1So King Solomon ruled over all Israel.2These were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok, the priest;3Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, recorder;4Benaiah son of Jehoiada, commander-in-chief; Zadok and Abiathar, priests;5Azariah son of Nathan, in charge of the district governors; Zabud son of Nathan, a priest and advisor to the king;6Ahishar, palace administrator; Adoniram son of Abda, in charge of forced labour.7Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year.8These are their names: Ben-Hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;9Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;10Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his);11Ben-Abinadab, in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);12Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;13Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars);14Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);16Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth;17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;18Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;19Geber son of Uri, in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.
Solomon’s daily provisions
20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.21And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.22Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors[1] of the finest flour and sixty cors[2] of meal,23ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.24For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the River Euphrates, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides.25During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig-tree.26Solomon had four[3] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.[4] (2Ch 9:25)27The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking.28They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
Solomon’s wisdom
29God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.31He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite – wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.32He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.33He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.34From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.[5]
1Salomo war nun König über ganz Israel.2Dies waren seine obersten Beamten: Asarja, der Sohn Zadoks, war ´der oberste` Priester;3Elihoref und Ahija, die Söhne Schischas, waren Hofschreiber; Joschafat, der Sohn Ahiluds, war der Sprecher des Königs;4Benaja, der Sohn Jojadas, war Oberbefehlshaber über das Heer; Zadok und Abjatar waren Priester;5Asarja, der Sohn Natans, stand den Provinzverwaltern vor; der Priester[1] Sabud, der Sohn Natans, war Freund und Berater des Königs[2];6Ahischar war Palastverwalter; Adoniram, der Sohn Abdas, hatte die Aufsicht über die Fronarbeiter.
Die zwölf Provinzen Israels und ihre Verwalter
7Salomo hatte das Gebiet Israels in zwölf Provinzen eingeteilt und über jede Provinz einen Verwalter eingesetzt.[3] Jeder von ihnen musste einen Monat lang die Versorgung des königlichen Hofes übernehmen.8Dies sind ihre Namen ´und ihre Provinzen`: (I) Der Sohn Hurs verwaltete das Bergland von Efraim. (II)9Der Sohn Dekers verwaltete ´das Gebiet der Städte` Makaz, Schaalbim, Bet-Schemesch und Elon-Bet-Hanan[4]. (III)10Der Sohn Heseds verwaltete ´das Gebiet der Städte` Arubbot und Socho sowie die ganze Gegend von Hefer. (IV)11Der Sohn Abinadabs, der mit Salomos Tochter Tafat verheiratet war, verwaltete das Hügelland ´der Küstenstadt` Dor. (V)12Baana, der Sohn Ahiluds, verwaltete ´das Gebiet der Städte` Taanach und Megiddo, das ganze Gebiet um Bet-Schean, das in der Nähe von Zaretan unterhalb von Jesreel liegt, außerdem das ganze Gebiet von Bet-Schean bis Abel-Mehola und weiter bis über Jokmeam[5] hinaus. (VI)13Der Sohn Gebers verwaltete ´das Gebiet` von Ramot in Gilead einschließlich der sogenannten »Dörfer Jaïrs«, die nach Jaïr, dem Sohn Manasses, benannt waren; außerdem den Landstrich bei Argob in Baschan. Insgesamt war er für sechzig befestigte Städte verantwortlich, deren Stadttore bronzene Riegel hatten. (VII)14Ahinadab, der Sohn Iddos, verwaltete ´das Gebiet von` Mahanajim. (VIII)15Ahimaaz, der mit Salomos Tochter Basemat verheiratet war, verwaltete das Gebiet des Stammes Naftali. (IX)16Baana, der Sohn Huschais, verwaltete das Gebiet des Stammes Ascher und ´das Gebiet um` Bealot. (X)17Joschafat, der Sohn Paruachs, verwaltete das Gebiet des Stammes Issachar. (XI)18Schimi, der Sohn Elas, verwaltete das Gebiet des Stammes Benjamin. (XII)19Geber, der Sohn Uris, verwaltete die Landschaft Gilead[6] sowie das ´ehemalige` Gebiet des Amoriterkönigs Sihon und des Königs Og von Baschan. Geber war der einzige Verwalter über dieses ´große` Gebiet.[7]
Salomos Reichtum und Weisheit
20Die Menschen in Juda und Israel waren so zahlreich wie der Sand am Meer. Alle hatten genug zu essen und zu trinken und waren glücklich.