easyenglish.bibleBooks > EasyEnglish Bible >

1 Kings 4:1-19

Solomon's officers

1 King Solomon ruled over all Israel as king. 2 These were his important officers:

  • Zadok's son Azariah was the priest.
  • 3 Shisha's sons, Elihoreph and Ahijah, were secretaries.
  • Ahilud's son Jehoshaphat recorded what happened.
  • 4 Jehoiada's son Benaiah was the leader of the army.
  • Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
  • 5 Nathan's son Azariah had authority over the 12 officers for each region.
  • Nathan's son Zabud was a priest who gave the king advice.
  • 6 Ahishar had authority over work in the palace.
  • Abda's son Adoniram had authority over the groups of workers.

    • 7 Solomon had 12 officers with authority in the regions of Israel. They supplied food for the king and for the people who lived in his palace. Each officer had to supply food to the king for one month in each year. 8 These are their names:

  • Ben-Hur had authority in Ephraim's hill country.
  • 9 Ben-Deker had authority in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Beth Hanan.
  • 10 Ben-Hesed had authority in Arubboth. That included Sokoh and all the fields around Hepher.
  • 11 Ben-Abinadab had authority in Naphath Dor. He had married Solomon's daughter, Taphath.
  • 12 Ahilud's son Baana had authority in Taanach and Megiddo, as well as in all of Beth-Shan that is near Zarethan, below Jezreel. He had authority from Beth-Shan to Abel-Meholah and as far as Jokmeam.
  • 13 Ben-Geber had authority in Ramoth Gilead. That included the villages of Manasseh's son Jair in Gilead. It also included the region of Argob in Bashan with 60 large cities which had strong walls gates with bronze bars.
    • 4:13The bars locked the gates so that people outside the city could not open them.
  • 14 Iddo's son had authority in Mahanaim.
  • 15 Ahimaaz had authority in Naphtali. He had married Solomon's daughter, Basemath.
  • 16 Hushai's son Baana had authority in Asher and Aloth.
  • 17 Paruah's son Jehoshaphat had authority in Issachar.
  • 18 Ela's son Shimei had authority in Benjamin.
  • 19 Uri's son Geber had authority in Gilead. Gilead was the region where Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, had ruled.
    • 4:19The reports about Sihon and Og are in Numbers 21:21-35.
  • There was also one officer who had authority over the whole land.