2 Chronicles 8

1 Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own palace,

Then, twenty years having passed since Solomon built the house of the Lord and his own house,

2 Solomon rebuilt the cities Hiram had given him and settled Israelites there.

he built the cities that Hiram had given to Solomon, and he caused the sons of Israel to live there.

3 Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it.

Also, he went to Hamath Zobah, and he obtained it.

4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness, in addition to all the store cities that he had built in Hamath.

And he built Palmira in the desert, and he built very fortified cities in Hamath.

5 He rebuilt Upper and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,

And he built upper Beth-horon and lower Beth-horon, as walled cities, having gates and bars and locks,

6 as well as Baalath, all the store cities that belonged to Solomon, and all the cities for his chariots and horses —whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.

as well as Baalath, and all the very strong cities which were of Solomon, and all the cities of the chariots, and the cities of the horsemen. Everything whatsoever that Solomon willed and decided, he built in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and throughout the entire land of his authority.

7 As for all the people who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)—

All the people who had been left from the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, those who were not from the stock of Israel,

8 their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to destroy—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.

those of their sons and their posterity whom the sons of Israel had not put to death, Solomon subjugated as tributaries, even to this day.

9 But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, his officers and captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.

But he did not appoint anyone from the sons of Israel to serve in the works of the king. For they were men of war, and first rulers, and commanders of his chariots and horsemen.

10 They were also the chief officers for King Solomon: 250 supervisors.

Now all the leaders of the army of king Solomon were two hundred fifty, who were instructing the people.

11 Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her. For he said, “My wife must not live in the house of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”

Truly, he transferred the daughter of Pharaoh, from the City of David, to the house that he had built for her. For the king said: “My wife shall not live in the house of David, king of Israel, for it has been sanctified. For the ark of the Lord has entered into it.”

12 At that time Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD he had built in front of the portico.

Then Solomon offered holocausts to the Lord on the altar of the Lord, which he had constructed before the portico,

13 He observed the daily requirement for offerings according to the commandment of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

so that every day there would be an offering on it, in accord with the precept of Moses, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and three times a year on the feast days, that is, on the solemnity of unleavened bread, and on the solemnity of weeks, and on the solemnity of tabernacles.

14 In keeping with the ordinances of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to offer praise and to minister before the priests according to the daily requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God.

And he appointed, in accord with the plan of his father David, the offices of the priests in their ministries; and those of the Levites, in their orders, so that they might praise and minister before the priests according to the ritual of each day; and the porters, in their divisions, from gate to gate. For so had David, the man of God, instructed.

15 They did not turn aside from the king’s command regarding the priests or the Levites or any matter concerning the treasuries.

Neither the priests, nor the Levites, transgressed against the commands of the king, in all that he had instructed, and in the keeping of the treasuries.

16 Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out, from the day the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.

Solomon had all the expenses prepared, from the day on which he founded the house of the Lord, even until the day when he perfected it.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the coast of Edom.

Then Solomon went away to Eziongeber, and to Eloth, on the coast of the Red Sea, which is in the land of Edom.

18 So Hiram sent him ships captained by his servants, along with crews of experienced sailors. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and acquired from there 450 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.

And Hiram sent to him ships, by the hands of his servants, sailors and skillful navigators of the sea, and they went away with the servants of Solomon to Ophir. And they took from there four hundred fifty talents of gold, and they brought it to king Solomon.