1 Kings 4:1–34

Solomon’s Officials and Governors

4So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. ²And these were his chief officials:^y

Azariah^z son of Zadok—the priest;

³Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;^a

Jehoshaphat^b son of Ahilud—recorder;

⁴Benaiah^c son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;

Zadok^d and Abiathar—priests;

⁵Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;

Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;

⁶Ahishar—palace administrator;^e

Adoniram^f son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.^g

⁷Solomon had twelve district governors^h 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 countryⁱ of Ephraim;

⁹Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim,^j Beth Shemesh^k and Elon Bethhanan;

¹⁰Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh^l and all the land of Hepher^m were his);

¹¹Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dorⁿ (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);

¹²Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan^o next to Zarethan^p below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah^q across to Jokmeam;^r

¹³Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair^s son of Manasseh in Gilead^t were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities^u with bronze gate bars);

¹⁴Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;^v

¹⁵Ahimaaz^w—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);

¹⁶Baana son of Hushai^x—in Asher and in Aloth;

¹⁷Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;

¹⁸Shimei^y son of Ela—in Benjamin;

¹⁹Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon^z king of the Amorites and the country of Og^a 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^b on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.^{c 21}And Solomon ruled^d over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River^e to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.^f These countries brought tribute^g and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

²²Solomon’s daily provisions^h were thirty cors^a of the finest flour and sixty cors^b 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.^{i 24}For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah^j to Gaza, and had peace^k on all sides. ²⁵During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,^l lived in safety,^m everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.ⁿ

²⁶Solomon had four^c thousand stalls for chariot horses,^o and twelve thousand horses.^d

²⁷The district governors,^p 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^q and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand^r on the seashore. ³⁰Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,^s and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.^{t 31}He was wiser^u 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^v and his songs^w numbered a thousand and five. ³³He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop^x 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^y of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.^e