预备建圣殿

所罗门决定为耶和华的名建造殿宇,也为自己兴建王宫。

他征用七万名搬运工、八万名在山上凿石的匠人、三千六百名监工, 并派人去见泰尔王希兰,说:“你曾运香柏木给我父亲建造王宫,请你也照样帮助我。 现在,我要为我的上帝耶和华的名建一座殿,我要把殿献给祂,在祂面前烧芬芳的香,经常献上供饼,在每天早晚、安息日、朔日[a]及我们的上帝耶和华所定的节期献上燔祭。这是以色列人应当永远遵守的定例。 我要建造的殿宇极其宏伟,因为我们的上帝超越一切神明。 诸天尚且容纳不下祂,谁能为祂建造殿宇呢?我是谁,怎能为祂建造殿宇?我不过是建个向祂烧香的地方。 现在,请你派一位巧匠来,他要懂得雕刻,会用金银铜铁铸造物品,会编织紫色、朱红色和蓝色的布,好与我父大卫在犹大和耶路撒冷所预备的巧匠一起工作。 也请你从黎巴嫩运些香柏木、松木和檀香木来,因为我知道你的仆人擅长砍伐黎巴嫩的树木。我会派人与你的仆人一起工作。 我要建的殿宇非常宏伟,所以需要的木料非常多。 10 我会供给你的伐木工人四百四十万升小麦、四百四十万升大麦、四十四万升酒和四十四万升油。”

11 泰尔王希兰写信给所罗门说:“耶和华爱祂的子民,所以立你做他们的王。 12 创造天地的以色列的上帝耶和华当受称颂!祂赐给大卫王一个有智慧、谋略和悟性的儿子来为耶和华建殿,也为他自己建造王宫。 13 现在,我派聪明能干的巧匠户兰去你那里。 14 他的母亲是但支派的人,父亲是泰尔人。他精于雕刻和设计,善用金银铜铁和木石制造物品,又会编织紫色、蓝色、朱红色的布和细麻布。你可以让他与你的工匠和你父亲大卫的工匠一起工作。 15 现在,请我主把许诺的小麦、大麦、油和酒运给仆人。 16 我们会在黎巴嫩砍伐你需要的木材,扎成木筏,经海道运到约帕,你可以从那里将木材转运到耶路撒冷。”

17 所罗门依照他父亲大卫的方法,统计所有寄居在以色列的外族人,共有十五万三千六百人。 18 他指派其中的七万人做搬运工,八万人在山上采凿石头,三千六百人做监工。

Footnotes

  1. 2:4 朔日”即每月初一。

預備建聖殿

所羅門決定為耶和華的名建造殿宇,也為自己興建王宮。

他徵用七萬名搬運工、八萬名在山上鑿石的匠人、三千六百名監工, 並派人去見泰爾王希蘭,說:「你曾運香柏木給我父親建造王宮,請你也照樣幫助我。 現在,我要為我的上帝耶和華的名建一座殿,我要把殿獻給祂,在祂面前燒芬芳的香,經常獻上供餅,在每天早晚、安息日、朔日[a]及我們的上帝耶和華所定的節期獻上燔祭。這是以色列人應當永遠遵守的定例。 我要建造的殿宇極其宏偉,因為我們的上帝超越一切神明。 諸天尚且容納不下祂,誰能為祂建造殿宇呢?我是誰,怎能為祂建造殿宇?我不過是建個向祂燒香的地方。 現在,請你派一位巧匠來,他要懂得雕刻,會用金銀銅鐵鑄造物品,會編織紫色、朱紅色和藍色的布,好與我父大衛在猶大和耶路撒冷所預備的巧匠一起工作。 也請你從黎巴嫩運些香柏木、松木和檀香木來,因為我知道你的僕人擅長砍伐黎巴嫩的樹木。我會派人與你的僕人一起工作。 我要建的殿宇非常宏偉,所以需要的木料非常多。 10 我會供給你的伐木工人四百四十萬升小麥、四百四十萬升大麥、四十四萬升酒和四十四萬升油。」

11 泰爾王希蘭寫信給所羅門說:「耶和華愛祂的子民,所以立你做他們的王。 12 創造天地的以色列的上帝耶和華當受稱頌!祂賜給大衛王一個有智慧、謀略和悟性的兒子來為耶和華建殿,也為他自己建造王宮。 13 現在,我派聰明能幹的巧匠戶蘭去你那裡。 14 他的母親是但支派的人,父親是泰爾人。他精於雕刻和設計,善用金銀銅鐵和木石製造物品,又會編織紫色、藍色、朱紅色的布和細麻布。你可以讓他與你的工匠和你父親大衛的工匠一起工作。 15 現在,請我主把許諾的小麥、大麥、油和酒運給僕人。 16 我們會在黎巴嫩砍伐你需要的木材,紮成木筏,經海道運到約帕,你可以從那裡將木材轉運到耶路撒冷。」

17 所羅門依照他父親大衛的方法,統計所有寄居在以色列的外族人,共有十五萬三千六百人。 18 他指派其中的七萬人做搬運工,八萬人在山上採鑿石頭,三千六百人做監工。

Footnotes

  1. 2·4 朔日」即每月初一。

Plans for Building the Temple(A)

Now Solomon wanted to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal house for his kingship. And Solomon designated seventy thousand men to carry materials, eighty thousand men to cut stone in the hills, and three thousand six hundred supervisors to oversee these men.

And Solomon sent word to Hiram[a] king of Tyre saying,

“As you did for David my father and sent him cedar trees in order to build for himself a house in which to dwell, so deal with me. I am going to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God, sanctified for Him, for making sacrifices before Him, and for incense of fragrant spices, and for the continual showbread, for burnt offerings on both morning and evening, and for Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as an ordinance forever for Israel.

“And the house that I am building will be great because our God is greater than all other gods. But who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I that I build a house for Him, except to make offerings before Him?

“Now may you send to me a wise man who works with gold, silver, bronze, iron, and in purple, crimson, and violet threads and knows how to engrave, who will be with the skilled workers and me in Judah and Jerusalem, which David my father established.

“And may you send me trees of cedar, cypress, and algum from Lebanon because I realize that your slaves know how to cut timber in Lebanon; and my servants will be alongside your servants, to prepare an abundance of timber for me, because the temple that I will build will be great and marvelous. 10 I will provide for the woodsmen, your servants who cut timber, twenty thousand dry kors[b] of crushed wheat, twenty thousand kors[c] of barley, twenty thousand liquid baths[d] of wine, and twenty thousand liquid baths of oil.”

11 Then Hiram king of Tyre responded in a letter that he sent to Solomon,

“Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.”

12 And Hiram said,

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who made heaven and earth and has given King David a wise son, having insight and understanding, who is building a temple for the Lord and a royal house for his kingship.

13 “And now I have sent a skilled man, endowed with understanding, Huram-Abi, 14 the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan and the son of a man of Tyre, who knows gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, wood, and purple, violet, blue, and crimson threads, and who knows how to make all types of engravings and to devise every type of design that is given to him, with your skilled men and the skilled men of my lord David your father.

15 “Now the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine that my lord has declared, may he send these items to his slaves. 16 And let us cut the timber from Lebanon, whatever you need, and we will bring it to you on rafts on the sea to Joppa, and you will bring it up to Jerusalem.”

17 Then Solomon numbered all the male foreigners who were in the land of Israel, after the census that David his father had taken. And there were found one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred. 18 And he made seventy thousand of them to carry materials, eighty thousand to cut stone in the hills, and three thousand six hundred supervisors to make the people work.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:3 Huram in the Heb. text.
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:10 Likely about 3,600 tons, or 3,200 metric tons of wheat.
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:10 Likely about 3,000 tons, or 2,700 metric tons of barley.
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:10 About 120,000 gallons, or 440,000 liters.