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2 Chronicles 2
New International Version

Preparations for Building the Temple(A)

2 [a]Solomon gave orders to build a temple(B) for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself.(C) 2 He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.(D)

3 Solomon sent this message to Hiram[b](E) king of Tyre:

“Send me cedar logs(F) as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. 4 Now I am about to build a temple(G) for the Name of the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense(H) before him, for setting out the consecrated bread(I) regularly, and for making burnt offerings(J) every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths,(K) at the New Moons(L) and at the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.

5 “The temple I am going to build will be great,(M) because our God is greater than all other gods.(N) 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him?(O) Who then am I(P) to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

7 “Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers,(Q) whom my father David provided.

8 “Send me also cedar, juniper and algum[c] logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours 9 to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. 10 I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors[d] of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors[e] of barley, twenty thousand baths[f] of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.(R)”

11 Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:

“Because the Lord loves(S) his people, he has made you their king.”

12 And Hiram added:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth!(T) He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

13 “I am sending you Huram-Abi,(U) a man of great skill, 14 whose mother was from Dan(V) and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained(W) to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue(X) and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father.

15 “Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil(Y) and wine he promised, 16 and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa.(Z) You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon took a census of all the foreigners(AA) residing in Israel, after the census(AB) his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. 18 He assigned(AC) 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:18, and 2:2-18 is numbered 2:1-17.
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:3 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verses 11 and 12
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:8 Probably a variant of almug
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,200 metric tons of wheat
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, probably about 3,000 tons or about 2,700 metric tons of barley
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters
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2 Chronicles 2
New English Translation

Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple

2 (1:18)[a] Solomon ordered a temple to be built to honor the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself.[b] 2 (2:1) Solomon had[c] 70,000 common laborers[d] and 80,000 stonecutters[e] in the hills, in addition to 3,600 supervisors.[f]

3 Solomon sent a message to King Huram[g] of Tyre: “Help me[h] as you did my father David, when you sent him cedar logs[i] for the construction of his palace.[j] 4 Look, I am ready to build a temple to honor[k] the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him in order to burn fragrant incense before him, to set out the bread that is regularly displayed,[l] and to offer burnt sacrifices each morning and evening, and on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other times appointed by the Lord our God. This is something Israel must do on a permanent basis.[m] 5 I will build a great temple, for our God is greater than all gods. 6 Of course, who can really build a temple for him, since the sky[n] and the highest heavens cannot contain him? Who am I that I should build him a temple! It will really be only a place to offer sacrifices before him.[o]

7 “Now send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as purple-, crimson-, and blue-colored fabrics, and who knows how to engrave. He will work with my skilled craftsmen here in Jerusalem and Judah, whom my father David provided. 8 Send me cedars, evergreens, and algum[p] trees from Lebanon, for I know your servants are adept[q] at cutting down trees in Lebanon. My servants will work with your servants 9 to supply me with large quantities of timber, for I am building a great, magnificent temple. 10 Look, I will pay your servants who cut the timber 20,000 cors[r] of ground wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 120,000 gallons[s] of wine, and 120,000 gallons of olive oil.”

11 King Huram[t] of Tyre sent this letter to Solomon: “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.” 12 Huram also said, “Worthy of praise is the Lord God of Israel, who made the sky and the earth! He has given King David a wise son who has discernment and insight and will build a temple for the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself.[u] 13 Now I am sending you Huram Abi,[v] a skilled and capable man, 14 whose mother is a Danite and whose father is a Tyrian.[w] He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, and wood, as well as purple, blue, white, and crimson fabrics. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and understands any design given to him. He will work with your skilled craftsmen and the skilled craftsmen of my lord David your father. 15 Now let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine he has promised; 16 we will get all the timber you need from Lebanon[x] and bring it[y] in raft-like bundles[z] by sea to Joppa. You can then haul it on up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon took a census of[aa] all the male resident foreigners[ab] in the land of Israel, after the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 in all. 18 He designated[ac] 70,000 as common laborers,[ad] 80,000 as stonecutters[ae] in the hills, and 3,600 as supervisors to make sure the people completed the work.[af]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:1 sn Beginning with 2:1, the verse numbers through 2:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 2:1 ET = 1:18 HT, 2:2 ET = 2:1 HT, 2:3 ET = 2:2 HT, etc., through 2:18 ET = 2:17 HT. Beginning with 3:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:1 tn Heb “and Solomon said to build a house for the name of the Lord and house for his kingship.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:2 tn Heb “counted,” perhaps “conscripted” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:2 tn Heb “men, carriers of loads.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:2 tn Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:2 tc The parallel text of MT in 1 Kgs 5:16 has “thirty-three hundred,” but some Greek mss there read “thirty-six hundred” in agreement with 2 Chr 2:2, 18.tn Heb “and 3,600 supervisors over them.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 2:3 tn Heb “Huram.” Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual.
  8. 2 Chronicles 2:3 tn The words “help me” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
  9. 2 Chronicles 2:3 tn Heb “cedars.” The word “logs” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  10. 2 Chronicles 2:3 tn Heb “to build for him a house to live in it.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 2:4 tn Heb “for the name of.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 2:4 tn Heb “and the regular display.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 2:4 tn Heb “permanently [is] this upon Israel.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 2:6 tn Or “heavens” (also in v. 12). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
  15. 2 Chronicles 2:6 tn Heb “Who retains strength to build for him a house, for the heavens and the heavens of heavens do not contain him? And who am I that I should build for him a house, except to sacrifice before him?”
  16. 2 Chronicles 2:8 tn This is probably a variant name for almug trees; see 9:10-11 and the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 10:11-12; cf. NLT. One or the other probably arose through metathesis of letters.
  17. 2 Chronicles 2:8 tn Heb “know.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 2:10 sn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels (about 220 liters).
  19. 2 Chronicles 2:10 tn Heb “20,000 baths” (also a second time later in this verse). A bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons (about 22 liters), so this was a quantity of about 120,000 gallons (440,000 liters).
  20. 2 Chronicles 2:11 tn Heb “Huram” (also in v. 12). Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual.
  21. 2 Chronicles 2:12 tn Heb “who has given to King David a wise son knowing discernment and insight, who will build a house for the Lord and house for his kingship.”
  22. 2 Chronicles 2:13 sn The name Huram Abi means “Huram [is] my father.”
  23. 2 Chronicles 2:14 tn Heb “a son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father a man of Tyre.”
  24. 2 Chronicles 2:16 tn Heb “and we will cut down trees from Lebanon according to all your need.”
  25. 2 Chronicles 2:16 tn Heb “to you,” but this phrase has not been translated for stylistic reasons—it is somewhat redundant.
  26. 2 Chronicles 2:16 tn Or “on rafts.” See the note at 1 Kgs 5:9.
  27. 2 Chronicles 2:17 tn Heb “Solomon counted.”
  28. 2 Chronicles 2:17 sn The term גֵּר (ger) refers to a foreign resident, but with different social implications in different settings. In Mosaic Law the resident foreigner was essentially a naturalized citizen and convert to worshiping the God of Israel (see Exod 12:19, 48; Deut 29:10-13).
  29. 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Heb “appointed from them.”
  30. 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Heb “carriers of loads.”
  31. 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).
  32. 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Heb “and thirty-six hundred [as] supervisors to compel the people to work.”
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2 Chronicles 2
King James Version

2 And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the Lord, and an house for his kingdom.

2 And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

3 And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me.

4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.

5 And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.

6 But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?

7 Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.

8 Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,

9 Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.

10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

11 Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the Lord hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them.

12 Huram said moreover, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the Lord, and an house for his kingdom.

13 And now I have sent a cunning man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father's,

14 The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father.

15 Now therefore the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants:

16 And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.

17 And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.

18 And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work.

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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. 4 Behold, 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. 5 The 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? 7 So 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. 8 Send 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, 9 to 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.”

11 Then 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.” 12 Hiram 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. 15 Now 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.”

17 Then 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

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:1 Ch 1:18 in Hebrew
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:2 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:10 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:10 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters
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