2 Chronicles 2

English Standard Version

Preparing to Build the Temple

2 ^[a] ^(A)Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself. ²^[b] ^(B)And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and ^(C)3,600 to oversee them. ³^(D)And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: ^(E)“As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. ⁴Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of ^(F)incense of sweet spices before him, and for ^(G)the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for ^(H)burnt offerings morning and evening, ^(I)on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. ⁵The house that I am to build will be great, ^(J)for our God is greater than all gods. ⁶^(K)But who is able to build him a house, since ^(L)heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? ⁷So now ^(M)send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, ^(N)whom David my father provided. ⁸Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that ^(O)your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants, ⁹to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful. ¹⁰^(P)I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors^[c] of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths^[d] of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.”

¹¹Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, ^(Q)“Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them.” ¹²Hiram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, ^(R)who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, ^(S)who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

¹³“Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi, ¹⁴^(T)the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is ^(U)trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father. ¹⁵Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, ^(V)of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants. ¹⁶^(W)And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to ^(X)Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.”

¹⁷Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, ^(Y)after the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600. ¹⁸^(Z)Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.

Footnotes

2 Chronicles 2:1 Ch 1:18 in Hebrew
2 Chronicles 2:2 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew
2 Chronicles 2:10 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters
2 Chronicles 2:10 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters

Isaiah 32

English Standard Version

A King Will Reign in Righteousness

32 Behold, ^(A)a king will reign in righteousness,
    and princes will rule in justice.
²^(B)Each will be like a hiding place from the wind,
    a shelter from the storm,
^(C)like streams of water in a dry place,
    like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.
³^(D)Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,
    and the ears of those who hear will give attention.
⁴The heart of the hasty will understand and know,
    ^(E)and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly.
⁵^(F)The fool will no more be called noble,
    nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.
⁶For ^(G)the fool speaks folly,
    and his heart is busy with iniquity,
to practice ungodliness,
    to utter error concerning the Lord,
^(H)to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied,
    and to deprive the thirsty of drink.
⁷As for the scoundrel—^(I)his devices are evil;
    he plans wicked schemes
to ruin the poor with lying words,
    even when the plea of the needy is right.
⁸But he who is noble plans noble things,
    and on noble things he stands.

Complacent Women Warned of Disaster

⁹^(J)Rise up, you women ^(K)who are at ease, hear my voice;
    you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech.
¹⁰In little more than a year
    you will shudder, you complacent women;
for the grape harvest fails,
    the fruit harvest will not come.
¹¹Tremble, you women ^(L)who are at ease,
    shudder, you complacent ones;
^(M)strip, and make yourselves bare,
    ^(N)and tie sackcloth around your waist.
¹²^(O)Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vine,
¹³^(P)for the soil of my people
    growing up in thorns and briers,
^(Q)yes, for all the joyous houses
    in the exultant city.
¹⁴For the palace is forsaken,
    the populous city deserted;
the hill and the watchtower
    will become dens forever,
^(R)a joy of wild donkeys,
    a pasture of flocks;
¹⁵until ^(S)the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
    and ^(T)the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
    and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
¹⁶Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
    and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
¹⁷^(U)And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
    and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust^[a] forever.
¹⁸My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
    in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
¹⁹^(V)And it will hail when the forest falls down,
    ^(W)and the city will be utterly laid low.
²⁰^(X)Happy are you who sow beside all waters,
    who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free.