Other Things Solomon Did
1Solomon built the Lord’s temple and his own palace. It took him 20 years to build them. After that, 2Solomon rebuilt the villages Hiram had given him. Solomon had Israelites make their homes in them. 3Then Solomon went to Hamath Zobah. He captured it. 4He also built up Tadmor in the desert. He built up all the cities in Hamath where he could store things. 5He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon. He put up high walls around them. He made their city gates secure with heavy metal bars. 6He rebuilt Baalath and all the cities where he could store things. He also rebuilt all the cities for his chariots and horses. Solomon built anything he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon and all the territory he ruled.
7There were still many people left in the land who weren’t Israelites. They included Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 8They were children of the people who had lived in the land before the Israelites came. The people of Israel hadn’t destroyed them. Solomon forced them to work very hard as his slaves. And they still work for Israel to this day. 9But Solomon didn’t force the Israelites to work as his slaves. Instead, some were his fighting men. Others were commanders of his captains, chariots and chariot drivers. 10Still others were King Solomon’s chief officials. There were 250 officials in charge of the other men.
11Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her. Solomon said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David, who was the king of Israel. It’s one of the places the ark of the Lord has entered. That makes it holy.”
12Solomon had built the Lord’s altar. It stood in front of the temple porch. On that altar Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord. 13Each day he sacrificed what the Law of Moses required. He sacrificed the required offerings every Sabbath day. He also sacrificed them at each New Moon feast and during the three yearly feasts. Those three were the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths. 14Solomon followed the orders his father David had given him. He appointed the groups of priests for their duties. He appointed the Levites to lead the people in praising the Lord. They also helped the priests do their required tasks each day. Solomon appointed the groups of men who guarded all the gates. That’s what David, the man of God, had ordered. 15The king’s commands were followed completely. They applied to the priests and Levites. They also applied to the temple treasure.
16All of Solomon’s work was carried out. It started the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. It ended when the Lord’s temple was finished.
17Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. 18Hiram sent him ships that his own officers commanded. They were sailors who knew the sea. Together with Solomon’s men they sailed to Ophir. They brought back 17 tons of gold. They gave it to King Solomon.
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その他のソロモンの事業
1ソロモンが王となってから二十年かかって、神殿と王宮が完成しました。 2そこでソロモンは、ツロの王フラムから譲り受けた町々の再建に力を入れ、イスラエル人の一部をそこに住まわせました。
3そのころ、ソロモンはハマテ・ツォバの町を攻めて占領し、 4荒野にタデモルの町を建て、物資の補給所としてハマテに幾つかの町を建てました。 5また、上ベテ・ホロンと下ベテ・ホロンの町を要塞化しました。この二つの町は共に物資の補給所で、城壁で囲まれ、門にはかんぬきがかけてありました。 6同じころ、バアラテその他の、物資の補給所となる町々や、戦車や馬を置く町々を建設しました。こうして王は、エルサレムとレバノンはじめ、すべての領地に建てたいと思っていたものをみな建設したのです。
7-8ソロモンは、イスラエル人が国内に残しておいた外国人の子孫であるヘテ人、エモリ人、ペリジ人、ヒビ人、エブス人を強制労働者として徴用しました。今日でもそうです。 9しかし、イスラエル人は奴隷としてではなく、兵士、将校、戦車隊員、騎兵隊員として用いました。 10また、イスラエル人のうち二百五十人を、行政全般を担当する役人に取り立てました。
11ソロモンはエジプトの王ファラオの娘であった妻を、エルサレムの一角にあるダビデの町から、彼女のために建てた新しい王宮に移しました。かねがね、「私の妻はダビデの家に住んではならない。そこは主の箱のある聖なる場所だからだ」と言っていたからです。
12それからソロモンは、神殿の玄関の前に築いた祭壇に、主のために焼き尽くすいけにえをささげました。 13いけにえの数は、モーセの指示どおり、日によって違いました。安息日、新月の祭り、それに年の三回の例祭である過越の祭り、七週の祭り、仮庵の祭りには、特別のいけにえをささげました。
14王は父ダビデが用意した当番表に従って、祭司を務めに就かせました。またレビ人を、毎日の日課に従って賛美の奉仕と祭司を補佐する仕事に就かせ、門衛をそれぞれの門に配置しました。 15王は、これらのことについて、また宝物倉の管理について、ダビデ王の指示からどんな点でもそれませんでした。 16このように、ソロモンは神殿の建設を見事に完成させたのです。
17-18それから王は、フラム王が寄贈した船団の進水式に臨むため、エドムにある海港の町エツヨン・ゲベルとエラテへ行きました。この船団は、ソロモン王の乗組員とともにフラム王の熟練した乗組員を乗せてオフィルに行き、四百五十タラント（十五・三トン）の金を手にし、ソロモン王のもとに持ち帰ったのです。
