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.”

Read full chapter

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

Solomon’s Letter to Hiram

Solomon decided to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself,(A) so he assigned 70,000 men as porters, 80,000 men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 as supervisors over them.(B)

Then Solomon sent word to King Hiram[a](C) of Tyre:(D)

Do for me what you did for my father David. You sent him cedars to build him a house to live in.(E) Now I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God in order to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him,(F) for displaying the rows of the Bread of the Presence continuously,(G) and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening,(H) the Sabbaths(I) and the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is ordained for Israel permanently. The temple that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than any of the gods.(J) But who is able to build a temple for him, since even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain him?(K) Who am I then that I should build a temple for him except as a place to burn incense before him? Therefore, send me an artisan who is skilled in engraving to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with the artisans who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem,(L) appointed by my father David.(M) Also, send me cedar, cypress, and algum[b](N) logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon. Note that my servants will be with your servants(O) to prepare logs for me in abundance because the temple I am building will be great and wondrous. 10 I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the trees, one hundred twenty thousand bushels[c] of wheat flour, one hundred twenty thousand bushels of barley, one hundred twenty thousand gallons[d] of wine, and one hundred twenty thousand gallons of oil.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read Huram; 2Sm 5:11; 1Kg 5:1–2
  2. 2:8 = almug in 1Kg 10:11–12
  3. 2:10 Lit 20,000 cors
  4. 2:10 Lit 20,000 baths