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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.”

11 Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because Jehovah loveth his people, he hath made thee king over them. 12 Huram said moreover, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with discretion and understanding, that should build a house for Jehovah, and a house for his kingdom. 13 And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with understanding, [a]of Huram my father’s, 14 the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan; and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson, also to grave any manner of graving, and to devise any device; that there may be a place appointed unto him with thy skilful men, and with the skilful men of my lord David thy father. 15 Now therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants: 16 and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need; and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to [b]Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.

17 And Solomon numbered all the sojourners that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found a hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred. 18 And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people at work.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Or, even Huram my father
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:16 Hebrew Japho.