1 Kings 9:10-28

10 It took 20 years for the Lord's temple and Solomon’s palace to be built. 11 Later, Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre 20 towns in the region of Galilee to repay him for the cedar, pine, and gold he had given Solomon.

12 When Hiram went to see the towns, he did not like them. 13 He said, "Solomon, my friend, are these the kind of towns you want to give me?" So Hiram called the region Cabul because he thought it was worthless.*9.13 Cabul … worthless: Cabul sounds like the Hebrew word for "worthless."14 He sent Solomon only five tons of gold in return.

15 After Solomon’s workers had finished the temple and the palace, he ordered them to fill in the land on the east side of Jerusalem,*9.15 fill … Jerusalem: The Hebrew text has "build the Millo," which probably refers to a landfill to strengthen and extend the hill where the city was built. to build a wall around the city, and to rebuild the towns of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

16 Earlier, the king of Egypt had captured the town of Gezer; he burned it to the ground and killed the Canaanite people living there. Then he gave it to his daughter as a wedding present when she married Solomon. 17 So Solomon had the town rebuilt.

Solomon ordered his workers to rebuild Lower Beth-Horon, 18 Baalath, and Tamar in the desert of Judah. 19 They also built towns where he could keep his supplies and his chariots and horses. Solomon ordered them to build whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and anywhere in his kingdom.

20-22 Solomon did not force the Israelites to do his work. They were his soldiers, officials, leaders, commanders, chariot captains, and chariot drivers. But he did make slaves of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who were living in Israel. These were the descendants of those foreigners the Israelites could not destroy, and they remained Israel’s slaves.

23 Solomon appointed 550 officers to be in charge of his workers and to watch over his building projects.

24 Solomon’s wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt, moved from the older part of Jerusalem*9.24 the older … Jerusalem: See the note at 3.1. to her new palace. Then Solomon had the land on the east side of Jerusalem filled in.*9.24 the land … filled in: See the note at 9.15.

25 *Ex 23.17;34.23;Dt 16.16.Three times a year, Solomon burned incense and offered sacrifices to the Lord on the altar he had built.

Solomon had now finished building the Lord's temple.

26 He also had a lot of ships at Ezion-Geber, a town in Edom near Eloth on the Red Sea.*9.26 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, here referring to the Gulf of Aqaba, since the term is extended to include the northeastern arm of the Red Sea (see also the note at Exodus 13.11).27,28 King Hiram let some of his experienced sailors go to the country of Ophir*9.27,28 Ophir: The location of this place is not known. with Solomon’s own sailors, and they brought back about 14 tons of gold for Solomon.