1 Kings 4 - 5 - Legacy Standard Bible

1 Kings 4 - 5

Solomon’s Officials

So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were his officials:

Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest;

Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha were scribes;

Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder;

and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army;

and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the deputies;

and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s friend;

and Ahishar was over the household;

and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to forced labor.

7 Now Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who sustained the king and his household; each man had to sustain them for a month in the year. 8 These are their names:

Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;

Ben-deker in Makaz and Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh and Elonbeth-hanan;

Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (Socoh was his and all the land of Hepher);

Ben-abinadab, in all the height of Dor (Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife);

Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;

Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (now Havvoth-Jair—Jair being the son of Manasseh—which is in Gilead was his: the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars were his);

Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon);

Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;

Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;

Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin;

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 deputy who was in the land.

Judah’s and Israel’s Abundance and Security

20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and being glad. 21 Now 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 And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour and sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, one hundred sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he had dominion over everything west of the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides around about him. 25 So Judah and Israel lived in security, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. 27 And these deputies sustained King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they left nothing lacking. 28 They also brought barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds to the place where it should be, each according to the legal judgment for him. 29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of understanding in his heart, like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 And Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 And he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and the renown of his name was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. 34 And men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Covenant with Hiram King of Tyre

Then Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been one who loved David. 2 And Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know that David my father was unable to build a house for the name of Yahweh his God because of the wars which surrounded him, until Yahweh put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now Yahweh my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor calamity. 5 So behold, I intend to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.’ 6 So now, command that they cut for me cedars from Lebanon, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you say, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.” 7 Now it happened, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he was very glad and said, “Blessed be Yahweh today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.” 8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message which you have sent me; I will do what you desire concerning the cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place where you direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you shall carry them away. Then you shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household.” 10 So Hiram gave Solomon as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber. 11 Solomon then gave Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household, and 20 kors of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year. 12 Now Yahweh gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them cut a covenant. 13 And King Solomon raised up forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in shifts; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And Adoniram was over the forced laborers. 15 And Solomon had 70,000 who carried loads, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, 16 besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were over the project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17 Then the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, precious stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites carved them out, and prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.