Solomon's Officials

1Solomon was king of all Israel, 2and these were his high officials:

The priest: Azariah son of Zadok

3The court secretaries: Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha

In charge of the records: Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud

4Commander of the army: Benaiah son of Jehoiada

Priests: Zadok and Abiathar

5Chief of the district governors: Azariah son of Nathan

Royal adviser: the priest Zabud son of Nathan

6In charge of the palace servants: Ahishar

In charge of the forced labour: Adoniram son of Abda.

7Solomon appointed twelve men as district governors in Israel. They were to provide food from their districts for the king and his household, each man being responsible for one month out of the year. 8The following are the names of these twelve officers and the districts they were in charge of:

Benhur: the hill country of Ephraim

9Bendeker: the cities of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, Elon, and Beth Hanan

10Benhesed: the cities of Arubboth and Socoh and all the territory of Hepher

11Benabinadab, who was married to Solomon's daughter Taphath: the whole region of Dor

12Baana son of Ahilud: the cities of Taanach, Megiddo, and all the region near Beth Shan, near the town of Zarethan, south of the town of Jezreel, as far as the city of Abel Meholah and the city of Jokmeam

13Bengeber: the city of Ramoth in Gilead, and the villages in Gilead belonging to the clan of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, and the region of Argob in Bashan, sixty large towns in all, fortified with walls and with bronze bars on the gates

14Ahinadab son of Iddo: the district of Mahanaim

15Ahimaaz, who was married to Basemath, another of Solomon's daughters: the territory of Naphtali

16Baana son of Hushai: the region of Asher and the town of Bealoth

17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah: the territory of Issachar

18Shimei son of Ela: the territory of Benjamin

19Geber son of Uri: the region of Gilead, which had been ruled by King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.

Besides these twelve, there was one governor over the whole land.

Solomon's Prosperous Reign

20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore; they ate and drank, and were happy. 214.21: Gen 15.18; 2 Chr 9.26Solomon's kingdom included all the nations from the River Euphrates to Philistia and the Egyptian border. They paid him taxes and were subject to him all his life.

22The supplies Solomon needed each day were 5,000 litres of fine flour and 10,000 litres of meal; 23ten stall-fed cattle, twenty pasture-fed cattle, and a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and poultry.

24Solomon ruled over all the land west of the River Euphrates, from Tiphsah on the Euphrates as far west as the city of Gaza. All the kings west of the Euphrates were subject to him, and he was at peace with all the neighbouring countries. 25As long as he lived, the people throughout Judah and Israel lived in safety, each family with its own grapevines and fig trees.

264.26: 1 Kgs 10.26; 2 Chr 1.14; 9.25Solomon had 40,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 cavalry horses. 27His twelve governors, each one in the month assigned to him, supplied the food King Solomon needed for himself and for all who ate in the palace; they always supplied everything needed. 28Each governor also supplied his share of barley and straw, where it was needed,4.28 where it was needed; or wherever King Solomon was. for the chariot horses and the draught animals.

29God gave Solomon unusual wisdom and insight, and knowledge too great to be measured. 30Solomon was wiser than the wise men of the East or the wise men of Egypt. 314.31: Ps 89 (Title)He was the wisest of all men: wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame spread throughout all the neighbouring countries. 324.32: Prov 1.1; 10.1; 25.1; Song 1.1He composed 3,000 proverbs and more than a thousand songs. 33He spoke of trees and plants, from the Lebanon cedars to the hyssop that grows on walls; he talked about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34Kings all over the world heard of his wisdom and sent people to listen to him.