4:1 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel.
4:2 And these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok–the priest;
4:3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha–secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud–recorder;
4:4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada–commander in chief; Zadok and Abiathar–priests;
4:5 Azariah son of Nathan–in charge of the district officers; Zabud son of Nathan–a priest and personal adviser to the king;
4:6 Ahishar–in charge of the palace; Adoniram son of Abda–in charge of forced labor.
4:7 Solomon also had twelve district governors 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.
4:8 These are their names: Ben-Hur–in the hill country of Ephraim;
4:9 Ben-Deker–in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;
4:10 Ben-Hesed–in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher were his);
4:11 Ben-Abinadab–in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);
4:12 Baana son of Ahilud–in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;
4:13 Ben-Geber–in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the district of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars);
4:14 Ahinadab son of Iddo–in Mahanaim;
4:15 Ahimaaz–in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);
4:16 Baana son of Hushai–in Asher and in Aloth;
4:17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah–in Issachar;
4:18 Shimei son of Ela–in Benjamin;
4:19 Geber son of Uri–in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.
4:20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.
4:21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
4:22 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal,
4:23 ten 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.
4:24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides.
4:25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree.
4:26 Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.
4:27 The district officers, 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.
4:28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
4:30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.
4:31 He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite–wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.
4:32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.
4:33 He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.
4:34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.
4:1 Now King Solomon was king over all Israel.
4:2 And these were the officials with him: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest;
4:3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder;
4:4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and Abiathar were high priests;
4:5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the superintendents; and Zabud the son of Nathan was the principal officer, the king s friend;
4:6 And Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the forced labor.
4:7 And Solomon had twelve superintendents over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his house; each month of the year one had to provide food.
4:8 And these are their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
4:9 Ben-deker, in Makaz and in Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh and Elon-beth-hanan;
4:10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him pertained Socoh and all the land of Hepher);
4:11 Ben-abinadab, in all the highland of Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);
4:12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-shean, which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam;
4:13 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (to him pertained the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; and to him pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);
4:14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
4:15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);
4:16 Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;
4:17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;
4:18 Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin;
4:19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon the king of the Amorites and Og the king of Bashan (and there was only one superintendent in that land).
4:20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.
4:21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and unto the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
4:22 And Solomon s provisions for one day were thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal,
4:23 Ten fattened oxen and twenty pastured oxen and a hundred sheep, besides deer and gazelles and roebucks and fattened fowl.
4:24 For he had dominion over all the area west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides around him.
4:25 And Judah and Israel dwelt securely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beer-sheba, throughout all Solomon s days.
4:26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand horsemen.
4:27 And those superintendents provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon s table, each in his month; they left nothing lacking.
4:28 And they also brought to the place where it should be, barley and straw for the horses and steeds, each according to his charge.
4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and very much understanding and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore.
4:30 And Solomon s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the children of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.
4:31 For he became wiser than all men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame was among all the surrounding nations.
4:32 And he spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.
4:33 And he discoursed about trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that shoots forth out of the wall; he also discoursed about animals and about birds and about creeping things and about fish.
4:34 And they came from all the peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.