1 Kings 4
1 And king Solomon is king over all Israel,
King Solomon ruled over all of Israel.
2 and these [are] the heads whom he hath: Azariah son of Zadok [is] the priest;
These were his officials: Azariah, son of Zadok, was the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahiah sons of Shisha [are] scribes; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud [is] remembrancer;
Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, were the king's secretaries. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, kept the royal records.
4 and Benaiah son of Jehoiada [is] over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar [are] priests;
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the army commander. Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
5 and Azariah son of Nathan [is] over the officers; and Zabud son of Nathan [is] minister, friend of the king;
Azariah, son of Nathan, was in charge of the governors. Zabud, son of Nathan, was a priest and the king's counselor.
6 And Ahishar [is] over the household, and Adoniram son of Abda [is] over the tribute.
Ahishar was the palace manager. Adoniram, son of Abda, was in charge of those forced to work for the king.
7 And Solomon hath twelve officers over all Israel, and they have sustained the king and his household — a month in the year is on each one for sustenance;
Solomon had twelve area governors whose responsibilities covered the whole of Israel, providing food for the king and his household. Each one in turn arranged supplies for one month of the year.
8 and these [are] their names: Ben-Hur in the hill-country of Ephraim;
Their names were: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
9 Ben-Dekar in Makaz, and Shaalbim, and Beth-Shemesh, and Elon-Beth-Hanan.
Ben-deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh and Elon-beth-hanan;
10 Ben-Hesed [is] in Aruboth, hath Sochoh and all the land of Hepher;
Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher was his);
11 Ben-Abinadab [hath] all the elevation of Dor, Taphath daughter of Solomon became his wife.
Ben-abinadab, in the whole of Naphath-dor (Taphath, the daughter of Solomon, was his wife);
12 Baana Ben-Ahilud [hath] Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-Shean, which [is] by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Beth-Shean unto Abel-Meholah, unto beyond Jokneam.
Baana, son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, the whole of Beth-shan near Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and across to Jokmeam;
13 Ben-Geber, in Ramoth-Gilead, hath the small towns of Jair son of Manasseh, which [are] in Gilead; he hath a portion of Argob that [is] in Bashan, sixty great cities [with] wall and brazen bar.
Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (the towns of Jair, son of Manasseh, in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan, with sixty great cities having walls and bronze bars);
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo [hath] Mahanaim.
Ahinadab, son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
15 Ahimaaz [is] in Naphtali; he also hath taken Basemath daughter of Solomon for a wife.
Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had married Basemath the daughter of Solomon);
16 Baanah Ben-Hushai [is] in Asher, and in Aloth.
Baana, son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth;
17 Jehoshaphat Ben-Paruah [is] in Issachar.
Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, in Issachar;
18 Shimei Ben-Elah [is] in Benjamin.
Shimei, son of Ela, in Benjamin;
19 Geber Ben-Uri [is] in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon king of the Amorite, and of Og king of Bashan: and one officer who [is] in the land.
Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, (the former country of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan. There was also a governor who was over the land of Judah).
20 Judah and Israel [are] many, as the sand that [is] by the sea for multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.
Judah and Israel had become as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They ate, they drank, they were happy.
21 And Solomon hath been ruling over all the kingdoms, from the River [to] the land of the Philistines and unto the border of Egypt: they are bringing nigh a present, and serving Solomon, all days of his life.
Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, right up to the border of Egypt. They presented tribute to Solomon and served him during his lifetime.
22 And the provision of Solomon for one day is thirty cors of flour, and sixty cors of meal;
The food required every day for Solomon's court was thirty cors of the best flour and sixty cors of meal;
23 ten fat oxen, and twenty feeding oxen, and a hundred sheep, apart from hart, and roe, and fallow-deer, and fatted beasts of the stalls,
ten fattened cattle, twenty range cattle, one hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and fattened poultry.
24 for he is ruling over all beyond the river, from Tiphsah and unto Gaza, over all the kings beyond the river, and he hath peace from all his servants round about.
For Solomon ruled over the whole region west of the Euphrates, from Tiphsah to Gaza—over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him. He had peace on every border.
25 And Judah dwelleth — and Israel — in confidence, each under his vine, and under his fig-tree, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, all the days of Solomon.
During Solomon's lifetime, everyone in Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan to Beersheba. Each one had their own vine and fig tree.
26 And Solomon hath forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
Solomon had 40,000 stalls for his chariot horses, and 12,000 charioteers.
27 And these officers have sustained king Solomon and every one drawing near unto the table of king Solomon, each [in] his month; they let nothing be lacking.
Every month the area governors provided in turn food for King Solomon and all who ate at his table. They made sure that nothing was missing.
28 And the barley and the straw, for horses and for dromedaries, they bring in unto the place where they are, each according to his ordinance.
They also delivered barley and straw where they were needed for the chariot horses and cart-horses.
29 And God giveth wisdom to Solomon, and understanding, very much, and breadth of heart, as the sand that [is] on the edge of the sea;
God gave to Solomon wisdom, very great discernment, and understanding as extensive as the sand on the seashore.
30 and the wisdom of Solomon is greater than the wisdom of any of the sons of the east, and than all the wisdom of Egypt;
Solomon's wisdom was greater than that of all the Eastern wise men, greater than all of Egypt's wisdom.
31 and he is wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol, and his name is in all the nations round about.
He was wiser than anyone, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol. His reputation spread through the nations around.
32 And he speaketh three thousand similes, and his songs [are] five, and the chief one;
Solomon composed three thousand proverbs and one thousand and five songs.
33 and he speaketh concerning the trees, from the cedar that [is] in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that is coming out in the wall, and he speaketh concerning the cattle, and concerning the fowl, and concerning the creeping things, and concerning the fishes,
He was able to discuss knowledge of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows in the wall. He taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
34 and there come out of all the peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth who have heard of his wisdom.
People from all nations came to hear Solomon's wisdom. They were sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard about his wisdom.
