2 Chronicles 8

1 And after twentie yeere when Salomon had built the house of the Lord, and his owne house,

Solomon’s [workers] worked for 20 years to build the temple and the king’s palace.

2 Then Salomon built the cities that Huram gaue to Salomon, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

Then his [workers] rebuilt the cities that [King] Hiram had given back to Solomon, and Solomon sent Israelis to live in those cities.

3 And Salomon went to Hamath Zobah, and ouercame it.

Solomon’s [army] then went to Hamath-Zobah [town] and captured it.

4 And he built Tadmor in the wildernesse, and repayred all the cities of store which hee built in Hamath.

His workers also rebuilt walls around Tadmor [town] in the desert, and in [the] Hamath [region] in all the towns where they kept supplies.

5 And he built Beth-horon the vpper, and Beth-horon the nether, cities defensed with walles, gates and barres:

They rebuilt Upper Beth-Horon [town] and Lower Beth-Horon [city], and built walls around them with gates [in the walls] and bars [to fasten the gates].

6 Also Baalath, and al the cities of store that Salomon had, and all the charet cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and euery pleasant place that Salomon had a minde to builde in Ierusalem, and in Lebanon, and throughout all the lande of his dominion.

They also rebuilt Baalath [town] and all the cities where supplies were kept and the cities where Solomon’s chariots and horses were kept. Solomon’s [workers] built whatever he wanted them to build, in Jerusalem and in Lebanon, and in other places in the area that he ruled.

7 And all the people that were left to ye Hittites, and ye Amorites, and Perizzites, and the Hiuuites, and the Iebusites, which were not of Israel,

Solomon forced people from many other groups who were not Israelis to work for him like slaves. They were people from the Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus people-groups.

8 But of their children which were left after them in the lande, whome the children of Israel had not consumed, euen them did Salomon make tributaries vntill this day.

They were descendants of groups whom the Israelis had not completely destroyed. Solomon forced them to become his slaves, and they are still slaves.

9 But of the children of Israel did Salomon make no seruantes for his worke: for they were men of warre, and his chiefe princes, and the captaines of his charets and of his horsemen.

But Solomon did not force Israelis to work for him. Israelis became his soldiers and commanders of his chariots and his chariot-drivers.

10 So these were the chiefe of the officers which Salomon had, euen two hundreth and fiftie that bare rule ouer the people.

They were also King Solomon’s chief officials. There were 250 of them, and they supervised the workers.

11 Then Salomon brought vp the daughter of Pharaoh out of the citie of Dauid, into the house that he had built for her: for he saide, My wife shall not dwel in the house of Dauid King of Israel: for it is holy, because that the Arke of the Lord came vnto it.

Solomon moved his wife, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt, from [the place outside Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’ to the place that his workers had built for her. He said, “I do not want my wife to live in the palace that [my father] King David’s workers built, because the Sacred Chest [was in that palace for a while], and any place where the Sacred Chest has been is holy.”

12 Then Salomon offered burnt offrings vnto the Lord, on the altar of the Lord, which he had built before the porche,

On the altar that Solomon’s [workers] had built in front of the entrance [to the temple], Solomon sacrificed many offerings that were to be completely burned.

13 To offer according to the commandement of Moses euery day, in the Sabbaths, and in the newe moones, and in the solemne feastes, three times in the yeere, that is, in the feast of the Vnleauened bread, and in the feast of the Weekes, and in the feast of the Tabernacles.

He did that to obey the rules about what sacrifices Moses had declared should be made. These included sacrifices for every day and for the Sabbath days and to celebrate each day on which there was a new moon and for the three other festivals that were celebrated each year. Those festivals were the Festival of Eating Unleavened Bread, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters.

14 And he set the courses of the Priestes to their offices, according to the order of Dauid his father, and the Leuites in their watches, for to praise and minister before the Priestes euery day, and the porters by their courses, at euery gate: for so was the commandement of Dauid the man of God.

Obeying what his father David had commanded, he appointed the groups of priests for their work, and he appointed the descendants of Levi to lead the people while they sang to praise Yahweh and while they assisted the priests in their daily work. He also appointed groups of them to guard all the gates, because that was also what David, the man who pleased God [very well], had commanded.

15 And they declined not from the commandement of the King, concerning the Priests and the Leuites, touching al things, and touching the treasures.

The priests and other descendants of Levi obeyed completely everything that the king commanded, including [taking care of] the storerooms.

16 Nowe Salomon had made prouision for all the worke, from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord, vntill it was finished: so the house of the Lord was perfite.

They did all the work [of building the temple] that Solomon told them to do, until it was all completed. So they finishing building the temple.

17 Then went Salomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth by the sea side in the lande of Edom.

Then some of Solomon’s men went to Ezion-Geber and Elath [cities] on the coast of the Red Sea, an area that belonged to the Edom people-group.

18 And Huram sent him by the handes of his seruants, shippes, and seruants that had knowledge of the sea: and they went with the seruants of Salomon to Ophir, and brought thence foure hundreth and fiftie talents of golde, and brought them to King Salomon.

King Hiram sent to Solomon from [Tyre city] some ships that were commanded by his officers. They were men who were experienced sailors. These men went in the ships with Solomon’s men to [the] Ophir [region] and brought back about 17 tons of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.