1 Kings 9

1 After Solomon had finished the Lord's Temple and the royal palace, having accomplished everything he'd wanted to do,

After Solomon had finished building the house of Yahweh and the king's palace, and after he had accomplished all that he wanted to do,

2 the Lord appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.

Yahweh appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.

3 The Lord told him, “I have heard your prayer and your request to me. I have dedicated this Temple you have built by placing my name on it forever; I will always watch over it and take care of it.

Then Yahweh said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your request that you have made before me. I have set apart this house, which you have built, to myself, to put my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.

4 As for you, if you follow my ways as your father David did, doing everything I've told you to do, and if you keep my laws and regulations,

As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness, obeying all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my decrees,

5 then I will make your throne secure forever. I made this agreement with your father David, telling him, ‘You will always have a descendant to rule over Israel.’

then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'A descendant of yours will never fail to be on the throne of Israel.'

6 But if you or your descendants turn away and do not keep the laws and the commandments I have given you, and if you go and serve and worship other gods,

But if you turn away, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have placed before you, and if you go and worship other gods and bow down to them,

7 then I will cut Israel off from the land I have given them. I will banish from my presence this Temple I have dedicated to my honor, and I will make it an object lesson of ridicule among the nations.

then will I cut off Israel from off the ground that I have given them; and this house that I have set apart to my name, I will cast it out of my sight, and Israel will become an example to be mocked and an object of ridicule among all peoples.

8 This Temple will become a pile of rubble. All who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss, saying, ‘Why has the Lord acted in such a way to this land and this Temple?’

This temple will become a heap of ruins, and everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss. They will ask, 'Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house?'

9 The answer will come, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their forefathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping them and serving them. That's why the Lord has brought all this trouble upon them.’”

Others will answer, 'Because they forsook Yahweh, their God, who had brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and bowed down to them and worshiped them. That is why Yahweh has brought all this disaster on them.'”

10 It took twenty years for Solomon to construct the two buildings—the Temple of the Lord and his own palace. After this,

It came about at the end of twenty years that Solomon had finished building the two buildings, the temple of Yahweh and the king's palace.

11 King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had provided him with all the cedar and juniper and gold he wanted.

Now Hiram, the king of Tyre, had furnished Solomon with cedar and cypress trees, and with gold—all that Solomon desired—so King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.

12 But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, he was not happy with them.

Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, but they did not please him.

13 “What are these towns you have given me, my brother?” asked Hiram. He called them the land of Cabul, the name they are known by to this day.

So Hiram said, “What cities are these which you have given me, my brother?” Hiram called them the Land of Kabul, which they are still called today.

14 Even so, Hiram sent the king 120 talents of gold in payment.

Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

15 Here is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the Lord's Temple, his own palace, the terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

This is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon imposed to build the temple of Yahweh and his own palace, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

16 Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire, killed the Canaanites living in the town. He had then given it as a wedding dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife.

Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites in the city. Then Pharaoh gave the city to his daughter, Solomon's wife, as a wedding gift.

17 Solomon rebuilt Gezer and lower Beth-horon,

So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and Beth Horon the Lower,

18 Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah,

Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness in the land of Judah,

19 and all of Solomon's towns for storage, and the towns for his chariots and for his horsemen, plus whatever Solomon wanted to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom.

and all the store cities that he possessed, and the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever he wished to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the lands under his rule.

20 The descendants of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (people who were not Israelites)

As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the people of Israel,

21 who remained in the land—those whom the Israelites were unable to destroy completely—were conscripted by Solomon to work as forced laborers, as they continue to do to this day.

their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were not able to totally destroy—Solomon made them into forced laborers, which they are to this day.

22 But Solomon did not enslave any of the Israelites. They were his soldiers, officials, commanders, captains, chariot commanders, and horsemen.

However, Solomon made no forced laborers of the people of Israel. Instead, they became his soldiers and his servants, his officials, and his officers and commanders of his chariot forces and his horsemen.

23 They were also the chief officers in charge of Solomon's programs: 550 in command of the people who carried out the work.

These were also the chief officers managing the supervisors who were over Solomon's works, 550 of them, who supervised the people who did the work.

24 Once Pharaoh's daughter had moved from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her, he built the city terraces.

Pharaoh's daughter moved from the city of David to the house that Solomon had built for her. Later, Solomon built the Millo.

25 Three times each year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense before the Lord with them, and so fulfilled what was required at the Temple.

Three times each year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he built for Yahweh, burning incense with them on the altar that was before Yahweh. So he completed the temple and was now using it.

26 King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.

King Solomon built a fleet of ships in Ezion Geber, which is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.

27 Hiram sent his sailors who knew the sea to serve in the fleet with Solomon's men.

Hiram sent servants to Solomon's fleet, sailors who were familiar with the sea, with Solomon's own servants.

28 They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold from there and delivered it to Solomon.

They went to Ophir with servants of Solomon. From there they brought back 420 talents of gold for King Solomon.