2 The cities that Solomon built. 7 People that were made tribute unto him. 12 His sacrifices. 17 He sendeth to Ophir.

And (A)after [a]twenty years when Solomon had built the house of the Lord, and his own house,

Then Solomon built the cities that Huram [b]gave to Solomon, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah, and overcame it.

And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and repaired all [c]the cities of store which he built in Hamath.

And he built [d]Beth Horon the upper, and Beth Horon the nether, cities defensed with walls, gates and bars:

Also Baalath, and all the cities of store that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and every pleasant place that Solomon had a mind to build in Jerusalem, and in [e]Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion.

And all the people that were left to the Hittites, and the Amorites, and Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel,

But of their children which were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel had not consumed, even them did Solomon make [f]tributaries until this day.

But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work: for they were men of war, and his chief princes, and the captains of his chariots and of his horsemen.

10 So these were the chief, of the officers which Solomon had, even [g]two hundred and fifty that bare rule over the people.

11 ¶ Then Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David, into the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel: for it is holy, because that the Ark of the Lord came unto it.

12 ¶ Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the Lord, on the (B)altar of the Lord, which he had built before the porch,

13 To (C)offer according to the commandment of Moses [h]every day, in the Sabbaths, and in the new moons, and in the solemn feasts, [i]three times in the year, that is, in the feast of the Unleavened bread, and in the feast of the Weeks, and in the feast of the Tabernacles.

14 And he set the courses of the Priests to their offices according to the order of David his father, and the Levites in their watches, for to praise and minister before the Priests every day, and the porters by their (D)courses, at every gate: for so was the commandment of David the man of God.

15 And they declined not from the commandment of the king, concerning the Priests and the Levites, touching all things, and touching the treasures.

16 ¶ Now Solomon had made provision for all the [j]work from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord, until it was finished: so the house of the Lord was perfect.

17 Then went Solomon to Ezion Geber, and to Eloth by the [k]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 brought thence [l]four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to King Solomon.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 8:1 Signifying that he was twenty years in building them.
  2. 2 Chronicles 8:2 That is, which Hiram gave again to Solomon because they pleased him not: and therefore called them Cabul, that is, dirt or filth, 1 Kings 9:13.
  3. 2 Chronicles 8:4 Meaning, of Munitions and treasures for the war.
  4. 2 Chronicles 8:5 That is, he repaired and fortified them: for they were built long before by Sheerah a noble woman of the tribe of Ephraim, 1 Chron. 6:68 and 7:24.
  5. 2 Chronicles 8:6 Read 1 Kings 7:2
  6. 2 Chronicles 8:8 Hebrew, to come up to tribute.
  7. 2 Chronicles 8:10 For in all there were 3300 but here he meaneth of them that had the principal charge, read 1 Kings 9:23.
  8. 2 Chronicles 8:13 Or, after the manner of every day.
  9. 2 Chronicles 8:13 Read Lev. 23.
  10. 2 Chronicles 8:16 Both for the matter and also for the workmanship.
  11. 2 Chronicles 8:17 Meaning, the red Sea.
  12. 2 Chronicles 8:18 Which sum is thought to mount to three million and six hundred thousand crowns, for here is mention made of thirty more than are spoken of, 1 Kings 9:28.

Solomon’s Other Activities(A)

At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace,(B) Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram[a] had given him, and settled Israelites in them. Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath.(C) He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon(D) and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, 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.

There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites(F) (these people were not Israelites). 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. 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.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 8:2 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verse 18
  2. 2 Chronicles 8:6 Or charioteers
  3. 2 Chronicles 8:18 That is, about 17 tons or about 15 metric tons