Solomon's Royal Officials
4 1 King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were his officials: Azariah son of Zadok, the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, the recorder; 4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army; Zadok and Abiathar, priests; 5 Azariah son of Nathan over the district officers; Zabud son of Nathan, a priest and the king's friend; 6 Ahishar over the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda over the forced labor.
Twelve Stewards Over the Land
7 Solomon had twelve district officers over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and his household; each one was responsible to supply provisions for one month of the year. 8 These are their names: Ben-Hur, in the hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; 10 Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him); 11 Ben-Abinadab, in all the heights of Dor (Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife); 12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the far side of Jokmeam; 13 Ben-Geber, in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as did the region of Argob in Bashan — sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); 14 Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he too had taken a daughter of Solomon, Basemath, as his wife); 16 Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 Geber 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 officer in the land.
Peace and Plenty in the Land
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea; they ate and drank and were glad. 21 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates 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.
22 Solomon's daily provision was thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten fattened oxen, twenty pasture-fed cattle, and a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the region west of the Euphrates, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates; and he had peace on every side around him. 25 Judah and Israel lived in safety, each under their own vine and fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 Those district officers supplied provisions for King Solomon and for everyone who came to King Solomon's table, each in his month; they let nothing be lacking. 28 They also brought barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds to the place where it was needed, each according to his assigned duty.
The Father Gives Solomon Wisdom
29 Our Father gave Solomon wisdom and very great understanding, and breadth of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone — wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol — and his fame spread through all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about trees, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; he also spoke about animals, birds, creeping things, and fish. 34 People came from all nations to hear Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.