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.”

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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

Preparations for Building the Temple(A)

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

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. 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.

“The temple I am going to build will be great,(M) because our God is greater than all other gods.(N) 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?

“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.

“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 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)

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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