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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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
1 Kings 4
4
1And king Solomon is king over all Israel,
2and these [are] the heads whom he hath: Azariah son of Zadok [is] the priest;
3Elihoreph and Ahiah sons of Shisha [are] scribes; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud [is] remembrancer;
4and Benaiah son of Jehoiada [is] over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar [are] priests;
5and Azariah son of Nathan [is] over the officers; and Zabud son of Nathan [is] minister, friend of the king;
6And Ahishar [is] over the household, and Adoniram son of Abda [is] over the tribute.
7And Solomon hath twelve officers over all Israel, and they have sustained the king and his household — a month in the year is on each one for sustenance;
8and these [are] their names: Ben-Hur in the hill-country of Ephraim;
9Ben-Dekar in Makaz, and Shaalbim, and Beth-Shemesh, and Elon-Beth-Hanan.
10Ben-Hesed [is] in Aruboth, hath Sochoh and all the land of Hepher;
11Ben-Abinadab [hath] all the elevation of Dor, Taphath daughter of Solomon became his wife.
12Baana Ben-Ahilud [hath] Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-Shean, which [is] by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Beth-Shean unto Abel-Meholah, unto beyond Jokneam.
13Ben-Geber, in Ramoth-Gilead, hath the small towns of Jair son of Manasseh, which [are] in Gilead; he hath a portion of Argob that [is] in Bashan, sixty great cities [with] wall and brazen bar.
14Ahinadab son of Iddo [hath] Mahanaim.
15Ahimaaz [is] in Naphtali; he also hath taken Basemath daughter of Solomon for a wife.
16Baanah Ben-Hushai [is] in Asher, and in Aloth.
17Jehoshaphat Ben-Paruah [is] in Issachar.
18Shimei Ben-Elah [is] in Benjamin.
19Geber Ben-Uri [is] in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon king of the Amorite, and of Og king of Bashan: and one officer who [is] in the land.
20Judah and Israel [are] many, as the sand that [is] by the sea for multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.
21And Solomon hath been ruling over all the kingdoms, from the River [to] the land of the Philistines and unto the border of Egypt: they are bringing nigh a present, and serving Solomon, all days of his life.
22And the provision of Solomon for one day is thirty cors of flour, and sixty cors of meal;
23ten fat oxen, and twenty feeding oxen, and a hundred sheep, apart from hart, and roe, and fallow-deer, and fatted beasts of the stalls,
24for he is ruling over all beyond the river, from Tiphsah and unto Gaza, over all the kings beyond the river, and he hath peace from all his servants round about.
25And Judah dwelleth — and Israel — in confidence, each under his vine, and under his fig-tree, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, all the days of Solomon.
26And Solomon hath forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
27And these officers have sustained king Solomon and every one drawing near unto the table of king Solomon, each [in] his month; they let nothing be lacking.
28And the barley and the straw, for horses and for dromedaries, they bring in unto the place where they are, each according to his ordinance.
29And God giveth wisdom to Solomon, and understanding, very much, and breadth of heart, as the sand that [is] on the edge of the sea;
30and the wisdom of Solomon is greater than the wisdom of any of the sons of the east, and than all the wisdom of Egypt;
31and he is wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol, and his name is in all the nations round about.
32And he speaketh three thousand similes, and his songs [are] five, and the chief one;
33and he speaketh concerning the trees, from the cedar that [is] in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that is coming out in the wall, and he speaketh concerning the cattle, and concerning the fowl, and concerning the creeping things, and concerning the fishes,
34and there come out of all the peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth who have heard of his wisdom.
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