1 Kings 4

Modern

Literal

Solomon’s Princes

¹So King Solomon ruled over Israel,

¹And king Solomon was King over all Israel.

²and these were his chief officials:

Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;

²And these were the officials who were unto him: Azariah son of Zadok the priest;

³Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha,^a were secretaries;

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;

³Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, the recorder;

⁴Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the army;

Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

⁴and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, over the army; and Zadok and Abiathar, the priests;

⁵Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the governors;

Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;

⁵and Azariah son of Nathan, over the officers; and Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, friend of the king;

⁶Ahishar was in charge of the palace;

and Adoniram^a son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.

⁶and Ahishar, over the house; and Adoniram son of Abda, over the forced labor.

Solomon’s Twelve Officers

⁷Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year,

⁷And had Solomon twelve governors over all Israel, and they provided food for the king and his house—one month of the year was upon each one for provision.

⁸and these were their names:

Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim;

⁸And these are their names: Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim;

⁹Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan;

⁹Ben-deker in Makaz, and Shaalbim, and Beth-Shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan;

¹⁰Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him);

¹⁰Ben-hesed in Arubboth (to him was Sochoh and all the land of Hepher);

¹¹Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor^a (Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);

¹¹Ben-abinadab in all Naphath-dor (Taphath the daughter of Solomon was unto him as wife);

¹²Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;

¹²Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all Beth-shean, which is beside Zaretan beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, to beyond Jokmeam;

¹³Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);

¹³Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (unto him were the towns of Jair son of Manasseh that were in Gilead; unto him was the region of Argob that is in Bashan, sixty large cities with walls and bronze bars);

¹⁴Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;

¹⁵Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married Basemath, a daughter of Solomon) ;

¹⁵Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife);

¹⁶Baana son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth;

¹⁶Baanah son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth;

¹⁷Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in Issachar;

¹⁸Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;

¹⁹Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, including the territories of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan.

There was also one governor in the land of Judah.^a

¹⁹Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon king of the Amorite and of Og king of Bashan. There was also one governor in the land of Judah.

Solomon’s Prosperity

²⁰The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.

²⁰Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.

²¹And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates^a to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

²¹And Solomon was reigning over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

²²Solomon’s provisions for a single day were thirty cors of fine flour,^a sixty cors of meal,^b

²²And the provision of Solomon for one day was thirty cors of fine flour, and sixty cors of meal,

²³ten fat oxen, twenty range oxen, and a hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened poultry.

²³ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen from the pastures, and a hundred sheep, besides deer, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fattened fowl.

²⁴For Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates—^aover all the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides.

²⁴For he had dominion over all on this side of the River, from Tiphsah and to Gaza, over all the kings on this side of the River. And was unto him peace on all his sides all around.

²⁵Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.

²⁵And Judah and Israel dwelt in safety, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan and to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

²⁶Solomon had 4,000 stalls^a for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses.^b

²⁶And Solomon had four thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horses.

²⁷Each month the governors in turn provided food for King Solomon and all who came to his table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking.

²⁷And these governors provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to the table of King Solomon, each man in his month. Nothing was lacking in their supply.

²⁸Each one also brought to the required place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and other horses.

²⁸And the barley and the straw for the horses and the steeds they brought to the place where it should be there, each man according to his charge.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹And God gave Solomon wisdom, exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like the sand on the seashore.

²⁹And God gave wisdom to Solomon, and understanding exceedingly great, and breadth of heart, like the sand that is on the shore of the sea.

³⁰Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the men of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.

³⁰And the wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all of the sons of the East, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

³¹He was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations.

³¹For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame was in all the surrounding nations.

³²Solomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

³²And He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand and five.

³³He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

³³And he spoke of trees, from the cedar of Lebanon and to the hyssop that comes out of the wall. And he spoke of the animals, and of the birds, and of the creeping things, and of the fish.

³⁴So men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

³⁴And men came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.