2 Chronicles 8

8 ¹ At the end of the twenty years during which Solomon had built the house of our Father and his own palace, ² Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram had given him, and settled the people of Israel in them.

³ Then Solomon marched against Hamath-zobah and overpowered it. ⁴ He built Tadmor in the wilderness, along with all the storage cities he built in Hamath. ⁵ He also rebuilt Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars, ⁶ as well as Baalath and all the storage cities that belonged to Solomon, all the cities for his chariots and his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout all the territory he ruled.

⁷ There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, peoples who were not Israelites. ⁸ Their descendants still living in the land, whom the Israelites had not destroyed, Solomon conscripted for forced labor, as they remain to this day. ⁹ But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his soldiers, the commanders of his officers, and the commanders of his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁰ These were the chief officers of King Solomon: two hundred and fifty of them, who supervised the people.

¹¹ Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, "My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because every place where the ark of our Father has been is holy."

¹² Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to our Father on the altar he had built in front of the portico, ¹³ as each day required, offering them according to the command of Moses for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the three annual festivals: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

¹⁴ Following the regulations of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their duties of praise and ministry before the priests, as each day required. He also appointed the gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate, for this was the command of David, the man of our Father. ¹⁵ They did not deviate from the king's commands to the priests and Levites in any matter, including the treasuries.

¹⁶ So all Solomon's work was carried out, from the day the foundation of our Father's house was laid until its completion. The house of our Father was finished.

¹⁷ Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Eloth on the seacoast in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ And Huram sent him ships through his servants, along with sailors who knew the sea. They went with Solomon's servants to Ophir and brought back from there about seventeen tons of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.