2 Chronicles 2
1 Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the name of Jehovah, and a house for
his kingdom.
2 And Solomon counted out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and
fourscore thousand men that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and
six hundred to oversee them.
3 And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with
David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him a house to dwell
therein, [even so deal with me] .
4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, to
dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the
continual showbread, and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the
sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Jehovah our God. This
is [an ordinance] for ever to Israel.
5 And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.
6 But who is able to build him a house, seeing heaven and the heaven of heavens
cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to
burn incense before him?
7 Now therefore send me a man skilful to work in gold, and in silver, and in
brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that knoweth how
to grave [all manner of] gravings, [to be] with the skilful men that are with me
in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.
8 Send me also cedar-trees, fir-trees, and algum-trees, out of Lebanon; for I
know that thy servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon: and, behold, my
servants shall be with thy servants,
9 even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the house which I am about to
build shall be great and wonderful.
10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty
thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and
twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
11 Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon,
Because Jehovah loveth his people, he hath made thee king over them.
12 Huram said moreover, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, that made heaven
and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with discretion
and understanding, that should build a house for Jehovah, and a house for his
kingdom.
13 And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with understanding, of Huram my
father's,
14 the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan; and his father was a man of Tyre,
skilful 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 grave any
manner of graving, and to devise any device; that there may be [a place]
appointed unto him with thy skilful men, and with the skilful men of my lord
David thy father.
15 Now therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord
hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants:
16 and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need; and we will
bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to
Jerusalem.
17 And Solomon numbered all the sojourners that were in the land of Israel,
after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were
found a hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.
18 And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore
thousand that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred
overseers to set the people at work.