1 Kings 4

1 So King Solomon ruled over Israel,

And king Solomon reigned over all Israel:

2 and these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;

And these were the princes which he had: Azarias the son of Sadoc the priest:

3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;

Elihoreph, and Ahia, the sons of Sisa, scribes: Josaphat the son of Ahilud, recorder:

4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

Banaias the son of Joiada, over the army: and Sadoc and Abiathar priests.

5 Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the governors; Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;

Azarias the son of Nathan, over them that were about the king: Zabud, the son of Nathan the priest, the king’s friend:

6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.

And Ahisar governor of the house: and Adoniram the son of Abda over the tribute.

7 Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year,

And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and for his household: for every one provided necessaries, each man his month in the year.

8 and these were their names: Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim;

And these are their names: Benhur, in mount Ephraim,

9 Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan;

Bendecar, in Macces, and in Salebim, and in Bethsames, and in Elon, and in Bethanan.

10 Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him);

Benhesed in Aruboth: his was Socho, and all the land of Epher.

11 Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor (Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);

Benabinadab, to whom belonged all Nephath-Dor, he had Tapheth the daughter of Solomon to wife.

12 Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;

Bana the son of Ahilud, who governed Thanac and Mageddo, and all Bethsan, which is by Sarthana beneath Jezrael, from Bethsan unto Abelmehula over against Jecmaan.

13 Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);

Bengaber in Ramoth Galaad: he had the towns of Jair the son of Manasses in Galaad, he was chief in all the country of Argob, which is in Basan, threescore great cities with walls, and brazen bolts.

14 Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;

Abinadab the son of Addo was chief in Manaim.

15 Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married Basemath, a daughter of Solomon);

Achimaas in Nephtali: he also had Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife.

16 Baana son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth;

Baana the son of Husi, in Aser and in Baloth.

17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in Issachar;

Josaphat the son of Pharue, in Issachar.

18 Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;

Semei the son of Ela in Benjamin.

19 Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, including the territories of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. There was also one governor in the land of Judah.

Gaber the son of Uri, in the land of Galaad, in the land of Sehon the king of the Amorrhites and of Og the king of Basan, over all that were in that land.

20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.

Juda and Israel were innumerable, as the sand of the sea in multitude: eating and drinking, and rejoicing.

21 And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

And Solomon had under him all the kingdoms from the river to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt: and they brought him presents, and served him, all the days of his life.

22 Solomon’s provisions for a single day were thirty cors of fine flour, sixty cors of meal,

And the provision of Solomon for each day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal,

23 ten fat oxen, twenty range oxen, and a hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened poultry.

Ten fat oxen and twenty out of the pastures, and a hundred rams, besides venison of harts, roes, and buffles, and fatted fowls.

24 For Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates —over all the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides.

For he had all the country which was beyond the river, from Thaphsa to Gazan, and all the kings of those countries: and he had peace on every side round about.

25 Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.

And Juda and Israel dwelt without any fear, every one under his vine, and under his fig tree, from Dan to Bersabee, all the days of Solomon.

26 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses.

And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of chariot horses, and twelve thousand for the saddle.

27 Each month the governors in turn provided food for King Solomon and all who came to his table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking.

And the foresaid governors of the king fed them: and they furnished the necessaries also for king Solomon’s table, with great care in their time.

28 Each one also brought to the required place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and other horses.

They brought barley also and straw for the horses, and beasts, to the place where the king was, according as it was appointed them.

29 And God gave Solomon wisdom, exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like the sand on the seashore.

And God gave to Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart as the sand that is on the sea shore.

30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the men of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.

And the wisdom of Solomon surpassed the wisdom of all the Orientals, and of the Egyptians,

31 He was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations.

And he was wiser than all men: wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Dorda the sons of Mahol, and he was renowned in all nations round about.

32 Solomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

Solomon also spoke three thousand parables: and his poems were a thousand and five.

33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

And he treated about trees from the cedar that is in Libanus, unto the hyssop that cometh out of the wall: and he discoursed of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

34 So men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who heard of his wisdom.