1 Kings Chapter 4 (NIV)

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undefined Solomon’s Officials and GovernorsSo King Solomon ruled over all Israel.

undefined And these were his chief officials:Azariah son of Zadok—the priest;

undefined Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder;

undefined Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;Zadok and Abiathar—priests;

undefined Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district officers;Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and personal adviser to the king;

undefined Ahishar—in charge of the palace;Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.

undefined 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.

undefined These are their names:Ben-Hur—in the hill country of Ephraim;

undefined Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;

undefined Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher were his);

undefined Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);

undefined 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;

undefined 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);

undefined Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;

undefined Ahimaaz—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);

undefined Baana son of Hushai—in Asher and in Aloth;

undefined Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;

undefined Shimei son of Ela—in Benjamin;

undefined 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.

undefined Solomon’s Daily ProvisionsThe people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.

undefined 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.

undefined Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal,

undefined 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.

undefined For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides.

undefined During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree.

undefined Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.

undefined 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.

undefined They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

undefined Solomon’s WisdomGod gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.

undefined Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.

undefined 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.

undefined He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

undefined 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.

undefined 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.

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