| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1So King Solomon ruled over Israel, | 1King Solomon now ruled over all Israel, |
| 2and these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest; | 2and these were his high officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest. |
| 3Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder; | 3Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were court secretaries. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian. |
| 4Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; | 4Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army. Zadok and Abiathar were priests. |
| 5Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the governors; Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king; | 5Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors. Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, was a trusted adviser to the king. |
| 6Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor. | 6Ahishar was manager of the palace property. Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of forced labor. |
| 7Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year, | 7Solomon 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. |
| 8and these were their names: Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim; | 8These are the names of the twelve governors: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim. |
| 9Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan; | 9Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan. |
| 10Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him); | 10Ben-hesed, in Arubboth, including Socoh and all the land of Hepher. |
| 11Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor (Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife); | 11Ben-abinadab, in all of Naphoth-dor. (He was married to Taphath, one of Solomon’s daughters.) |
| 12Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam; | 12Baana 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. |
| 13Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); | 13Ben-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. |
| 14Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim; | 14Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim. |
| 15Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married Basemath, a daughter of Solomon); | 15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath, another of Solomon’s daughters.) |
| 16Baana son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth; | 16Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth. |
| 17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in Issachar; | 17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar. |
| 18Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin; | 18Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin. |
| 19Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, including the territories of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. There was also one governor in the land of Judah. | 19Geber 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 |
| 20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and they were eating and drinking and rejoicing. | 20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink. |
| 21And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. | 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. |
| 22Solomon’s provisions for a single day were thirty cors of fine flour, sixty cors of meal, | 22The daily food requirements for Solomon’s palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal ; |
| 23ten fat oxen, twenty range oxen, and a hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened poultry. | 23also 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry. |
| 24For Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates—over all the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides. | 24Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders. |
| 25Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree. | 25During 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. |
| 26Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. | 26Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses, and he had 12,000 horses. |
| 27Each month the governors in turn provided food for King Solomon and all who came to his table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. | 27The district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court; each made sure nothing was lacking during the month assigned to him. |
| 28Each one also brought to the required place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and other horses. | 28They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables. |
| 29And God gave Solomon wisdom, exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like the sand on the seashore. | 29God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. |
| 30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the men of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. | 30In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. |
| 31He was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations. | 31He 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. |
| 32Solomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. | 32He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. |
| 33He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. | 33He 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. |
| 34So men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. | 34And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon. |
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