II Chronicles 02 Solomon asks Hiram, king of Tyre, to help him build the temple

 II Chronicles 02

Solomon asks Hiram, king of Tyre, to help him build the temple

1 Now Solomon determined to build a house for the name of the Lord, and a house for his kingdom.

2 And Solomon numbered seventy thousand men of burden, and eighty thousand to cut down in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred overseers over them.

3 And Solomon sent to Hiram, king of Tyre, saying, As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build a house to dwell in, so deal with me.

4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, to consecrate it to him, to burn sweet incense before him, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the feasts of the Lord our God: which is the perpetual obligation of Israel.

5 And the house that I am about to build must be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 

6 But who has the strength to build him a house, since the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain him? And who am I, that I should build him a house, except to burn incense before him? 

7 Now therefore send me a wise man to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in iron, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in blue, and one who can work in the Kuril, with the wise men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David prepared. 

8 Send me also cedar, fir, and algum trees from Lebanon; for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants will be with your servants, 

9 and to prepare timber in abundance, for the house that I am about to build must be great and wonderful.

10 And behold, I will give to your servants the hewers, who cut the 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 And Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, and sent to Solomon, saying, Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you king over them.

12 And Hiram said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given king David a wise son, one of great understanding and understanding, who will build a house for the LORD and for his kingdom.

13 And now I am sending a wise man of great understanding, even Hiram Abihu;

14 He is the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, whose father was a man of Tyre: He has skill in working in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, wood, purple, blue, fine linen and scarlet. He is skilled in all kinds of engraving and in all kinds of clever devices, whatever is required of him, together with your wise men and the wise men of my lord David your father.

15 Now therefore, let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, oil and wine that he has spoken of.

16 And we will cut down timber in Lebanon, as much as you need, and we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, and you shall bring it up to Jerusalem.

17 And Solomon numbered all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, according to the number that David his father had numbered them. And there were one hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred.

 18 And he made of them seventy thousand carters, and eighty thousand hewers in the hill country; and three thousand and six hundred overseers, to cause the people to work.