1 Kings 4:20-34

Contemporary English Version

The Size of Solomon's Kingdom

²⁰There were so many people living in Judah and Israel while Solomon was king that they seemed like grains of sand on a beach. Everyone had enough to eat and drink, and they were happy.

²¹^(A) Solomon ruled every kingdom between the Euphrates River and the land of the Philistines down to Egypt. These kingdoms paid him taxes as long as he lived.

²²Every day, Solomon needed 5,000 liters of fine flour, 10,000 liters of coarsely-ground flour, ²³10 grain-fed cattle, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, and geese.

²⁴Solomon ruled the whole region west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and he was at peace with all of the countries around him. ²⁵Everyone living in Israel, from the town of Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, was safe as long as Solomon lived. Each family sat undisturbed beneath its own grape vines and fig trees.

²⁶^(B) Solomon had 40,000 stalls of chariot horses and 12,000 chariot soldiers.

²⁷Each of the twelve regional officers brought food to Solomon and his household for one month of the year. They provided everything he needed, ²⁸as well as barley and straw for the horses.

Solomon's Wisdom

²⁹Solomon was brilliant. God had blessed him with insight and understanding. ^30-31^(C) He was wiser than anyone else in the world, including the wisest people of the east and of Egypt. He was even wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Mahol's three sons, Heman, Calcol, and Darda. Solomon became famous in every country around Judah and Israel. ³²^(D) Solomon wrote 3,000 wise sayings and composed more than 1,000 songs. ³³He could talk about all kinds of plants, from large trees to small bushes, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. ³⁴Kings all over the world heard about Solomon's wisdom and sent people to listen to him teach.