1 Kings 4
1 And King Salomon was King ouer all Israel.
Solomon was the king who ruled all of Israel,
2 And these were his princes, Azariah the sonne of Zadok the Priest,
and these were his most important officials: Zadok’s son Azariah was the priest.
3 Elihoreph and Ahiah the sonnes of Shisha scribes, Iehoshaphat the sonne of Ahilud, the recorder,
Shisha’s sons Elihoreph and Ahijah were the [official] secretaries. Ahilud’s son Jehoshaphat was the one who announced to the people the king’s decisions.
4 And Benaiah the sonne of Iehoiada was ouer the hoste, and Zadok and Abiathar Priests,
Benaiah was the commander of the army. Zadok and Abiathar were also priests.
5 And Azariah the sonne of Nathan was ouer the officers, and Zabud the sonne of Nathan Priest was the Kings friend,
Nathan’s son Azariah was the administrator of the governors. Another of Nathan’s sons, Zabud, was a priest and the king’s chief advisor.
6 And Ahishar was ouer the houshold: and Adoniram the sonne of Abda was ouer the tribute.
Ahishar supervised the servants who worked in the palace. Abda’s son Adoniram supervised the men who were forced to do work [for the government].
7 And Salomon had twelue officers ouer all Israel, which prouided vitailes for the King and his housholde: eche man had a moneth in the yeere to prouide vitailes.
Solomon appointed twelve men, one to govern [each of the regions] in Israel. They also were required to provide food for the king and all the others who lived and worked in the palace. Each man was required to provide from his own region the food for one month each year.
8 And these are their names: the sonne of Hur in mount Ephraim:
Their names were: Ben-Hur, for the hilly area of the tribe of Ephraim.
9 The sonne of Dekar in Makaz, and in Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh, and Elon and Beth-hanan:
Ben-Deker, for Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-Shemesh, and Elon-Bethhanan [cities];
10 The sonne of Hesed in Aruboth, to whom perteined Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher:
Ben-Hesed, for Arubboth and Socoh [towns] and the area near Hepher [town];
11 The sonne of Abinadab in all the region of Dor, which had Taphath the daughter of Salomon to wife.
Ben-Abinadab, who was married to Solomon’s daughter Taphath, for all the Dor district;
12 Baana the sonne of Ahilud in Taanach, and Megiddo, and in all Beth-shean, which is by Zartanah beneath Izreel, from Beth-shean to Abelmeholah, eue til beyond ouer against Iokmeam:
Ahilud’s son Baana, for Taanach and Megiddo [towns], and all the region near Zarethan [city], and from Beth-Shan [city] south of Jezreel as far as Abel-Meholah [town] and Jokmeam [city];
13 The sonne of Geber in Ramoth Gilead, and his were the townes of Iair, the sonne of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and vnder him was the region of Argob, which is in Bashan: threescore great cities with walles and barres of brasse.
Ben-Geber, for Ramoth [city] in [the] Gilead [region], and for the villages in Gilead that belonged to Jair, who was a descendant of Manasseh, and the Argob area in [the] Bashan [region]. There were 60 large towns in that region altogether, each town with a wall around it and bronze bars across the gates.
14 Ahinadab the sonne of Iddo had to Mahanaim:
Iddo’s son Ahinadab, for Mahanaim [city east of the Jordan River];
15 Ahimaaz in Naphtali, and he tooke Basmath the daughter of Salomon to wife:
Ahimaaz, who had married Solomon’s daughter Basemath, for [the territory of the tribe of] Naphtali;
16 Baanah the sonne of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth:
Hushai’s son Baana, for [the territory of the tribe of] Asher and for Aloth [town];
17 Iehoshaphat the sonne of Paruah in Issachar.
Paruah’s son Jehoshaphat, for [the territory of the tribe of] Issachar;
18 Shimei the sonne of Elah in Beniamin:
Ela’s son Shimei, for [the territory of the tribe of] Benjamin;
19 Geber the sonne of Vri in the countrey of Gilead, the land of Sihon King of the Amorites, and of Og King of Bashan, and was officer alone in the land.
Uri’s son Geber, for the Gilead region, the land that Sihon the king of the Amor people-group [formerly ruled], and the Bashan [area], which was the area that Og [formerly ruled]. [In addition to all those], Solomon appointed one governor for the [territory of the] tribe of Judah.
20 Iudah and Israel were many, as the sand of the sea in number, eating, drinking, and making merry.
There were as many people in Judah and Israel as there are grains of sand [HYP] on the seashore. They [had plenty to] eat and drink and they were happy.
21 And Salomon reigned ouer all kingdomes, from the Riuer vnto the lande of the Philistims, and vnto the border of Egypt, and they brought presents, and serued Salomon all the dayes of his life.
Solomon’s kingdom extended from the Euphrates [River in the northeast] to the Philistia area [in the west] and to the border of Egypt [in the south]. The [conquered] people in those areas paid taxes and were under Solomon’s control for the rest of his life.
22 And Salomons vitailes for one day were thirtie measures of fine floure, and threescore measures of meale:
[To feed the people in his palace and his guests] Solomon needed people to bring to him every day 150 bushels of fine flour and 300 bushels of wheat,
23 Ten fat oxen, and twentie oxen of the pastures, and an hundreth sheepe, beside hartes, and buckes, and bugles, and fat foule.
ten cattle that were kept in stalls/barns, 20 cattle that were kept in pastures, 100 sheep, and (deer and gazelles and roebucks/three kinds of deer), and poultry.
24 For he ruled in all the region on the other side of the Riuer, from Tiphsah euen vnto Azzah, ouer all the Kings on the other side the Riuer: and he had peace round about him on euery side.
Solomon ruled over all the area west of the Euphrates [River], from Tiphsah [city in the northeast] to Gaza [city in the southwest]. He ruled over all the kings in that area. And there was peace between his [government] and the [governments of] nearby countries.
25 And Iudah and Israel dwelt without feare, euery man vnder his vine, and vnder his fig tree, from Dan, euen to Beer-sheba, all the dayes of Salomon.
All during the years that Solomon ruled, the people of Judah and Israel lived safely. Each family had its own grapevines and fig trees.
26 And Salomon had fourtie thousande stalles of horses for his charets, and twelue thousand horsemen.
Solomon had 4,000 stalls for the horses [that pulled] his chariots and 12,000 men who rode on horses (OR, in the chariots).
27 And these officers prouided vitaile for king Salomon, and for all that came to King Salomons table, euery man his moneth, and they suffred to lacke nothing.
His twelve governors supplied the food that King Solomon needed for himself and for all those who ate in the palace. Each governor supplied food for one month each year. They provided everything [LIT] that Solomon required.
28 Barley also and strawe for the horses and mules brought they vnto the place where the officers were, euery man according to his charge.
They also brought [stalks of] barley and wheat for the fast horses [that pulled the chariots] and for the [other work] horses. They brought it to the places where the horses were kept.
29 And God gaue Salomon wisdome and vnderstanding exceeding much, and a large heart, euen as the sand that is on the sea shore,
God enabled Solomon to be extremely wise and to have great insight/understanding. He understood about more things than the number of grains of sand on the seashore [HYP].
30 And Salomons wisdome excelled the wisedome of all the children of the East and all the wisedome of Egypt.
He was wiser than all the wise men in Arabia and Mesopotamia and all the wise men in Egypt.
31 For he was wiser then any man: yea, then were Ethan the Ezrahite, the Heman, then Chalcol, then Darda the sonnes of Mahol: and he was famous throughout all nations round about.
Ethan from Ezrah and Heman and Calcol and Darda and the sons of Mahol were [considered to be] very wise, but Solomon was wiser than all of them. People in all the nearby countries heard about Solomon.
32 And Salomon spake three thousand prouerbs: and his songs were a thousand and fiue.
He composed/wrote 3,000 (proverbs/wise sayings) and more than 1,000 songs.
33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, euen vnto the hyssope that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of foules, and of creeping thinges, and of fishes.
He talked about various kinds of plants, from the [huge] cedar trees in Lebanon to the [tiny] hyssop plants that grow in cracks in walls. He also talked about wild animals and birds and reptiles and fish.
34 And there came of all people to heare the wisedome of Salomon, from all Kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisedome.
People came from all over the world to hear the wise things that Solomon said. Many kings sent men to listen to him [and then return and tell them what Solomon said].
