¹ And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.

² And Solomon numbered out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand to hew in the mountain, 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 an house to dwell in, even so deal with me .¹

1. Huram: or, Hiram

⁴ Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.¹

1. sweet...: Heb. incense of spices

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 an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, except only to burn sacrifice before him?¹

1. is able: Heb. hath retained, or, obtained strength

⁷ Send me now therefore 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 hath skill to engrave with the skilful men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.¹

1. to grave: Heb. to grave gravings

⁸ Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,¹

1. algum: also called, almuggim

⁹ Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.¹

1. wonderful...: Heb. 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 the LORD hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them.

¹² Huram said moreover, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that may build an house for the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.¹

1. endued...: Heb. knowing prudence and understanding

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 engrave any manner of engraving, and to find out every device which shall be put to 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 to 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 mayest convey it to Jerusalem.¹²

1. as much...: Heb according to all thy need
2. Joppa: Heb. Japho

¹⁷ And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering which David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.¹

1. the strangers: Heb. the men the strangers

¹⁸ And he set seventy thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and eighty thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people to work.