2 Chronicles 8

1And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD, and his own house,

2That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

3And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and prevailed against it.

4And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.

5Also he built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars;

6And 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.footnote a

7As 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,

8But 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.

9But 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.

10And these were the chief of king Solomon’s officers, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people.

11And 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.footnote b

12Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch,

13Even 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.

14And 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.footnote c

15And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.

16Now 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.

17Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom.footnote d

18And 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.

Solomon’s Additional Achievements

1Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own palace, 2Solomon rebuilt the cities Hiramfootnote a had given him and settled Israelites there.

3Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. 4He built Tadmor in the wilderness, in addition to all the store cities that he had built in Hamath. 5He rebuilt Upper and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, 6as well as Baalath, all the store cities that belonged to Solomon, and all the cities for his chariots and horsesfootnote b—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.

7As for all the people who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (these people were not Israelites)— 8their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites had not destroyed—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.

9But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, the leaders of his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry. 10They were also the chief officers for King Solomon: 250 supervisors.

11Solomon 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.”

12At that time Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD he had built in front of the portico. 13He 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,footnote c the Feast of Weeks,footnote d and the Feast of Tabernacles.footnote e

14In 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. 15They did not turn aside from the king’s command regarding the priests or the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.

16Thus 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.

17Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Elothfootnote f on the coast of Edom.footnote g 18So 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,footnote h which they delivered to King Solomon.