2 Chronicles 8

New International Version

Solomon’s Other Activities^(A)

8 At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace,^(B) ²Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram^[a] had given him, and settled Israelites in them. ³Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. ⁴He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath.^(C) ⁵He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon^(D) and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, ⁶as well as Baalath^(E) and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses^[b]—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

⁷There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites^(F) (these people were not Israelites). ⁸Solomon conscripted^(G) the descendants of all these people remaining in the land—whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. ⁹But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. ¹⁰They were also King Solomon’s chief officials—two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.

¹¹Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter^(H) up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”

¹²On the altar^(I) of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord, ¹³according to the daily requirement^(J) for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths,^(K) the New Moons^(L) and the three^(M) annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread,^(N) the Festival of Weeks^(O) and the Festival of Tabernacles.^(P) ¹⁴In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions^(Q) of the priests for their duties, and the Levites^(R) to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers^(S) by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God^(T) had ordered.^(U) ¹⁵They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.

¹⁶All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lord was finished.

¹⁷Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. ¹⁸And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents^[c] of gold,^(V) which they delivered to King Solomon.

Footnotes

2 Chronicles 8:2 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verse 18
2 Chronicles 8:6 Or charioteers
2 Chronicles 8:18 That is, about 17 tons or about 15 metric tons

Habakkuk 3

New International Version

Habakkuk’s Prayer

3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.^[a]^(A)

²Lord, I have heard^(B) of your fame;
    I stand in awe^(C) of your deeds, Lord.^(D)
Repeat^(E) them in our day,
    in our time make them known;
    in wrath remember mercy.^(F)

³God came from Teman,^(G)
    the Holy One^(H) from Mount Paran.^[b]^(I)
His glory covered the heavens^(J)
    and his praise filled the earth.^(K)
⁴His splendor was like the sunrise;^(L)
    rays flashed from his hand,
    where his power^(M) was hidden.
⁵Plague^(N) went before him;
    pestilence followed his steps.
⁶He stood, and shook the earth;
    he looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled^(O)
    and the age-old hills^(P) collapsed^(Q)—
    but he marches on forever.^(R)
⁷I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
    the dwellings of Midian^(S) in anguish.^(T)

⁸Were you angry with the rivers,^(U) Lord?
    Was your wrath against the streams?
Did you rage against the sea^(V)
    when you rode your horses
    and your chariots to victory?^(W)
⁹You uncovered your bow,
    you called for many arrows.^(X)
You split the earth with rivers;
¹⁰    the mountains saw you and writhed.^(Y)
Torrents of water swept by;
    the deep roared^(Z)
    and lifted its waves^(AA) on high.

¹¹Sun and moon stood still^(AB) in the heavens
    at the glint of your flying arrows,^(AC)
    at the lightning^(AD) of your flashing spear.
¹²In wrath you strode through the earth
    and in anger you threshed^(AE) the nations.
¹³You came out^(AF) to deliver^(AG) your people,
    to save your anointed^(AH) one.
You crushed^(AI) the leader of the land of wickedness,
    you stripped him from head to foot.
¹⁴With his own spear you pierced his head
    when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,^(AJ)
gloating as though about to devour
    the wretched^(AK) who were in hiding.
¹⁵You trampled the sea^(AL) with your horses,
    churning the great waters.^(AM)

¹⁶I heard and my heart pounded,
    my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
    and my legs trembled.^(AN)
Yet I will wait patiently^(AO) for the day of calamity
    to come on the nation invading us.
¹⁷Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,^(AP)
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,^(AQ)
¹⁸yet I will rejoice in the Lord,^(AR)
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.^(AS)

¹⁹The Sovereign Lord is my strength;^(AT)
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.^(AU)

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

Footnotes

Habakkuk 3:1 Probably a literary or musical term
Habakkuk 3:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the middle of verse 9 and at the end of verse 13.