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Solomon Petitions the King of Tyre

[a] And Solomon planned to build a house for the name of Yahweh and a royal palace for himself.[b] And Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to bear burdens[c] and eighty thousand quarriers[d] in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred men to supervise them. And Solomon sent word to Huram[e] king of Tyre, saying, “As you have dealt with David my father and sent cedar to him to build for himself a house in which to live, please deal with me. Look, I am building a house for the name of Yahweh my God to dedicate to him, to offer sweet spices of incense before him, and for the regular rows of bread, and burnt offerings for mornings, evenings, Sabbaths, and new moon festivals, and for appointed feasts of Yahweh our God which are everlasting for Israel. And the house that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. Now who indeed has adequate strength to build a house for him? For the heavens and the highest heavens[f] are not able to contain him. Now who am I that I would build a house for him, except to burn incense before him? So then, send to me skilled men to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue fabric, knowledgeable in engraving, with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father has established. Send me trees of cedar, cypress, and algum from Lebanon, for I myself know that your servants are knowledgeable in cutting the trees of Lebanon. Now see, my servants will be with your servants to prepare trees in abundance for me, for the house that I am building will be great and wonderful. 10 Now see, I will provide twenty thousand dry measures of crushed wheat, twenty thousand dry measures of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil to the woodcarvers and those who cut timber.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:1 2 Chronicles 2:1–18 in the English Bible is 1:18–2:17 in the Hebrew Bible
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:1 Literally “house for his kingdom”
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:2 Literally “carriers”
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:2 Literally “stone craftsmen”
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:3 This is the spelling in Hebrew, though many translations have “Hiram”
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:6 Literally “the heavens of the heavens”

Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the name of Jehovah, and a house for his kingdom. And Solomon counted out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand men that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them. And Solomon sent to [a]Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him a house to dwell therein, even so deal with me. Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Jehovah our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel. And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods. But who [b]is able to build him a house, seeing heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn incense before him? Now therefore send me a man skilful to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that knoweth how to grave all manner of gravings, to be with the skilful men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide. Send me also cedar-trees, [c]fir-trees, and [d]algum-trees, out of Lebanon; for I know that thy servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants, even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful. 10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand [e]measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand [f]measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:3 In 1 Kin. 5:1, Hiram.
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:6 Hebrew retaineth strength.
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:8 Or, cypress-trees
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:8 In 1 Kin. 10:11, almug-trees.
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:10 Hebrew cors.
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:10 Hebrew cors.