1 Kings 4
4
Solomon's Officials
1Solomon was king of all Israel, 2and these were his high officials:
The priest: Azariah son of Zadok
3The court secretaries: Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha
In charge of the records: Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud
4Commander of the army: Benaiah son of Jehoiada
Priests: Zadok and Abiathar
5Chief of the district governors: Azariah son of Nathan
Royal adviser: the priest Zabud son of Nathan
6In charge of the palace servants: Ahishar
In charge of the forced labour: Adoniram son of Abda.
7Solomon appointed twelve men as district governors in Israel. They were to provide food from their districts for the king and his household, each man being responsible for one month out of the year. 8The following are the names of these twelve officers and the districts they were in charge of:
Benhur: the hill country of Ephraim
9Bendeker: the cities of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, Elon, and Beth Hanan
10Benhesed: the cities of Arubboth and Socoh and all the territory of Hepher
11Benabinadab, who was married to Solomon's daughter Taphath: the whole region of Dor
12Baana son of Ahilud: the cities of Taanach, Megiddo, and all the region near Beth Shan, near the town of Zarethan, south of the town of Jezreel, as far as the city of Abel Meholah and the city of Jokmeam
13Bengeber: the city of Ramoth in Gilead, and the villages in Gilead belonging to the clan of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, and the region of Argob in Bashan, sixty large towns in all, fortified with walls and with bronze bars on the gates
14Ahinadab son of Iddo: the district of Mahanaim
15Ahimaaz, who was married to Basemath, another of Solomon's daughters: the territory of Naphtali
16Baana son of Hushai: the region of Asher and the town of Bealoth
17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah: the territory of Issachar
18Shimei son of Ela: the territory of Benjamin
19Geber son of Uri: the region of Gilead, which had been ruled by King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.
Besides these twelve, there was one governor over the whole land.
Solomon's Prosperous Reign
20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore; they ate and drank, and were happy. 21#Gen 15.18; 2 Chr 9.26Solomon's kingdom included all the nations from the River Euphrates to Philistia and the Egyptian border. They paid him taxes and were subject to him all his life.
22The supplies Solomon needed each day were 5,000 litres of fine flour and 10,000 litres of meal; 23ten stall-fed cattle, twenty pasture-fed cattle, and a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and poultry.
24Solomon ruled over all the land west of the River Euphrates, from Tiphsah on the Euphrates as far west as the city of Gaza. All the kings west of the Euphrates were subject to him, and he was at peace with all the neighbouring countries. 25As long as he lived, the people throughout Judah and Israel lived in safety, each family with its own grapevines and fig trees.
26 #
1 Kgs 10.26; 2 Chr 1.14; 9.25 Solomon had 40,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 cavalry horses. 27His twelve governors, each one in the month assigned to him, supplied the food King Solomon needed for himself and for all who ate in the palace; they always supplied everything needed. 28Each governor also supplied his share of barley and straw, where it was needed,#4.28 where it was needed; or wherever King Solomon was. for the chariot horses and the draught animals.
29God gave Solomon unusual wisdom and insight, and knowledge too great to be measured. 30Solomon was wiser than the wise men of the East or the wise men of Egypt. 31#Ps 89 (Title)He was the wisest of all men: wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame spread throughout all the neighbouring countries. 32#Prov 1.1; 10.1; 25.1; Song 1.1He composed 3,000 proverbs and more than a thousand songs. 33He spoke of trees and plants, from the Lebanon cedars to the hyssop that grows on walls; he talked about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34Kings all over the world heard of his wisdom and sent people to listen to him.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
1 Kings 4
4
1And king Solomon was king over all Israel. 2And these are the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok was priest; 3Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, chronicler; 4and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 5and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the superintendents; and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, the king's friend; 6and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the levy-service. 7And Solomon had twelve superintendents over all Israel; and they provided food for the king and his household: each man his month in the year had to make provision. 8And these are their names: Ben-Hur, in mount Ephraim. 9Ben-Deker in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-Beth-hanan. 10Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; he had Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher. 11Ben-Abinadab had all the upland of Dor; Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife. 12Baana the son of Ahilud had Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean, which is by Zaretan beneath Jizreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-Meholah, as far as beyond Jokneam. 13Ben-Geber, in Ramoth-Gilead; he had the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bars of bronze. 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, at Mahanaim. 15Ahimaaz, in Nephtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon as wife. 16Baanah the son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth. 17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar. 18Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin. 19Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon the king of the Amorites, and of Og the king of Bashan; and he was the only superintendent that was in the land.
20Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry. 21And Solomon ruled over all kingdoms from the river to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. 22And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of meal, 23ten fatted oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, besides harts, and gazelles, and fallow-deer, and fatted fowl. 24For he had dominion over all on this side the river, from Tiphsah as far as Gazah, over all the kings on this side the river; and he had peace on all sides round about. 25And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon. 26And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27And those officers provided food for king Solomon, and for all who came to king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they let nothing be wanting. 28And the barley, and the straw for the horses and coursers, they brought to the place where the superintendents were, every man according to his charge.
29And God#GodHebrew: Elohim gave Solomon wisdom and very great understanding and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore. 30And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the sons of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about. 32And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. 33And he spoke of the trees, from the cedar-tree that is on Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of cattle, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes. 34And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.