New Living Translation

New King James Version

Solomon’s Many Achievements

It took Solomon twenty years to build the LORD’s Temple and his own royal palace. At the end of that time,

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Solomon’s Additional Achievements

It came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house,

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Solomon turned his attention to rebuilding the towns that King Hirama had given him, and he settled Israelites in them.

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that the cities which [a]Hiram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them; and he settled the children of Israel there.

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Solomon also fought against the town of Hamath-zobah and conquered it.

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And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it.

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He rebuilt Tadmor in the wilderness and built towns in the region of Hamath as supply centers.

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He also built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storage cities which he built in Hamath.

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He fortified the towns of Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, rebuilding their walls and installing barred gates.

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He built Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,

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He also rebuilt Baalath and other supply centers and constructed towns where his chariots and horsesb could be stationed. He built everything he desired in Jerusalem and Lebanon and throughout his entire realm.

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also Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities and the cities of the cavalry, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

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There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

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All the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of Israel —

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These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them for his labor force, and they serve as forced laborers to this day.

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that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel did not destroy — from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day.

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But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for his labor force. Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, officers in his army, commanders of his chariots, and charioteers.

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But Solomon did not make the children of Israel [b]servants for his work. Some were men of war, captains of his officers, captains of his chariots, and his cavalry.

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King Solomon appointed 250 of them to supervise the people.

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And others were chiefs of the officials of King Solomon: two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people.

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Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, “My wife must not live in King David’s palace, for the Ark of the LORD has been there, and it is holy ground.”

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Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”

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Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar he had built for him in front of the entry room of the Temple.

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Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built before the vestibule,

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He offered the sacrifices for the Sabbaths, the new moon festivals, and the three annual festivals — the Passover celebration, the Festival of Harvest,c and the Festival of Shelters — as Moses had commanded.

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according to the daily rate, offering according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the three appointed yearly feasts — the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

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In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people in praise and to assist the priests in their daily duties. And he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates by their divisions, following the commands of David, the man of God.

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And, according to the [c]order of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, the Levites for their duties (to praise and serve before the priests) as the duty of each day required, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate; for so David the man of God had commanded.

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Solomon did not deviate in any way from David’s commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries.

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They did not depart from the command of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasuries.

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So Solomon made sure that all the work related to building the Temple of the LORD was carried out, from the day its foundation was laid to the day of its completion.

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Now all the work of Solomon was well-ordered [d]from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.

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Later Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Elath,d ports along the shore of the Red Seae in the land of Edom.

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Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and [e]Elath on the seacoast, in the land of Edom.

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Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers and manned by experienced crews of sailors. These ships sailed to Ophir with Solomon’s men and brought back to Solomon almost seventeen tonsf of gold.

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And Hiram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, and servants who knew the sea. They went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

2 Chronicles 8

2 Chronicles 8