| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1It took Solomon twenty years to build the LORD’s Temple and his own royal palace. At the end of that time, | 1After twenty years, during which Solomon built the LORD's temple and his royal palace, |
| 2Solomon turned his attention to rebuilding the towns that King Hiram had given him, and he settled Israelites in them. | 2Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram had given him and settled Israelites there. |
| 3Solomon also fought against the town of Hamath-zobah and conquered it. | 3Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. |
| 4He rebuilt Tadmor in the wilderness and built towns in the region of Hamath as supply centers. | 4He built up Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities he had built in Hamath. |
| 5He fortified the towns of Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, rebuilding their walls and installing barred gates. | 5He made upper Beth Horon and lower Beth Horon fortified cities with walls and barred gates, |
| 6He 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. | 6and built up Baalath, all the storage cities that belonged to him, and all the cities where chariots and horses were kept. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom. |
| 7There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. | 7Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. |
| 8These 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. | 8Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews and they continue in that role to this very day. |
| 9But 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. | 9Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; the Israelites served as his soldiers, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces. |
| 10King Solomon appointed 250 of them to supervise the people. | 10These men worked for Solomon as supervisors; there were a total of 250 of them who were in charge of the people. |
| 11Solomon 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.” | 11Solomon moved 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 King David of Israel, for the places where the ark of the LORD has entered are holy." |
| 12Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar he had built for him in front of the entry room of the Temple. | 12Then Solomon offered burnt sacrifices to the LORD on the altar of the LORD which he had built in front of the temple's porch. |
| 13He 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. | 13He observed the daily requirements for sacrifices that Moses had specified for Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and the three annual celebrations--the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Temporary Shelters. |
| 14In 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. | 14As his father David had decreed, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests to do their assigned tasks, the Levitical orders to lead worship and help the priests with their daily tasks, and the divisions of the gatekeepers to serve at their assigned gates. This was what David the man of God had ordered. |
| 15Solomon did not deviate in any way from David’s commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries. | 15They did not neglect any detail of the king's orders pertaining to the priests, Levites, and treasuries. |
| 16So 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. | 16All the work ordered by Solomon was completed, from the day the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid until it was finished; the LORD's temple was completed. |
| 17Later Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Elath, ports along the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom. | 17Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Elat on the coast in the land of Edom. |
| 18Hiram 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. | 18Huram sent him ships and some of his sailors, men who were well acquainted with the sea. They sailed with Solomon's men to Ophir, and took from there 450 talents of gold, which they brought back to King Solomon. |
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