2 Chronicles 8

At the end of the twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house, Solomon built up the cities Huram had given him and settled Israelites there. Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and took control of it. He built Tadmor in the wilderness, as well as all the storage cities in Hamath. He built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, as well as Baalath, all Solomon's storage cities, all the chariot cities and the cities for the horsemen, and everything Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout the land he ruled. As for all the people who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not Israelites— their descendants who remained after them in the land, whom the Israelites had not destroyed—Solomon subjected them to forced labor, as they are to this day. But Solomon did not make Israelites slaves for his work. They were his fighting men, his chief officers, and the commanders of his chariots and horsemen. These were King Solomon's chief supervisors: two hundred and fifty who directed the people. Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the house of David king of Israel, because the places where the ark of the LORD has come are holy.” Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD he had built in front of the porch, as each day required, offering according to Moses' command 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. Following the order of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests to their service, the Levites to their duties of praising and ministering before the priests as each day required, and the gatekeepers in their divisions at each gate. For this was the command of David, the man of God. They did not depart from the king's command to the priests and Levites in any matter, including the treasuries. All Solomon's work was well ordered, from the day the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid until its completion. The house of the LORD was complete. Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Eloth on the seashore in the land of Edom. Through his servants Huram sent him ships and servants experienced at sea. They went with Solomon's servants to Ophir and took from there nearly seventeen tons of gold, which they brought to King Solomon.

Rights and attribution