New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 It took Solomon twenty years to build the LORD ’s Temple and his own royal palace. At the end of that time,
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At the end of twenty years, Solomon had quite a list of accomplishments. He had: built The Temple of God and his own palace;
2 Solomon turned his attention to rebuilding the towns that King Hiram had given him, and he settled Israelites in them.
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rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given him and colonized them with Israelites;
3 Solomon also fought against the town of Hamath-zobah and conquered it.
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marched on Hamath Zobah and took it;
4 He rebuilt Tadmor in the wilderness and built towns in the region of Hamath as supply centers.
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fortified Tadmor in the desert and all the store-cities he had founded in Hamath;
5 He fortified the towns of Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, rebuilding their walls and installing barred gates.
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built the fortress cities Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, complete with walls, gates, and bars;
6 He also rebuilt Baalath and other supply centers and constructed towns where his chariots and horses could be stationed. He built everything he desired in Jerusalem and Lebanon and throughout his entire realm.
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built Baalath and store-cities; built chariot-cities for his horses. Solomon built impulsively and extravagantly - whenever a whim took him. And in Jerusalem, in Lebanon - wherever he fancied.
7 There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
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The remnants from the original inhabitants of the land (Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites - all non-Israelites),
8 These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them for his labor force, and they serve as forced laborers to this day.
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survivors of the holy wars, were rounded up by Solomon for his gangs of slave labor. The policy is in effect today.
9 But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for his labor force. Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, officers in his army, commanders of his chariots, and charioteers.
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But true Israelites were not treated this way; they were used in his army and administration - government leaders and commanders of his chariots and charioteers.
10 King Solomon appointed 250 of them to supervise the people.
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They were also the project managers responsible for Solomon's building operations - 250 in all in charge of the workforce.
11 Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, “My wife must not live in King David’s palace, for the Ark of the LORD has been there, and it is holy ground.”
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Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David to a house built especially for her, "Because," he said, "my wife cannot live in the house of David king of Israel, for the areas in which the Chest of God has entered are sacred."
12 Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar he had built for him in front of the entry room of the Temple.
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Then Solomon offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings to God on the Altar of God that he had built in front of The Temple porch.
13 He offered the sacrifices for the Sabbaths, the new moon festivals, and the three annual festivals—the Passover celebration, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters—as Moses had commanded.
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He kept to the regular schedule of worship set down by Moses: Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual feasts of Unraised Bread (Passover), Weeks (Pentecost), and Booths.
14 In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people in praise and to assist the priests in their daily duties. And he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates by their divisions, following the commands of David, the man of God.
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He followed the practice of his father David in setting up groups of priests carrying out the work of worship, with the Levites assigned to lead the sacred music for praising God and to assist the priests in the daily worship; he assigned security guards to be on duty at each gate - that's what David the man of God had ordered.
15 Solomon did not deviate in any way from David’s commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries.
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The king's directions to the priests and Levites and financial stewards were kept right down to the fine print - no innovations - including the treasuries.
16 So Solomon made sure that all the work related to building the Temple of the LORD was carried out, from the day its foundation was laid to the day of its completion.
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All that Solomon set out to do, from the groundbreaking of The Temple of God to its finish, was now complete.
17 Later Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Elath, ports along the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom.
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Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom.
18 Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers and manned by experienced crews of sailors. These ships sailed to Ophir with Solomon’s men and brought back to Solomon almost seventeen tons of gold.
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Hiram sent him ships and with them veteran sailors. Joined by Solomon's men they sailed to Ophir (in east Africa), loaded on fifteen tons of gold, and brought it back to King Solomon.