2 Chronicles 2

Chapter 2

Preparations for Building the Temple

1 tSolomon decided to build a Temple to honor the name of the LORD, and also a royal palace for himself.

2 tHe enlisted a force of 70,000 laborers, 80,000 men to quarry stone in the hill country, and 3,600 foremen.

3 Solomon also sent this message to King Hiramt at Tyre:

“Send me cedar logs as you did for my father, David, when he was building his palace.4 I am about to build a Temple to honor the name of the LORD my God. It will be a place set apart to burn fragrant incense before him, to display the special sacrificial bread, and to sacrifice burnt offerings each morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, at new moon celebrations, and at the other appointed festivals of the LORD our God. He has commanded Israel to do these things forever.5 “This must be a magnificent Temple because our God is greater than all other gods.6 But who can really build him a worthy home? Not even the highest heavens can contain him! So who am I to consider building a Temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices to him?7 “So send me a master craftsman who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as with purple, scarlet, and blue cloth. He must be a skilled engraver who can work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who were selected by my father, David.8 “Also send me cedar, cypress, and red sandalwoodt logs from Lebanon, for I know that your men are without equal at cutting timber in Lebanon. I will send my men to help them.9 An immense amount of timber will be needed, for the Temple I am going to build will be very large and magnificent.10 In payment for your woodcutters, I will send 100,000 bushels of crushed wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley,t 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.t”

11 King Hiram sent this letter of reply to Solomon:

“It is because the LORD loves his people that he has made you their king!12 Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son, gifted with skill and understanding, who will build a Temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.13 “I am sending you a master craftsman named Huram-abi, who is extremely talented.14 His mother is from the tribe of Dan in Israel, and his father is from Tyre. He is skillful at making things from gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and he also works with stone and wood. He can work with purple, blue, and scarlet cloth and fine linen. He is also an engraver and can follow any design given to him. He will work with your craftsmen and those appointed by my lord David, your father.15 “Send along the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine that my lord has mentioned.16 We will cut whatever timber you need from the Lebanon mountains and will float the logs in rafts down the coast of the Mediterranean Seat to Joppa. From there you can transport the logs up to Jerusalem.”17 Solomon took a census of all foreigners in the land of Israel, like the census his father had taken, and he counted 153,600.

18 He assigned 70,000 of them as common laborers, 80,000 as quarry workers in the hill country, and 3,600 as foremen.

2 CHRONICLES 2

Solomon Asks Hiram //To Help Build //the Temple

(1 Kings 5.1-12)

1 Solomon decided to build a temple where the [Lord] would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself.

2 He assigned 70,000 men to carry building supplies and 80,000 to cut stone from the hills. And he chose 3,600 men to supervise these workers.

3 Solomon sent the following message to King Hiram of Tyre:
Years ago, when my father David was building his palace, you supplied him with cedar logs. Now will you send me supplies?

4 I am building a temple where the [Lord] my God will be worshiped. Sweet-smelling incense will be burned there, and sacred bread will be offered to him. Worshipers will offer sacrifices to the [Lord] every morning and evening, every Sabbath, and on the first day of each month, as well as during all our religious festivals. These things will be done for all time, just as the [Lord] has commanded.
5 This will be a great temple, because our God is greater than all other gods.

6 t No one can ever build a temple large enough for God—even the heavens are too small a place for him to live in! All I can do is build a place where we can offer sacrifices to him.

7 Send me a worker who can not only carve, but who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as make brightly colored cloth. The person you send will work here in Judah and Jerusalem with the skilled workers that my father has already hired.
8 I know that you have workers who are experts at cutting lumber in Lebanon. So would you please send me some cedar, pine, and juniper logs? My workers will be there to help them, 9 because I'll need a lot of lumber to build such a large and glorious temple.

10 I will pay your woodcutters 2,000 tons of wheat, the same amount of barley, 400,000 liters of wine, and that same amount of olive oil.

11 Hiram sent his answer back to Solomon:
I know that the [Lord] must love his people, because he has chosen you to be their king.

12 Praise the [Lord] God of Israel who made heaven and earth! He has given David a son who isn't only wise and smart, but who has the knowledge to build a temple for the [Lord] and a palace for himself.
13 I am sending Huram Abi to you. He is wise and very skillful.

14 His mother was from the Israelite tribe of Dan, and his father was from Tyre. Not only is Huram an expert at working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, but he can also make colored cloth and fine linen. And he can carve anything if you give him a pattern to follow. He can help your workers and those hired by your father King David.
15 Go ahead and send the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine you promised to pay my workers.

16 I will tell them to start cutting down trees in Lebanon. They will cut as many as you need, then tie them together into rafts, and float them down along the coast to Joppa. Your workers can take them to Jerusalem from there.

Solomon's Work Force