2 Chronicles 2

1 And Solomon determined to build a house to the name of the Lord, and a palace for himself.

Then Solomon gave word to build a house for the Name of Yahweh, and a house for his kingdom.

2 And he numbered out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand to hew stones in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.

And Solomon numbered seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand men to hew in the mountain, —and, to oversee them, three thousand six hundred.

3 He sent also to Hiram king of Tyre, saying: As thou didst with David my father, and didst send him cedars, to build him a house, in which he dwelt:

And Solomon sent unto Huram king of Tyre, saying, —As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him a house to dwell in,

4 So do with me that I may build a house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to burn incense before him, and to perfume with aromatical spices, and for the continual setting forth of bread, and for the holocausts, morning and evening, and on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and the solemnities of the Lord our God for ever, which are commanded for Israel.

lo! I, am about to build a house for the Name of Yahweh my God, to hallow unto him—to burn before him sweet incense, and for a continual setting in array, and to offer ascending-sacrifices morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the appointed feasts of Yahweh our God, -age-abiding, is this [law] for Israel.

5 For the house which I desire to build, is great: for our God is great above all gods.

And, the house which I am about to build, [must be] great, —for great is our God, above all gods.

6 Who then can be able to build him a worthy house? if heaven, and the heavens of heavens cannot contain him: who am I that I should be able to build him a house? but to this end only, that incense may be burnt before him.

But who is able to build unto him a house? for, the heavens, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain him, —who then am, I, that I should build unto him a house, though only to burn incense before him?

7 Send me therefore a skillful man, that knoweth how to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, and in iron, in purple, in scarlet and in blue, and that hath skill in engraving, with the artificers, which I have with me in Judea and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

Now, therefore, send me a wise man, to work in gold and in silver and in bronze and in iron, and in purple and crimson and blue, and skilful to execute gravings, —with the wise men who are with me, in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom my father David did provide.

8 Send me also cedars, and fir trees, and pine trees from Libanus: for I know that thy servants are skillful in cutting timber in Libanus, and my servants shall be with thy servants,

And send me—timbers of cedar, cypress and sandal-wood, out of the Lebanon, for, I, know that, thy servants, are skilful, to cut the timbers of Lebanon, —and lo! my servants shall be with thy servants:

9 To provide me timber in abundance. For the house which I desire to build, is to be exceeding great, and glorious.

yea to prepare me timbers in abundance, —for, the house which I am about to build, [must be] great and most wonderful.

10 And I will give thy servants the workmen that are to cut down the trees, for their food twenty thousand cores of wheat, and as many cores of barley, and twenty thousand measures of wine, and twenty thousand measures of oil.

And lo! for the hewers that cut the timbers, have I given wheat as food for thy servants, twenty thousand measures, and barley, twenty thousand measures, and wine, twenty thousand baths, and oil, twenty thousand baths.

11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent a letter to Solomon, saying: Because the Lord hath loved his people, therefore he hath made thee king over them.

Then answered Huram king of Tyre, in writing, which he sent unto Solomon, —Because Yahweh hath loved his people, hath he set thee over them as king.

12 And he added, saying: Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who hath given to king David a wise and knowing son, endued with understanding and prudence, to build a house to the Lord, and a palace for himself.

And Huram said, Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth, —who hath given, unto David the king, a wise son, skilled in prudence and understanding, who will build a house for Yahweh, and a house for his kingdom.

13 I therefore have sent thee my father Hiram, a wise and most skillful man,

Now, therefore, have I sent a wise man, skilled in understanding, pertaining to Huram my father:

14 The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, whose father was a Tyrian, who knoweth how to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, and in iron, and in marble, and in timber, in purple also, and violet, and silk and scarlet: and who knoweth to grave all sort of graving, and to devise ingeniously all that there may be need of in the work with thy artificers, and with the artificers of my lord David thy father.

son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, whose father was a man of Tyre, skilled to work in gold and in silver, in bronze, in iron, in stones and in timber, in purple, in blue and in fine white linen, and in crimson, and to grave any manner of graving, and to devise any manner of device that may be given to him, with thy wise men, and the wise men of my lord David thy father.

15 The wheat therefore, and the barley and the oil, and the wine, which thou, my lord, hast promised, send to thy servants.

Now, therefore, the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, whereof my lord hath spoken, let him send unto his servants;

16 And we will cut down as many trees out of Libanus, as thou shalt want, and will convey them in floats by sea to Joppe: and it will be thy part to bring them thence to Jerusalem.

and, we, will cut down timbers out of the Lebanon, according to all thy need, and will bring them unto thee in floats, upon the sea to Joppa, —and, thou, shalt fetch them up to Jerusalem.

17 And Solomon numbered all the proselytes in the land of Israel, after the numbering which David his father had made, and they were found a hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred.

So Solomon numbered all the men that were sojourners, who were in the land of Israel, after the numbering, wherewith David his father had numbered them, —and they were found to be—a hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred.

18 And he set seventy thousand of them to carry burdens on their shoulders, and eighty thousand to hew stones in the mountains: and three thousand and six hundred to be overseers of the work of the people.

And he made up from among them—seventy thousand, to bear burdens, and eighty thousand to hew in the mountain, —and three thousand and six hundred, as overseers, to keep the people at work.