1 Kings 4

1 Now Solomon was king over all Israel.

King Solomon was king over all 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 secretaries. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder.

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

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the army. 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 over the officers. Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and the king's friend.

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

Ahishar was over the household. Adoniram son of Abda was over the men who were subjected to forced labor.

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 officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for one month in the year.

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

These were their names: 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 (to him belonged Sokoh and all the land of Hepher);

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

Ben-Abinadab, in all Naphoth Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as 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, and all Beth Shan that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah as far as the other side of 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 (to him belonged the towns of Jair son of Manasseh, that are in Gilead, and the region of Argob belonged to him, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze gate 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 also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);

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

Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;

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.

and Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan, and he was the only official who was in the land.

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 were as numerous as the sand by the sea. They were eating and drinking and 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 River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

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

Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors of fine 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 fat oxen, twenty oxen out of the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.

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 he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River, from Tiphsah as far as to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River, and he had peace on all sides around him.

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.

Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

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

Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

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.

Those officials provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon's table, every man in his month. They let nothing be lacking.

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 brought to the proper place barley and straw for the chariot horses and riding horses, each one bringing in what he was able.

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 Solomon great wisdom and understanding, and wideness of understanding like 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 exceeded the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

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 all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Kalkol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol—and his fame reached all the surrounding nations.

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

He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs were one thousand and five in number.

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 described the plants, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He explained also about beasts, birds, creeping things, 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 came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon. They came from all kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.