1 Kings 4
English Standard Version
Solomon's Officials
4 King Solomon was king over all Israel, 2 and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was (A)the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; (B)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 4 (C)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; (D)Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 5 Azariah the son of Nathan was over (E)the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and (F)king's friend; 6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and (G)Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of (H)the forced labor.
7 Solomon 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. 8 These were their names: Ben-hur, in (I)the hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan; 10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher); 11 Ben-abinadab, in all (J)Naphath-dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); 12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in (K)Taanach, Megiddo, and all (L)Beth-shean that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam; 13 Ben-geber, (M)in Ramoth-gilead (he had (N)the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had (O)the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); 16 Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 (P)Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, (Q)the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. And there was one governor who was over the land.
Solomon's Wealth and Wisdom
20 Judah and Israel were as many (R)as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. 21 [a] (S)Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the (T)Euphrates[b] to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. (U)They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors[c] of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates[d] from Tiphsah to (V)Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. (W)And he had peace on all sides around him. 25 And Judah and Israel (X)lived in safety, (Y)from Dan even to Beersheba, (Z)every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon. 26 (AA)Solomon also had 40,000[e] stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. 27 And 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. 28 Barley also and straw for the horses and (AB)swift steeds they brought to the place where it was required, each according to his duty.
29 (AC)And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind (AD)like the sand on the seashore, 30 so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all (AE)the people of the east (AF)and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was (AG)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. 32 (AH)He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, (AI)and his songs were 1,005. 33 He 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. 34 And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from (AJ)all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 4:21 Ch 5:1 in Hebrew
- 1 Kings 4:21 Hebrew the River
- 1 Kings 4:22 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters
- 1 Kings 4:24 Hebrew the River; twice in this verse
- 1 Kings 4:26 Hebrew; one Hebrew manuscript (see 2 Chronicles 9:25 and Septuagint of 1 Kings 10:26) 4,000
1 Kings 4
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
4 And king Solomon reigned over all Israel:
2 And these were the princes which he had: Azarias the son of Sadoc the priest:
3 Elihoreph, and Ahia, the sons of Sisa, scribes: Josaphat the son of Ahilud, recorder:
4 Banaias the son of Joiada, over the army: and Sadoc and Abiathar priests.
5 Azarias the son of Nathan, over them that were about the king: Zabud, the son of Nathan the priest, the king's friend:
6 And Ahisar governor of the house: and Adoniram the son of Abda over the tribute.
7 And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and for his household: for every one provided necessaries, each man his month in the year.
8 And these are their names: Benhur, in mount Ephraim,
9 Bendecar, in Macces, and in Salebim, and in Bethsames, and in Elon, and in Bethanan.
10 Benhesed in Aruboth: his was Socho, and all the land of Epher.
11 Benabinadab, to whom belonged all Nephath-Dor, he had Tapheth the daughter of Solomon to wife.
12 Bana the son of Ahilud, who governed Thanac and Mageddo, and all Bethsan, which is by Sarthana beneath Jezrael, from Bethsan unto Abelmehula over against Jecmaan.
13 Bengaber in Ramoth Galaad: he had the towns of Jair the son of Manasses in Galaad, he was chief in all the country of Argob, which is in Basan, threescore great cities with walls, and brazen bolts.
14 Abinadab the son of Addo was chief in Manaim.
15 Achimaas in Nephtali: he also had Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife.
16 Baana the son of Husi, in Aser and in Baloth.
17 Josaphat the son of Pharue, in Issachar.
18 Semei the son of Ela in Benjamin.
19 Gaber the son of Uri, in the land of Galaad, in the land of Sehon the king of the Amorrhites and of Og the king of Basan, over all that were in that land.
20 Juda and Israel were innumerable, as the sand of the sea in multitude: eating and drinking, and rejoicing.
21 And Solomon had under him all the kingdoms from the river to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt: and they brought him presents, and served him, all the days of his life.
22 And the provision of Solomon for each day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal,
23 Ten fat oxen and twenty out of the pastures, and a hundred rams, besides venison of harts, roes, and buffles, and fatted fowls.
24 For he had all the country which was beyond the river, from Thaphsa to Gazan, and all the kings of those countries: and he had peace on every side round about.
25 And Juda and Israel dwelt without any fear, every one under his vine, and under his fig tree, from Dan to Bersabee, all the days of Solomon.
26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of chariot horses, and twelve thousand for the saddle.
27 And the foresaid governors of the king fed them: and they furnished the necessaries also for king Solomon's table, with great care in their time.
28 They brought barley also and straw for the horses, and beasts, to the place where the king was, according as it was appointed them.
29 And God gave to Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart as the sand that is on the sea shore.
30 And the wisdom of Solomon surpassed the wisdom of all the Orientals, and of the Egyptians,
31 And he was wiser than all men: wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Dorda the sons of Mahol, and he was renowned in all nations round about.
32 Solomon also spoke three thousand parables: and his poems were a thousand and five.
33 And he treated about trees from the cedar that is in Libanus, unto the hyssop that cometh out of the wall: and he discoursed of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
34 And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who heard of his wisdom.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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