1 Kings 4

1 Now Solomon was king over all Israel.

King Solomon ruled over all of Israel.

2 And these were his chief men: Azariah, the son of Zadok, was the priest;

These were his officials: Azariah, son of Zadok, was the priest;

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

Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, were the king's secretaries. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, kept the royal records.

4 Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was head of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the army commander. Zadok and Abiathar were priests.

5 Azariah, the son of Nathan, was over those in authority in the different divisions of the country; Zabud, the son of Nathan, was priest and the king's friend;

Azariah, son of Nathan, was in charge of the governors. Zabud, son of Nathan, was a priest and the king's counselor.

6 Ahishar was controller of the king's house; Adoniram, the son of Abda, was overseer of the forced work.

Ahishar was the palace manager. Adoniram, son of Abda, was in charge of those forced to work for the king.

7 And Solomon put twelve overseers over all Israel, to be responsible for the stores needed for the king and those of his house; every man was responsible for one month in the year.

Solomon had twelve area governors whose responsibilities covered the whole of Israel, providing food for the king and his household. Each one in turn arranged supplies for one month of the year.

8 And these are their names: ... the son of Hur in the hill country of Ephraim;

Their names were: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;

9 ... the son of Deker in Makaz and Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh and Elonbeth-hanan;

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

10 ... the son of Hesed in Arubboth; Socoh and all the land of Hepher were under his control;

Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher was his);

11 ... the son of Abinadab in all Naphath-dor; his wife was Taphath, the daughter of Solomon.

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

12 Baana, the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is by the side of Zarethan, under Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the far side of Jokmeam;

Baana, son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, the whole of Beth-shan near Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and across to Jokmeam;

13 ... the son of Geber in Ramoth-gilead; he had the towns of Jair, the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and the country of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great towns with walls and locks of brass.

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

14 Ahinadab, the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

Ahinadab, son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

15 Ahimaaz in Naphtali; he took Basemath, the daughter of Solomon, as his wife;

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

16 Baana, the son of Hushai, in Asher and Aloth;

Baana, son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth;

17 Jehoshaphat, the son of Paruah, in Issachar;

Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, in Issachar;

18 Shimei, the son of Ela, in Benjamin;

Shimei, son of Ela, in Benjamin;

19 Geber, the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan; and one overseer had authority over all the overseers who were in the land.

Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, (the former country of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan. There was also a governor who was over the land of Judah).

20 Judah and Israel were as great in number as the sand by the seaside, and they took their food and drink with joy in their hearts.

Judah and Israel had become as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They ate, they drank, they were happy.

21 And Solomon was ruler over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the edge of Egypt; men gave him offerings and were his servants all the days of his life.

Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, right up to the border of Egypt. They presented tribute to Solomon and served him during his lifetime.

22 And the amount of Solomon's food for one day was thirty measures of crushed grain and sixty measures of meal;

The food required every day for Solomon's court was thirty cors of the best flour and sixty cors of meal;

23 Ten fat oxen and twenty oxen from the fields, and a hundred sheep, in addition to harts and gazelles and roes and fat fowls.

ten fattened cattle, twenty range cattle, one hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and fattened poultry.

24 For he had authority over all the country on this side of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace round him on every side.

For Solomon ruled over the whole region west of the Euphrates, from Tiphsah to Gaza—over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him. He had peace on every border.

25 So Judah and Israel were living safely, every man under his vine and his fig-tree, from Dan as far as Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.

During Solomon's lifetime, everyone in Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan to Beersheba. Each one had their own vine and fig tree.

26 And Solomon had four thousand boxed-off spaces for horses for his carriages, and twelve thousand horsemen.

Solomon had 40,000 stalls for his chariot horses, and 12,000 charioteers.

27 And those overseers, every man in his month, saw that food was produced for Solomon and all his guests, they took care that nothing was overlooked.

Every month the area governors provided in turn food for King Solomon and all who ate at his table. They made sure that nothing was missing.

28 And they took grain and dry grass for the horses and the carriage-horses, to the right place, every man as he was ordered.

They also delivered barley and straw where they were needed for the chariot horses and cart-horses.

29 And God gave Solomon a great store of wisdom and good sense, and a mind of wide range, as wide as the sand by the seaside.

God gave to Solomon wisdom, very great discernment, and understanding as extensive as the sand on the seashore.

30 And Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.

Solomon's wisdom was greater than that of all the Eastern wise men, greater than all of Egypt's wisdom.

31 For he was wiser than all men, even than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman and Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and he had a great name among all the nations round about.

He was wiser than anyone, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol. His reputation spread through the nations around.

32 He was the maker of three thousand wise sayings, and of songs to the number of a thousand and five.

Solomon composed three thousand proverbs and one thousand and five songs.

33 He made sayings about all plants, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop hanging on the wall; and about all beasts and birds and fishes and the small things of the earth.

He was able to discuss knowledge of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows in the wall. He taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

34 People came from every nation to give ear to the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had word of his wisdom.

People from all nations came to hear Solomon's wisdom. They were sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard about his wisdom.