Solomon Will Build a Temple and a Palace

2 ^[a](A)Now Solomon ^[b]decided to build a house for the name of the Lord, and a ^[c]royal palace for himself. ^2 [d]So ^(B)Solomon ^[e]assigned seventy thousand men to carry loads, eighty thousand men to quarry stone in the mountains, and 3,600 to supervise them.

^3 (C)Then Solomon sent word to ^[f]Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “^(D)As you dealt with my father David and sent him cedars to build him a house to live in, do it for me. ⁴ Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, dedicating it to Him, ^(E)to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out ^(F)the showbread continually, and to offer ^(G)burnt offerings morning and evening, ^(H)on Sabbaths, on new moons, and on the appointed feasts of the Lord our God. This is to be done in Israel forever. ⁵ The house which I am about to build will be great, for our God is ^(I)greater than all the gods. ⁶ But ^(J)who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? And who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to ^[g]burn incense before Him? ⁷ Now ^(K)send me a skilled man to work in gold, silver, brass, iron, and in purple, crimson, and violet fabrics, one who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled workers ^[h](L)whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided. ^8 (M)Send me also cedar, juniper, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber of Lebanon; and indeed ^(N)my servants will work with your servants, ⁹ to prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful. ¹⁰ Now behold, ^(O)I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, ^[i]twenty thousand kors of crushed wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, ^[j]twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”

Huram to Assist

¹¹ Then Huram, king of Tyre, ^[k]answered in a letter sent to Solomon: “^(P)Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.” ¹² Then Huram ^[l]continued, “Blessed be ^(Q)the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, ^[m]endowed with discretion and understanding, ^(R)who will build a house for the Lord and a ^[n]royal palace for himself.

¹³ “Now then, I am sending Huram-abi, a skilled man, ^[o]endowed with understanding, ^14 (S)the son of a ^[p]Danite woman and ^[q]a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, violet, linen, and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to ^[r]execute any design which is assigned to him, to work with your skilled workers and with ^[s]those of my lord, your father David. ¹⁵ Now then, let my lord send his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of ^(T)which he has spoken. ^16 (U)We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem.”

¹⁷ Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, ^(V)following the ^[t]census which his father David had ^[u]taken; and 153,600 were found. ^18 (W)He appointed seventy thousand of them to carry loads and eighty thousand to quarry stones in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.

The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.

The River and the Tree of Life

22 And ^(A)he showed me a ^(B)river of the ^(C)water of life, ^[a]clear ^(D)as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of ^[b]the Lamb, ² in the middle of ^(E)its street. ^(F)On either side of the river was ^(G)the tree of life, bearing twelve ^[c]kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ^3 (H)There will no longer be any curse; and ^(I)the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will ^(J)serve Him; ⁴ they will ^(K)see His face, and His ^(L)name will be on their ^(M)foreheads. ⁵ And ^(N)there will no longer be any night; and they ^[d]will not have need ^(O)of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will ^(P)reign forever and ever.

⁶ And ^(Q)he said to me, “^(R)These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the ^(S)God of the spirits of the prophets, ^(T)sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

⁷ “And behold, ^(U)I am coming quickly. ^(V)Blessed is the one who ^[e]keeps ^(W)the words of the prophecy of this book.”

^8 (X)I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, ^(Y)I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. ⁹ And ^(Z)he *said to me, “^[f]Do not do that; I am a ^(AA)fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who ^[g]keep the words of ^(AB)this book. Worship God!”

The Final Message

¹⁰ And he *said to me, “^(AC)Do not seal up ^(AD)the words of the prophecy of this book, ^(AE)for the time is near. ^11 (AF)Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy.”

¹² “Behold, ^(AG)I am coming quickly, and My ^(AH)reward is with Me, ^(AI)to reward each one as his work ^[h]deserves. ¹³ I am the ^(AJ)Alpha and the Omega, ^(AK)the first and the last, ^(AL)the beginning and the end.”

¹⁴ Blessed are those who ^(AM)wash their robes, so that they will have the right to ^(AN)the tree of life, and may ^(AO)enter the city by the ^(AP)gates. ^15 (AQ)Outside are the ^(AR)dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

¹⁶ “^(AS)I, Jesus, have sent ^(AT)My angel to testify to you of these things ^[i](AU)for the churches. I am ^(AV)the root and the ^(AW)descendant of David, the bright ^(AX)morning star.”

¹⁷ The ^(AY)Spirit and the ^(AZ)bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And ^(BA)let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the ^(BB)water of life without cost.

¹⁸ I testify to everyone who hears ^(BC)the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone ^(BD)adds to them, God will add to him ^(BE)the plagues that are written in ^(BF)this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone ^(BG)takes away from the ^(BH)words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from ^(BI)the tree of life and ^[j]from the holy city, ^(BJ)which are written in this book.

²⁰ He who ^(BK)testifies to these things says, “Yes, ^(BL)I am coming quickly.” Amen. ^(BM)Come, Lord Jesus.

^21 (BN)The grace of the Lord Jesus be with ^[k]all. Amen.