Solomon Will Build a Temple and Palace

1[a]Now Solomon decided to build a house (temple) for the Name of the LORD, and a royal palace for himself. 2[b]So Solomon assigned 70,000 men to carry loads, 80,000 men to quarry stone in the mountains, and 3,600 to supervise them.

3Then Solomon sent word to [c]Hiram king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with my father David and sent him cedars to build himself a house in which to live, [please] do the same for me. 4Observe, I am about to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, dedicated to Him, to burn fragrant incense [of sweet spices] before Him, to set out the showbread continually, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on Sabbaths, New Moons, and on the festivals of the LORD our God, as ordained forever in Israel. 5The house I am going to build will be great, for our God is greater than all the gods. 6But who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens and [even] the highest heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I to build a house for Him, except [as a place] to burn incense before Him? 7Now send me a man who is skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, and who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided. 8Send me also cedar, cypress, and [d]algum timber, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And indeed my servants will work with your servants 9to prepare for me an abundance of timber, because the house I am about to build will be great and wonderful. 10And I will give to your servants who cut timber, 20,000 [e]measures of crushed wheat and 20,000 measures of barley, and 20,000 baths of wine and 20,000 baths of [olive] oil.”

Hiram to Assist

11Then Hiram, king of Tyre replied in a letter sent to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them.” 12Hiram said also, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, who will build a house for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

13“Now I am sending a skilled man, endowed with understanding, Huram-abi, 14the son of a [f]Danite woman and a Tyrian father. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood; in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics, and in fine linen. He is able to make any kind of engraving and to carry out any design given him. He will work with your skilled men and those of my lord, David your father. 15Now then, let my lord send to his servants the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine of which he has spoken. 16We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.”

17Then Solomon took a count of all the aliens in the land of Israel, like the census that his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. 18He assigned 70,000 of them to carry loads and 80,000 to quarry stone in the mountain, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.

[a] 1 Ch 1:18 in Hebrew.
[b] 2 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew.
[c] 3 Heb Huram.
[d] 8 Or almug.
[e] 10 Lit kors, about 10 bu.
[f] 14 1 Kin 7:14 says that this woman was of the tribe of Naphtali. Most likely her mother’s marriage united her with a tribe of which she was not a native.