1 Kings 9:15-28
New Living Translation
Solomon’s Many Achievements
15 This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, the supporting terraces,[a] the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 (Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer, killing the Canaanite population and burning it down. He gave the city to his daughter as a wedding gift when she married Solomon. 17 So Solomon rebuilt the city of Gezer.) He also built up the towns of Lower Beth-horon, 18 Baalath, and Tamar[b] in the wilderness within his land. 19 He built towns as supply centers and constructed towns where his chariots and horses[c] could be stationed. He built everything he desired in Jerusalem and Lebanon and throughout his entire realm.
20 There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 21 These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not completely destroyed.[d] So Solomon conscripted them as slaves, and they serve as forced laborers to this day. 22 But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for forced labor. Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, government officials, officers and captains in his army, commanders of his chariots, and charioteers. 23 Solomon appointed 550 of them to supervise the people working on his various projects.
24 Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. Then he constructed the supporting terraces.
25 Three times each year Solomon presented burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord. He also burned incense to the Lord. And so he finished the work of building the Temple.
26 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, a port near Elath[e] in the land of Edom, along the shore of the Red Sea.[f] 27 Hiram sent experienced crews of sailors to sail the ships with Solomon’s men. 28 They sailed to Ophir and brought back to Solomon some sixteen tons[g] of gold.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 9:15 Hebrew the millo; also in 9:24. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 9:18 An alternate reading in the Masoretic Text reads Tadmor.
- 9:19 Or and charioteers.
- 9:21 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
- 9:26a As in Greek version (see also 2 Kgs 14:22; 16:6); Hebrew reads Eloth, a variant spelling of Elath.
- 9:26b Hebrew sea of reeds.
- 9:28 Hebrew 420 talents [14 metric tons].
1 Kings 9:15-28
Legacy Standard Bible
Solomon Builds Cities and Ships
15 Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon (A)raised up to build the house of Yahweh, his own house, the [a](B)Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, (C)Hazor, (D)Megiddo, and (E)Gezer. 16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and killed the (F)Canaanites who lived in the city, and had (G)given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and the lower (H)Beth-horon 18 and (I)Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, 19 and all the storage cities which Solomon had, and (J)the cities for [b]his chariots, and the cities for [c](K)his horsemen, and [d](L)all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land [e]under his rule. 20 As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel, 21 (M)namely, their sons who were left after them in the land (N)whom the sons of Israel were unable to devote to destruction, from (O)them Solomon raised up (P)forced laborers to this day. 22 But Solomon (Q)did not make slaves of the sons of Israel; for they were men of war, his servants, his princes, his captains, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen.
23 These were the [f](R)chief deputies who were over Solomon’s work, 550, (S)who had dominion over the people doing the work.
24 As soon as (T)Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the city of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, (U)then he built the Millo.
25 And (V)three times in a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he built to Yahweh, burning incense with them on the altar which was before Yahweh. So he finished the house.
26 King Solomon also made a (W)fleet of ships in (X)Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the [g]Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27 (Y)And Hiram sent his servants with the fleet of ships, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon. 28 And they went to (Z)Ophir and took from there 420 talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 9:15 Citadel
- 1 Kings 9:19 Lit the
- 1 Kings 9:19 Lit the
- 1 Kings 9:19 Lit the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem
- 1 Kings 9:19 Lit of
- 1 Kings 9:23 Or officers of the deputies
- 1 Kings 9:26 Lit Sea of Reeds
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