2 Chronicles 8

1At the end of the twenty years it took Solomon to build the LORD’s house and his own palace, 2Solomon rebuilt the towns that Huram had given him and settled Israelites in them. 3Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and seized it. 4He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath. 5He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon as fortified towns, with walls, gates and bars, 6and Baalath, all the store cities that Solomon had, all the towns for his chariots and for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout all the land he ruled. 7As for all the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, who were not part of Israel, 8from their descendants who were still left in the land, whom the Israelites had not destroyed, Solomon conscripted forced labor, to this day. 9But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites for his work. They were his soldiers, the commanders of his officers, and the commanders of his chariots and his horsemen.

10These were King Solomon’s chief officers: 250 of them, who directed the people. 11Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house he had built for her. His reason was this: “No wife of mine is to live in the house of David king of Israel, since the places where the ark of the LORD has come are holy.”

12Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the LORD on the LORD’s altar, which he had built in front of the porch, 13making the offerings each day required, according to the commandment of Moses, on the Sabbaths, at the new moons, and at the appointed festivals three times a year: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Booths. 14Following the ordinance of his father David, he set the priests in their divisions over their service, and the Levites over their duties of praising and of ministering alongside the priests as each day required, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate. For this was what David the man of God had commanded. 15They did not depart from what the king had commanded the priests and the Levites in any matter, including the treasuries. 16So all Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid until it was finished. The house of the LORD was complete.

17Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth, on the seacoast in the land of Edom. 18Huram sent him ships under the command of his own servants, along with servants who knew the sea. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, and brought back from there about 33,750 pounds of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.