Solomon’s Other Activities
1At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace, 2Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram8:2 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verse 18 had given him, and settled Israelites in them. 3Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. 4He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath. 5He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, 6as well as Baalath and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses8:6 Or charioteers—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.
7There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these people were not Israelites). 8Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these people remaining in the land—whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. 9But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 10They were also King Solomon’s chief officials—two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.
11Solomon 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 the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”
12On the altar of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord, 13according to the daily requirement for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths, the New Moons and the three annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. 14In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God had ordered. 15They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.
16All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lord was finished.
17Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. 18And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents8:18 That is, about 17 tons or about 15 metric tons of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
所罗门的功绩
1所罗门用二十年兴建了耶和华的殿和自己的王宫。 2他重修希兰送给他的城邑，让以色列人居住。
3所罗门去攻打哈马琐巴，并攻取了此城。 4他兴建旷野里的达莫以及哈马境内所有的储货城， 5把上伯·和仑与下伯·和仑建成有墙、有门、有闩的坚城， 6还建造巴拉、所有的储货城、屯车城、养马城，并在耶路撒冷、黎巴嫩及全国随意兴建城邑。 7当时国中仍有非以色列人，就是赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、希未人和耶布斯人的后裔， 8以色列人没能灭绝这些外族人。所罗门让他们的后代服劳役，至今如此。 9所罗门王没有让以色列人服劳役，而是让他们做战士、将领、战车长和骑兵长。 10他还任命二百五十名监工负责监管工人。
11所罗门带法老的女儿离开大卫城，来到为她建造的宫中，因为所罗门说：“我的妻子不可住在以色列王大卫的宫里，因为约柜所到之处都是圣洁的。”
12所罗门在门廊前他所筑的耶和华的坛上向耶和华献燔祭， 13并照摩西的规定，在安息日、朔日和每年特定的三个节期，即除酵节、七七收获节和住棚节献上当献的祭。
14所罗门照着他父亲大卫的定例，指派祭司分班供职，让利未人负责颂赞并辅助祭司尽每天的职责，还指派殿门守卫分班守门。这些都是上帝的仆人大卫规定的。 15他们没有违背大卫王就库房等工作对祭司和利未人的吩咐。
16从耶和华的殿奠基直到完工，所罗门所有的计划都已顺利完成。这样，耶和华的殿落成了。
17之后，所罗门前往以东地区靠海的以旬·迦别和以禄。 18希兰派懂得航海的仆人与所罗门的仆人一起乘船到俄斐，从那里运回三十万两黄金给所罗门王。
