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。

Chapter 8

Solomon’s Buildings.[a] At the end of the twenty years that Solomon had taken to build the house of the Lord and his own palace, he rebuilt the cities that Huram had given to him, and he settled the Israelites in them.

Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it.[b] After that he fortified Tadmor[c] in the wilderness and all the storage towns that he had built in Hamath. He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, and Baalath, all the supply cities belonging to Solomon, and all the towns for his chariots and for his cavalry and whatever else Solomon decided to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout his entire dominion.

All the people who still remained of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites who did not belong to Israel— that is, from their descendants still surviving in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—Solomon subjected to forced labor, as is still the case today.[d]

However, Solomon did not use the people of Israel as slaves for all the work he wanted done. Rather, they were assigned as soldiers and his officers, as well as the commanders of his soldiers and his cavalry.[e] 10 These served as King Solomon’s officials, two hundred and fifty in number, who exercised authority over the people.

11 Solomon’s Piety. Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the place that he had built for her, for he said: “No wife of mine shall live in the house of King David of Israel, for the places that the Ark of the Lord has entered are sacred.”

12 Then Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord upon the altar of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, 13 in accordance with what was required for each day, offerings in accordance with the law of Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the annual dedicated feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.

14 Following the ordinances of his father David, Solomon designated the various divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their offices of praise and ministry alongside the priests as the duty of each day required, and the gatekeepers designated for specific gates, for such was the command of David, the man of God. 15 The instructions that David had specified in regard to the priests and Levites and also concerning the treasuries were never disregarded.

16 Thus all of Solomon’s work was accomplished, from the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid until the house of the Lord was completed.

17 Solomon’s Glory. Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Elath on the seacoast of Edom, 18 and Huram sent ships under the command of his own officers and manned by experienced seamen familiar with the sea. They went to Ophir, together with the servants of Solomon, and brought back from there four hundred and fifty talents that they presented to King Solomon.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 8:1 The Lord prospers the undertakings of the man who built his temple. But the picture which the Chronicler sketches of the reign of Solomon is brighter than the reality. For a more concrete and less grandiloquent description of the facts, see the first Book of Kings.
  2. 2 Chronicles 8:3 See 1 Ki 9:11f. Zobah was an Aramean kingdom north of Damascus. “He went,” like “he built,” etc., means he had it done.
  3. 2 Chronicles 8:4 Tadmor: the Semitic name, still in use, for Palmyra, an oasis which is mentioned in an Assyrian inscription dating from a century before Solomon and which became famous in the third century A.D. In fact, however, the reference is clearly to Tamar, on the southern shore of the Dead Sea; see the parallel in 1 Ki 9:18.
  4. 2 Chronicles 8:8 As is still the case today: the expression is repeated elsewhere, showing that the author is using an ancient source.
  5. 2 Chronicles 8:9 The opening statement does not correspond to the facts (see 1 Ki 5:13), but attests to the Israelites’ sense of being free people.

Solomon’s Additional Achievements(A)

It (B)came to pass at the end of (C)twenty years, when Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, that the cities which [a]Hiram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them; and he settled the children of Israel there. And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. (D)He also built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storage cities which he built in (E)Hamath. He built Upper Beth Horon and (F)Lower Beth Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, also Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities and the cities of the cavalry, and all that Solomon (G)desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

(H)All the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of Israel— that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel did not destroy—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day. But Solomon did not make the children of Israel [b]servants for his work. Some were men of war, captains of his officers, captains of his chariots, and his cavalry. 10 And others were chiefs of the officials of King Solomon: (I)two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people.

11 Now Solomon (J)brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”

12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built before the vestibule, 13 according to the (K)daily rate, offering according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the (L)three appointed yearly (M)feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. 14 And, according to the [c]order of David his father, he appointed the (N)divisions of the priests for their service, (O)the Levites for their duties (to praise and serve before the priests) as the duty of each day required, and the (P)gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate; for so David the man of God had commanded. 15 They did not depart from the command of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the (Q)treasuries.

16 Now all the work of Solomon was well-ordered [d]from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.

17 Then Solomon went to (R)Ezion Geber and [e]Elath on the seacoast, in the land of Edom. 18 (S)And Hiram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, and servants who knew the sea. They went with the servants of Solomon to (T)Ophir, and acquired four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 8:2 Heb. Huram, 2 Chr. 2:3
  2. 2 Chronicles 8:9 slaves
  3. 2 Chronicles 8:14 ordinance
  4. 2 Chronicles 8:16 So with LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT as far as
  5. 2 Chronicles 8:17 Heb. Eloth, 2 Kin. 14:22