So I started some large projects. I built houses for myself. I planted vineyards.

我为自己动大工程，建造房屋，栽种葡萄园，

我大兴土木，为自己建造房屋，栽葡萄园，

我大兴土木，为自己建造房屋，栽葡萄园，

我大动工程，为自己建造房屋，栽种葡萄园，

我大事发展：为自己建造房屋，栽种葡萄园，

我扩建工程，为自己建造房屋，种植葡萄园；

我為自己動大工程，建造房屋，栽種葡萄園，

我大興土木，為自己建造房屋，栽葡萄園，

我大興土木，為自己建造房屋，栽葡萄園，

我大動工程，為自己建造房屋，栽種葡萄園，

我大事發展：為自己建造房屋，栽種葡萄園，

我為自己動大工程，建造房屋，為自己栽種葡萄園，

我擴建工程，為自己建造房屋，種植葡萄園；

我興鉅工、為己建屋、植葡萄園、

於是興工作、建屋宇、作園囿、種葡萄、栽百果、

於是廣興工作、建造屋宇、植葡萄園、

I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.

I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.

I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself;

I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards.

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;

I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

I increased my possessions: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself.

I made myself great works. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards.

But it took Solomon 13 years to finish constructing his palace and the other buildings related to it.He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. It was 150 feet long. It was 75 feet wide. And it was 45 feet high. It had four rows of cedar columns. They held up beautiful cedar beams.Above the beams was a roof made out of cedar boards. It rested on the columns. There were three rows of beams with 15 in each row. The total number of beams was 45.The windows of the palace were placed high up in the walls. They were in groups of three. And they faced each other.All the doorways had frames shaped like rectangles. They were in front. They were in groups of three. And they faced each other.Solomon made a covered area. It was 75 feet long. And it was 45 feet wide. Its roof was held up by columns. In front of it was a porch. In front of that were pillars and a roof that went out beyond them.Solomon built the throne hall. It was called the Hall of Justice. That’s where he would serve as judge. He covered the hall with cedar boards from floor to ceiling.The palace where he would live was set farther back. Its plan was something like the plan for the hall. Solomon had married Pharaoh’s daughter. He made a palace for her. It was like the hall.All those buildings were made out of blocks of good quality stone. They were cut to the right size. They were made smooth on their back and front sides. Those stones were used for the outside of each building and for the large courtyard. They were also used from the foundations up to the roofs.Large blocks of good quality stone were used for the foundations. Some were 15 feet long. Others were 12 feet long.The walls above them were made out of good quality stones. The stones were cut to the right size. On top of them was a layer of cedar beams.The large courtyard had a wall around it. The first three layers of the wall were made out of blocks of stone. The top layer was made out of beautiful cedar wood. The same thing was done with the inside courtyard of the Lord’ s temple and its porch.

The throne had six steps. Its back had a rounded top. The throne had armrests on both sides of the seat. A statue of a lion stood on each side of the throne.Twelve lions stood on the six steps. There was one at each end of each step. Nothing like that throne had ever been made for any other kingdom.

Then they said,“ Come on! Let’s build a city for ourselves. Let’s build a tower that reaches to the sky. We’ll make a name for ourselves. Then we won’t be scattered over the whole earth.”

“ Let’s make a peace treaty between us,” Asa said.“ My father and your father had made a peace treaty between them. Now I’m sending you a gift of silver and gold. So break your treaty with Baasha, the king of Israel. Then he’ll go back home.”

Shimei was in charge of the vineyards. He was from Ramah. Zabdi was in charge of the grapes from the vineyards. He was also in charge of storing the wine. He was a Shiphmite.

He is like henna flowers from the vineyards of En Gedi.”

Their tombs will remain their houses forever. Their graves will be their homes for all time to come. Naming lands after themselves won’t help either.

I will sing a song for the Lord. He is the one I love. It’s a song about his vineyard Israel. The one I love had a vineyard. It was on a hillside that had rich soil.

But suppose you don’t obey his commands. And suppose you have plenty to eat. You build fine houses and live in them.The number of your herds and flocks increases. You also get more and more silver and gold. And everything you have multiplies.Then your hearts will become proud. And you will forget the Lord your God. The Lord brought you out of Egypt. That’s the land where you were slaves.

Solomon finished building the Lord’ s temple and the royal palace. He had accomplished everything he had planned to do.

Let’s go out to the vineyards early. Let’s go and see if the vines have budded. Let’s find out whether their flowers have opened. Let’s see if the pomegranate trees are blooming. There I will give you my love.

Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her. Solomon said,“ My wife must not live in the palace of David, who was the king of Israel. It’s one of the places the ark of the Lord has entered. That makes it holy.”

Solomon built the Lord’ s temple and his own palace. It took him 20 years to build them. After that,Solomon rebuilt the villages Hiram had given him. Solomon had Israelites make their homes in them.Then Solomon went to Hamath Zobah. He captured it.He also built up Tadmor in the desert. He built up all the cities in Hamath where he could store things.He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon. He put up high walls around them. He made their city gates secure with heavy metal bars.He rebuilt Baalath and all the cities where he could store things. He also rebuilt all the cities for his chariots and horses. Solomon built anything he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon and all the territory he ruled.

He also built towers in the desert. He dug many wells, because he had a lot of livestock. The livestock were in the western hills and on the plains. Uzziah had people working in his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the rich lands. That’s because he loved the soil.

He said,“ Isn’t this the great Babylon I have built as a place for my royal palace? I used my mighty power to build it. It shows how glorious my majesty is.”

Earlier in his life Absalom had set up a pillar in the King’s Valley. He had put it up as a monument to himself. He thought,“ I don’t have a son to carry on the memory of my name.” So he named the pillar after himself. It is still called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

Solomon, you had a vineyard in Baal Hamon. You rented your vineyard to others. They had to pay 25 pounds of silver for its fruit.But I can give my own vineyard to anyone I want to. So I give my 25 pounds of silver to you, Solomon. Give 5 pounds to those who take care of its fruit.”