1 Kings 4:20-28

New Living Translation

Solomon’s Prosperity and Wisdom

²⁰The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink. ²¹^[a]Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River^[b] in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.

²²The daily food requirements for Solomon’s palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal^[c]; ²³also 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry.^[d]

²⁴Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders. ²⁵During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, each family had its own home and garden.^[e]

²⁶Solomon had 4,000^[f] stalls for his chariot horses, and he had 12,000 horses.^[g]

²⁷The district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court; each made sure nothing was lacking during the month assigned to him. ²⁸They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

4:21a Verses 4:21-34 are numbered 5:1-14 in Hebrew text.
4:21b Hebrew the river; also in 4:24.
4:22 Hebrew 30 cors [6.6 kiloliters] of choice flour and 60 cors [13.2 kiloliters] of meal.
4:23 Or and fattened geese.
4:25 Hebrew each family lived under its own grapevine and under its own fig tree.
4:26a As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 2 Chr 9:25); Hebrew reads 40,000.
4:26b Or 12,000 charioteers.