列王紀上4:1-34

 

4:1 所羅門作以色列眾人的王。
4:2 他的臣子記在下面：撒督的兒子亞撒利雅作祭司，
4:3 示沙的兩個兒子以利何烈、亞希亞作書記，亞希律的兒子約沙法作史官，
4:4 耶何耶大的兒子比拿雅作元帥，撒督和亞比亞他作祭司長，
4:5 拿單的兒子亞撒利雅作眾吏長，王的朋友拿單的兒子撒布得作領袖，
4:6 亞希煞作家宰，亞比大的兒子亞多尼蘭掌管服苦的人。
4:7 所羅門在以色列全地立了十二個官吏，使他們供給王和王家的食物，每年各人供給一月。
4:8 他們的名字記在下面：在以法蓮山地有便‧戶珥；
4:9 在瑪迦斯、沙賓、伯‧示麥、以倫‧伯‧哈南有便‧底甲；
4:10 在亞魯泊有便‧希悉，他管理梭哥和希弗全地；
4:11 在多珥山岡（或譯：全境）有便‧亞比拿達，他娶了所羅門的女兒她法為妻；
4:12 在他納和米吉多，並靠近撒拉他拿、耶斯列下邊的伯．善全地，從伯．善到亞伯．米何拉直到約念之外，有亞希律的兒子巴拿；
4:13 在基列的拉末有便‧基別，他管理在基列的瑪拿西子孫睚珥的城邑，巴珊的亞珥歌伯地的大城六十座，都有城牆和銅閂；
4:14 在瑪哈念有易多的兒子亞希拿達；
4:15 在拿弗他利有亞希瑪斯，他也娶了所羅門的一個女兒巴實抹為妻；
4:16 在亞設和亞祿有戶篩的兒子巴拿；
4:17 在以薩迦有帕路亞的兒子約沙法；
4:18 在便雅憫有以拉的兒子示每；
4:19 在基列地，就是從前屬亞摩利王西宏和巴珊王噩之地，有烏利的兒子基別一人管理。
4:20 猶大人和以色列人如同海邊的沙那樣多，都吃喝快樂。
4:21 所羅門統管諸國，從大河到非利士地，直到埃及的邊界。所羅門在世的日子，這些國都進貢服事他。
4:22 所羅門每日所用的食物：細麵三十歌珥，粗麵六十歌珥，
4:23 肥牛十隻，草場的牛二十隻，羊一百隻，還有鹿、羚羊、麃子，並肥禽。
4:24 所羅門管理大河西邊的諸王，以及從提弗薩直到迦薩的全地，四境盡都平安。
4:25 所羅門在世的日子，從但到別是巴的猶大人和以色列人都在自己的葡萄樹下和無花果樹下安然居住。
4:26 所羅門有套車的馬四萬，還有馬兵一萬二千。
4:27 那十二個官吏各按各月供給所羅門王，並一切與他同席之人的食物，一無所缺。
4:28 眾人各按各分，將養馬與快馬的大麥和乾草送到官吏那裡。
4:29 上帝賜給所羅門極大的智慧聰明和廣大的心，如同海沙不可測量。
4:30 所羅門的智慧超過東方人和埃及人的一切智慧。
4:31 他的智慧勝過萬人，勝過以斯拉人以探，並瑪曷的兒子希幔、甲各、達大的智慧。他的名聲傳揚在四圍的列國。
4:32 他作箴言三千句，詩歌一千零五首。
4:33 他講論草木，自黎巴嫩的香柏樹直到牆上長的牛膝草，又講論飛禽走獸、昆蟲水族。
4:34 天下列王聽見所羅門的智慧，就都差人來聽他的智慧話。

 

So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. ² And these were his chief officials:

Azariah son of Zadok—the priest;

³ Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder;

⁴ Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;

Zadok and Abiathar—priests;

⁵ Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;

Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;

⁶ Ahishar—palace administrator;

Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.

⁷ Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. ⁸ These are their names:

Ben-Hur—in the hill country of Ephraim;

⁹ Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;

¹⁰ Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his);

¹¹ Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);

¹² Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;

¹³ Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars);

¹⁴ Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;

¹⁵ Ahimaaz—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);

¹⁶ Baana son of Hushai—in Asher and in Aloth;

¹⁷ Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;

¹⁸ Shimei son of Ela—in Benjamin;

¹⁹ Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.

²⁰ The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. ²¹ And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

²² Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors^[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors^[b] of meal, ²³ ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. ²⁴ For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. ²⁵ During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.

²⁶ Solomon had four^[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.^[d]

²⁷ The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. ²⁸ They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. ³² He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. ³³ He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. ³⁴ From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

 

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    所羅門求智慧，上帝就給他智慧，展現在國家的治理當中。從經文中我們看見他是多麼有系統的治理國家，不是沒有章法！不僅如此，他還是「人盡其才，物盡其用」！

 

    在此經文這樣描寫他的智慧所產生的結果：「上帝賜給所羅門極大的智慧聰明和廣大的心，如同海沙不可測量。所羅門的智慧超過東方人和埃及人的一切智慧。他的智慧勝過萬人，勝過以斯拉人以探，並瑪曷的兒子希幔、甲各、達大的智慧。他的名聲傳揚在四圍的列國。他作箴言三千句，詩歌一千零五首。他講論草木，自黎巴嫩的香柏樹直到牆上長的牛膝草，又講論飛禽走獸、昆蟲水族。天下列王聽見所羅門的智慧，就都差人來聽他的智慧話。」

 

    而在這樣的描述中，讓我們知道所羅門王之所以有如此的智慧，是上帝所賜予的！正如《箴言》所說：「敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端；認識至聖者便是聰明。」（9:10）

 

    然而我們求智慧的時候，更要有一個體認：「使你與人不同的是誰呢？你有甚麼不是領受的呢？若是領受的，為何自誇，彷彿不是領受的呢？」（哥林多前書4:7）

 

    也因為一切都是上帝所賜的，我們要心存感謝，將榮耀歸給上帝！這樣才是是真謙卑、真智慧！也因為這樣，我們才能確信上帝必定讓我們進入祂的榮耀境，與祂享受永生福分到永遠，才不會迷失！