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。

Solomon Petitions the King of Tyre

[a] And Solomon planned to build a house for the name of Yahweh and a royal palace for himself.[b] And Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to bear burdens[c] and eighty thousand quarriers[d] in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred men to supervise them. And Solomon sent word to Huram[e] king of Tyre, saying, “As you have dealt with David my father and sent cedar to him to build for himself a house in which to live, please deal with me. Look, I am building a house for the name of Yahweh my God to dedicate to him, to offer sweet spices of incense before him, and for the regular rows of bread, and burnt offerings for mornings, evenings, Sabbaths, and new moon festivals, and for appointed feasts of Yahweh our God which are everlasting for Israel. And the house that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. Now who indeed has adequate strength to build a house for him? For the heavens and the highest heavens[f] are not able to contain him. Now who am I that I would build a house for him, except to burn incense before him? So then, send to me skilled men to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue fabric, knowledgeable in engraving, with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father has established. Send me trees of cedar, cypress, and algum from Lebanon, for I myself know that your servants are knowledgeable in cutting the trees of Lebanon. Now see, my servants will be with your servants to prepare trees in abundance for me, for the house that I am building will be great and wonderful. 10 Now see, I will provide twenty thousand dry measures of crushed wheat, twenty thousand dry measures of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil to the woodcarvers and those who cut timber.”

11 Then Huram[g] king of Tyre answered in a letter, and he sent word to Solomon: “Because Yahweh loves his people, he has made you king over them.” 12 Then Huram[h] said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has made the heavens and the earth, who has given to King David a wise son knowing discretion and understanding, who will build for Yahweh a house and a royal palace for himself. 13 So now I have sent a skilled man, knowledgeable and with understanding: my master[i] Huram, 14 a son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, knowledgeable for working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and with purple, blue, and crimson fabric, and with fine linen, for engraving any engraving and devising any plan that is given to him, with your skilled men and the skilled men of my lord David your father. 15 Now as for the wheat, barley, oil, and wine that my lord mentioned, let him send that to his servants. 16 And we ourselves will cut trees from Lebanon according to all your need, and we will bring them to you on rafts over the sea to Joppa, so that you may bring them up to Jerusalem.”

17 Then Solomon counted all the resident alien men who were in the land of Israel after the census that David his father had taken of them. And there were found one hundred and fifty-three thousand. 18 And he appointed from them seventy thousand to bear burdens,[j] eighty thousand to quarry[k] in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:1 2 Chronicles 2:1–18 in the English Bible is 1:18–2:17 in the Hebrew Bible
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:1 Literally “house for his kingdom”
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:2 Literally “carriers”
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:2 Literally “stone craftsmen”
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:3 This is the spelling in Hebrew, though many translations have “Hiram”
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:6 Literally “the heavens of the heavens”
  7. 2 Chronicles 2:11 This is the spelling in Hebrew, though many translations have “Hiram”
  8. 2 Chronicles 2:12 This is the spelling in Hebrew, though many translations have “Hiram”
  9. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Or “my father”
  10. 2 Chronicles 2:18 Literally “carriers”
  11. 2 Chronicles 2:18 Literally “stone craftsmen”

(2) Shlomo enlisted 70,000 men who carried loads, another 80,000 men who were stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 supervising them. (3) Then Shlomo sent this message to Huram the king of Tzor: “[Deal with me] as you dealt with David my father when you sent him cedar logs, so that he could build himself a palace to live in. (4) Here, I am about to build a house for the name of Adonai my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before Him incense made of sweet spices; the house will also be for the continuing showbread and for the burnt offerings presented every morning and evening, on the shabbats, at every Rosh-Hodesh, and at the designated times of Adonai our God. This is a perpetual regulation for Isra’el. (5) The house I will build will be great, because our God is greater than all gods. (6) But who is equal to building him a house? Why, heaven itself, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain him; so who am I to build him a house, except to offer sacrifices before him?

(7) “Now, therefore, send me a man skilled at working with gold, silver, bronze and iron; dealing with purple, crimson, and blue dyed materials; and capable of doing all kinds of engraving. He will be with the skilled craftsmen I have with me in Y’hudah and Yerushalayim, whom David my father provided. (8) Also send me cedar, cypress and sandalwood logs from the L’vanon; for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber in the L’vanon. I will have my servants work together with your servants (9) to prepare me an abundant supply of timber, for the house I am about to build must be magnificent and wonderful. (10) I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the timber, 100,000 bushels of cracked wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, 100,000 gallons of wine, and 100,000 gallons of olive oil.”

10 (11) Huram the king of Tzor wrote this answer and sent it to Shlomo: “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them.” 11 (12) Huram continued, “Blessed be Adonai, the God of Isra’el, who made heaven and earth, who has given David the king a wise, knowledgeable son with common sense to build a house for Adonai and a royal palace for himself. 12 (13) Now I am sending a man of skill and understanding, my master craftsman Huram, 13 (14) the son of a woman who was one of the daughters of Dan, while his father was a man from Tzor. He is skilled in working gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and timber, as well as purple and blue dyed materials, fine linen and crimson material; he can do any kind of engraving; and he can make all the equipment necessary to accomplish any task assigned to him, with the help of your craftsmen and those of my lord David your father. 14 (15) Therefore let my lord send his servants the wheat, barley, oil and wine he has spoken of; 15 (16) and we will cut wood from the L’vanon, as much as you need; we will float it to you as rafts by sea to Yafo, and you will take it up to Yerushalayim.”

16 (17) Shlomo took a census of all the foreigners in the land of Isra’el, following the pattern of the census of David his father; they were found to number 153,600. 17 (18) He appointed 70,000 of them to carry loads, 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as supervisors to assign the people their work.