel Meholah. It also went across to Jokmeam. Baana was the son of Ahilud.
13Ben-Geber’s area was Ramoth Gilead. The settlements of Jair, the son of Manasseh, were included in his area in Gilead. The area of Argob in Bashan was also included. That area had 60 large cities that had high walls around them. The city gates were made secure with heavy bronze bars.
14Ahinadab’s area was Mahanaim. He was the son of Iddo.
15Ahimaaz’s area was Naphtali. He had married Basemath. She was Solomon’s daughter.
16Baana’s area was Asher and Aloth. He was the son of Hushai.
17Jehoshaphat’s area was Issachar. He was the son of Paruah.
18Shimei’s area was Benjamin. He was the son of Ela.
19Geber’s area was Gilead. He was the only governor over the area. He was the son of Uri. Gilead had been the country of Sihon and Og. Sihon had been king of the Amorites. Og had been king of Bashan.
Solomon’s Daily Supplies
20There were many people in Judah and Israel. In fact, they were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. They ate, drank and were happy. 21Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines. He ruled as far as the border of Egypt. All those countries brought the gifts he required them to bring him. And Solomon ruled over those countries for his whole life.
22Here are the supplies Solomon required every day.
five and a half tons of the finest flour
11 tons of meal
23ten oxen that had been fed by hand
20 oxen that had been fed on grasslands
100 sheep and goats
deer, antelopes and roebucks
the finest birds
24Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms that were west of the Euphrates River. He ruled from Tiphsah all the way to Gaza. And he had peace and rest on every side. 25While Solomon was king, Judah and Israel lived in safety. They were secure from Dan all the way to Beersheba. Everyone had their own vine and their own fig tree.
26Solomon had 4,000 spaces where he kept his chariot horses. He had a total of 12,000 horses.
27The local governors provided supplies for King Solomon. They provided them for all who ate at the king’s table. Each governor provided supplies for one month every year. The governors made sure the king had everything he needed. 28They also brought barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses. Each of the governors brought the amounts required of them. They brought them to the proper places.
God Makes Solomon Very Wise
29God made Solomon very wise. His understanding couldn’t even be measured. It was like the sand on the seashore. People can’t measure that either. 30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the east. It was greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31Solomon was wiser than anyone else. He was wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite. He was wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda. They were the sons of Mahol. Solomon became famous in all the nations around him. 32He spoke 3,000 proverbs. He wrote 1,005 songs. 33He spoke about plants. He knew everything about them, from the cedar trees in Lebanon to the hyssop plants that grow out of walls. He spoke about animals and birds. He also spoke about reptiles and fish. 34The kings of all the world’s nations heard about how wise Solomon was. So they sent their people to listen to him.
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1 Kings 4: NIrV
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1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Wisdom: Political Administration
1King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2Now these are the officials who were his: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest. 3Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were the secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder. 4Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army, and Zadok and Abiathar were priests. 5Azariah the son of Nathan was over the governors, and Zabud the son of Nathan was a priest, an advisor to the king. 6Ahishar was over the palace, and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the forced labor. 7Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, and they sustained the king and his palace, each one was to sustain for each month of the year.#Literally “a month in the year he was over one to sustain” 8These are their names: Ben-Hur was in the hill country of Ephraim. 9Ben-Deker was in Makaz and in Shaalbim and in Beth-Shemesh and Elon of Beth-Hanan. 10Ben-Hesed was in the Arubbot; Socoh and all the land of Hepher were his. 11Ben-Abinadab was in all of Naphat of Dor; Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife. 12Baanah the son of Ahilud was in Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-Shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, of Beth-Shean up to Abel-Meholah up to the other side of Jokmeam. 13Ben-Geber was in Ramoth-Gilead; the villages of Jair, the son of Manasseh which are in the Gilead were his, and the region of Argob which is in the Bashan, sixty great cities, with walls having crossbars of bronze, were his. 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo was in Mahanaim. 15Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he moreover also had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife. 16Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and Bealoth. 17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah was in Issachar. 18Shimei the son of Ela was in Benjamin. 19Geber the son of Uri was in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and of Og, the king of Bashan; one governor which was over the land. 20Judah and Israel were as many as the sand which is on the seashore in abundance, eating and drinking and rejoicing!
Solomon’s Wisdom: Prosperity
21#1 Kings 4:21–5:18 in the English Bible is 5:1–32 in the Hebrew Bible Now Solomon was ruling over all the kingdoms from the River#That is, the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, and up to the border of Egypt, who were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life. 22The food of Solomon for one day was thirty dry measures of choice meal and sixty dry measures of flour; 23ten stall-fed oxen and twenty pasture-fed oxen and a hundred sheep, besides deer and buck gazelles and roebucks and well-fed fowls. 24For he was ruling over all the west of the River#That is, the Euphrates from Tiphsah up to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River;#That is, the Euphrates and he had peace from every side all around. 25Judah and Israel lived in security, each man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26Now Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his war chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. 27These governors sustained King Solomon and all who came near to the table of King Solomon, each in his month; they did not omit anything. 28The barley and the straw for the horses and for packhorses they brought to the place where they were, each according to his share.
Solomon’s Wisdom: Literature, Zoology, Biology, Dendrology
29God gave wisdom to Solomon and very great discernment, as well as breadth of understanding,#Literally “width of heart” as the sand which is on the edge of the seashore. 30The wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the people#Or “sons/children” of the east and more than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31He was wiser than all the men: Ethan the Ezrahite; Heman, Calcol, and Darda the children of Mahol; and he was very well known.#Literally “his name was among all the peoples around” 32He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33He spoke concerning the trees, from the cedar which is in Lebanon up to the hyssop which grows on the wall; he also spoke concerning the animals, concerning the birds, concerning the creeping things, and concerning the fish. 34They came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon; from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
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