Chronicles II 2

1 And Solomon said that he would build a house to the name of the Lord, and a house for his kingdom.

Now Solomon commanded the building of a house for Yahweh's name and the building of a palace for his kingdom.

2 And Solomon gathered seventy thousand men that bore burdens, and eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountain, and [there were] three thousand six hundred superintendents over them.

Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to carry loads, and eighty thousand men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 men to supervise them.

3 And Solomon sent to Chiram king of Tyre, saying, Whereas you did deal [favourably] with David my father, and did send him cedars to build for himself a house to dwell in,

Solomon sent a message to Hiram, the king of Tyre, saying, “As you did with David my father, sending him cedar logs to build a house to live in, do the same with me.

4 behold, I also his son am building a house to the name of the Lord my God, to consecrate it to him, to burn incense before him, and [to offer] show bread continually, and to offer up whole burnt offerings continually morning and evening, and on the sabbaths, and at the new moons, and at the feasts of the Lord our God: this [is] a perpetual [statute] for Israel.

See, I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to set it apart to him, to burn incense of sweet spices before him, to set out the bread of the presence, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and on the new moons, and on the appointed feasts for Yahweh our God. This is forever, for Israel.

5 And the house which I am building [is to be] great: for the Lord our God [is] great beyond all gods.

The house that I will build will be very large, for our God is greater than all other gods.

6 And who will be able to build him a house? for the heaven and heaven of heavens do not bear his glory: and who am I, that I should build him a house, save only to burn incense before him?

But who is able to build God a house, since the entire universe and even heaven itself cannot contain him? Who am I to build him a house, except to burn sacrifices before him?

7 And now send me a man wise and skilled to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in blue, and one that knows how to grave together with the craftsmen who are with me in Juda and in Jerusalem, which materials my father David prepared.

So send me a man who is skilled at work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue wool, a man who knows how to make all kinds of engraved wood. He will be with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

8 And send me from Libanus cedar wood, and wood of juniper, and pine; for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber in Libanus: and, behold, your servants shall go with my servants,

Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum trees from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. See, my servants will be with your servants,

9 to prepare timber for me in abundance: for the house which I am building [must be] great and glorious.

in order to prepare for me timber in abundance, for the house which I am about to build will be great and marvelous.

10 And, behold, I have given freely to your servants that work and cut the wood, corn for food, [even] twenty thousand measures of wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand measures of wine, and twenty thousand measures of oil.

See, I will give to your servants, the men who will cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”

11 And Chiram king of Tyre answered in writing, and sent to Solomon, saying, Because the Lord loved his people, he made you king over them.

Then Hiram, 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 And Chiram said, Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given to king David a wise son, and one endowed with knowledge and understanding, who shall build a house for the Lord, and a house for his kingdom.

In addition, Hiram said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, gifted with prudence and understanding, who will build a house for Yahweh and a palace for himself.

13 And now I have sent you a wise and understanding man [who belonged] to Chiram my father

Now I have sent a skillful man, Huram-Abi, who is gifted with understanding.

14 (his mother [was] of the daughters of Dan, and his father [was] a Tyrian), skilled to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in stones and wood; and to weave with purple, and blue, and fine linen, and scarlet; and to engrave, and to understand every device, whatever you shall give him [to do] with your craftsmen, and the craftsmen of my lord David your father.

He is the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan. His father was a man from Tyre. He is skilled at work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and in timber, and in purple, blue, and crimson wool, and fine linen. He is also skilled in making any kind of engraving and in making any kind of design. Let a place be made for him among your skilled workers, and with those of my master, David, your father.

15 And now, the wheat, and the barley, and the oil, and the wine which my lord mentioned, let him send to his servants.

Now then, the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, of which my master has spoken, let him send these things to his servants.

16 And we will cut timber out of Libanus according to all your need, and we will bring it on rafts to the sea of Joppa, and you shall bring it to Jerusalem.

We will cut wood from Lebanon, as much wood as you need. We will take it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.”

17 And Solomon gathered all the foreigners that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering with which David his father numbered them; and there were found a hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.

Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, following the method that David, his father, had counted them. They were found to be 153,600.

18 And he made of them seventy thousand burden-bearers, and eighty thousand hewers of stone, and three thousand six hundred taskmasters over the people.

He assigned seventy thousand of them to carry loads, eighty thousand to be stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 to be supervisors to put the people to work.