1 Kings 4
1 And so it came to pass, that, King Solomon, was king, over all Israel.
King Solomon ruled over all of Israel.
2 Now, these, were his chief officers of state, —Azariah son of Zadok, the priest;
These were his officials: Azariah, son of Zadok, was the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, scribes, —Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, the recorder;
Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, were the king's secretaries. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, kept the royal records.
4 And Benaiah son of Jehoiada, over the army, —and Zadok and Abiathar priests;
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the army commander. Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
5 And Azariah son of Nathan, over the governors, —and Zabud son of Nathan, minister, 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 And Ahishar, over the household, —and Adoniram son of Abda, over the tribute.
Ahishar was the palace manager. Adoniram, son of Abda, was in charge of those forced to work for the king.
7 And, Solomon, had twelve governors over all Israel, who used to sustain the king and his household, —for a month in the year, was it appointed unto each one, to find sustenance.
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, Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
Their names were: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
9 Ben-deker, in Makaz and in Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh, —and Elon-beth-hanan;
Ben-deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh and Elon-beth-hanan;
10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth, —to him, pertaineth Socoh, and all the land of Hepher;
Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher was his);
11 Ben-abinadab, all the height of Dor, —Taphath daughter of Solomon, had he to wife;
Ben-abinadab, in the whole of Naphath-dor (Taphath, the daughter of Solomon, was his wife);
12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach, and Megiddo, —and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean as far as Abel-meholah, as far as over against 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 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead, —to him, belonged the towns of Jair, son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, his, was the region of Argob which is in Bashan, sixty great cities, with walls and with bars of bronze;
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 son of Iddo, towards Mahanaim;
Ahinadab, son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali, —moreover, he, took Basemath daughter of Solomon, to wife;
Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had married Basemath the daughter of Solomon);
16 Banna son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth;
Baana, son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth;
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;
Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, in Issachar;
18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;
Shimei, son of Ela, in Benjamin;
19 Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, —the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, being, the one governor, that was 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 many, as the sand that is by the sea, for multitude, —eating and drinking, and rejoicing.
Judah and Israel had become as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They ate, they drank, they were happy.
21 And, Solomon, became ruler over all the kingdoms, from the River [even unto] the land of the Philistines, and as far as the boundary of Egypt, —and these were bringing presents, and serving Solomon, 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 it came to pass, that Solomon’s provision for one day was, —thirty measures of fine flour, 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 out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, —besides harts, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fatted fowl.
ten fattened cattle, twenty range cattle, one hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and fattened poultry.
24 For, he, had dominion over all on this side the River, from Tiphsah even as far as Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River, —and he had, peace, on all sides of him, round about.
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 And Judah and Israel dwelt securely, every man under his own vine, and under his own fig-tree, from Dan even unto 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 it came to pass that, Solomon, had forty thousand stalls of horses, for his chariots, —and twelve thousand horsemen.
Solomon had 40,000 stalls for his chariot horses, and 12,000 charioteers.
27 And these governors provided sustenance for King Solomon, and for all that drew near unto the table of King Solomon, every man in his month, —they let, nought, be lacking.
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 Barley also and crushed straw, for the horses and for the swift beasts, brought they in unto the place where it should be, every man according to his charge.
They also delivered barley and straw where they were needed for the chariot horses and cart-horses.
29 And God gave wisdom unto Solomon, and discernment, and very great largeness of heart, —like the sand that is on the shore of the sea:
God gave to Solomon wisdom, very great discernment, and understanding as extensive as the sand on the seashore.
30 so that, the wisdom of Solomon, excelled, the wisdom of all the sons of the East, —and all the wisdom of the Egyptians,
Solomon's wisdom was greater than that of all the Eastern wise men, greater than all of Egypt's wisdom.
31 so that he was wiser than any man—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman and Calcol and Darda, sons of Mahol, —and it came to pass that, his name, was throughout 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 And he spake three thousand proverbs, —and it came to pass that, his songs, were a thousand and five.
Solomon composed three thousand proverbs and one thousand and five songs.
33 And he discoursed of trees—from the cedar that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop, that springeth out in the wall, —and he discoursed of beasts and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
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 And there came in, of all the peoples, to hear the wisdom of Solomon—of all the kings of the earth, who heard 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.
