Solomon Builds and Orders His Kingdom
With twenty years of building behind him, Solomon fortifies cities, conscripts the surviving Canaanite peoples, keeps Israelites as soldiers and officers, and sets priests and Levites in David's divisions. Ships from Ezion-geber bring gold, and the work of our Father's house is complete.
8 1After twenty years, in which Solomon built the house of our Father and his own palace, 2Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram had given him, and settled the people of Israel in them.
3Then Solomon marched against Hamath-zobah and overpowered it. 4He built Tadmor in the wilderness, along with all the storage cities he built in Hamath. 5He also rebuilt Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars, 6Baalath, all Solomon's supply cities, his chariot and horsemen cities, and all he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and his whole realm.
7There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not Israelites. 8Their descendants still living in the land, whom Israel had not destroyed, Solomon conscripted for forced labor, as they still are today. 9Solomon enslaved no Israelites for his work; they were soldiers, commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots and horsemen. 10These were King Solomon's chief officers: 250 who supervised the people.
11Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David to the house he built her, saying, "No wife of mine will live in David king of Israel's house, for holy is wherever our Father's ark has entered."
12Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to our Father on the altar he built before the portico, 13daily as required, by Moses' command: Sabbaths, New Moons, and three yearly festivals—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
14Following his father David's rules, he set priestly divisions for service, Levite divisions to praise and serve before the priests as each day required, and gatekeeper divisions at each gate, for David the man of our Father had commanded it. 15They followed the king's orders to the priests and Levites exactly, down to the storerooms.
16All Solomon's work was finished, from the day our Father's house was founded until its completion; our Father's house was complete.
17Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Eloth on the seacoast in the land of Edom. 18Huram sent him ships by his servants, with sailors who knew the sea; they sailed with Solomon's servants to Ophir, took about seventeen tons of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.
