2 Chronicles 2

1 Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the Name of the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

2 So he conscripted 70,000 porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors.

3 Then Solomon sent word to Hiram king of Tyre: “Do for me as you did for my father David when you sent him cedars to build himself a house to live in.

4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God to dedicate to Him for burning fragrant incense before Him, for displaying the showbread continuously, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening as well as on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts of the LORD our God. This is ordained for Israel forever.

5 The house that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

6 But who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him? Who then am I, that I should build a house for Him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before Him?

7 Send me, therefore, a craftsman skilled in engraving to work with gold and silver, with bronze and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with my craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.

8 Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber there. And indeed, my servants will work with yours

9 to prepare for me timber in abundance, because the temple I am building will be great and wonderful.

10 I will pay your servants, the woodcutters, 20,000 cors of ground wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of olive oil.”

11 Then Hiram king of Tyre wrote a letter in reply to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people, He has set you over them as king.”

12 And Hiram added: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

13 So now I am sending you Huram-abi, a skillful man endowed with creativity.

14 He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father is a man of Tyre. He is skilled in work with gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple, blue, and crimson yarn, and fine linen. He is experienced in every kind of engraving and can execute any design that is given him. He will work with your craftsmen and with those of my lord, your father David.

15 Now let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine he promised.

16 We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and we will float them to you as rafts by sea down to Joppa. Then you can take them up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon numbered all the foreign men in the land of Israel following the census his father David had conducted, and there were found to be 153,600 in all.

18 Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors.

1 ¶ And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.

2 And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

3 And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, [even so deal with me].

4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate [it] to him, [and] to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This [is an ordinance] for ever to Israel.

5 And the house which I build [is] great: for great [is] our God above all gods.

6 But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who [am] I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?

7 Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that [are] with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.

8 Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants [shall be] with thy servants,

9 Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build [shall be] wonderful great.

10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

11 ¶ Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them.

12 Huram said moreover, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.

13 And now I have sent a cunning man, endued with understanding, 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 find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning 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 Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.

17 And Solomon numbered all the strangers that [were] in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.

18 And he set threescore and ten thousand of them [to be] bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand [to be] hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work.

1 And Solomon purposed to build an house to the name of the LORD, and a house of his kingdom.

2 And he numbered seventy thousand men to the burden, and eighty thousand carpenters in the mount, and three thousand and six hundred officers over them.

3 And Solomon sent unto Huram king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst unto David my father, and didst send him cedars, to build him an house to dwell in;

4 Behold, I will build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, and it shall be sanctified unto him, to burn incense before him, and to burn shewbread continually, and burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the feasts of the LORD our God for Israel for ever.

5 And the house that I will build shall be great: for our God is greater than all gods.

6 But who can build him an house? For heaven and all the heavens cannot provide for him: who then shall I be that buildeth him an house? But that they should burn incense before him.

7 Send me therefore a wise man to work with gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and scarlet, and scarlet, and yellow silk, and to dig with the wise men that are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father sent.

8 And send me cedar, and fir, and ebony, from Lebanon: for I know that thy servants know how to hew wood in Lebanon. And, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,

9 That they prepare me much wood: for the house which I shall build shall be great and excellent.

10 And, behold, I will give unto the carpenters, thy servants that hew the timber, twenty thousand measures of thrust wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

11 Then Huram king of Tyre spake by writing, and sent unto Solomon, Because the LORD loveth his people, he hath made thee king over them.

12 And Huram said again, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which made heaven and earth, that he hath given unto David the king a wise son, and a prudent son, and a son of understanding, to build the house of the LORD, and the house of his kingdom.

13 Now therefore I send a wise man that hath understanding, Huram-Abif,

14 Who is the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a tyrant: who knoweth how to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in stone, and in wood, and in scarlet, and in yellow silk, and in linen, and in scarlet, and in digging all manner of work, and in making all manner of work that shall be set before him, with thy wise men, and with the wise men of my lord king David thy father.

15 Now therefore send my lord wheat, and barley, and oil, and wine, unto his servants, as he hath spoken,

16 And we will hew the timber in Lebanon, as much as is needful; and we will bring it in rafts in the sea unto Japho: thence shalt thou bring it up to Jerusalem.

17 And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel according to the number which David his father numbered: and there were found an hundred and fifty thousand, three thousand and six hundred.

18 And he made of them seventy thousand porters, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mount, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to keep the people in the service.