Chapter 8

Public Works. ^1 (A)After the twenty years during which Solomon built the house of the Lord and his own house, ² he built up the cities which Huram had given him,^[a] and settled Israelites there. ³ Then Solomon went to Hamath of Zoba and conquered it. ⁴ He built Tadmor^[b] in the wilderness and all the supply cities, which he built in Hamath. ^5 (B)He built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars; ⁶ also Baalath, all the supply cities belonging to Solomon, and all the cities for the chariots, the cities for horses, and whatever else Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in the entire land under his dominion. ⁷ All the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who were not Israelites— ⁸ those of their descendants who were left in the land and whom the Israelites had not destroyed—Solomon conscripted as forced laborers, as they are to this day. ⁹ But Solomon made none of the Israelites forced laborers for his works, for they were his fighting force, commanders, adjutants, chariot officers, and cavalry. ¹⁰ They were also King Solomon’s two hundred and fifty overseers who directed the people.

Solomon’s Piety. ¹¹ Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house which he had built for her, for he said, “No wife of mine shall dwell in the house of David, king of Israel, for the places where the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”

¹² In those times Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord upon the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the porch, ¹³ as was required to be done day by day according to the command of Moses, especially on the sabbaths, at the new moons, and on the fixed festivals three times a year: on the feast of the Unleavened Bread, the feast of Weeks, and the feast of Booths.^(C)

¹⁴ And according to the ordinance of David his father he appointed the various divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites according to their functions of praise and attendance upon the priests, as the daily duty required. The gatekeepers by their divisions stood guard at each gate, since such was the command of David, the man of God.^{(D) 15} There was no deviation from the king’s command in whatever related to the priests and Levites or the treasuries. ¹⁶ All of Solomon’s work was carried out successfully from the day the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid until its completion. The house of the Lord was finished.

Glories of the Court. ¹⁷ In those times Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Elath on the seashore of the land of Edom.^{(E) 18} Huram had his servants send him ships and his own servants, expert seamen; they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, and obtained there four hundred and fifty talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.^(F)