2 Chronicles
Chapter 8
1 After twenty years, during which Solomon had built God’s house and his own house,
2 Solomon rebuilt the cities Huram had given back to him and made the Israelites live there.
3 Solomon went to Hamathzobah and conquered it.
4 He built Tadmor in the desert and all the supply cities he built in Hamath.
5 He also built Upper Bethhoron and Lower Bethhoron, protected cities with walls, gates, and bars.
6 Baalath, and every city Solomon used to store things, and all the chariot cities, and the cities for horsemen, and everything Solomon wanted to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and his entire territory.
7 As for all the people remaining from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not from Israel,
8 But Solomon made the children of those who remained in the land, whom the Israelites had not destroyed, pay tribute up to today.
9 Solomon did not make the Israelites work as servants; they were soldiers, leaders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots and cavalry.
10 These were the top leaders of King Solomon’s staff, numbering two hundred and fifty, who governed the people.
11 Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter from David’s city to her own house he built for her; he thought, “My wife can’t live in King David’s house of Israel, because it’s holy where God’s ark has been.”
12 Solomon gave burnt offerings to God on God’s altar, which he built in front of the entrance hall.
13 They made offerings at a set amount each day, as Moses commanded, on sabbaths, new moons, and special festival times, three times a year - during the festival of unleavened bread, the festival of weeks, and the festival of tabernacles.
14 He set up, as David his father had ordered, the groups of priests for their work, the Levites for their tasks, to praise and help the priests each day as needed; the gatekeepers also in their groups at every gate, because this is what David, a man of God, had instructed.
15 They did not ignore the king’s orders to the priests and Levites about anything, including the treasures.
16 All of Solomon’s work was ready by the time they laid the foundation of God’s house and continued until it was completed. So God’s house was finished.
17 Solomon went to Eziongeber and Eloth by the sea in Edom.
18 Huram sent ships and skilled sailors through his servants to join Solomon’s servants. They sailed to Ophir, got 450 talents of gold, and brought them to King Solomon.