1After twenty years, during which Solomon built Yahweh's temple and his own palace,
2Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram had given him and settled the people of Israel there.
3Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and conquered it.
4He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities he had built in Hamath.
5He also built Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars.
6He also built Baalath and all the storage cities Solomon owned, along with all the cities for his chariots, the cities for his cavalry, and everything else Solomon wanted to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom.
7As for all the surviving people from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not Israelites,
8Solomon forced their descendants who remained in the land—those whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to be his forced laborers, and they remain so to this day.
9But Solomon did not make any of the Israelites serve as laborers for his work. Instead, they were his soldiers, chief commanders, and officers in charge of his chariots and cavalry.
10These were King Solomon's chief officials, 250 of them, who ruled over the people.
11Solomon moved Pharaoh's daughter from David's city to the palace he had built for her, because he said, "My wife must not live in the house of David, king of Israel, because the places where Yahweh's ark has been are holy."
12Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on Yahweh's altar, which he had built in front of the porch.
13He did this according to the daily requirements, following Moses' commands for the Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual feasts: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tents.
14Following the instructions of his father David, he appointed divisions of priests for their service, and Levites to their duties of praising and assisting the priests as required every day. He also appointed doorkeepers by their divisions at every gate, for David, the man of God, had given these commands.
15The priests and Levites did not stray from the king's instructions concerning any matter, including the treasures.
16All of Solomon's work was prepared from the day the foundation of Yahweh's temple was laid until it was finished. So, Yahweh's temple was completed.
17Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Eloth, on the seashore in the land of Edom.
18Huram sent him ships staffed by his own servants who were skilled sailors. They traveled with Solomon's servants to Ophir and brought back four hundred fifty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.