CHAPTER 8

¹And it happened at the end of twenty years after Solomon built the house of the LORD and his house, ²and the towns that Huram had given to Solomon, Solomon had rebuilt and settled Israelites there. ³And Solomon went to Hamath-Zobah and prevailed against it. ⁴And he rebuilt Tadmor in the wilderness and the storehouse towns that he had built in Hamath. ⁵And he rebuilt Upper Beth-Horon and Lower Beth-Horon as fortified towns with double doors and bolts, ⁶and Baalath and all the storehouse towns that Solomon had and all the chariot towns and all the towns of the horsemen and every desire that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the territory under his rule. ⁷All the people left of the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivvite and the Jebusite who were not of Israel, ⁸of their sons who were left after them in the land whom the Israelites had not wholly destroyed, Solomon subjected them to forced labor till this day. ⁹But of the Israelites whom Solomon had not made slaves for his tasks, they were men of war and commanders of his captains and commanders of his chariots and of his horsemen. ¹⁰And these were the commanders of King Solomon’s prefects, two hundred fifty holding sway over the people. ¹¹And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh from the City of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “I will not have a woman dwelling in the house of David king of Israel, for it is holy, as the Ark of the LORD came there.” ¹²Then did Solomon offer up burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD that he had built in front of the great hall, ¹³what was due every day to offer up according to the command of Moses, for sabbaths and for new moons and for the festivals three times a year, on the Festival of Flatbread and on the Festival of Weeks and on the Festival of Huts. ¹⁴And according to the practice of David his father he set up orders of the priests over their service and the Levites in their watches to praise and to minister over against the priests for what was due every day, and the gatekeepers in their orders for every single gate. Thus was the command of David man of God. ¹⁵And they did not swerve from the king’s command concerning the priests and the Levites in all matters and concerning the treasuries. ¹⁶And all the tasks of Solomon were firmly established until the day the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid and until the house of the LORD was entirely finished. ¹⁷Then did Solomon go to Ezion-Geber and to Eloth on the seacoast in the land of Edom. ¹⁸And Huram sent to him in charge of his servants ships and servants adept in the sea, and Solomon’s servants came to Ophir and took from there four hundred fifty talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.