Solomon’s Additional Achievements (1 Kings 9:10–28)
1 UDB Solomon's workers took twenty years to build the temple and his palace. BSB BSB: Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own palace,
2 UDB Then his workers rebuilt the cities that King Hiram had given back to him, and Solomon sent Israelites to live in those cities. BSB BSB: Solomon rebuilt the cities Hiram had given him and settled Israelites there.
3 UDB Solomon's army then went to the town of Hamathzobah and captured it. BSB BSB: Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it.
4 UDB They also rebuilt walls around the city of Tadmor in the wilderness, and in the region of Hamath, for all the towns where they kept supplies. BSB BSB: He built Tadmor in the wilderness, in addition to all the store cities that he had built in Hamath.
5 UDB They rebuilt the cities of Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, and built walls around them with gates and bars for the gates. BSB BSB: He rebuilt Upper and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,
6 UDB They also rebuilt the city of Baalath and all the cities where supplies were kept, and the cities where Solomon's chariots and horses were kept. Solomon's workers built whatever he wanted them to build, in Jerusalem and in Lebanon, and in other places in the area that he ruled. BSB BSB: as well as Baalath, all the store cities that belonged to Solomon, and all the cities for his chariots and horses—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.
7 UDB Solomon forced people from many other groups who were not Israelites to work for him as if they were slaves. They were people from the Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus peoples. BSB BSB: As for all the people who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (these people were not Israelites)—
8 UDB They were descendants of groups whom the Israelites had not completely destroyed. Solomon forced them to become his laborers, and they are still that at this present time. BSB BSB: their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites had not destroyed—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.
9 UDB But Solomon did not force Israelites to work for him. Israelites became his soldiers and commanders of his chariots and his chariot drivers. BSB BSB: But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, the leaders of his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.
10 UDB They were also King Solomon's chief officials. There were 250 of them, and they supervised the workers. BSB BSB: They were also the chief officers for King Solomon: 250 supervisors.
11 UDB Solomon brought his wife, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt, to the place that his workers had built for her in the place outside Jerusalem called the city of David. He said, "I do not want my wife to live in the palace that my father King David's workers built, because the sacred chest was in that palace for a while, and any place where the sacred chest has been is holy." BSB BSB: Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her. For he said, “My wife must not live in the house of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”
12 UDB On the altar that Solomon's workers had built in front of the entrance to the temple, Solomon brought many offerings that were to be completely burned. BSB BSB: At that time Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD he had built in front of the portico.
13 UDB He did that obeying what sacrifices Moses had declared should be made every day, on the Sabbath days, to celebrate each day on which there was a new moon, and on the three other festivals that were celebrated each year: the Festival of Bread with No Yeast, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. BSB BSB: He observed the daily requirement for offerings according to the commandment of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
14 UDB Obeying what his father David had commanded, Solomon appointed the groups of priests for their work, and he appointed the descendants of Levi to lead the people while they sang to praise Yahweh, and while they assisted the priests in their daily work. He also appointed groups of them to guard all the gates, because that was also what David, God's servant, had commanded. BSB BSB: In keeping with the ordinances of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to offer praise and to minister before the priests according to the daily requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God.
15 UDB The priests and other descendants of Levi obeyed completely everything that the king commanded, including the order to take care of the storerooms. BSB BSB: They did not turn aside from the king’s command regarding the priests or the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.
16 UDB They did all the work of building the temple that Solomon told them to do, until it was all completed. In the way they finished building the temple. BSB BSB: Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out, from the day the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.
17 UDB Then some of Solomon's men went to the cities of Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of the Sea of Reeds, next to a region that belonged to the Edom people. BSB BSB: Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the coast of Edom.
18 UDB King Hiram sent him from the city of Tyre some ships that were commanded by his officers. They were men who were experienced sailors. These men went in the ships with Solomon's men to the region of Ophir and brought back about fifteen thousand kilograms of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon. BSB BSB: So Hiram sent him ships captained by his servants, along with crews of experienced sailors. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and acquired from there 450 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.