1 ¶ And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house,

It took Solomon twenty years to build the house of the Lord and his own house. At the end of that time,

2 t hat Solomon rebuilt the cities which Hiram had given him and caused the sons of Israel to dwell there.

he built again the cities which Huram had given to him. And he had the people of Israel live in them.

3 T hen Solomon went to Hamathzobah and prevailed against it.

Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and took it.

4 A nd he built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities, which he built in the wilderness.

He built Tadmor in the desert and all his store-cities in Hamath.

5 L ikewise, he rebuilt Bethhoron the upper and Bethhoron the lower, fenced cities with walls, gates, and bars;

He built upper Beth-horon and lower Beth-horon. He made the city strong with walls, gates, and long pieces of iron.

6 a nd Baalath and all the store cities that Solomon had and all the chariot cities and the cities of the horsemen and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and throughout all the land of his dominion.

Solomon built Baalath and all the store-cities he had. He built all the cities for his war-wagons, and the cities for his horsemen. He built whatever he wanted to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and in all the land under his rule.

7 A s for all the people that were left of the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel,

There were people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel.

8 b ut of their sons, who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel, did not consume, Solomon made them pay tribute until this day.

They were the children of those who were left in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed. Solomon made all of these people do hard work, as they do to this day.

9 B ut of the sons of Israel Solomon did not make slaves for his work, for they were men of war, and his princes and his captains, and princes of his chariots and horsemen.

But he did not make the people of Israel do hard work. They were soldiers, leaders, captains of war-wagons, and his horsemen.

10 A nd King Solomon had two hundred and fifty princes of the governors, who presided over the people.

These were the head leaders of King Solomon. There were 250 who ruled over the people.

11 A nd Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her, for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David, king of Israel, because the places are holy, unto which the ark of the LORD has come.

Then Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house he had built for her. For he said, “My wife should not live in the house of David king of Israel. Because the places are holy where the special box of the Lord has come.”

12 ¶ Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch,

Then Solomon gave burnt gifts to the Lord on the Lord’s altar which he had built in front of the porch.

13 t hat each thing might be offered in its day, according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths and on the new moons and on the feasts three times in the year, that is in the feast of unleavened bread and in the feast of weeks and in the feast of the tabernacles.

He gave a certain number of gifts every day, as Moses had said should be given. Gifts were given for the Days of Rest, the new moons, and the three special suppers each year. These special suppers were the Special Supper of Bread Without Yeast, the Special Supper of Weeks, and the Special Supper of Tents.

14 A nd he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, each thing in its day; the porters also by their courses at each gate, for so had David, the man of God, commanded.

By the law of David his father, Solomon chose the religious leaders for their different duties. He chose the Levites for their duties of praise and helping the religious leaders for each day’s needs. And he chose who should be the gate-keepers at each gate. For David the man of God had said that this must be done.

15 A nd they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasures.

They did all that the king had said the religious leaders and Levites must do in every duty and with the store-houses.

16 N ow all the work of Solomon was prepared from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was perfected.

So all the work of Solomon was done, from the day the house of the Lord was begun until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was built.

17 T hen Solomon went to Eziongeber and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom.

Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Eloth on the shore of the sea, in the land of Edom.

18 F or Hiram had sent him ships by the hands of his slaves and slaves that had knowledge of the sea, and they had gone with the slaves of Solomon to Ophir and had taken from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold and brought them to King Solomon.

Huram sent his servants to him with ships and servants who knew the sea. They went to Ophir together with Solomon’s servants to get gold. And they brought gold weighing as much as 450 men from there to King Solomon.