1So King Solomon ruled over all Israel.2These were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok, the priest;3Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, recorder;4Benaiah son of Jehoiada, commander-in-chief; Zadok and Abiathar, priests;5Azariah son of Nathan, in charge of the district governors; Zabud son of Nathan, a priest and advisor to the king;6Ahishar, palace administrator; Adoniram son of Abda, in charge of forced labour.7Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year.8These are their names: Ben-Hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;9Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;10Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his);11Ben-Abinadab, in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);12Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;13Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars);14Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);16Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth;17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;18Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;19Geber son of Uri, in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.
Solomon’s daily provisions
20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.21And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.22Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors[1] of the finest flour and sixty cors[2] of meal,23ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.24For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the River Euphrates, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides.25During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig-tree.26Solomon had four[3] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.[4] (2Ch 9:25)27The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking.28They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
Solomon’s wisdom
29God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.31He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite – wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.32He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.33He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.34From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.[5]
1 Kings 4
English Standard Version
Solomon’s Officials
1King Solomon was king over all Israel,2and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest; (1Ch 6:10)3Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; (2Sa 8:16; 2Sa 20:24)4Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; (2Sa 20:25; 1Ki 2:27; 1Ki 2:35)5Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king’s friend; (2Sa 15:37; 2Sa 16:16; 1Ki 4:7; 1Ch 27:33)6Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor. (2Sa 20:24; 1Ki 5:14; 1Ki 9:15; 1Ki 12:18; 2Ch 10:18)7Solomon 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.8These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim; (Jos 24:33)9Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan;10Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher);11Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); (Jos 11:2)12Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam; (Jos 17:11)13Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); (Nu 32:41; De 3:4; 1Ki 22:3)14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);16Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;18Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; (1Ki 1:8)19Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. And there was one governor who was over the land. (De 3:8)
Solomon’s Wealth and Wisdom
20Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. (Ge 22:17; 1Ki 3:8; 2Ch 1:9)21[1] Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates[2] to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. (Ge 15:18; Ex 23:31; Jos 1:4; 2Ch 9:26; Ps 68:29; Ps 72:8; Ps 72:10)22Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty cors[3] of fine flour and sixty cors of meal,23ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.24For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates[4] from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him. (Ge 10:19; 1Ch 22:9)25And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon. (2Sa 3:10; 2Ki 18:31; Isa 36:16; Jer 23:6; Jer 32:37; Eze 28:26; Mic 4:4; Zec 3:10)26Solomon also had 40,000[5] stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. (1Ki 10:26; 2Ch 1:14; 2Ch 9:25)27And those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon’s table, each one in his month. They let nothing be lacking.28Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds they brought to the place where it was required, each according to his duty. (Es 8:10; Es 8:14; Mic 1:13)29And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, (1Ki 3:12; 1Ki 4:20)30so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. (Jud 6:3; Isa 19:11; Ac 7:22)31For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. (1Ki 4:29)32He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. (Pr 1:1; Ec 12:9; So 1:1)33He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish.34And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. (1Ki 10:1; 2Ch 9:23)