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Covenant with Huram King of Tyre

11 Then Huram king of Tyre said in a letter [a]sent to Solomon: “(A)Because Yahweh loves His people, He has given you to be king over them.” 12 Then Huram said, “Blessed be (B)Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, knowledgeable in insight and understanding, (C)who will build a house for Yahweh and a [b]royal palace for himself.

13 “So now, I am sending Huram-abi, a wise man, who is knowledgeable in understanding, 14 (D)the son of a [c]Danite woman and [d]a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, linen, and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to devise any design which may be given to him, to work with your wise men and with the wise men of my lord David your father. 15 So now, let my lord send to his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of (E)which he has spoken. 16 (F)And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem.”

17 Then Solomon numbered all the sojourners who were in the land of Israel, (G)following the [e]census which his father David had [f]taken; and 153,600 were found. 18 (H)And he made 70,000 of them to carry loads and 80,000 as hewers of stone in the mountains and 3,600 directors to make the people work.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:11 Lit and sent
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:12 Lit house for his royalty
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Lit a woman of the daughters of Dan
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:14 Lit whose father is a Tyrian man
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:17 Lit numbering
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:17 Lit numbered of them

Hiram’s Reply

11 Then King Hiram of Tyre wrote a letter[a] and sent it to Solomon:

Because the Lord loves His people, He set you over them as king.(A)

12 Hiram also said:

May the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth,(B) be praised! He gave King David a wise son with insight and understanding,(C) who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.(D) 13 I have now sent Huram-abi,[b] a skillful man who has understanding.(E) 14 He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan. His father is a man of Tyre. He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, with purple, blue, crimson yarn, and fine linen. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and to execute any design that may be given him. I have sent him to be with your craftsmen and the craftsmen of my lord, your father David. 15 Now, let my lord send the wheat, barley, oil, and wine to his servants as promised.(F) 16 We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.(G)

Solomon’s Work Force

17 Solomon took a census of all the foreign men in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had conducted,(H) and the total was 153,600. 18 Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.(I)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:11 Lit Tyre said in writing
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Lit Huram my father