Solomon's Princes

1And king Solomon was king over all Israel. 2And these are the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok was priest; 3Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, chronicler; 4and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 5and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the superintendents; and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, the king's friend; 6and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the levy-service.

Solomon's Twelve Officers

7And Solomon had twelve superintendents over all Israel; and they provided food for the king and his household: each man his month in the year had to make provision. 8And these are their names: Ben-Hur, in mount Ephraim. 9Ben-Deker in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-Beth-hanan. 10Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; he had Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher. 11Ben-Abinadab had all the upland of Dor; Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife. 12Baana the son of Ahilud had Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean, which is by Zaretan beneath Jizreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-Meholah, as far as beyond Jokneam. 13Ben-Geber, in Ramoth-Gilead; he had the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bars of bronze. 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, at Mahanaim. 15Ahimaaz, in Nephtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon as wife. 16Baanah the son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth. 17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar. 18Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin. 19Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon the king of the Amorites, and of Og the king of Bashan; and [he was] the only superintendent that was in the land.

Solomon's Wealth

20Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry.

21And Solomon ruled over all kingdoms from the river to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of meal, 23ten fatted oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, besides harts, and gazelles, and fallow-deer, and fatted fowl. 24For he had dominion over all on this side the river, from Tiphsah as far as Gazah, over all the kings on this side the river; and he had peace on all sides round about. 25And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon. 26And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27And those officers provided food for king Solomon, and for all who came to king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they let nothing be wanting. 28And the barley, and the straw for the horses and coursers, they brought to the place where [the superintendents] were, every man according to his charge.

Solomon's Wisdom

29And God gave Solomon wisdom and very great understanding and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore. 30And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the sons of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about. 32And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. 33And he spoke of the trees, from the cedar-tree that is on Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of cattle, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes. 34And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.