2 Chronicles 8

NSB(i) 1 It took Solomon twenty years to build Jehovah’s house and his own house. 2 He rebuilt the cities Huram gave him. He had Israelites live in them. 3 Solomon attacked Hamath Zobah and conquered it. 4 He rebuilt Tadmor in the desert and built all the storage cities in Hamath. 5 He also rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon into cities fortified with walls, double-door gates, and bars. 6 He also rebuilt Baalath and all the storage cities that he owned. He built all the cities for his chariots, all the cities for his warhorses, and whatever else he wanted to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, or the entire territory that he governed. 7 The Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites had been left in the land because the Israelites had not been able to destroy them. They were not Israelites. 8 They had descendants who were still in the land. Solomon drafted them for slave labor. They are still Israel’s slaves today. 9 Solomon did not make any of the Israelites slaves for his projects. Instead, they were the soldiers, officers, generals, and commanders of his chariot and cavalry units. 10 These were the officers in charge of King Solomon’s projects: two hundred and fifty foremen for the people who did the work. 11 Then Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house he had built for her. He said: »My wife must not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy where the Ark of Jehovah’s Covenant has entered.« 12 Solomon offered burnt offerings to Jehovah on the altar of Jehovah he had built before the porch. 13 He did so according to the daily rule, offering them up according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the new moons and the three annual feasts, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths. 14 As Solomon’s father David had directed, he set up the divisions of priests for their service and the divisions of Levites for their appointed places. The Levites were to lead in praising Jehovah and to serve beside the priests by doing whatever needed to be done each day. Solomon also set up divisions of doorkeepers at every gate because this was what David, the man of God, had commanded. 15 No one neglected the king’s orders to the priests or the Levites in any matter, including the Temple’s finances. 16 All of Solomon’s work was carried out from the day the foundation of Jehovah’s Temple was laid until it was completed. Jehovah’s Temple was now complete. 17 Then Solomon went to the coast near Ezion Geber and Elath in Edom. 18 Huram sent his own servants and his experienced sailors with ships to Solomon. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir. There they procured thirty three thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.