1 Kings 4:20-28
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Magnificence of Solomon’s Rule
[[20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea; they ate and drank and were happy.(A) 21 [a]Solomon was sovereign over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.[b](B)]]
22 Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty cors of choice flour and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen and twenty pasture-fed cattle, one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl. 24 For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates,[c] and he had peace on all sides.(C) 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all of them under their vines and fig trees.(D) 26 Solomon also had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand horsemen.(E) 27 Those officials 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.(F) 28 They also brought to the required place barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds, each according to his charge.
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1 Kings 4:20-28
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Glory of Solomon’s Rule
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea. They were eating, drinking, and rejoicing. 21 Solomon was ruling all the kingdoms from the River[a] to the land of the Philistines, up to the border of Egypt. They sent tribute and workers to Solomon all the days of his life.[b] 22 Solomon’s provisions for one day were one hundred eighty bushels[c] of fine flour and three hundred sixty bushels[d] of plain flour, 23 ten stall-fed cattle, twenty pasture-fed cattle, and one hundred sheep, not to mention deer, gazelle, roebucks, and fattened poultry.
24 Since Solomon was ruling over everything west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kingdoms west of the River, he had peace on all sides. 25 Judah and Israel lived in safety, with every man sitting under his own vine and fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, throughout Solomon’s days. 26 Solomon had four thousand[e] teams[f] of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand charioteers.
27 His governors supplied provisions for King Solomon and for all those who gathered at King Solomon’s table. Each governor was responsible for one month, so the court lacked nothing. 28 They brought the barley and straw for the horses and steeds[g] to the location assigned to each one of them.
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- 1 Kings 4:21 That is, the Euphrates
- 1 Kings 4:21 The chapter division is different in the Hebrew text. English 4:21-34 equals Hebrew 5:1-14. English 5:1-18 equals Hebrew 5:15-32.
- 1 Kings 4:22 Literally thirty cors. The sizes of the cor and other ancient measures of volume are uncertain. Thirty cors may be about five tons.
- 1 Kings 4:22 Literally sixty cors
- 1 Kings 4:26 Four thousand is the reading of some manuscripts of the Greek Old Testament and the parallel passage in 2 Chronicles 9:25. The Hebrew text reads forty thousand. Four thousand chariots correlates well with twelve thousand charioteers, at three riders per chariot.
- 1 Kings 4:26 Or stalls
- 1 Kings 4:28 The text has the common word for horses followed by a second name for another type of horse. The precise meaning of the second term is uncertain.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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