It happened that as Solomon finished the building of the house of Yahweh, the king’s house, and all the things Solomon desired to do, Yahweh appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him in Gibeon. Yahweh said to him, "I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house which you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and with uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep my ordinances and my judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘A man will not be cut off for you from upon the throne of Israel.’

"If ever you or any of your descendants turn from following me and do not keep my commandments and my ordinances that I have set before you and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then I will cut Israel off from the face of the land that I have given to them, even the house which I have consecrated for my name I will cast away from my face; and Israel shall become a proverb and an object of taunting among all the peoples. This house shall become a heap of ruins; all those passing by will be appalled by it and hiss, and they will say, ‘On what account did Yahweh do this to this land and to this house?’ And they will say, ‘Because they have forsaken Yahweh their God who brought their ancestors out from the land of Egypt and they embraced other gods and bowed down to them and served them. Therefore, Yahweh brought on them all of this disaster.’"

It happened at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, since Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with wood of cedar and with wood of cypresses and with the gold according to all his desire, then King Solomon gave twenty cities in the land of the Galilee to Hiram. So Hiram went out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, but they were not right in his eyes. So he said, "What are these cities that you have given to me, my brother?" So they are called the land of Cabul until this day. Then Hiram sent to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold.

This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon conscripted to build the house of Yahweh and his house, the Millo, the walls of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had gone up and captured Gezer and burnt it with fire. He had also killed the Canaanites who were living in the city and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, the wife of Solomon. Solomon rebuilt Gezer and Lower Beth-Horon, as well as Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness in the land; and he also built all of the storage cities which were Solomon’s, the cities for the chariots, the cities for the cavalry, and all of Solomon’s desire that he wanted to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his dominion.

All of the people who were remaining from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites who were not of the Israelites, their children who remained after them in the land, whom the Israelites were not able to completely destroy, Solomon conscripted them for forced labor, until this very day. But from the Israelites Solomon did not make a slave, but they were the men of war, his officers, his commanders, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and his cavalry. These were the commanders of the overseers who were over the work for Solomon, five hundred and fifty, ruling over the people doing the work.

As soon as the daughter of Pharaoh went up from the city of David to her house which he built for her, then he built the Millo.

Solomon sacrificed three times a year: burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar that he had built to Yahweh, and he offered incense with it before Yahweh; and so he completed the house.

King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion-Geber which is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom. Hiram sent his servants with the fleet of ships, sailors who knew the sea, with the servants of Solomon. They went to Ophir and imported from there four hundred and twenty talents of gold, and they brought it to King Solomon.

And it happened that at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of Yahweh and his own house, Solomon also built the cities that Huram had given to him, and he settled the Israelites in them. And Solomon went to Hamath-Zobah and laid siege upon it. And he built Tadmor in the desert, and he built all the storage cities in Hamath. He also built Upper Beth-Horon and Lower Beth-Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars; Baalath and all the storage cities that belonged to Solomon; all the cities for chariots and cities for horses; and any desire of Solomon that he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. All the people who remained from the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites who were not from Israel, from the descendants who were left over after them in the land, whom the Israelites had not destroyed, Solomon conscripted them as forced labor until this day. But from the Israelites Solomon did not give as servants for his work, but they were men of war, his commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots and his horses. And these were the commanders of the garrisons that belonged to King Solomon, two hundred and fifty who exercised authority over the people.

And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, "My wife shall not dwell in the house of David, king of Israel, for those places to which the ark of Yahweh has come are holy. Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar of Yahweh that he had built before the portico, as was the daily requirement, to offer up according to the commandments of Moses for Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and the three annual feasts: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. And in accord with the ordinance of David his father he appointed working groups of priests for their service, Levites for their responsibilities for praise and cultic service before the priests according to the daily requirement, and the gatekeepers in their working groups, gate by gate. For thus David the man of God had commanded. And they did not turn aside from the commandment of the king concerning the priests and the Levites concerning anything, and concerning the treasury rooms. And Solomon accomplished all the work from the day the foundation stone was laid for the house of Yahweh until its completion, and the house of Yahweh was finished. Then Solomon went to Ezion-Geber, and to Elath, on the edge of the sea in the land of Edom. And Huram sent to him, by the hand of his servants, ships and servants knowledgeable of the sea. And they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and from there they collected four hundred and fifty talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity. Honor widows who are truly widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must learn to show profound respect for their own household first, and to pay back recompense to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. But the widow who is one truly, and is left alone, has put her hope in God and continues in her petitions and prayers night and day. But the one who lives for sensual pleasure is dead even though she lives. And command these things, in order that they may be irreproachable. But if someone does not provide for his own relatives, and especially the members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Let a widow be put on the list if she is not less than sixty years old, the wife of one husband, being well-attested by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has helped those who are oppressed, if she has devoted herself to every good work. But refuse younger widows, for whenever their physical desires lead them away from Christ, they want to marry, thus incurring condemnation because they have broken their former pledge. And at the same time also, going around from house to house, they learn to be idle, and not only idle, but also gossipy and busybodies, saying the things that are not necessary. Therefore I want younger widows to marry, to bear children, to manage a household, to give the adversary no opportunity for reproach. For already some have turned away and followed after Satan. If any believing woman has widows, she must help them, and the church must not be burdened, in order that it may help those who are truly widows.

The elders who lead well must be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor by speaking and teaching. For the scripture says, "You must not muzzle an ox while it is threshing," and "The worker is worthy of his wages." Do not accept an accusation against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Reprove those who sin in the presence of all, in order that the rest also may experience fear. I testify solemnly before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing according to partiality. Lay hands on no one hastily, and do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach and your frequent illnesses.) The sins of some people are evident, preceding them to judgment, but for some also they follow after them. Likewise also good works are evident, and those considered otherwise are not able to be hidden.