2 Chronicles 8
New Living Translation
Solomon’s Many Achievements
8 It took Solomon twenty years to build the Lord’s Temple and his own royal palace. At the end of that time, 2 Solomon turned his attention to rebuilding the towns that King Hiram[a] had given him, and he settled Israelites in them.
3 Solomon also fought against the town of Hamath-zobah and conquered it. 4 He rebuilt Tadmor in the wilderness and built towns in the region of Hamath as supply centers. 5 He fortified the towns of Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, rebuilding their walls and installing barred gates. 6 He also rebuilt Baalath and other supply centers and constructed towns where his chariots and horses[b] could be stationed. He built everything he desired in Jerusalem and Lebanon and throughout his entire realm.
7 There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 8 These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them for his labor force, and they serve as forced laborers to this day. 9 But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for his labor force. Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, officers in his army, commanders of his chariots, and charioteers. 10 King Solomon appointed 250 of them to supervise the people.
11 Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, “My wife must not live in King David’s palace, for the Ark of the Lord has been there, and it is holy ground.”
12 Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar he had built for him in front of the entry room of the Temple. 13 He offered the sacrifices for the Sabbaths, the new moon festivals, and the three annual festivals—the Passover celebration, the Festival of Harvest,[c] and the Festival of Shelters—as Moses had commanded.
14 In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people in praise and to assist the priests in their daily duties. And he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates by their divisions, following the commands of David, the man of God. 15 Solomon did not deviate in any way from David’s commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries.
16 So Solomon made sure that all the work related to building the Temple of the Lord was carried out, from the day its foundation was laid to the day of its completion.
17 Later Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Elath,[d] ports along the shore of the Red Sea[e] in the land of Edom. 18 Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers and manned by experienced crews of sailors. These ships sailed to Ophir with Solomon’s men and brought back to Solomon almost seventeen tons[f] of gold.
Footnotes
- 8:2 Hebrew Huram, a variant spelling of Hiram; also in 8:18.
- 8:6 Or and charioteers.
- 8:13 Or Festival of Weeks.
- 8:17a As in Greek version (see also 2 Kgs 14:22; 16:6); Hebrew reads Eloth, a variant spelling of Elath.
- 8:17b As in parallel text at 1 Kgs 9:26; Hebrew reads the sea.
- 8:18 Hebrew 450 talents [15.3 metric tons].
2 Chronicles 8
1599 Geneva Bible
8 2 The cities that Solomon built. 7 People that were made tribute unto him. 12 His sacrifices. 17 He sendeth to Ophir.
1 And (A)after [a]twenty years when Solomon had built the house of the Lord, and his own house,
2 Then Solomon built the cities that Huram [b]gave to Solomon, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
3 And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah, and overcame it.
4 And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and repaired all [c]the cities of store which he built in Hamath.
5 And he built [d]Beth Horon the upper, and Beth Horon the nether, cities defensed with walls, gates and bars:
6 Also Baalath, and all the cities of store that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and every pleasant place that Solomon had a mind to build in Jerusalem, and in [e]Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion.
7 And all the people that were left to the Hittites, and the Amorites, and Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel,
8 But of their children which were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel had not consumed, even them did Solomon make [f]tributaries until this day.
9 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work: for they were men of war, and his chief princes, and the captains of his chariots and of his horsemen.
10 So these were the chief, of the officers which Solomon had, even [g]two hundred and fifty that bare rule over the people.
11 ¶ Then Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David, into the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel: for it is holy, because that the Ark of the Lord came unto it.
12 ¶ Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the Lord, on the (B)altar of the Lord, which he had built before the porch,
13 To (C)offer according to the commandment of Moses [h]every day, in the Sabbaths, and in the new moons, and in the solemn feasts, [i]three times in the year, that is, in the feast of the Unleavened bread, and in the feast of the Weeks, and in the feast of the Tabernacles.
14 And he set the courses of the Priests to their offices according to the order of David his father, and the Levites in their watches, for to praise and minister before the Priests every day, and the porters by their (D)courses, at every gate: for so was the commandment of David the man of God.
15 And they declined not from the commandment of the king, concerning the Priests and the Levites, touching all things, and touching the treasures.
16 ¶ Now Solomon had made provision for all the [j]work from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord, until it was finished: so the house of the Lord was perfect.
17 Then went Solomon to Ezion Geber, and to Eloth by the [k]Sea side in the land of Edom.
18 And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants, ships and servants that had knowledge of the sea: and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and brought thence [l]four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to King Solomon.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 8:1 Signifying that he was twenty years in building them.
- 2 Chronicles 8:2 That is, which Hiram gave again to Solomon because they pleased him not: and therefore called them Cabul, that is, dirt or filth, 1 Kings 9:13.
- 2 Chronicles 8:4 Meaning, of Munitions and treasures for the war.
- 2 Chronicles 8:5 That is, he repaired and fortified them: for they were built long before by Sheerah a noble woman of the tribe of Ephraim, 1 Chron. 6:68 and 7:24.
- 2 Chronicles 8:6 Read 1 Kings 7:2
- 2 Chronicles 8:8 Hebrew, to come up to tribute.
- 2 Chronicles 8:10 For in all there were 3300 but here he meaneth of them that had the principal charge, read 1 Kings 9:23.
- 2 Chronicles 8:13 Or, after the manner of every day.
- 2 Chronicles 8:13 Read Lev. 23.
- 2 Chronicles 8:16 Both for the matter and also for the workmanship.
- 2 Chronicles 8:17 Meaning, the red Sea.
- 2 Chronicles 8:18 Which sum is thought to mount to three million and six hundred thousand crowns, for here is mention made of thirty more than are spoken of, 1 Kings 9:28.
2 Chronicles 8
English Standard Version
Solomon's Accomplishments
8 (A)At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, 2 Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him, and settled the people of Israel in them.
3 And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and took it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath. 5 He also built (B)Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, (C)fortified cities (D)with walls, gates, and bars, 6 and Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 7 (E)All the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—these Solomon drafted (F)as forced labor, and so they are to this day. 9 But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves for his work; they were soldiers, and his officers, the commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen. 10 And these were the chief officers of King Solomon, 250, who exercised authority over the people.
11 (G)Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”
12 Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord (H)that he had built before the vestibule, 13 (I)as the duty of each day required, offering (J)according to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the (K)three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. 14 According to the ruling of David his father, he appointed (L)the divisions of the priests for their service, (M)and the Levites for their offices of praise and (N)ministry before the priests (O)as the duty of each day required, and (P)the gatekeepers in their divisions at each gate, for so David (Q)the man of God had commanded. 15 And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded the priests and Levites concerning any matter and concerning the treasuries.
16 Thus was accomplished all the work of Solomon from[a] the day the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.
17 Then Solomon went to (R)Ezion-geber and (S)Eloth on the shore of the sea, in the land of Edom. 18 And Hiram sent to him by the hand of his servants ships and servants familiar with the sea, and they went to Ophir together with the servants of Solomon and brought from there (T)450 talents[b] of gold and brought it to King Solomon.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 8:16 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew to
- 2 Chronicles 8:18 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
