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
The Court of Solomon
1So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2These were the officials in his court:
Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest.
3#2Sa 8:16Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were secretaries.
Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder;
4#1Ki 2:35Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
5#2Sa 15:37; 16:16Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers,
and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer and the king’s friend.
6#2Sa 20:24; 1Ki 9:15Ahishar was over the household,
and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the forced labor.
7Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel who made provision for the king and his household. Each man was assigned a month to make provision. 8#Jos 24:33These are their names:
the son of Hur in Mount Ephraim;
9the son of Deker in Makaz and in Shaalbim and Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;
10#Jos 12:17; 15:35the son of Hesed in Arubboth (to him belonged Sokoh and all the land of Hepher);
11#Jos 11:2the son of Abinadab in all the region of Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);
12#Jos 17:11; 3:16Baana the son of Ahilud in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shan that is by Zarethan beneath Jezreel, and from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;
13#Nu 32:41; Dt 3:4the son of Geber in Ramoth Gilead (to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh which are in Gilead, and also the region of Argob which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and iron bars);
14Ahinadab the son of Iddo in Mahanaim;
15Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);
16Baana the son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth;
17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah in Issachar;
18#1Ki 1:8Shimei the son of Ela in Benjamin;
19Geber the son of Uri in the country of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only officer who was in that region.
The Wealth of Solomon
20#Ge 22:17; 1Ki 3:8Judah and Israel had a large populace, as numerous as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. 21#Ge 15:18; Jos 1:4Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River#Euphrates River. to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. The people brought presents and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors#Likely about 51/2 tons, or 5 metric tons. of fine flour and sixty kors#Likely about 11 tons, or 10 metric tons. of meal, 23ten fat oxen and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep in addition to deer, roebucks, gazelle, and fatted poultry. 24#1Ch 22:9; Ps 72:11For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River#Euphrates River. from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings on this side of the River,#Euphrates River. and he had peace on all borders of his land. 25#Mic 4:4; Zec 3:10Judah and Israel lived safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba all the days of Solomon.
26#2Ch 1:14; 9:25Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand horsemen.
27Those officers made provision for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table, every man in his month, and they lacked nothing. 28#Est 8:10; 8:14Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries were brought to the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.
29#1Ki 3:12; 4:20God gave Solomon wisdom and great depth of understanding as well as compassion, as vast as the sand on the seashore. 30#Ac 7:22; Ge 25:6Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the people of the East country and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31#1Ki 3:12; 1Ch 2:6For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Kalkol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; his fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. 32#Ecc 12:9He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33He spoke of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that springs out of the wall. He also spoke of beasts and of fowl and of insects and fish. 34#1Ki 10:1; 2Ch 9:23People from all over came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
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