1 Kings 9:15-28

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Solomon’s Forced Labor

¹⁵ This is the account of the forced labor^(A) that King Solomon had imposed to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces,^(B) the wall of Jerusalem,^(C) and Hazor,^(D) Megiddo,^(E) and Gezer.^{(F) 16} Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He then burned it down, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and gave it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.^{(G) 17} Then Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon,^{(H) 18} Baalath,^(I) Tamar^[a][b] in the Wilderness of Judah, ¹⁹ all the storage cities that belonged to Solomon, the chariot cities,^(J) the cavalry cities,^(K) and whatever Solomon desired to build^(L) in Jerusalem, Lebanon, or anywhere else in the land of his dominion.

²⁰ As for all the peoples who remained of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not Israelites— ²¹ their descendants who remained in the land after them, those whom the Israelites were unable to completely destroy^(M)—Solomon imposed forced labor on them; it is this way until today.^{(N) 22} But Solomon did not consign the Israelites to slavery;^(O) they were soldiers, his servants, his commanders, his captains, and commanders of his chariots and his cavalry. ²³ These were the deputies^(P) who were over Solomon’s work: 550 who ruled over the people doing the work.^(Q)

Solomon’s Other Activities

²⁴ Pharaoh’s daughter moved from the city of David^(R) to the house that Solomon had built for her;^(S) he then built the terraces.^(T)

²⁵ Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, and he burned incense with them in the Lord’s presence.^(U) So he completed the temple.^(V)

²⁶ King Solomon put together a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber,^(W) which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom. ²⁷ With the fleet, Hiram sent his servants, experienced seamen, along with Solomon’s servants. ²⁸ They went to Ophir^(X) and acquired gold there—16 tons^[c]—and delivered it to Solomon.^(Y)