1Ki 4:21-5:18 | LEB | STEP | Now Solomon was ruling over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and up to the border of Egypt, who were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life.

1 Kings 4:21-34

Solomon’s Wisdom: Prosperity

21 ^{▼▼1 Kings 4:21–5:18 in the English Bible is 5:1–32 in the Hebrew Bible} Now Solomon was ruling over all the kingdoms from the River ^{▼▼That is, the Euphrates} to the land of the Philistines, and up to the border of Egypt, who were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life. 22 The food of Solomon for one day was thirty dry measures of choice meal and sixty dry measures of flour; 23 ten stall-fed oxen and twenty pasture-fed oxen and a hundred sheep, besides deer and buck gazelles and roebucks and well-fed fowls. 24 For he was ruling over all the west of the River ^{▼▼That is, the Euphrates} from Tiphsah up to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River; ^{▼▼That is, the Euphrates} and he had peace from every side all around. 25 Judah and Israel lived in security, each man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

26 Now Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his war chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 These governors sustained King Solomon and all who came near to the table of King Solomon, each in his month; they did not omit anything. 28 The barley and the straw for the horses and for packhorses they brought to the place where they were, each according to his share.

Solomon’s Wisdom: Literature, Zoology, Biology, Dendrology

29 God gave wisdom to Solomon and very great discernment, as well as ⌞breadth of understanding⌟, ^{▼▼Literally “width of heart”} as the sand which is on the edge of the seashore. 30 The wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the people ^{▼▼Or “sons/children”} of the east and more than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than all the men: Ethan the Ezrahite; Heman, Calcol, and Darda the children of Mahol; and ⌞he was very well known⌟. ^{▼▼Literally “his name was among all the peoples around”} 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 He spoke concerning the trees, from the cedar which is in Lebanon up to the hyssop which grows on the wall; he also spoke concerning the animals, concerning the birds, concerning the creeping things, and concerning the fish. 34 They came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon; from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

1 Kings 5

Solomon’s Wisdom: Architecture

1 Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him as king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend for David. 2 Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, 3 “You knew David my father, that he was not able to build a house for the name of Yahweh his God, ⌞in view of the warfare⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “because of the face of the warfare”} which surrounded him, until Yahweh placed them ^{▼▼That is, David’s enemies} under the soles of his feet. 4 But now Yahweh my God has given me rest all around me. There is no adversary, and there is no bad occurrence. 5 Here I am, intending to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh promised to my father David, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set in your place on your throne, shall build the house for my name.’ 6 So then, command that they may cut cedars for me from Lebanon, and let my servants be with your servants. The wage of your servants I will give to you according to all that you say, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.” 7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and he said, “Blessed be Yahweh this day, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.” 8 Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, “I have heard what you have sent to me; I will do all of your desire concerning the timber of cedars and concerning the timber of cypresses. 9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts in the sea to float to the place which you indicated to me. Then I shall break them up there, and you may carry them further, and ⌞you shall meet my needs⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “you shall do my desire”} by giving food for my house.” 10 So Hiram was giving to Solomon the cedar timbers and the cypress timbers, ⌞everything he needed⌟. ^{▼▼Literally “all of his desire”} 11 Then Solomon gave to Hiram twenty thousand dry measures of wheat as food for his household, and twenty dry measures of ⌞specially prepared olive oil⌟; ^{▼▼Literally “beaten olive oil”} thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year. 12 Yahweh gave wisdom to Solomon as he promised to him, and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them ⌞made⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “cut”} a covenant.

13 Then King Solomon conscripted a forced labor from all Israel, and the forced labor numbered thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand ⌞every month⌟; ^{▼▼Literally “in the month”} the work groups were a month in Lebanon and two months at home; now Adoniram was over the forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand ⌞common laborers⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “carrying burden”} and eighty thousand stone craftsmen in the hill country. 16 Besides the chiefs of the officers Solomon had, there were three thousand three hundred having charge over the people who were doing the work. 17 When the king commanded, they quarried great stones and precious stones to lay the foundation of the house with hewn stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites hewed stones, and they prepared the timber and the stone to build the house.