1 S olomon planned to build a house for the name of the Lord, and a king’s house for himself.

Now Solomon decided to build a house for Yahweh’s name, and a house for his kingdom.

2 S o he picked 70, 000 men to carry loads, 80, 000 men to cut stones in the mountains, and 3, 600 men to watch over these men.

Solomon counted out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand men who were stone cutters in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

3 T hen Solomon sent word to King Huram of Tyre, saying, “You sent my father David cedar trees to build him a house to live in. Do the same for me.

Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build him a house in which to dwell, so deal with me.

4 S ee, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God. I will set it apart for Him. There special perfume will be burned before Him. The holy bread will be there all the time. Burnt gifts will be given morning and evening, on Days of Rest, on new moons, and during the special suppers of the Lord our God. This is to be done forever in Israel.

Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual show bread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Yahweh our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.

5 T he house I am about to build will be great. For our God is greater than all the gods.

“The house which I build is great; for our God is great above all gods.

6 B ut who is able to build a house for Him? For the heavens and the highest heavens are not big enough to hold Him. So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except as a place to burn special perfume before Him?

But who is able to build him a house, since heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, except just to burn incense before him?

7 N ow send me an able man to work with gold, silver, brass, iron, and purple, red and blue cloth who knows how to cut all kinds of pictures. He will work with the able men I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David gave me.

“Now therefore send me a man skillful to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and who knows how to engrave engravings, to be with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

8 S end me cedar, cypress and algum trees from Lebanon. I know you have able men who know how to do this work. My servants will work with your servants

“Send me also cedar trees, cypress trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon; for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon: and behold, my servants shall be with your servants,

9 t o cut many trees for me. For the house I am about to build will be very great and beautiful.

even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.

10 I will give to your servants who cut trees, 200, 000 baskets of crushed grain, 200, 000 baskets of barley, 200, 000 bottles of wine, and 200, 000 bottles of oil.”

Behold, I will give to your servants, the cutters who cut timber, twenty thousand cors of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand baths of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”

11 T hen King Huram of Tyre answered by letter to Solomon, “The Lord has made you king over His people because He loves them.”

Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, “Because Yahweh loves his people, he has made you king over them.”

12 T hen Huram said, “Honor and thanks be to the Lord, the God of Israel. He has made heaven and earth. And He has given King David a wise son. Wisdom and understanding have been given to David’s son who will build a house for the Lord and a king’s house for himself.

Huram continued, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, that should build a house for Yahweh, and a house for his kingdom.

13 N ow I am sending Huram-abi, an able man of understanding.

Now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, of Huram my father’s,

14 H e is the son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father. He knows how to work with gold, silver, brass, iron, stone and wood and with purple, blue, and red cloth. He knows how to cut all kinds of pictures, any kind given him to do. He is to work with your able 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, skillful 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 engrave any kind of engraving, and to devise any device; that there may be a place appointed to him with your skillful men, and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.

15 S o now let my lord send the grain, barley, oil and wine to his servant, as he has said.

“Now therefore the wheat and 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 trees you need in Lebanon, and bring them to you by ship to Joppa. Then you may carry them up to Jerusalem.”

and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you shall need; and we will bring it to you in floats by sea to Joppa; and you shall carry it up to Jerusalem.”

17 S olomon numbered all those in Israel who were from other lands, using the number of them which his father David had taken. And 153, 600 were found.

Solomon numbered all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, after the numbering with which David his father had numbered them; and they were found one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred.

18 H e picked 70, 000 of them to carry loads, 80, 000 to cut stones in the mountains, and 3, 600 men to see that the people did their work.

He set seventy thousand of them to bear burdens, and eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred overseers to set the people at work.