1 N ow Solomon decided to build a house for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself.
Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal house for himself.
2 S o Solomon assigned 70, 000 men to carry loads and 80, 000 men to quarry stone in the mountains and 3, 600 to supervise them.
Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
3 T hen Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “ As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, so do for me.
Then Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre, saying: As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.
4 B ehold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, dedicating it to Him, to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out the showbread continually, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, this being required forever in Israel.
Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.
5 T he house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all the gods.
And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
6 B ut who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him?
But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?
7 N ow send me a skilled man to work in gold, silver, brass and iron, and in purple, crimson and violet fabrics, and who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled men whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
8 S end me also cedar, cypress and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber of Lebanon; and indeed my servants will work with your servants,
Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants,
9 t o prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful.
to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.
10 N ow behold, I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, 20, 000 kors of crushed wheat and 20, 000 kors of barley, and 20, 000 baths of wine and 20, 000 baths of oil.” Huram to Assist
And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
11 T hen Huram, king of Tyre, answered in a letter sent to Solomon: “ Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.”
Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.
12 T hen Huram continued, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has 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.
Hiram also said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal house for himself!
13 “ Now I am sending Huram-abi, a skilled man, endowed with understanding,
And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, Huram my master craftsman
14 t he son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, and in purple, violet, linen and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any design which may be assigned to him, to work with your skilled men and with those of my lord David your father.
(the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.
15 N ow then, let my lord send to his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which he has spoken.
Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants.
16 W e will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem.”
And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.
17 S olomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, following the census which his father David had taken; and 153, 600 were found.
Then Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census in which David his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.
18 H e appointed 70, 000 of them to carry loads and 80, 000 to quarry stones in the mountains and 3, 600 supervisors to make the people work.
And he made seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.