1 Kings 9:15-28
Amplified Bible
15 Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon conscripted to build the house of the Lord, his own house, the [a]Millo (fortification), the wall of Jerusalem, [and the fortress cities of] Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer, burned it with fire and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and he had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17 So Solomon rebuilt [and fortified] Gezer and Lower Beth-horon, 18 Baalath and [b]Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, 19 and all the storage cities [for surplus provisions] which Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots and cities for his horsemen, and whatever it pleased Solomon to build [c]in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land under his rule. 20 As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of the sons (descendants) of Israel, 21 their children who were left after them in the land, whom the Israelites were unable to completely destroy, from them Solomon levied (conscripted) forced laborers, even to this day (the date of this writing). 22 But Solomon did not make slaves of the sons of Israel; for they were men of war (soldiers), his servants, his officers, his captains, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen.
23 These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people doing the work.
24 As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the City of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, then he built the Millo (fortification).
25 Three times a year [during the [d]major annual festivals] Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built to the Lord, and he burned incense with them before the Lord. So he finished the house [of the Lord].
26 King Solomon built a fleet of ships in Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds), in the land of Edom. 27 And Hiram [king of Tyre] sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon. 28 They came to [e]Ophir and took four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.
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- 1 Kings 9:15 The exact nature of the Millo is unclear, but most scholars believe it was some sort of military fortification such as a tower, a citadel, a significant part of a wall or even an earth-fill or terraced hillside. It was located on the eastern side of the City of David. It was later repaired by King Hezekiah.
- 1 Kings 9:18 In 2 Chr 8:4 Tadmor.
- 1 Kings 9:19 Because of Solomon’s extensive building program and his extravagant expenditures, he resorted to forced labor and heavy taxation. These oppressive policies, combined with his son’s lack of good judgment contributed to the division of Solomon’s kingdom. Shortly after his death, his son King Rehoboam rebuffed the people’s appeal for relief and declared his intention to add to their burdens (12:11).
- 1 Kings 9:25 I.e. the Feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Booths.
- 1 Kings 9:28 The location of this wealthy trading port is a subject of debate among scholars and archeologists. Possible sites considered include Pakistan, India, Zimbabwe, Yemen, and other ports in Arabia and Africa.
1 Kings 9:15-28
New American Standard Bible
15 Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon (A)conscripted to build the house of the Lord, 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 overthrown Gezer and burned it with fire, and killed the (F)Canaanites who lived in the city; and he 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, that is, (J)the cities for [b]his chariots and the cities for [c](K)his horsemen, and [d](L)everything that it pleased Solomon 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)their descendants who were left after them in the land, (N)whom the sons of Israel were unable to completely eliminate, (O)from them Solomon conscripted (P)forced laborers, as they are 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 commanders, his charioteers, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen.
23 These were the [f](R)chief officers who were in charge of Solomon’s work, 550, (S)who ruled 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)he then built the Millo.
25 Now (V)three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he had built for the Lord, burning incense with them on the altar which was before the Lord. So he finished the house.
26 King Solomon also built 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, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon. 28 And they went to (Z)Ophir and received [h]420 talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 9:15 I.e., terraced structure
- 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
- 1 Kings 9:28 About 16 tons or 14 metric tons
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