1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Officers
1King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2These are the names of his leading officers:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;
3Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, recorded what happened in the courts;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud recorded the history of the people;
4Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army;
Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
5Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors;
Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;
6Ahishar was responsible for everything in the palace;
Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the slaves.
7Solomon placed 12 governors over the districts of Israel. They had to gather food from their districts. Then they were to give it to the king and his family. Each governor was responsible for giving food to the king one month of each year. 8These are the names of the 12 governors:
Ben-Hur was governor over the mountain country of Ephraim.
9Ben-Deker was governor over Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan.
10Ben-Hesed was governor over Arubboth, Socoh and Hepher.
11Ben-Abinadab was governor over Naphoth Dor. (He was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon.)
12Baana son of Ahilud was governor over Taanach, Megiddo and all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan. (This was below Jezreel from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across Jokmeam.)
13Ben-Geber was governor over Ramoth in Gilead. (He was governor over all the Towns of Jair in Gilead. Jair was the son of Manasseh. Ben-Geber was also over the district of Argob in Bashan. It had 60 large, walled cities with bronze bars on their gates.)
14Ahinadab son of Iddo was governor over Mahanaim.
15Ahimaaz was governor over Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath daughter of Solomon.)
16Baana son of Hushai was governor over Asher and Aloth.
17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was governor over Issachar.
18Shimei son of Ela was governor over Benjamin.
19Geber son of Uri was governor over Gilead. (Gilead was the country where Sihon king of the Amorite people lived. Og king of Bashan also lived there.) But Geber was the only governor over the district.
Solomon’s Kingdom
20There were many people in Judah and Israel. There were as many people as there were grains of sand on the seashore. The people ate, drank and were happy. 21Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistine people. His kingdom went as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought Solomon the payments he demanded. And they obeyed him all his life.
22Solomon needed much food each day to feed himself and all the people who ate at his table. It took 185 bushels of fine flour and 375 bushels of meal. 23It also took 10 cows that were fed good grain, 20 cows that were raised in the fields and 100 sheep. And it took 3 different kinds of deer and fat birds.
24Solomon ruled over all the countries west of the Euphrates River. This was the land from Tiphsah to Gaza. And Solomon had peace on all sides of his kingdom. 25During Solomon’s life Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,# Dan was the city farthest north in Israel. Beersheba was the city farthest south. So this means all the people of Israel. lived in peace. Each man was able to sit under his own fig trees and grapevines.
26Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses. And he had 12,000 chariot soldiers. 27Each month one of the district governors gave King Solomon all the food he needed. This was enough for every person who ate at the king’s table. The governors made sure he had everything he needed. 28They also gave the king enough barley and straw for the chariot and work horses. Each person brought this grain to the required places.
Solomon’s Wisdom
29God gave great wisdom to Solomon. Solomon could understand many things. His wisdom was as hard to measure as the sand on the seashore. 30His wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men in the East. And his wisdom was greater than all the wisdom of the men in Egypt. 31He was wiser than any other man on earth. He was even wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite. He was wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda. They were the sons of Mahol. King Solomon became famous in all the countries around Israel and Judah. 32During his life King Solomon spoke 3,000 wise teachings. He also knew 1,005 songs. 33He taught about many different kinds of plants. He taught about everything from the great cedar trees of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the walls. He also taught about animals, birds, crawling things and fish. 34People from all nations came to listen to King Solomon’s wisdom. The kings of all nations sent them to listen to him. These kings had heard of Solomon’s wisdom.
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1 Kings 4: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Officials and Governors
1King Solomon now ruled over all Israel, 2and these were his high officials:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.
3Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were court secretaries.
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.
4Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
5Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors.
Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, was a trusted adviser to the king.
6Ahishar was manager of the palace property.
Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of forced labor.
7Solomon also had twelve district governors who were over all Israel. They were responsible for providing food for the king’s household. Each of them arranged provisions for one month of the year. 8These are the names of the twelve governors:
Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim.
9Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan.
10Ben-hesed, in Arubboth, including Socoh and all the land of Hepher.
11Ben-abinadab, in all of Naphoth-dor.#4:11 Hebrew Naphath-dor, a variant spelling of Naphoth-dor. (He was married to Taphath, one of Solomon’s daughters.)
12Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, all of Beth-shan#4:12 Hebrew Beth-shean, a variant spelling of Beth-shan; also in 4:12b. near Zarethan below Jezreel, and all the territory from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and over to Jokmeam.
13Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead, including the Towns of Jair (named for Jair of the tribe of Manasseh#4:13 Hebrew Jair son of Manasseh; compare 1 Chr 2:22.) in Gilead, and in the Argob region of Bashan, including sixty large fortified towns with bronze bars on their gates.
14Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim.
15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath, another of Solomon’s daughters.)
16Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth.
17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar.
18Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin.
19Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead,#4:19a Greek version reads of Gad; compare 4:13. including the territories of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.
There was also one governor over the land of Judah.#4:19b As in some Greek manuscripts; Hebrew lacks of Judah. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
Solomon’s Prosperity and Wisdom
20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink. 21#4:21a Verses 4:21-34 are numbered 5:1-14 in Hebrew text.Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River#4:21b Hebrew the river; also in 4:24. in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.
22The daily food requirements for Solomon’s palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal#4:22 Hebrew 30 cors [6.6 kiloliters] of choice flour and 60 cors [13.2 kiloliters] of meal.; 23also 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry.#4:23 Or and fattened geese.
24Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders. 25During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, each family had its own home and garden.#4:25 Hebrew each family lived under its own grapevine and under its own fig tree.
26Solomon had 4,000#4:26a As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 2 Chr 9:25); Hebrew reads 40,000. stalls for his chariot horses, and he had 12,000 horses.#4:26b Or 12,000 charioteers.
27The district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court; each made sure nothing was lacking during the month assigned to him. 28They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables.
29God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. 30In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. 31He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. 32He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. 33He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about animals, birds, small creatures, and fish. 34And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.
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