所罗门的功绩

所罗门用二十年的时间兴建了耶和华的殿和他自己的王宫。 他重修希兰送给他的城邑,让以色列人居住。

所罗门去攻打哈马琐巴,并攻取了此城。 他兴建旷野里的达莫以及哈马境内所有的储货城, 把上伯·和仑与下伯·和仑建成有墙、有门、有闩的坚城, 还建造巴拉、所有的储货城、屯车城、养马城和他想在耶路撒冷、黎巴嫩及其统治的全境兴建的城邑。 当时国中有赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、希未人和耶布斯人的后裔, 以色列人没有灭绝他们。所罗门让他们服劳役,至今如此。 所罗门王没有让以色列人服劳役,而是让他们做战士、将领、战车长和骑兵长。 10 他还任命二百五十名监工负责监管工人。

11 所罗门带法老的女儿离开大卫城,来到为她建造的宫中,因为所罗门说:“我的妻子不可住在以色列王大卫的宫里,因为约柜所到之处都是圣洁的。”

12 所罗门在门廊前他所筑的耶和华的坛上向耶和华献燔祭, 13 并照摩西的规定,在安息日、朔日和每年特定的三个节期,即除酵节、七七节和住棚节献上当献的祭。

14 所罗门照着他父亲大卫的吩咐,指派祭司分班供职,让利未人负责颂赞、辅助祭司尽每天的职责,还指派殿门守卫分班守门。这些都是上帝的仆人大卫规定的。 15 他们没有违背大卫王就库房等工作对祭司和利未人的吩咐。

16 从耶和华的殿奠基直到完工,所罗门所有的计划都已顺利完成。这样,耶和华的殿落成了。

17 之后,所罗门前往以东地区靠海的以旬·迦别和以禄。 18 希兰派懂得航海的仆人乘船只与所罗门的仆人一同到俄斐,从那里为所罗门王运回十五吨黄金。

At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built Yahweh’s house and his own house, Solomon built the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

Solomon went to Hamath Zobah, and prevailed against it. He built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storage cities, which he built in Hamath. Also he built Beth Horon the upper and Beth Horon the lower, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars; and Baalath, and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots, the cities for his horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

As for all the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel— of their children who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel didn’t consume—of them Solomon conscripted forced labor to this day. But of the children of Israel, Solomon made no servants for his work, but they were men of war, chief of his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen. 10 These were the chief officers of King Solomon, even two-hundred fifty, who ruled over the people.

11 Solomon brought up Pharaoh’s daughter out of David’s city to 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 where Yahweh’s ark has come are holy.”

12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on Yahweh’s altar which he had built before the porch, 13 even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, three times per year, during the feast of unleavened bread, during the feast of weeks, and during the feast of booths.[a]

14 He appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required, the doorkeepers also by their divisions at every gate, for David the man of God had so commanded. 15 They didn’t depart from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasures.

16 Now all the work of Solomon was accomplished from the day of the foundation of Yahweh’s house until it was finished. So Yahweh’s house was completed.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Eloth, on the seashore in the land of Edom. 18 Huram sent him ships and servants who had knowledge of the sea by the hands of his servants; and they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and brought from there four hundred fifty talents[b] of gold, and brought them to King Solomon.

Footnotes

  1. 8:13 or, feast of tents (Sukkot)
  2. 8:18 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 450 talents is about 13.5 metric tons