New Living Translation

English Standard Version

Solomon’s Officials and Governors

King Solomon now ruled over all Israel,

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Solomon’s Officials

King Solomon was king over all Israel,

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and these were his high officials:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.

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and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest;

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Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were court secretaries.
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.

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Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

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Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.

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Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

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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.

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Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king’s friend;

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Ahishar was manager of the palace property.
Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of forced labor.

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Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.

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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.

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Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for one month in the year.

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These are the names of the twelve governors:
Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim.

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These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;

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Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan.

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

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Ben-hesed, in Arubboth, including Socoh and all the land of Hepher.

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Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher);

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Ben-abinadab, in all of Naphoth-dor.a (He was married to Taphath, one of Solomon’s daughters.)

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Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);

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Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, all of Beth-shanb near Zarethan below Jezreel, and all the territory from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and over to Jokmeam.

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

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Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead, including the Towns of Jair (named for Jair of the tribe of Manassehc) in Gilead, and in the Argob region of Bashan, including sixty large fortified towns with bronze bars on their gates.

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Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);

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Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim.

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Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

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Ahimaaz, in Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath, another of Solomon’s daughters.)

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Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);

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Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth.

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Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;

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Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar.

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Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;

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Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin.

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Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin;

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Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead,d including the territories of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.
There was also one governor over the land of Judah.e

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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 there was one governor who was over the land.

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Solomon’s Prosperity and Wisdom

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.

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Solomon’s Wealth and Wisdom

Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy.

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fSolomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates Riverg 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.

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a Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphratesb to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

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The daily food requirements for Solomon’s palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of mealh;

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Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty corsc of fine flour and sixty cors of meal,

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also 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry.i

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ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.

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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.

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For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphratesd from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him.

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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.j

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And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.

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Solomon had 4,000k stalls for his chariot horses, and he had 12,000 horses.l

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Solomon also had 40,000e stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.

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The district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court; each made sure nothing was lacking during the month assigned to him.

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And those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon’s table, each one in his month. They let nothing be lacking.

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They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables.

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Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds they brought to the place where it was required, each according to his duty.

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God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore.

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And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore,

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In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt.

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so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

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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.

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For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.

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He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs.

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He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.

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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.

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He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish.

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And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.

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And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

Parallel

New Living Translation

English Standard Version

1 Kings 4

1 Kings 4