19. King Solomon also built cities for storing grain and supplies and cities for his chariots and horses. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and everywhere he ruled.
20. There were other people in the land who were not Israelites—Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
21. They were descendants of people that the Israelites had not destroyed. Solomon forced them to work for him as slaves, as is still true today.
22. But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites. They were his soldiers, government leaders, officers, captains, chariot commanders, and drivers.
23. These were his most important officers over the work. There were five hundred fifty supervisors over the people who did the work on Solomon’s projects.
24. The daughter of the king of Egypt moved from the old part of Jerusalem to the palace that Solomon had built for her. Then Solomon filled in the surrounding land.
25. Three times each year Solomon offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord. He also burned incense before the Lord. So he finished the work on the Temple.
26. King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, a town near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
27. Hiram had skilled sailors, so he sent them to serve in these ships with Solomon’s men.
28. The ships sailed to Ophir and brought back about thirty-two thousand pounds of gold to King Solomon.