Solomon's Other Activities
1
At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple
of the LORD and his own place,
2
Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram had given him, ad settled Israelites in them.
3
Solomon 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.
5
He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon nd Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities,
with walls and with gates and bars,
6
as well as Baalath and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots
and for his horses - whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem,
in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.
7
All the people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites
(these people were not Israelites),
8
that is, their descendants remaining in the land, whom the Israelites had not
destroyed - these Solomon conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is today.
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 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, necause the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy."
12
On the altar 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 for offerings commanded by Moses for
Sabbaths, New Moons and the three annual feasts - the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles.
14
In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions
of the priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist
the priests according to each day's requirement. He also appointed
the gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was
what David the man of God had ordered.
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 officers, men who knew the sea.
These, with Solomon's men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and
fifty tlents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
