TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

I - Chapter 4

Translation and Transliteration of 

1King Shlomo was now king over all Yisrael.

אוַיְהִי הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

2These were his officials: Azarya son of Tzadok—the Kohen;

בוְאֵלֶּה הַשָּׂרִים אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ עֲזַרְיָהוּ בֶן־צָדוֹק הַכֹּהֵן׃

3Elihoreph and Achiya sons of Shisha—scribes; Yehoshafat son of Achilud—recorder;

גאֱלִיחֹרֶף וַאֲחִיָּה בְּנֵי שִׁישָׁא סֹפְרִים יְהוֹשָׁפָט בֶּן־אֲחִילוּד הַמַּזְכִּיר׃

4Benaiah son of Yehoyada—over the army; Tzadok and EvyatarKohanim;

דוּבְנָיָהוּ בֶן־יְהוֹיָדָע עַל־הַצָּבָא וְצָדוֹק וְאֶבְיָתָר כֹּהֲנִים׃

5Azarya son of Natan—in charge of the prefects; Zabud son of Natan the Kohen—companion of the king;

הוַעֲזַרְיָהוּ בֶן־נָתָן עַל־הַנִּצָּבִים וְזָבוּד בֶּן־נָתָן כֹּהֵן רֵעֶה הַמֶּלֶךְ׃

6Ahishar—in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of the forced labor.

ווַאֲחִישָׁר עַל־הַבָּיִת וַאֲדֹנִירָם בֶּן־עַבְדָּא עַל־הַמַּס׃

7Shlomo had twelve prefects governing all Yisrael, who provided food for the king and his household; each had to provide food for one month in the year.

זוְלִשְׁלֹמֹה שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר נִצָּבִים עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכִלְכְּלוּ אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ חֹדֶשׁ בַּשָּׁנָה יִהְיֶה עַל־אחד [הָאֶחָד] לְכַלְכֵּל׃

8And these were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Efraim;

חוְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹתָם בֶּן־חוּר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם׃

9Bendeker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beit Shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan;

טבֶּן־דֶּקֶר בְּמָקַץ וּבְשַׁעַלְבִים וּבֵית שָׁמֶשׁ וְאֵילוֹן בֵּית חָנָן׃

10Ben-hesed in Arubboth—he governed Socho and all the Hepher area;

יבֶּן־חֶסֶד בָּאֲרֻבּוֹת לוֹ שֹׂכֹה וְכָל־אֶרֶץ חֵפֶר׃

11Ben-abinadab, [in] all of Naphath-dor (Shlomo's daughter Taphath was his wife);

יאבֶּן־אֲבִינָדָב כָּל־נָפַת דֹּאר טָפַת בַּת־שְׁלֹמֹה הָיְתָה לּוֹ לְאִשָּׁה׃

12Baana son of Achilud [in] Taanach and Megiddo and all Beit-Shean, which is beside Zarethan, below Yizrael—from Beit-Shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;

יבבַּעֲנָא בֶּן־אֲחִילוּד תַּעְנַךְ וּמְגִדּוֹ וְכָל־בֵּית שְׁאָן אֲשֶׁר אֵצֶל צָרְתַנָה מִתַּחַת לְיִזְרְעֶאל מִבֵּית שְׁאָן עַד אָבֵל מְחוֹלָה עַד מֵעֵבֶר לְיָקְמֳעָם׃

13Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead—he governed the villages of Yair son of Menashe which are in Gilad, and he also governed the district of Argob which is in Bashan, sixty large towns with walls and bronze bars;

יגבֶּן־גֶּבֶר בְּרָמֹת גִּלְעָד לוֹ חַוּׂת יָאִיר בֶּן־מְנַשֶּׁה אֲשֶׁר בַּגִּלְעָד לוֹ חֶבֶל אַרְגֹּב אֲשֶׁר בַּבָּשָׁן שִׁשִּׁים עָרִים גְּדֹלוֹת חוֹמָה וּבְרִיחַ נְחֹשֶׁת׃

14Ahinadab son of Ido, in Mahanaim;

ידאֲחִינָדָב בֶּן־עִדֹּא מַחֲנָיְמָה׃

15Ahimaaz, in Naftali (he too took a daughter of Shlomo—Basemath—to wife);

טואֲחִימַעַץ בְּנַפְתָּלִי גַּם־הוּא לָקַח אֶת־בָּשְׂמַת בַּת־שְׁלֹמֹה לְאִשָּׁה׃

16Baanah son of Hushi, in Asher and Bealoth;

טזבַּעֲנָא בֶּן־חוּשָׁי בְּאָשֵׁר וּבְעָלוֹת׃

17Yehoshafat son of Paruah, in Yissachar;

יזיְהוֹשָׁפָט בֶּן־פָּרוּחַ בְּיִשָׂשכָר׃

18Shim'i son of Ela, in Binyamin;

יחשִׁמְעִי בֶן־אֵלָא בְּבִנְיָמִן׃

19Geber son of Uri, in the region of Gilad, the country of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan; and one prefect who was in the land.

יטגֶּבֶר בֶּן־אֻרִי בְּאֶרֶץ גִּלְעָד אֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִי וְעֹג מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן וּנְצִיב אֶחָד אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ׃

20Yehuda and Yisrael were as numerous as the sands of the sea; they ate and drank and were content.

y'-hu-DAH v'-yis-ra-AYL ra-BEEM ka-KHOL a-asher al ha-YAM la-ROV o-kh'-LEEM v'-sho-TEEM us-may-KHEEM

כיְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל רַבִּים כַּחוֹל אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַיָּם לָרֹב אֹכְלִים וְשֹׁתִים וּשְׂמֵחִים׃

 4:20   Yehuda and Yisrael were as numerous as the sands of the sea

Unlike King David who began his rule only over Yehuda, King Shlomo rises to power over a united kingdom comprising all of Yehuda and Yisrael. As Radak notes, everyone in the kingdom recognizes King Shlomo’s rule, due to the universal recognition of his God-given wisdom. The chapter ends with the reward for unity among the People of Israel: they become as numerous as the sand on the sea shore and successful in the Land of Israel, thereby seeing the fulfillment of the blessing Hashem gave to Avraham (Genesis 22:17).