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。

所羅門的功績

所羅門用二十年的時間興建了耶和華的殿和他自己的王宮。 他重修希蘭送給他的城邑,讓以色列人居住。

所羅門去攻打哈馬瑣巴,並攻取了此城。 他興建曠野裡的達莫以及哈馬境內所有的儲貨城, 把上伯·和崙與下伯·和崙建成有牆、有門、有閂的堅城, 還建造巴拉、所有的儲貨城、屯車城、養馬城和他想在耶路撒冷、黎巴嫩及其統治的全境興建的城邑。 當時國中有赫人、亞摩利人、比利洗人、希未人和耶布斯人的後裔, 以色列人沒有滅絕他們。所羅門讓他們服勞役,至今如此。 所羅門王沒有讓以色列人服勞役,而是讓他們做戰士、將領、戰車長和騎兵長。 10 他還任命二百五十名監工負責監管工人。

11 所羅門帶法老的女兒離開大衛城,來到為她建造的宮中,因為所羅門說:「我的妻子不可住在以色列王大衛的宮裡,因為約櫃所到之處都是聖潔的。」

12 所羅門在門廊前他所築的耶和華的壇上向耶和華獻燔祭, 13 並照摩西的規定,在安息日、朔日和每年特定的三個節期,即除酵節、七七節和住棚節獻上當獻的祭。

14 所羅門照著他父親大衛的吩咐,指派祭司分班供職,讓利未人負責頌讚、輔助祭司盡每天的職責,還指派殿門守衛分班守門。這些都是上帝的僕人大衛規定的。 15 他們沒有違背大衛王就庫房等工作對祭司和利未人的吩咐。

16 從耶和華的殿奠基直到完工,所羅門所有的計劃都已順利完成。這樣,耶和華的殿落成了。

17 之後,所羅門前往以東地區靠海的以旬·迦別和以祿。 18 希蘭派懂得航海的僕人乘船隻與所羅門的僕人一同到俄斐,從那裡為所羅門王運回十五噸黃金。

所罗门其他建树与功绩(A)

所罗门建造耶和华的殿和自己的王宫,用了二十年才完成。 所罗门又修筑希兰送给他的那些城市,使以色列人住在那里。 所罗门到哈玛琐巴去,占领了那地方。 所罗门又修筑了在旷野的达莫,和他在哈玛建造的一切贮藏货物的城市。 他又建造上伯.和仑和下伯.和仑,成了有墙、有门和有闩的设防城; 又建造巴拉和所罗门拥有的一切贮藏货物的城市,以及一切囤放战车的城市,马兵驻扎的城市,和所罗门在耶路撒冷、黎巴嫩,以及他统治的全境内喜爱建造的一切。

至于以色列人以外的赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、希未人和耶布斯人剩下来的人民, 他们的子孙仍然留在那地,以色列人没有消灭他们。于是,所罗门征召他们作苦工,直到今日。 唯独以色列人,所罗门没有驱使他们为他的工程作奴仆;他们作了他的战士、军长、车兵长和马兵长。 10 所罗门王有二百五十名监工,监督工人。

11 所罗门把法老的女儿从大卫城,带到他为她建造的宫里去;因为他说:“我的妻子不可住在以色列王大卫的宫里,因为耶和华的约柜所到的地方都是神圣的。”

12 那时,所罗门在耶和华的坛上,就是在走廊前面他建筑的坛上,向耶和华献上燔祭, 13 又照着摩西的吩咐,在安息日、初一和一年三次特定的节期,就是除酵节、七七节、住棚节,献上每日当献的。

14 所罗门又照着他父亲大卫所定的,设立了祭司的班次,执行他们的事奉,又派遣利未人,各守本职,赞美耶和华,在祭司面前照着每日的本分事奉。又派守门的按着班次看守各门。因为这是神人大卫的吩咐。 15 王对祭司和利未人所吩咐的,无论是甚么事务,或是有关库房的事,他们都没有违抗。

16 从耶和华的殿奠基的日子起,直到建成,所罗门的一切工程都进行顺利。这样,耶和华的殿就完成了。

17 那时,所罗门往以东地,到靠近海边的以旬.迦别和以禄去了。 18 希兰派他的臣仆,把船只和熟悉航海的仆人,送到所罗门那里。他们和所罗门的仆人一同去到俄斐,从那里得了一万五千公斤金子,运到所罗门王那里。

Building Projects and Commercial Efforts

After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and his royal palace, Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram[a] had given him and settled Israelites there. Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. He built up Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities he had built in Hamath. He made upper Beth Horon and lower Beth Horon fortified cities with walls and barred gates,[b] and built up Baalath, all the storage cities that belonged to him,[c] and all the cities where chariots and horses were kept.[d] He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom.[e]

Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.[f] Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews, and they continue in that role to this very day.[g] Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews;[h] the Israelites served as his soldiers, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces.[i] 10 These men worked for King Solomon as supervisors; there were a total of 250 of them who were in charge of the people.[j]

11 Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David[k] to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of King David of Israel, for the places where the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”

12 Then Solomon offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the temple’s porch.[l] 13 He observed the daily requirements for sacrifices that Moses had specified for Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and the three annual celebrations—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Shelters.[m] 14 As his father David had decreed, Solomon[n] appointed the divisions of the priests to do their assigned tasks, the Levitical orders to lead worship and help the priests with their daily tasks,[o] and the divisions of the gatekeepers to serve at their assigned gates.[p] This was what David the man of God had ordered.[q] 15 They did not neglect any detail of the king’s orders pertaining to the priests, Levites, and treasuries.[r]

16 All the work ordered by Solomon was completed, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid until it was finished; the Lord’s temple was completed.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Elat on the coast in the land of Edom. 18 Huram sent him ships and some of his sailors, men who were well acquainted with the sea. They sailed with Solomon’s men to Ophir[s] and took from there 450 talents[t] of gold, which they brought back to King Solomon.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 8:2 tn Heb “Huram” (also in v. 18). Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual.
  2. 2 Chronicles 8:5 tn Heb “and he built…[as] cities of fortification, [with] walls, doors, and a bar.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 8:6 tn Heb “Solomon.” The recurrence of the proper name is unexpected in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead.
  4. 2 Chronicles 8:6 tn Heb “the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horses.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 8:6 tn Heb “and all the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his kingdom.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 8:7 tn Heb “all the people who were left from the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not from Israel.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 8:8 tn Heb “from their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel did not wipe out, and Solomon raised them up for a work crew to this day.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 8:9 tn Heb “and from the sons of Israel whom Solomon did not assign to the laborers for his work.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 8:9 tn Heb “officers of his chariots and his horses.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 8:10 tn Heb “these [were] the officials of the governors who belonged to the king, Solomon, 250, the ones ruling over the people.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 8:11 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  12. 2 Chronicles 8:12 tn Heb “the porch.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 8:13 tn The Hebrew phrase הַסֻּכּוֹת[חַג] (khag hassukkot, “[Feast of] shelters” [or “huts”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “shelters” is more appropriate.
  14. 2 Chronicles 8:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  15. 2 Chronicles 8:14 tn Heb “and the Levites, according to their posts, to praise and to serve opposite the priests according to the matter of a day in its day.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 8:14 tn Heb “and the gatekeepers by their divisions for a gate and a gate.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 8:14 tn Heb “for so [was] the command of David the man of God.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 8:15 tn Heb “and they did not turn aside from the command of the king concerning the priests and the Levites with regard to any matter and with regard to the treasuries.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 8:18 tn Heb “and Huram sent to him by the hand of his servants, ships, and servants [who] know the sea, and they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 8:18 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold was 30,285 lbs. (13,770 kg).