Chapter 8

¹ And it came to pass after twenty years, in which Solomon built the house of the Lord, and his own house, ² that Solomon rebuilt the cities which Chiram had given to Solomon, and caused the children of Israel to dwell in them.

³ And Solomon came to Bæsoba, and ¹fortified it. ⁴ And he built Thoedmor in the wilderness, and all the strong cities which he built in Emath. ⁵ And he built Bæthoron the upper, and Bæthoron the lower, strong cities,--they had walls, gates, and bars; ⁶ and Balaath, and all the strong cities which Solomon had, and all his chariot cities, and cities of horsemen, and all things that Solomon desired according to his desire of building, in Jerusalem, and in Libanus, and in all his kingdom.

⁷ As for all the people that was left of the ²Chettites, and the Amorites, and the Pherezites, and the Evites, and the Jebusites, who are not of Israel, ⁸ but were of the children of them whom the children Israel destroyed not, that were left after them in the land, even them did Solomon make tributaries to this day. ⁹ But Solomon did not make any of the children of Israel servants in his kingdom; for, behold, they were warriors and rulers, and mighty men, and captains of chariots and horsemen. ¹⁰ And these are the chiefs of the officers of king Solomon, two hundred and fifty overseeing the work among the people.

¹¹ And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharao from the city of David to the house which he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the city of David, the king of Israel, for the place is holy into which the ark of the Lord has entered.

¹² Then Solomon offered up to the Lord whole-burnt-offerings on the altar which he had built to the Lord before the temple, ¹³ according to the daily rate, to offer up sacrifices according to the commandments of Moses, on the sabbaths, and ³at the new moons, and at the feasts, three times in the year, at the feast of unleavened bread, and

578

at the feast of weeks, and at the feast of tabernacles. ¹⁴ And he established, according to the order of his father David, the courses of the priests, and that according to their public ministrations: and the Levites were appointed over their charges, to praise and minister before the priests according to the daily order: and the porters were appointed according to their courses to the different gates: for thus were the commandments of David the man of God. ¹⁵ They transgressed not the commandments of the king concerning the priests and the Levites with regard to everything else, and with regard to the treasures. ¹⁶ Now all the work had been prepared from the day when the foundation was laid, until Solomon finished the house of the Lord.

¹⁷ Then Solomon went to Gasion Gaber, and to Ælath near the sea in the land of Idumea. ¹⁸ And Chiram sent by the hand of his servants ships, and servants ⁴skilled in naval affairs; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Sophira, and brought thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and they came to king Solomon.