 1 Solomon purposed to build a house for the name of the Lord, and a house for his kingdom. 2 Solomon counted out 70,000 men to bear burdens, and 80,000 as cutters in the mountains, and 3,600 to oversee them. 3 Solomon sent to King Hiram of Tyre saying, As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build him a house to live in, so deal with me. 4 Behold, I am building a 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 forever to Israel. 5 The house that I am building is great. For our God is great above all gods. 6 But who is able to build Him a house, since the heavens and Heaven of the heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a house, except only to burn sacrifice before Him? 7 Now send me a man skillful to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and one who is skillful to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. 8 Send me cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees out of Lebanon. For I know that your servants are skillful to cut timber in Lebanon. And, behold, my servants will be with your servants 9 in order to prepare plenty of timber for me. For the house that I am about to build will be great and wonderful. 10 Behold, I will give to the hewers, those who cut timber, 20,000 measures of beaten wheat, and 20,000 measures of barley, and 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil. 11 King Hiram of Tyre answered in writing and sent to Solomon, Because the Lord has loved His people, He has made you king over them. 12 Hiram said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made Heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son blessed with judgment and understanding, who might build a house for the Lord and a house for his kingdom. 13 Now I have sent a skillful man blessed with understanding, of Hiram my father, 14 the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skillful to work in gold, and in silver, in bronze, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson. He also can engrave any kind of engraving, and can invent every device that will be put to him, with your skillful men, and with the skillful men of my lord David your father. 15 Now the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine that my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants. 16 We will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you will need. And we will bring it to you in floats by sea to Joppa. And you shall carry it up to Jerusalem. 17 Solomon numbered all the aliens in the land of Israel according to the numbering with which David his father had numbered them. They were found to be 153 thousand and 600. 18 He set 70,000 of them to be bearers of burdens and 80,000 to be cutters in the mountains and 3,600 overseers to set the people to work.
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