[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 host; 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 victuals 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 brazen 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 victuals 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 sea-shore. [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.
