1 Kings 4:21-34

GOD’S WORD Translation

²¹ Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the country of the Philistines and as far as the Egyptian border. These kingdoms paid taxes and were subject to Solomon as long as he lived.

²² Solomon’s food supply for one day was 180 bushels of flour, 360 bushels of coarse flour, ²³ 10 fattened cows, 20 cows from the pasture, and 100 sheep in addition to deer, gazelles, fallow deer, and fattened birds. ²⁴ He controlled all the territory west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza and all of its kings. So he lived in peace with all the neighboring countries. ²⁵ As long as Solomon lived, Judah and Israel (from Dan to Beersheba) lived securely, everyone under his own vine and fig tree.

²⁶ Solomon had stalls for 40,000 chariot horses. He also had 12,000 chariot soldiers.^{[a] 27} Each of the governors provided food for one month every year for King Solomon and all who ate at his table. The governors saw to it that nothing was in short supply. ²⁸ They brought their quota of barley and straw for the chariot horses to the proper places.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom—keen insight and a mind as limitless as the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the eastern people and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone, than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Heman, Calcol, or Darda, Mahol’s sons. His fame spread to all the nations around him.

³² Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. ³³ He described and classified trees—from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He described and classified animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. ³⁴ People came from every nation to hear his wisdom; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard about his wisdom.