2 Chronicles 2

¹ Solomon decided to build a house for the name of the LORD, and a royal palace for himself.

² Solomon conscripted 70,000 men as laborers, 80,000 as stonecutters in the hill country, and 3,600 as supervisors over them.

³ Solomon sent word to Huram king of Tyre: "As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to live in—

⁴ I am now about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for the regular setting out of the rows of bread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed festivals of the LORD our God. This is an obligation on Israel forever.

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

⁶ But who is able to build him a house, since heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain him? And who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to burn incense before him?

⁷ Now send me a skilled craftsman to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue yarn, one who knows how to engrave, to work with the skilled craftsmen who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

⁸ Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting Lebanon timber. My servants will work with your servants

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

¹⁰ I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the timber, 20,000 cors of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of olive oil."

¹¹ Then Huram king of Tyre replied in a letter he sent to Solomon: "Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you king over them."

¹² Huram also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son with discretion and understanding, who will build a house for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

¹³ Now I am sending you Huram-abi, a skilled and knowledgeable man,

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

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

¹⁶ We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem."

¹⁷ Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census his father David had taken, and there were found to be 153,600.

¹⁸ He assigned 70,000 of them as laborers, 80,000 as stonecutters in the hill country, and 3,600 as supervisors to keep the people working.