1 Kings 4
4
Solomon's Officials
1-6Here is a list of Solomon's highest officials while he was king of Israel:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;
Elihoreph and Ahijah sons of Shisha were the secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud kept the government records;
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the army commander;
Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the regional officers;
Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and the king's advisor;
Ahishar was the prime minister;
Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
7Solomon chose twelve regional officers, who took turns bringing food for him and his household. Each officer provided food from his region for one month of the year. 8These were the twelve officers:
The son of Hur was in charge of the hill country of Ephraim.
9The son of Deker was in charge of the towns of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-Shemesh, and Elon-Beth-Hanan.
10The son of Hesed was in charge of the towns of Arubboth and Socoh, and the region of Hepher.
11The son of Abinadab was in charge of Naphath-Dor and was married to Solomon's daughter Taphath.
12Baana son of Ahilud was in charge of the towns of Taanach and Megiddo. He was also in charge of the whole region of Beth-Shan near the town of Zarethan, south of Jezreel from Beth-Shan to Abel-Meholah to the other side of Jokmeam.
13The son of Geber was in charge of the town of Ramoth in Gilead and the villages in Gilead belonging to the family of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh. He was also in charge of the region of Argob in Bashan, which had 60 walled towns with bronze bars on their gates.
14Ahinadab son of Iddo was in charge of the territory of Mahanaim.
15Ahimaaz was in charge of the territory of Naphtali and was married to Solomon's daughter Basemath.
16Baana son of Hushai was in charge of the territory of Asher and the town of Bealoth.
17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was in charge of the territory of Issachar.
18Shimei son of Ela was in charge of the territory of Benjamin.
19Geber son of Uri was in charge of Gilead, where King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan had lived.
And one officer was in charge of the territory of Judah.#4.19 of Judah: One ancient translation; these words are not in the Hebrew text.
The Size of Solomon's Kingdom
20There were so many people living in Judah and Israel while Solomon was king that they seemed like grains of sand on a beach. Everyone had enough to eat and drink, and they were happy.
21 #
Gn 15.18; 2 Ch 9.26. Solomon ruled every kingdom between the Euphrates River and the land of the Philistines down to Egypt. These kingdoms paid him taxes as long as he lived.
22Every day, Solomon needed 5,000 liters of fine flour, 10,000 liters of coarsely-ground flour, 2310 grain-fed cattle, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, and geese.
24Solomon ruled the whole region west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and he was at peace with all of the countries around him. 25Everyone living in Israel, from the town of Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, was safe as long as Solomon lived. Each family sat undisturbed beneath its own grape vines and fig trees.
26 #
1 K 10.26; 2 Ch 1.14; 9.25. Solomon had 40,000 stalls of chariot horses and 12,000 chariot soldiers.
27Each of the twelve regional officers brought food to Solomon and his household for one month of the year. They provided everything he needed, 28as well as barley and straw for the horses.
Solomon's Wisdom
29Solomon was brilliant. God had blessed him with insight and understanding. 30-31#Ps 89 Title. He was wiser than anyone else in the world, including the wisest people of the east and of Egypt. He was even wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Mahol's three sons, Heman, Calcol, and Darda. Solomon became famous in every country around Judah and Israel. 32#Pr 1.1; 10.1; 25.1; Sgs 1.1. Solomon wrote 3,000 wise sayings and composed more than 1,000 songs. 33He could talk about all kinds of plants, from large trees to small bushes, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34Kings all over the world heard about Solomon's wisdom and sent people to listen to him teach.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Officials
1King Solomon ruled over Israel, # 2Sm 5:5; 8:15 2and these were his officials: # 1Kg 12:6
Azariah son of Zadok, priest;
3Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, court historian;
4Benaiah son of Jehoiada, in charge of the army;
Zadok and Abiathar, priests;
5Azariah son of Nathan, in charge of the deputies;
Zabud son of Nathan, a priest and adviser to the king;
6Ahishar, in charge of the palace;
and Adoniram son of Abda, in charge of forced labor.
7Solomon had 12 deputies for all Israel. They provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month out of the year. # 1Kg 4:27 8These were their names:
Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
9Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan;
10Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (he had Socoh and the whole land of Hepher);
11Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (Taphath daughter of Solomon was his wife);
12Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, 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 son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, 60 great cities with walls and bronze bars);
14Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also had married a daughter of Solomon — Basemath);
16Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;
17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;
18Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;
19Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan.
There was one deputy in the land of Judah. # LXX; MT omits of Judah
Solomon’s Provisions
20Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea; # Gn 22:17; 1Kg 3:8 they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing. 21 # 1Kg 5:1 in HbSolomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt. # Gn 15:18; 2Ch 9:26 They offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. # 2Sm 8:2,6
22Solomon’s provisions for one day were 150 bushels # Lit 30 cors of fine flour and 300 bushels # Lit 60 cors of meal, 2310 fattened oxen, 20 range oxen, and 100 sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and pen-fed poultry, # Hb obscure # 1Kg 10:5; Neh 5:18 24for he had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza and over all the kings west of the Euphrates. He had peace on all his surrounding borders. 25Throughout Solomon’s reign, Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beer-sheba, # Jdg 20:1; 1Sm 3:20 each man under his own vine and his own fig tree. # Mc 4:3-4; Zch 3:10 26Solomon had 40,000 # 2Ch 9:25 reads 4,000 stalls stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. # Dt 17:16; 1Kg 10:26; 2Ch 1:14 27Each of those deputies for a month in turn provided food for King Solomon and for everyone who came to King Solomon’s table. They neglected nothing. 28Each man brought the barley and the straw for the chariot teams and the other horses # Est 8:10,14 to the required place according to his assignment. # Lit judgment
Solomon’s Wisdom and Literary Gifts
29God gave Solomon wisdom, very great insight, and understanding # 1Kg 3:12 as vast as the sand on the seashore. 30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, # Gn 29:1 greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. # Is 19:11; Ac 7:22 31He was wiser than anyone # 1Kg 3:12 — wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, # 1Ch 15:19; Pss 88, 89 titles and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol. # 1Ch 2:6 His reputation extended to all the surrounding nations. # 1Kg 10:1,6
32Solomon composed 3,000 proverbs, # Pr 1:1; Ec 9:12 and his songs numbered 1,005. # Sg 1:1 33He described trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He also taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34People came from everywhere, sent by every king on earth who had heard of his wisdom, to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. # 1Kg 10:1,6
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