2 Chronicles 8
Expanded Bible
Solomon’s Other Achievements(A)
8 By the end of twenty years, Solomon had built the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and the royal ·palace [L house]. 2 Solomon then rebuilt the towns that ·Hiram [or Huram; 2:3] had given him, and Solomon sent Israelites to live in them. 3 Then he went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. 4 Solomon also built the town of Tadmor in the ·desert [wilderness], and he built all the towns in Hamath as ·towns for storing grain and supplies [supply centers; storage cities]. 5 He rebuilt the towns of Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, ·protecting [fortifying] them with strong walls, gates, and bars in the gates. 6 He also rebuilt the town of Baalath. And he built all the other ·towns for storage [supply centers; storage cities] and all the cities for his chariots and horses. He built all he ·wanted [desired] in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and ·everywhere he ruled [throughout his kingdom/realm].
7 ·There were other people [Others survived] in the land who were not Israelites—the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 8 They were descendants of the ·people [nations] that the Israelites had not destroyed. Solomon ·forced [conscripted] them to be ·slave workers [forced labor], as is still true today. 9 But Solomon did not ·make slaves of [impose forced labor on] the Israelites. They were his soldiers, ·chief captains [officers], commanders of his chariots, and his ·chariot drivers [or cavalry]. 10 These were his most important officers. There were two hundred fifty of them to ·direct [supervise; be in charge of] the people.
11 Solomon brought the daughter of the king of Egypt from the ·older part of Jerusalem [L City of David] to the ·palace [L house] he had built for her. Solomon said, “My wife must not live in King David’s ·palace [house], because the places where the Ark of the ·Agreement [L Lord] has ·been [entered] are ·holy [consecrated; purified; sanctified].”
12 Then Solomon ·offered [sacrificed] burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord on the altar he had built for the Lord in front of the ·Temple [L house] ·porch [portico; vestibule; entry room]. 13 He ·offered [sacrificed] sacrifices ·every day [according to the daily requirements/rule] as Moses had commanded. They were ·offered [sacrificed] on the Sabbath days, New Moons, and the three yearly feasts—the ·Feast [Festival] of Unleavened Bread, the ·Feast [Festival] of Weeks, and the ·Feast [Festival] of ·Shelters [Tabernacles; Booths]. 14 Solomon followed his father David’s instructions and ·chose [appointed] the ·groups [divisions; orders] of priests for their service and the Levites ·to lead the [for their duties/offices of] praise and to help the priests do their daily work. And he ·chose [appointed] the gatekeepers by their ·groups [divisions] to serve at each gate, as David, the man of God, had commanded. 15 They ·obeyed all of [L did not deviate from] Solomon’s commands to the priests and Levites, as well as his commands about the ·treasuries [storehouses].
16 All Solomon’s work was done as he had ·said [ordered] from the day the foundation of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord was begun, until it was finished. So the ·Temple [L house] was ·finished [completed].
17 Then Solomon went to the towns of Ezion Geber and Elath near the ·Red Sea [L coast] in the land of Edom. 18 ·Hiram [or Huram; 2:3] sent ships to Solomon that were commanded by his own men, who ·were skilled sailors [L knew the sea]. ·Hiram’s [or Huram’s] men went with Solomon’s men to Ophir and brought back ·about thirty-four thousand pounds [L 450 talents] of gold to King Solomon.
2 Chronicles 8
Good News Translation
Solomon's Achievements(A)
8 It took Solomon twenty years to build the Temple and his palace. 2 He also rebuilt the cities that King Hiram had given him, and sent Israelites to settle in them. 3 He captured the territory of Hamath and Zobah 4 and fortified the city of Palmyra in the desert. He rebuilt all the cities in Hamath that were centers for storing supplies. 5 Solomon also rebuilt the following cities: Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon (fortified cities with gates that could be barred), 6 the city of Baalath, all the cities where he stored supplies, and the cities where his horses and chariots were stationed. He carried out all his plans for building in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout the territory that he ruled over. 7-8 Solomon employed at forced labor all the descendants of the people of Canaan whom the Israelites had not killed when they took possession of the land. These included Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, whose descendants continue to be slaves down to the present time. 9 Israelites were not used at forced labor, but served as soldiers, officers, chariot commanders, and cavalry troops. 10 There were 250 officials in charge of the forced labor working on the various building projects.
11 Solomon moved his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt, from David's City to a house he built for her. He said, “She must not live in the palace of King David of Israel, because any place where the Covenant Box has been is holy.”
12 Solomon offered sacrifices to the Lord on the altar which he had built in front of the Temple. 13 (B)He offered burnt offerings according to the requirements of the Law of Moses for each holy day: Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and the three annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Shelters. 14 Following the rules laid down by his father David, he organized the daily work of the priests and of the Levites who assisted the priests in singing hymns and in doing their work. He also organized the Temple guards in sections for performing their daily duties at each gate, in accordance with the commands of David, the man of God. 15 The instructions which David had given the priests and the Levites concerning the storehouses and other matters were carried out in detail.
16 By this time all of Solomon's projects had been completed. From the laying of the foundation of the Lord's Temple to its completion, all the work had been successful.
17 Then Solomon went to Eziongeber and Elath, ports on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, in the land of Edom. 18 King Hiram sent him ships under the command of his own officers and with experienced sailors. They sailed with Solomon's officers to the land of Ophir and brought back to Solomon about sixteen tons of gold.
2 Chronicles 8
Modern English Version
Solomon’s Other Activities(A)
8 It came that after twenty years, Solomon built the house of the Lord and his royal house, 2 and Solomon even rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him, and he settled the sons of Israel in them. 3 Then Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. 4 He also built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath. 5 He also built the Upper and Lower Beth Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, 6 and Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots, the cities for his cavalry, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
7 And all the people who remained from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who were not from Israel, 8 and from their descendants who remained from these peoples in the land and whom the sons of Israel did not finish destroying, Solomon brought them up to be forced labor, even to this day. 9 But from the sons of Israel Solomon did not make servants for his work. These were his soldiers, officers, commanders of his chariots, and horsemen. 10 And these were the two hundred and fifty chief officers for King Solomon who governed the people.
11 And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh from the City of David to the house that he built for her, for he said, “My wife will not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places where the ark of the Lord have been are holy.”
12 At that time Solomon offered up burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord that he built before the vestibule, 13 according to the daily duty to offer up as the commandment of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual festivals: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. 14 According to the ruling of David his father, he set the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their function to praise and serve before the priests according to the daily duty, and even the gatekeepers for their divisions at each gate, for this was the commandment of David the man of God. 15 And they did not turn from the commandment of the king, whether the priests or Levites, concerning any matter and concerning the treasury.
16 So all the work of Solomon was established from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord and until its completion; and the house of the Lord was complete.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath at the shore of the sea in Edom. 18 And Hiram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, who knew the sea. And they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took from there four hundred and fifty talents[a] of gold, and brought them to King Solomon.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 8:18 About 17 tons, or 15 metric tons.
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