1 Kings 4

1 So king Solomon was king over all Israel.

So King Solomon ruled over Israel,

2 And these [were] the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest,

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

3 Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder.

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

4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada [was] over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar [were] the priests:

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

5 And Azariah the son of Nathan [was] over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan [was] principal officer, [and] the king’s friend:

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

6 And Ahishar [was] over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda [was] over the tribute.

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

7 And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision.

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,

8 And these [are] their names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim:

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

9 The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan:

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

10 The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him [pertained] Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher:

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

11 The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife:

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

12 Baana the son of Ahilud; [to him pertained] Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean, which [is] by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, [even] unto [the place that is] beyond Jokneam:

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;

13 The son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him [pertained] the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which [are] in Gilead; to him [also pertained] the region of Argob, which [is] in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars:

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);

14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo [had] Mahanaim:

Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;

15 Ahimaaz [was] in Naphtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife:

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

16 Baanah the son of Hushai [was] in Asher and in 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 Elah, in Benjamin:

Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;

19 Geber the son of Uri [was] in the country of Gilead, [in] the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and [he was] the only officer which [was] in the land.

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.

20 Judah and Israel [were] many, as the sand which [is] by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.

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

21 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.

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.

22 And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal,

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

23 Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl.

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

24 For he had dominion over all [the region] on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him.

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.

25 And 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.

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.

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

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

27 And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon’s table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing.

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.

28 Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where [the officers] were, every man according to his charge.

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

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

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

30 And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

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

31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.

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.

32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.

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

33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that [is] in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

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.

34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

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.