Solomon’s Officials and Governors

4 So King Solomon ruled over the whole nation of Israel. 2Here are the names of his chief officials.

Azariah was the priest. He was the son of Zadok.

3 Elihoreph and Ahijah were secretaries. They were the sons of Shisha.

Jehoshaphat kept the records. He was the son of Ahilud.

4 Benaiah was the commander in chief. He was the son of Jehoiada.

Zadok and Abiathar were priests.

5 Azariah was in charge of the local officials. He was the son of Nathan.

Zabud was a priest. He was the king’s personal adviser. He was the son of Nathan.

6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace.

Adoniram was in charge of those who were forced to work for the king. He was the son of Abda.

7Solomon also had 12 local governors over the whole land of Israel. They provided supplies for the king and the royal family. Each governor had to provide supplies for one month out of each year. 8Here are their names and areas.

Ben-Hur’s area was the hill country of Ephraim.

9 Ben-Deker’s area was Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan.

10 Ben-Hesed’s area was Arubboth. Socoh and the whole land of Hepher were included in his area.

11 Ben-Abinadab’s area was Naphoth Dor. He got married to Solomon’s daughter Taphath.

12 Baana’s area was Taanach, Megiddo and the whole territory of Beth Shan. Beth Shan was next to Zarethan below Jezreel. Baana’s area reached from Beth Shan all the way to Abel Meholah. It also went across to Jokmeam. Baana was the son of Ahilud.

13 Ben-Geber’s area was Ramoth Gilead. The settlements of Jair, the son of Manasseh, were included in his area in Gilead. The area of Argob in Bashan was also included. That area had 60 large cities that had high walls around them. The city gates were made secure with heavy bronze bars.

14 Ahinadab’s area was Mahanaim. He was the son of Iddo.

15 Ahimaaz’s area was Naphtali. He had gotten married to Basemath. She was Solomon’s daughter.

16 Baana’s area was Asher and Aloth. He was the son of Hushai.

17 Jehoshaphat’s area was Issachar. He was the son of Paruah.

18 Shimei’s area was Benjamin. He was the son of Ela.

19 Geber’s area was Gilead. He was the only governor over the area. He was the son of Uri. Gilead had been the country of Sihon and Og. Sihon had been king of the Amorites. Og had been king of Bashan.

Solomon’s Daily Supplies

20There were many people in Judah and Israel. In fact, they were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. They ate, drank and were happy.

21Solomon ruled over all of the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines. He ruled as far as the border of Egypt. All of those countries brought the gifts he required them to bring him. And Solomon ruled over those countries for his whole life.

22Here are the supplies Solomon required every day.

185 bushels of fine flour

375 bushels of meal

23 ten head of cattle that had been fed by hand

20 head of cattle that had been fed on grasslands

100 sheep and goats

deer, antelopes and roebucks

the finest birds

24Solomon ruled over all of the kingdoms that were west of the Euphrates River. He ruled from Tiphsah all the way to Gaza. And he had peace and rest on every side.

25While Solomon was king, Judah and Israel lived in safety. They were secure from Dan all the way to Beersheba. Each man had his own vine and fig tree.

26Solomon had 4,000 spaces where he kept his chariot horses. He had a total of 12,000 horses.

27The local officials provided supplies for King Solomon. They provided them for all who ate at the king’s table. Each official provided supplies for one month every year. The officials made sure the king had everything he needed. 28They also brought barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses. Each of them brought the amounts that were required of them. They brought them to the proper places.

God Makes Solomon Very Wise

29God made Solomon very wise. His understanding couldn’t even be measured. It was like the sand on the seashore. People can’t measure that either.

30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all of the people of the east. It was greater than all of the wisdom of Egypt. 31Solomon was wiser than any other man. He was wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite. He was wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda. They were the sons of Mahol. Solomon became famous in all of the nations that were around him.

32He spoke 3,000 proverbs. He wrote 1,005 songs. 33He explained all about plants. He knew everything about them, from the cedar trees in Lebanon to the hyssop plants that grow out of walls. He taught about animals and birds. He also taught about reptiles and fish.

34The kings of all of the world’s nations heard about how wise Solomon was. So they sent their people to listen to him.