2 Chronicles 8

1 After twenty years, in which Solomon built the house of the Lord and his own house, 2 the cities that Hiram had given to Solomon — Solomon built them, and settled the children of Israel there. [a]

3 And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and prevailed against it. [b] 4 And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the strong cities that he built in Hamath. [c] 5 And he built Beth-horon the Upper and Beth-horon the Lower — strong cities, with walls, gates and bars — 6 and Baalath, and all the strong cities that belonged to Solomon, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired, according to his desire to build, in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all his kingdom.

7 All the people left over from the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, who are not of Israel — 8 they were of their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel did not destroy — and Solomon brought them up under tribute, to this day. [d]

9 But of the children of Israel Solomon gave none as servants for his kingdom, for they were men of war, and rulers, and mighty men, and rulers of chariots and horsemen. 10 And these were the rulers of King Solomon’s overseers: two hundred and fifty, driving the work among the people. [e]

11 And Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up out of the city of David, into the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife is not to live in the city of David the king of Israel, for the place where the ark of the Lord has entered is holy.” [f]

12 Then Solomon offered up whole burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar that he had built in front of the temple, 13 and according to what each day required, day by day, offering them up as the commands of Moses said: on the sabbaths, and at the new moons, and at the feasts three times in the year — at the Feast of Bread Without Yeast, and at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tents. [g]

14 And he established, according to the judgment of David, the divisions of the priests according to their service, and the Levites over their watches, to praise and to serve before the priests, according to what each day required, day by day; and the gatekeepers by their divisions, gate by gate — for such were the commands of David the man of God. [h] 15 They did not pass by the commands of the king concerning the priests and the Levites in any matter, or concerning the treasuries. 16 And all the work was made ready, from the day the foundation was laid until Solomon finished the house of the Lord.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber, and to Elath on the seacoast in the land of Edom. [i] 18 And Hiram sent, by the hand of his servants, ships and servants who knew the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took from there about seventeen tons of gold, and came to King Solomon. [j]