1 Kings 4
4
1King Solomon was king over all Israel, 2and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest; 3Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 4Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 5Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king's friend; 6Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
7Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each man had to make provision for one month in the year. 8These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim; 9Ben-deker, in Makaz, Sha-albim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; 10Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher); 11Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); 12Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam; 13Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15Ahima-az, in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); 16Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18Shime-i the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. And there was one officer in the land of Judah.
20Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea; they ate and drank and were happy. 21#4.21 Ch 5.1 in Heb Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors of fine flour, and sixty cors of meal, 23ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides harts, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl. 24For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates; and he had peace on all sides round about him. 25And Judah and Israel dwelt in safety, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon. 26Solomon also had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27And those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon's table, each one in his month; they let nothing be lacking. 28Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds they brought to the place where it was required, each according to his charge.
29And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and largeness of mind like the sand on the seashore, 30so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about. 32He also uttered three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. 33He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. 34And men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Administration
(2 Chronicles 9:26)
1When King Solomon was the king of all Israel, 2these were his officials:
Azariah, son of Zadok, was the ⌞chief⌟ priest.
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were scribes.
Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was the royal historian.
4 Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was commander of the army.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
5 Azariah, son of Nathan, was in charge of the district governors.
Zabud, son of Nathan, was the king’s adviser.
6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace.
Adoniram, son of Abda, was in charge of forced labor.
7Solomon appointed 12 district governors in Israel. They were to provide food for the king and his palace. Each one had to supply food for one month every year. 8Their names were
Benhur, who was in charge of the hills of Ephraim,
9 Bendeker, who was in charge of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan, and
10 Benhesed, who was in charge of Arubboth, Socoh, and the entire region of Hepher.
11 Benabinadab had the entire region of Dor.
(Solomon’s daughter Taphath was his wife.)
12 Baana, son of Ahilud, had Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Beth Shean.
(This was near Zarethan, below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah and over to Jokmeam.)
13 Bengeber was in charge of Ramoth Gilead; he had the settlements of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, in Gilead.
He ⌞also⌟ had the territory of Argob in Bashan, 60 large cities with walls and bronze bars across their gates.
14 Ahinadab, son of Iddo, was in charge of Mahanaim.
15 Ahimaaz was in charge of Naphtali.
(He also married Solomon’s daughter Basemath.)
16 Baana, son of Hushai, was in charge of Asher and Aloth.
17 Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, was in charge of Issachar.
18 Shimei, son of Ela, was in charge of Benjamin.
19 Geber, son of Uri, was in charge of Gilead, the territory of King Sihon the Amorite and King Og of Bashan. (There was only one governor in that territory.) #4:19 “There was … territory” Masoretic Text; Greek “There was also one governor in the territory of Judah.”
20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They ate and drank and lived happily.#4:20 1 Kings 4:21–34 in English Bibles is 1 Kings 5:1–14 in the Hebrew Bible.
21Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the country of the Philistines and as far as the Egyptian border. These kingdoms paid taxes and were subject to Solomon as long as he lived.
22Solomon’s food supply for one day was 180 bushels of flour, 360 bushels of coarse flour, 2310 fattened cows, 20 cows from the pasture, and 100 sheep in addition to deer, gazelles, fallow deer, and fattened birds. 24He controlled all the territory west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza and all of its kings. So he lived in peace with all the neighboring countries. 25As long as Solomon lived, Judah and Israel (from Dan to Beersheba) lived securely, everyone under his own vine and fig tree.
26Solomon had stalls for 40,000 chariot horses. He also had 12,000 chariot soldiers.#4:26 Or “12,000 cavalry horses.” 27Each of the governors provided food for one month every year for King Solomon and all who ate at his table. The governors saw to it that nothing was in short supply. 28They brought their quota of barley and straw for the chariot horses to the proper places.
Solomon’s Wisdom
29God gave Solomon wisdom—keen insight and a mind as limitless as the sand on the seashore. 30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the eastern people and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. 31He was wiser than anyone, than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Heman, Calcol, or Darda, Mahol’s sons. His fame spread to all the nations around him.
32Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. 33He described and classified trees—from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He described and classified animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34People came from every nation to hear his wisdom; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard about his wisdom.
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