1 Kings 4
All 34 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.
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- 1King Solomon ruled over all of Israel.
- 2These were his top officials: Azariah son of Zadok served as priest;
- 3Elihoreph and Ahiah, sons of Shisha, served as scribes; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the official recorder;
- 4Benaiah son of Jehoiada commanded the army; Zadok and Abiathar served as priests;
- 5Azariah son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud son of Nathan was principal officer and the king's friend;
- 6Ahishar managed the household, and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of forced labor.
- 7Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel who provided food for the king and his household. Each officer made provision for one month of the year.
- 8Here are their names: Ben Hur, over the hill country of Ephraim;
- 9Ben Dekar, over Makaz, Shaalbim, Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan;
- 10Ben Hesed, over Aruboth, including Sochoh and the entire region of Hepher;
- 11Ben Abinadab, over the entire region of Dor — he was married to Solomon's daughter Taphath;
- 12Baana son of Ahilud, over Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Bethshean near Zartanah below Jezreel, stretching from Bethshean to Abelmeholah and beyond Jokneam;
- 13The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him belonged the towns of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead; to him also belonged the region of Argob in Bashan — 60 great cities with walls and bronze bars;
- 14Ahinadab son of Iddo, over Mahanaim;
- 15Ahimaaz, over Naphtali — he too had married one of Solomon's daughters, Basmath;
- 16Baanah son of Hushai, over Asher and Aloth;
- 17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, over Issachar;
- 18Shimei son of Elah, over Benjamin;
- 19Geber son of Uri, over the land of Gilead — the territory that once belonged to King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan. He was the sole officer over that entire region.
- 20The people of Judah and Israel were as countless as sand on the seashore. They had plenty to eat and drink, and they lived in celebration.
- 21Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the river to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought presents and served Solomon all the days of his life.
- 22Solomon's daily provision was thirty measures of fine flour and sixty measures of meal,
- 2310 fattened cattle, 20 pasture-fed cattle, and 100 sheep — plus deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.
- 24For he ruled over the entire region on this side of the river, from Tiphsah to Azzah, over all the kings on this side of the river, and he had peace on every side around him.
- 25Throughout Solomon's reign, Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba.
- 26Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and 12,000 horsemen.
- 27The officers provided food for King Solomon and for everyone who came to his table, each officer in his assigned month. Nothing was lacking.
- 28They also brought barley and straw for the horses and dromedaries to the place where the officers were, each man according to his charge.
- 29God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding in great abundance, and a mind as vast as the sand on the seashore.
- 30Solomon's wisdom surpassed that of all the wise men of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.
- 31He was wiser than anyone — wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. His fame spread to every surrounding nation.
- 32And he spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.
- 33He spoke about trees, from the cedar tree in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He also spoke about animals, birds, creatures that crawl, and fish.
- 34People came from every nation to hear Solomon's wisdom, sent by kings from all over the earth who had heard how wise he was.