Immerse: Chronicles Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 72
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IMMERSE
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CHRONICLES
2C
| 7:21–8:14
given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor
my name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the
nations. And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by
will be appalled. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible
things to this land and to this Temple?’
“And the answer will be, ‘Because his people abandoned the Lord,
the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they
worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why
he has brought all these disasters on them.’”
It took Solomon twenty years to build the Lord’s Temple and his own
royal palace. At the end of that time, Solomon turned his attention to rebuilding the towns that King Hiram had given him, and he settled Israelites
in them.
Solomon also fought against the town of Hamath-zobah and conquered
it. He rebuilt Tadmor in the wilderness and built towns in the region of
Hamath as supply centers. He fortified the towns of Upper B
eth-horon
and Lower Beth-horon, rebuilding their walls and installing barred gates.
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.
There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites,
including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 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. 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.
King Solomon appointed 250 of them to supervise the people.
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.”
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. 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 S helters—as Moses had commanded.
In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people
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