La monarquía
Solomon's Building Projects and the Fleet to Ophir
The chapter describes Solomon's extensive building projects, including the Millo, the walls of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and the rebuilt Gezer which Pharaoh had given to his daughter as a dowry. Solomon conscripted the remaining Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites for forced labor, while the Israelites served as warriors and officials. Finally, he built a fleet at Ezion-Geber that brought back 420 talents of gold from Ophir.
1 Reyes 9,15-28
15This is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
וְזֶ֨ה דְבַר־הַמַּ֜ס אֲשֶֽׁר־הֶעֱלָ֣ה ׀ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה לִבְנוֹת֩ אֶת־בֵּ֨ית יְהוָ֤ה וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ֙ וְאֶת־הַמִּלּ֔וֹא וְאֵ֖ת חוֹמַ֣ת יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וְאֶת־חָצֹ֥ר וְאֶת־מְגִדּ֖וֹ וְאֶת־גָּֽזֶר׃
16(Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He set it on fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon's wife.)
פַּרְעֹ֨ה מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֜יִם עָלָ֗ה וַיִּלְכֹּ֤ד אֶת־גֶּ֙זֶר֙ וַיִּשְׂרְפָ֣הּ בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְאֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֛י הַיֹּשֵׁ֥ב בָּעִ֖יר הָרָ֑ג וַֽיִּתְּנָהּ֙ שִׁלֻּחִ֔ים לְבִתּ֖וֹ אֵ֥שֶׁת שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃
17So Solomon rebuilt Gezer. He also built up Lower Beth Horon,
וַיִּ֤בֶן שְׁלֹמֹה֙ אֶת־גָּ֔זֶר וְאֶת־בֵּ֥ית חֹרֹ֖ן תַּחְתּֽוֹן׃
18Baalath, and Tadmor* in the wilderness, in the land,
*The written Hebrew text reads Tamar; the traditional reading is Tadmor.
וְאֶֽת־בַּעֲלָ֛ת וְאֶת־*תמר **תַּדְמֹ֥ר בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
19as well as all his store cities and the cities for his chariots and for his cavalry—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout the territory he ruled.
וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־עָרֵ֤י הַֽמִּסְכְּנוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָי֣וּ לִשְׁלֹמֹ֔ה וְאֵת֙ עָרֵ֣י הָרֶ֔כֶב וְאֵ֖ת עָרֵ֣י הַפָּרָשִׁ֑ים וְאֵ֣ת ׀ חֵ֣שֶׁק שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר חָשַׁק֙ לִבְנ֤וֹת בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ וּבַלְּבָנ֔וֹן וּבְכֹ֖ל אֶ֥רֶץ מֶמְשַׁלְתּֽוֹ׃
20As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—those who were not Israelites—
כָּל־הָ֠עָם הַנּוֹתָ֨ר מִן־הָאֱמֹרִ֜י הַחִתִּ֤י הַפְּרִזִּי֙ הַחִוִּ֣י וְהַיְבוּסִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־מִבְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל הֵֽמָּה׃
21that is, their descendants remaining in the land, whom the Israelites had not been able to destroy—these Solomon conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is to this day.
בְּנֵיהֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר נֹתְר֤וּ אַחֲרֵיהֶם֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹֽא־יָכְל֛וּ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְהֽ͏ַחֲרִימָ֑ם וַיַּעֲלֵ֤ם שְׁלֹמֹה֙ לְמַס־עֹבֵ֔ד עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃
22But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.
וּמִבְּנֵי֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹֽא־נָתַ֥ן שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה עָ֑בֶד כִּי־הֵ֞ם אַנְשֵׁ֣י הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה וַעֲבָדָיו֙ וְשָׂרָ֣יו וְשָׁלִשָׁ֔יו וְשָׂרֵ֥י רִכְבּ֖וֹ וּפָרָשָֽׁיו׃ ס
23These were the chief officers in charge of Solomon's projects—five hundred and fifty of them—who supervised the men doing the work.
אֵ֣לֶּה ׀ שָׂרֵ֣י הַנִצָּבִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר עַל־הַמְּלָאכָה֙ לִשְׁלֹמֹ֔ה חֲמִשִּׁ֖ים וַחֲמֵ֣שׁ מֵא֑וֹת הָרֹדִ֣ים בָּעָ֔ם הָעֹשִׂ֖ים בַּמְּלָאכָֽה׃
24After Pharaoh's daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace Solomon had built for her, he built the Millo.
אַ֣ךְ בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֗ה עָֽלְתָה֙ מֵעִ֣יר דָּוִ֔ד אֶל־בֵּיתָ֖הּ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּֽנָה־לָ֑הּ אָ֖ז בָּנָ֥ה אֶת־הַמִּלּֽוֹא׃
25Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the LORD, burning incense before the LORD along with them. So he completed the temple.
וְהֶעֱלָ֣ה שְׁלֹמֹ֡ה שָׁלֹשׁ֩ פְּעָמִ֨ים בַּשָּׁנָ֜ה עֹל֣וֹת וּשְׁלָמִ֗ים עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּנָ֣ה לַיהוָ֔ה וְהַקְטֵ֣יר אִתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֖ר לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וְשִׁלַּ֖ם אֶת־הַבָּֽיִת׃
26King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion Geber, near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea,* in the land of Edom.
*Hebrew: Sea of Reeds.
וָאֳנִ֡י עָשָׂה֩ הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֜ה בְּעֶצְיֽוֹן־גֶּ֨בֶר אֲשֶׁ֧ר אֶת־אֵל֛וֹת עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת יַם־ס֖וּף בְּאֶ֥רֶץ אֱדֽוֹם׃
27And Hiram sent his servants—sailors who knew the sea—to serve in the fleet with Solomon's men.
וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח חִירָ֤ם בּֽ͏ָאֳנִי֙ אֶת־עֲבָדָ֔יו אַנְשֵׁ֣י אֳנִיּ֔וֹת יֹדְעֵ֖י הַיָּ֑ם עִ֖ם עַבְדֵ֥י שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃
28They sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and twenty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ אוֹפִ֔ירָה וַיִּקְח֤וּ מִשָּׁם֙ זָהָ֔ב אַרְבַּע־מֵא֥וֹת וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים כִּכָּ֑ר וַיָּבִ֖אוּ אֶל־הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃ פ