1 S o King Solomon was king over all Israel.

Now King Solomon was the king of all Israel.

2 A nd these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest;

These were the king’s men. Azariah the son of Zadok was the religious leader.

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

Shisha’s sons Elihoreph and Ahijah were the heads of meetings. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the one who wrote down the things of the nation.

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

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was captain of the army. Zadok and Abiathar were religious leaders.

5 A zariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s friend;

Azariah the son of Nathan was over the leaders. Zabud the son of Nathan was a religious leader and the king’s friend.

6 A hishar, over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.

Ahishar was head of the king’s house. And Adoniram the son of Abda was head of the men who were made to work.

7 A nd Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year.

Solomon had twelve men over all Israel, who brought food for the king and those of his house. Each man had to bring food for one month in the year.

8 T hese are their names: Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim;

These were their names. There was Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim,

9 B en-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan;

and Ben-deker in Makaz. There were Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, Elonbeth-hanan,

10 B en-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher;

Ben-hesed in Arrubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him),

11 B en-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife;

and Ben-abinadab in all Naphath-Dor (Solomon’s daughter Taphath was his wife).

12 B aana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam;

There was Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam.

13 B en-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars;

There was Bengeber in Ramoth-gilead. (The towns of Manasseh’s son Jair which are in Gilead were his. And he had the land of Argob in Bashan, where there were sixty big cities with walls and locks of brass.)

14 A hinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

There was Ahinadab the son of Iddo in Mahanaim,

15 A himaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife;

Ahimaaz in Naphtali (who married Solomon’s daughter Basemath),

16 B aanah the son of Hushai, in Asher and Aloth;

and Baana the son of Hushai in Asher and Bealoth.

17 J ehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;

And there was Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah in Issachar,

18 S himei the son of Elah, in Benjamin;

Shimei the son of Ela in Benjamin,

19 G eber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land. Prosperity and Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign

and Geber the son of Uri in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only leader in the land. Solomon’s Riches

20 J udah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.

There were many people in Judah and Israel, as much as the sand beside the sea. They were eating and drinking and full of joy.

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

Solomon ruled over all the nations from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and to the land of Egypt. They brought taxes and worked for Solomon all the days of his life.

22 N ow Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal,

The food brought to Solomon for one day was 300 baskets of fine flour, 600 baskets of seeds,

23 t en fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

ten fat bulls, twenty grass-fed bulls, 100 sheep, and deer, gazelles, roebucks and fat birds.

24 F or he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every side all around him.

Solomon ruled over everything west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. He ruled over all the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace around him on all sides.

25 A nd Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

So Judah and Israel were safe. Every man was safe under his vine and fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

26 S olomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

Solomon had 40, 000 rooms for his war-wagon horses, and 12, 000 horsemen.

27 A nd these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply.

Those leaders brought food for King Solomon and all who came to his table, each during his month. They made sure nothing was missing.

28 T hey also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.

They brought barley and straw for the fast horses and the war-wagon horses, where it was needed. Each man did the work he had been given to do.

29 A nd God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.

God gave Solomon wisdom and much understanding and learning, as much as the sand beside the sea.

30 T hus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.

Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

31 F or he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.

He was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol, Darda, and the sons of Mahol. His name was known in all the nations around him.

32 H e spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.

He spoke 3, 000 wise sayings and wrote 1, 005 songs.

33 A lso he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish.

He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows on the wall. He spoke of animals, birds, things that moved upon the ground, and fish.

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

Men came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon. They came from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.