1 King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were the princes
whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah,
the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder;
4 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and
Abiathar were priests; 5 and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the
officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister, and the
king’s friend; 6 and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son
of Abda was over the men subject to forced labor. 7 Solomon had twelve
officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household:
each man had to make provision for a month in the year. 8 These are their
names: Ben Hur, in the hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben Deker, in Makaz, and
in Shaalbim, and Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; 10 Ben Hesed, in
Arubboth (to him pertained Socoh, and all the land of Hepher);
11 Ben Abinadab, in all the height of Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of
Solomon as wife); 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; 13 Ben Geber, in Ramoth Gilead (to
him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in
Gilead; even to him pertained the region of Argob, which is
in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);
14 Ahinadab the
son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also took Basemath
the daughter of Solomon as wife); 16 Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and
Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 Shimei the
son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead,
the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and
he was the only officer who was in the land. 20 Judah and Israel
were many as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking
and making merry. 21 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to
the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt: they brought
tribute, and served Solomon all the days of his life. 22 Solomon’s
provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures
of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and one
hundred sheep, besides harts, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fattened fowl.
24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side the River,
from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River: and he
had peace on all sides round about him. 25 Judah and Israel lived safely,
every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba,
all the days of Solomon. 26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses
for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 Those officers provided
food for king Solomon, and for all who came to king Solomon’s table, every
man in his month; they let nothing be lacking. 28 Barley also and straw
for the horses and swift steeds brought they to the place where the
officers were, every man according to his charge. 29 God gave Solomon
wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and very great understanding, even
as the sand that is on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom excelled the
wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For 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 nations
round about. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were one
thousand five. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon
even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals,
and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fish. 34 There came of all
peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had
heard of his wisdom.
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