8 Solomon was building the Lord 's temple and the king's palace for 20 years. 2 After that, he built again the towns that King Hiram had given to him. He sent Israelites to live in them.
3 Then Solomon went to Hamath-Zobah and he took it for Israel. 4 He made the buildings in Tadmor strong again. That was a town in the wilderness. He did the same thing for the towns that he had built in Hamath region to store things. 5 He built again Higher Beth-Horon and Lower Beth-Horon. He made those cities strong. He built walls around them with strong gates. 6 He also made Baalath strong, and all his cities where he stored things, as well as all the cities where he kept his chariots and horses. He built everything that he wanted to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and everywhere in his kingdom.
7 Solomon only made people who were not Israelites do the hard work for him. They were Canaanite people who still lived in the land after the Israelites took it for themselves. They were Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 8 The Israelites had not been able to destroy all of these people, so their descendants remained in the land. So Solomon made them do hard work as his slaves. They are still slaves of the Israelites today. 9 But Solomon did not cause any Israelites to do the hard work as slaves. Instead, they became his soldiers and army officers. Some of the soldiers drove chariots and some were leaders of the chariot drivers. 10 King Solomon had 250 Israelite officers who had authority over the workers.
11 Solomon had built a palace for his wife, Pharaoh's daughter. When the palace was ready, he brought her up there from the City of David. He said, ‘My wife must not live in the palace of David, king of Israel. The Lord 's Covenant Box has been there, so it is a holy place.’
12 Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar that he had built. The altar was outside the entrance of the temple. 13 He offered the sacrifices every day that Moses had told them to do. There were rules about sacrifices on Sabbath days, on festivals for each new moon and on the three special festivals each year. Those were the Festival of Flat Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Huts. [ a ] 14 Solomon gave jobs to each group of priests as his father David had commanded. He also gave the Levites their jobs to do each day. They led the music to worship God and they helped the priests with their work. He gave each group of guards a job to watch the gates of the temple. He told them all to do this in the way that God's servant David had commanded. 15 All the priests and the Levites were careful to do exactly what the king had commanded. That included the rooms where they stored valuable things.
16 Solomon's workers did all the jobs that he told them to do. They started on the day when they built the foundation of the Lord 's temple. They continued to work until they had finished everything. In that way, work on the Lord 's temple was complete.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-Geber and to Elath. They were towns on the coast of the sea, in the land of Edom. 18 King Hiram had sailors who knew how to sail ships on the sea. He sent some of these men to work with Solomon's sailors. They sailed to Ophir and they brought back about 15 tons of gold. They gave it to King Solomon.
8 It took 20 years for King Solomon to build the Lord ’s Temple and the king’s palace. 2 Then Solomon rebuilt the towns that Hiram gave him and then moved Israelites into those towns to live there. 3 After this Solomon went to Hamath of Zobah and captured it. 4 He also built the town of Tadmor in the desert. He built all the towns in Hamath to store things in. 5 He rebuilt the towns of Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon. He made them into strong forts with strong walls, gates, and bars in the gates. 6 He also rebuilt the town of Baalath and all the other towns where he stored things. He built all the cities where the chariots were kept and where the horse riders lived. Solomon built all he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and in all the country where he was king.
7-8 There were many people left in the land who were not Israelites. There were Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. The Israelites had not been able to destroy them, but Solomon forced them to work for him as slaves. They are still slaves today. 9 Solomon did not force any of the Israelites to be his slaves. They were soldiers, government officials, officers, captains, and chariot commanders and drivers. 10 There were 250 supervisors over Solomon’s projects. They supervised the men.
11 Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the house he built for her. He said, “My wife must not live in King David’s palace because the places where the Lord ’s Holy Box has been are holy places.”
12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the Lord ’s altar. He built that altar in front of the Temple porch. 13 Solomon offered sacrifices every day the way Moses commanded. Sacrifices were to be offered on Sabbath days, during New Moon celebrations, and at the three yearly festivals. The three yearly festivals were the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. 14 Solomon followed his father David’s instructions. He chose the groups of priests for their service and the Levites for their duties. The Levites were to lead the praise and help the priests from day to day to do what needed to be done in the Temple service. And he chose the gatekeepers by their groups to serve at each gate. This is the way David, the man of God, instructed. 15 The Israelites did not change or disobey any of Solomon’s instructions to the priests and Levites. They did not change any of the instructions, even in the way they should keep the valuable things.
16 So Solomon completed his work on the Lord ’s Temple. Work began the day they laid the foundation and continued without stopping until the day the Temple was finished.
17 King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber. This town is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 18 Hiram sent ships to Solomon. Hiram’s own men sailed the ships. They were skilled at sailing on the sea. His men went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir [ a ] and brought back 17 tons [ b ] of gold to King Solomon.
8 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the Lord , and his own house,
2 That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
3 And Solomon went to Hamathzobah, and prevailed against it.
4 And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.
5 Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars;
6 And Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion.
7 As for all the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel,
8 But of their children, who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, them did Solomon make to pay tribute until this day.
9 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen.
10 And these were the chief of king Solomon's officers, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people.
11 And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the Lord hath come.
12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the Lord on the altar of the Lord , which he had built before the porch,
13 Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.
14 And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.
15 And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.
16 Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord , and until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was perfected.
17 Then went Solomon to Eziongeber, and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom.
18 And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.
8 ( A ) Now it came about at the end of the twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, 2 that he built the cities which Huram had given [ a ] him, and settled the sons of Israel there.
3 Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities which he had built in Hamath. 5 He also built upper ( B ) Beth-horon and lower Beth-horon, which were ( C ) fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars; 6 and Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for [ b ] his chariots and cities for [ c ] his horsemen, and everything that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and all the land [ d ] under his rule.
7 ( D ) All of the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 that is , from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel had not destroyed, ( E ) Solomon raised them as forced laborers to this day. 9 But Solomon did not make slaves from the sons of Israel for his work; for they were men of war, his chief captains and commanders of his chariots and his horsemen. 10 These were the chief [ e ] officers of King Solomon, 250 who ruled over the people.
11 ( F ) Then Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house which he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, because [ f ] the places where the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”
12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on ( G ) the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the porch; 13 and ( H ) he did so according to the daily rule, offering them up ( I ) according to the commandment of Moses, for ( J ) the Sabbaths, ( K ) the new moons, and the ( L ) three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.
14 Now according to the ordinance of his father David, he appointed ( M ) the divisions of the priests for their service, and ( N ) the Levites for their duties of praise and ministering before the priests according to the daily rule, and ( O ) the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; for this is what ( P ) David, the man of God, had commanded. 15 And they did not deviate from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites in any matter or regarding the storehouses.
16 So all the work of Solomon was carried out [ g ] from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord , until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.
17 Then Solomon went to ( Q ) Ezion-geber and to ( R ) Eloth on the seashore in the land of Edom. 18 And by his servants Huram sent him ships and servants who knew the sea; and they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and ( S ) took from there [ h ] 450 talents of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.
8 At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace, ( B ) 2 Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram [ a ] had given him, and settled Israelites in them. 3 Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. 4 He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath. ( C ) 5 He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon ( D ) and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, 6 as well as Baalath ( E ) and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses [ b ] —whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.
7 There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites ( F ) (these people were not Israelites). 8 Solomon conscripted ( G ) the descendants of all these people remaining in the land—whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. 9 But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 10 They were also King Solomon’s chief officials—two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.
11 Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter ( H ) up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”
12 On the altar ( I ) of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord , 13 according to the daily requirement ( J ) for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths, ( K ) the New Moons ( L ) and the three ( M ) annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread, ( N ) the Festival of Weeks ( O ) and the Festival of Tabernacles. ( P ) 14 In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions ( Q ) of the priests for their duties, and the Levites ( R ) to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers ( S ) by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God ( T ) had ordered. ( U ) 15 They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.
16 All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lord was finished.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. 18 And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents [ c ] of gold, ( V ) which they delivered to King Solomon.
