Solomon Will Build a Temple and a Palace

[a](A)Now Solomon [b]decided to build a house for the name of the Lord, and a [c]royal palace for himself. [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.

(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. 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. The house which I am about to build will be great, for our God is (I)greater than all the gods. 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? 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. (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, 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.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:1 Ch 1:18 in Heb
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:1 Lit said
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:1 Lit house for his royalty
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:2 Ch 2:1 in Heb
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:2 Lit counted
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:3 In 1 Kin 5:18, Hiram
  7. 2 Chronicles 2:6 Lit offer up in smoke
  8. 2 Chronicles 2:7 Lit who are with me
  9. 2 Chronicles 2:10 About 154,000 cubic feet or 4,360 cubic meters
  10. 2 Chronicles 2:10 About 120,000 gallons or 454,249 liters
  11. 2 Chronicles 2:11 Lit said...and he sent
  12. 2 Chronicles 2:12 Lit said
  13. 2 Chronicles 2:12 Lit knowing discretion
  14. 2 Chronicles 2:12 Lit house for his royalty
  15. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Lit knowing understanding
  16. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Lit a woman of the daughters of Dan
  17. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Lit whose father is a Tyrian man
  18. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Lit devise any device
  19. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Lit skilled men
  20. 2 Chronicles 2:17 Lit numbering
  21. 2 Chronicles 2:17 Lit numbered of them

Solomon recruited 70,000 men as carriers, 80,000 as stonecutters in the mountains and 3,600 supervisors over them.

Then Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre saying, “Deal with me as you did with my father David when you sent him cedars to build a house to dwell in. Behold, I am about to build a House for the Name of Adonai my God and to dedicate it to Him for burning fragrant incense before Him, for regular arrangement of the Bread of the Presence and for burnt offerings every morning and evening as well as on Shabbatot, New Moons and moadim of Adonai Eloheinu. Upon Israel this is forever.

“The House that I am about to build will be great, because our God is greater than all the gods. But who is able to build Him a House, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him? Who then am I that I should build Him a House—except to burn incense before Him?

“So now, send me a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with the skilled men who are with me, whom my father David provided. Send me also cedar, evergreen and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber in Lebanon. Indeed my servants will work with yours to prepare an abundance of timber for me, because the House that I am about to build will be large and magnificent. Now, behold, I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, 20,000 measures[a] of ground wheat, 20,000 measures of barley, 20,000 vats of wine and 20,000 vats[b] of oil.”

10 Then King Huram of Tyre, replied in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because Adonai loves His people, He has made you king over them.” 11 Then Huram continued, “Blessed be Adonai, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth. He gave King David a wise son, endowed with insight and understanding, who will build a House for Adonai and a royal house for himself. 12 So now I am sending Huram-abi—a skilled man endowed with understanding 13 who is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan and whose father was a man from Tyre—a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, in purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to engrave all kinds of engraving, and who can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled men and with the skilled men of my lord David your father. 14 Now let my lord send to his servants the wheat and barley, the oil and wine he has promised 15 and we will cut as many logs from Lebanon as much as you need, and float them in rafts by sea to Jaffa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”

16 Solomon counted all the foreign men in the land of Israel, like the census that his father David had taken, and 153,600 were found. 17 He appointed 70,000 of them to carry loads, 80,000 to quarry stones in the mountains, and 3,600 overseers to supervise the people working.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:9 A kor was about 10 bushels.
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:9 A vat was a little over 5 gallons.