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Solomon’s Wealth

11 In a letter that he sent to Solomon, King Hiram of Tyre wrote,[a] “Because he loves his people, the Lord has placed you as king over them.” 12 Hiram also wrote:

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth. He gave King David a wise son, who is acquainted with discretion and understanding, and who is building a temple to the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself.

13 Now I’m sending along Hiram-abi,[b] a skilled craftsman, who is very creative.[c] 14 He is the son of a mother from the tribe of Dan, and his father is from Tyre. He’s skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and timber, as well as in purple, blue,[d] linen, and crimson materials.[e] He is skilled in engravings, and can craft any design to which he may be assigned. He will work with your skilled artisans and with all of your craftsmen who have been assigned by my lord David, your father.

15 “So then, may my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, oil, and wine about which he has spoken. 16 We’ll cut down the timber you need from Lebanon and transport it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so you can move it to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon took a census of all the non-Israeli men[f] who lived in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had taken, and 153,600 were counted. 18 He conscripted 70,000 of them to do heavy work, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 men to supervise the people.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:11 Lit. responded to Solomon
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Or Huram-abi; the Heb. name means Hiram is my father
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Or discerning
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Or violet
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:14 The Heb. lacks materials
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:17 Lit. aliens