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1 KIN G S 5
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Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the
district governors.
Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, was a trusted
adviser to the king.
Ahishar was manager of the palace
property.
Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of
forced labor.
7 Solomon also had twelve district governors
who were over all Israel. They were responsible for providing food for the king’s household. Each of them arranged provisions for
one month of the year. 8 These are the names of
the twelve governors:
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Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim.
Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim,
Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan.
Ben-hesed, in Arubboth, including Socoh
and all the land of Hepher.
Ben-abinadab, in all of Naphoth-dor.*
(He was married to Taphath, one of
Solomon’s daughters.)
Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and
Megiddo, all of Beth-shan* near Zarethan
below Jezreel, and all the territory from
Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and over to
Jokmeam.
Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead, including the
Towns of Jair (named for Jair of the tribe
of Manasseh*) in Gilead, and in the Argob
region of Bashan, including sixty large
fortified towns with bronze bars on
their gates.
Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim.
Ahimaaz, in Naphtali. (He was married
to Basemath, another of Solomon’s
daughters.)
Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth.
Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar.
Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin.
Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead,*
including the territories of King Sihon
of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.
There was also one governor over the land
of Judah.*
Solomon’s Prosperity and Wisdom
20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very
contented, with plenty to eat and drink. 21*Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River* in the north to the land of the
Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south.
The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve
him throughout his lifetime.
22 The daily food requirements for Solomon’s
palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and
300 bushels of meal*; 23 also 10 oxen from the
fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep
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or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and
choice poultry.*
24 Solomon’s dominion extended over all the
kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from
Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his
borders. 25 During the lifetime of Solomon, all of
Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And
from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south,
each family had its own home and garden.*
26 Solomon had 4,000* stalls for his chariot
horses, and he had 12,000 horses.*
27 The district governors faithfully provided
food for King Solomon and his court; each made
sure nothing was lacking during the month
assigned to him. 28 They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in
the stables.
29 God gave Solomon very great wisdom and
understanding, and knowledge as vast as the
sands of the seashore. 30 In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and
the wise men of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite and the
sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His
fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. 32 He composed some 3,000 proverbs and
wrote 1,005 songs. 33 He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great
cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows
from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about
animals, birds, small creatures, and fish. 34 And
kings from every nation sent their ambassadors
to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.
Preparations for Building the Temple
1*King Hiram of Tyre had always been a loyal
friend of David. When Hiram learned that
David’s son Solomon was the new king of Israel,
he sent ambassadors to congratulate him.
2 Then Solomon sent this message back to
Hiram:
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3 “You
know that my father, David, was not
able to build a Temple to honor the name of
the Lord his God because of the many wars
waged against him by surrounding nations.
He could not build until the Lord gave him
victory over all his enemies. 4 But now the
Lord my God has given me peace on every
side; I have no enemies, and all is well. 5 So I
am planning to build a Temple to honor the
name of the Lord my God, just as he had
4:11 Hebrew Naphath-dor, a variant spelling of Naphoth-dor.
4:12 Hebrew Beth-shean, a variant spelling of Beth-shan;
also in 4:12b. 4:13 Hebrew Jair son of Manasseh; compare
1 Chr 2:22. 4:19a Greek version reads of Gad; compare 4:13.
4:19b As in some Greek manuscripts; Hebrew lacks of Judah.
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. 4:21a Verses
4:21-34 are numbered 5:1-14 in Hebrew text. 4:21b Hebrew
the river; also in 4:24. 4:22 Hebrew 30 cors [6.6 kiloliters]
of choice flour and 60 cors [13.2 kiloliters] of meal. 4:23 Or
and fattened geese. 4:25 Hebrew each family lived under its
own grapevine and under its own fig tree. 4:26a As in some
Greek manuscripts (see also 2 Chr 9:25); Hebrew reads 40,000.
4:26b Or 12,000 charioteers. 5:1 Verses 5:1-18 are numbered
5:15-32 in Hebrew text.