1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s administration
1King Solomon became king of all Israel.
2These were his officials: the priest Azariah, Zadok’s son; 3the scribes Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha; Jehoshaphat, the recorder, Ahilud’s son; 4the general Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son; the priests Zadok and Abiathar; 5Azariah, Nathan’s son, who was in charge of the officials; Zabud, Nathan’s son, a priest and royal friend; 6Ahishar, who was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram, Abda’s son, who was supervisor of the work gangs.
7Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel. They supplied the king and his palace with food. Each would provide the supplies for one month per year. 8Here are their names:
Ben-hur in the highlands of Ephraim;
9Ben-deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan;
10Ben-hesed in Arubboth, who had Socoh and all the land of Hepher;
11Ben-abinadab in all of Naphath-dor (Taphath, Solomon’s daughter, was his wife);
12Baana, Ahilud’s son, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean beside Zarethan and below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and over to the region opposite Jokmeam;
13Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead, who controlled the villages of Jair, Manasseh’s son, which were in Gilead, and who had the Argob region that was in Bashan—sixty large walled cities with bronze bars;
14Ahinadab, Iddo’s son, in Mahanaim;
15Ahimaaz in Naphtali, who also took Solomon’s daughter Basemath as his wife;
16Baana, Hushai’s son, in Asher and Bealoth;
17Jehoshaphat, Paruah’s son, in
Issachar;
18Shimei, Ela’s son, in Benjamin;
19Geber, Uri’s son, in the land of Gilead, the land of the Amorite king Sihon and of King Og of Bashan;
and there was a single officer who was in the land of Judah.#4.19 LXX; MT lacks of Judah.
20Judah and Israel grew numerous like the sand alongside the sea. They ate, drank, and celebrated.
21 # 4.21 5:1 in Heb Solomon ruled over all the states from the Euphrates River through the Philistines’ land and as far as the border of Egypt. These areas brought tribute to Solomon and served him all the days of his life. 22Solomon’s food requirements for a single day included thirty kors#4.22 One kor is possibly equal to fifty gallons. of refined flour; sixty kors of flour; 23ten head of grain-fattened cattle; twenty head of pastured cattle; one hundred sheep; as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and the best of fowl. 24He ruled over all the lands west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and over all the kings west of the Euphrates. He had peace on all sides. 25The people of Judah and Israel from Dan all the way to Beer-sheba lived securely under their vines and fig trees throughout the days of Solomon.
26Solomon had forty thousand horse stalls for his chariots and twelve thousand additional horses. 27The officials provided King Solomon and all who joined him at the royal table with monthly food rations. They left out nothing. 28Each brought their share of barley and straw for the horses and for the chariot horses, bringing it to its proper place. 29And God gave Solomon wisdom and very great understanding—insight as long as the seashore itself. 30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than all the famous Easterners, greater even than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31He was wiser than anyone, more wise than Ethan the Ezrahite or Mahol’s sons: Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His reputation was known throughout the region. 32Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs and one thousand five songs. 33He described the botany of trees, whether the cedar in Lebanon or the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He also described cattle, birds, anything that crawls on the ground, and fish. 34People came from everywhere to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; even the earth’s kings who had heard about his wisdom came!
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1 Kings 4: CEB
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