II Chronicles 2

1. Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the name of the LORD and a house for his kingdom.

2. And Solomon counted out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand as cutters in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

3. And Solomon sent to Hiram the king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, even 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. And the house which 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, therefore, 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. And also 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 shall be with your servants

9. In order to prepare plenty of timber for me, for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.

10. And behold, I will give to your servant, the hewers, those who 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. And Hiram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, “Because the LORD has loved 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 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. And 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 which shall be put to him, with your skillful men, and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.

15. And now the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which my lord has spoken of, let him send it to his servants.

16. And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you shall need. And we will bring it to you in floats by sea to Joppa. And you shall carry it up to Jerusalem.”

17. And Solomon numbered all the aliens in the land of Israel, according to the numbering with which David his father had numbered them. And they were found to be a hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred.

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