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11 Then Huram[a] king of Tyre answered in a letter, and he sent word to Solomon: “Because Yahweh loves his people, he has made you king over them.” 12 Then Huram[b] said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has made the heavens and the earth, who has given to King David a wise son knowing discretion and understanding, who will build for Yahweh a house and a royal palace for himself. 13 So now I have sent a skilled man, knowledgeable and with understanding: my master[c] Huram, 14 a son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, knowledgeable for working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and with purple, blue, and crimson fabric, and with fine linen, for engraving any engraving and devising any plan that is given to him, with your skilled men and the skilled men of my lord David your father. 15 Now as for the wheat, barley, oil, and wine that my lord mentioned, let him send that to his servants. 16 And we ourselves will cut trees from Lebanon according to all your need, and we will bring them to you on rafts over the sea to Joppa, so that you may bring them up to Jerusalem.”

17 Then Solomon counted all the resident alien men who were in the land of Israel after the census that David his father had taken of them. And there were found one hundred and fifty-three thousand. 18 And he appointed from them seventy thousand to bear burdens,[d] eighty thousand to quarry[e] in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:11 This is the spelling in Hebrew, though many translations have “Hiram”
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:12 This is the spelling in Hebrew, though many translations have “Hiram”
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Or “my father”
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:18 Literally “carriers”
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:18 Literally “stone craftsmen”

11 King Huram[a] of Tyre sent this letter to Solomon: “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.” 12 Huram also said, “Worthy of praise is the Lord God of Israel, who made the sky and the earth! He has given King David a wise son who has discernment and insight and will build a temple for the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself.[b] 13 Now I am sending you Huram Abi,[c] a skilled and capable man, 14 whose mother is a Danite and whose father is a Tyrian.[d] He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, and wood, as well as purple, blue, white, and crimson fabrics. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and understands any design given to him. He will work with your skilled craftsmen and the skilled craftsmen of my lord David your father. 15 Now let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine he has promised; 16 we will get all the timber you need from Lebanon[e] and bring it[f] in raft-like bundles[g] by sea to Joppa. You can then haul it on up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon took a census of[h] all the male resident foreigners[i] in the land of Israel, after the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 in all. 18 He designated[j] 70,000 as common laborers,[k] 80,000 as stonecutters[l] in the hills, and 3,600 as supervisors to make sure the people completed the work.[m]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:11 tn Heb “Huram” (also in v. 12). Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual.
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:12 tn Heb “who has given to King David a wise son knowing discernment and insight, who will build a house for the Lord and house for his kingship.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:13 sn The name Huram Abi means “Huram [is] my father.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:14 tn Heb “a son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father a man of Tyre.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:16 tn Heb “and we will cut down trees from Lebanon according to all your need.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:16 tn Heb “to you,” but this phrase has not been translated for stylistic reasons—it is somewhat redundant.
  7. 2 Chronicles 2:16 tn Or “on rafts.” See the note at 1 Kgs 5:9.
  8. 2 Chronicles 2:17 tn Heb “Solomon counted.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 2:17 sn The term גֵּר (ger) refers to a foreign resident, but with different social implications in different settings. In Mosaic Law the resident foreigner was essentially a naturalized citizen and convert to worshiping the God of Israel (see Exod 12:19, 48; Deut 29:10-13).
  10. 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Heb “appointed from them.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Heb “carriers of loads.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).
  13. 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Heb “and thirty-six hundred [as] supervisors to compel the people to work.”