1 Kings 4

1 `Forsothe kyng Salomon was regnynge on al Israel.

King Solomon was king over all Israel.

2 And these weren the princes which he hadde; Azarie, sone of Sadoch, preest;

These were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest;

3 Helioreb, and Haia, sones of Sila, `weren scryueyns; Josophat, sone of Achilud, was chaunseler;

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

4 Banaie, sone of Joiada, was on the oost; forsothe Sadoch and Abiathar weren preestis;

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

5 Azarie, sone of Nathan, was on hem that stoden niy the kyng; Zabul, the sone of Nathan, was preest, `that is, greet and worschipful, a freend of the kyng;

Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister, the king’s friend;

6 and Ahiasar was stiward of the hows; and Adonyram, sone of Adda, was on the tributis.

Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to forced labor.

7 Forsothe Salomon hadde twelue `prefectis, ether cheef minystrys, on al Israel, that yauen lijflode to the kyng, and to his hows; sotheli bi ech monethe bi it silf in the yeer, ech prefect bi hym silf mynystride necessaries.

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

8 And these ben the names of hem; Benhur, in the hil of Effraym;

These are their names: Ben Hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;

9 Bendechar, in Macces, and in Salebbym, and in Bethsames, and in Helon, and in Bethanan;

Ben Deker, in Makaz, in Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan;

10 Beneseth, in Araboth; forsothe Socco, and al the lond of Epher was his;

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

11 Benabidanab, whos was al Neptad, hadde Dortaphaed, `Solomons douyter, to wijf.

Ben Abinadab, in all the height of Dor (he had Taphath, Solomon’s daughter, as wife);

12 Bena, sone of Achilud, gouernyde Thaneth, and Mageddo, and al Bethsan, which is bisidis Sarthana, vndur Jezrael, fro Bethsan `til to Abelmeula, euene ayens Zelmaan.

Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth Shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam;

13 Bengaber in Ramoth of Galaad hadde Anothiair, of the sone of Manasses, in Galaad; he was souereyn in al the cuntrey of Argob, which is in Basan, to sixti greet citees and wallid, that hadden brasun lockis.

Ben Geber, in Ramoth Gilead (the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, belonged to him; and the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars, belonged to him);

14 Achymadab, sone of Addo, was souereyn in Manaym;

Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

15 Achymaas was in Neptalym, but also he hadde Bachsemath, douyter of Salomon, in wedloc;

Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife);

16 Banaa, sone of Husy, was in Aser, and in Balod;

Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;

17 Josephat, sone of Pharue, was in Ysachar; Semey, sone of Hela, was in Beniamyn;

Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;

18 Gaber,

Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin;

19 sone of Sury, was in the lond of Galaad, and in the lond of Seon, kyng of Amorrey, and of Og, kyng of Basan, on alle thingis, that weren in that lond.

Geber the 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 officer who was in the land.

20 Juda and Israel weren vnnoumbrable, as the soond of the see in multitude, etynge, and drynkynge, and beynge glad.

Judah and Israel were numerous as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry.

21 Forsothe Solomon was in his lordschip, and hadde alle rewmes, as fro the flood of the lond of Filisteis `til to the laste part of Egipt, of men offrynge yiftis to hym, and seruynge to hym, in alle the daies of his lijf.

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 Forsothe the mete of Salomon was bi ech day, thritti chorus of clene flour of whete, and sixti chorus of mele,

Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty cors of fine flour, sixty measures of meal,

23 ten fatte oxis, and twenti oxis of lesewe, and an hundrid wetheris, outakun huntyng of hertys, of geet, and of buglis, and of briddis maad fat.

ten head of fat cattle, twenty head of cattle out of the pastures, and one hundred sheep, in addition to deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.

24 For he helde al the cuntrei that was biyende the flood, as fro Caphsa `til to Gasa, and alle the kyngis of tho cuntreis; and he hadde pees bi ech part in cumpas.

For he had dominion over all on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River; and he had peace on all sides around him.

25 And Juda and Israel dwelliden withouten ony drede, ech man vndur his vyne, and vndur his fige tree, fro Dan `til to Bersabe, in alle the daies of Salomon.

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

26 And Salomon hadde fourty thousynd cratchis of horsis for charis, and twelue thousynde of roode horsis; and the forseid prefectis nurshiden tho horsis.

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

27 But also with greet bisynesse thei yauen necessaries to the boord of kyng Salomon in her tyme;

Those officers 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 also thei brouyten barli, and forage of horsis and werk beestis, in to the place where the king was, `bi ordenaunce to hem.

They also brought barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds to the place where the officers were, each man according to his duty.

29 Also God yaf to Salomon wisdom, and prudence ful myche, and largenesse of herte, as the soond which is in the brenke of the see.

God gave Solomon abundant wisdom, understanding, and breadth of mind like the sand that is on the seashore.

30 And the wisdom of Solomon passide the wisdom of alle eest men, and Egipcians;

Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

31 and he was wisere than alle men; he was wisere than Ethan Esraite, and than Eman, and than Cacal, and than Dorda, the sones of Maol; and he was named among alle folkis bi cumpas.

For he was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations all around.

32 And Salomon spak thre thousynde parablis, and hise songis weren fyue thousynde;

He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered one thousand five.

33 and he disputide of trees fro a cedre which is in the Lyban, `til to the ysope that goith out of the wal; he disputide of werk beestis, and briddis, and crepynge beestis, and fischis.

He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; he also spoke of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish.

34 And thei camen fro alle puplis to here the wisdom of Salomon, and fro alle kyngis of erthe, that herden his wisdom.

People of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, sent by all kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.