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。

Then Solomon vowed to build a House for the Name of the LORD, and a house for his kingdom.

And Solomon counted out seventy thousand who bore burdens, and eighty thousand men to cut on the mountain, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.

And Solomon sent to Huram, the king of Tyre, saying, “Since you have done for David, my father, and sent him cedar trees to build himself a house to dwell in,

“behold, I am building a House to the Name of the LORD my God, to sanctify it to Him and to burn sweet incense before Him, for the continual showbread and for the Burnt Offerings of the morning and evening, on the Sabbath days and in the new months and at the solemn Feasts of the LORD our God. This is a perpetual thing for Israel.

“And the House which I will build is great. For great is our God, above all gods.

“Who is he, then, who is able to build Him a House when the heaven and the Heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I, then, that I should build Him a House? But I do it to burn incense before Him.

“Therefore, send me now a cunning man who can work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in iron, in purple, in crimson and blue silk, and who is skilled in engraved work (as are the cunning men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem whom David my father has prepared).

“Also, send me cedar trees, fir trees and Algummim trees from Lebanon. For I know that your servants are skilled to cut timber in Lebanon. And behold, my servants shall be with yours,

“so that they may prepare timber for me in abundance. For the House which I shall build is great and wonderful.

10 “And behold, I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber: twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, twenty thousand measures of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”

11 Then Huram, king of Tyre, answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, “Because the LORD has loved His people, He has made you king over them.”

12 Huram said moreover, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, Who made the heaven and the Earth, and Who has given a wise son to David the king, who has discretion, prudence and understanding to build a House for the LORD and a palace for his kingdom.

13 “Now, therefore, I have sent a wise man of understanding, one of my father Huram’s,

14 the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan. And his father was a man of Tyre. And he is skilled to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, in timber, in purple, in blue silk, in fine linen, and in crimson, and is skilled in all engraving and in all embroidered work that shall be given to him by your cunning men and by the cunning men of my lord David, your father.

15 “Now, therefore, the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants.

16 “And we will cut wood in Lebanon, as much as you shall need, and will bring it to you to Japho by sea, in rafts, so you may carry them to Jerusalem.”

17 And Solomon counted all the strangers who were in the land of Israel, in the same way that his father David had counted them. And one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred were found.

18 And he set seventy thousand of them to the burden, and eighty thousand to cut on the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.