2 Chronicles 2:11-18
New English Translation
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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- 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 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.”
- 2 Chronicles 2:13 sn The name Huram Abi means “Huram [is] my father.”
- 2 Chronicles 2:14 tn Heb “a son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father a man of Tyre.”
- 2 Chronicles 2:16 tn Heb “and we will cut down trees from Lebanon according to all your need.”
- 2 Chronicles 2:16 tn Heb “to you,” but this phrase has not been translated for stylistic reasons—it is somewhat redundant.
- 2 Chronicles 2:16 tn Or “on rafts.” See the note at 1 Kgs 5:9.
- 2 Chronicles 2:17 tn Heb “Solomon counted.”
- 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).
- 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Heb “appointed from them.”
- 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Heb “carriers of loads.”
- 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).
- 2 Chronicles 2:18 tn Heb “and thirty-six hundred [as] supervisors to compel the people to work.”
2 Chronicles 2:11-18
Amplified Bible
Hiram to Assist
11 Then Hiram, king of Tyre replied in a letter sent to Solomon: “Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.” 12 Hiram said also, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, who will build a house for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.
13 “Now I am sending a skilled man, endowed with understanding, Huram-abi, 14 the son of a [a]Danite woman and a Tyrian father. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood; in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics, and in fine linen. He is able to make any kind of engraving and to carry out any design given him. He will work with your skilled men and those of my lord, David your father. 15 Now then, let my lord send to his servants the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine of which he has spoken. 16 We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.”
17 Then Solomon took a count of all the aliens in the land of Israel, like the census that his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. 18 He assigned 70,000 of them to carry loads and 80,000 to quarry stone in the mountain, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.
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- 2 Chronicles 2:14 1 Kin 7:14 says that this woman was of the tribe of Naphtali. Most likely her mother’s marriage united her with a tribe of which she was not a native.
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