2 Paralipomenon 2

¹And Salomon determined to build a house to the name of our Lord, and a palace for himself.

²And he numbered seventy thousand men that carried on their shoulders, and eighty thousand that should hew stones in the mountains, and overseers of them three thousand six hundred.

³He sent also to Hiram the king of Tyre, saying: As thou didst with David my father, and didst send him cedar-trees, to build him a house, wherein also he dwelt:

⁴so do with me that I may build a house to the name of our Lord my God, that I may consecrate it to burn incense before him, and to perfume with aromatical spices, and to the everlasting proposition of loaves, and for holocausts, morning and evening, on the sabbaths also, and the new moons, and the solemnities of our Lord God for ever, which are commanded Israel.

⁵For the house which I desire to build, is great: for our God is great above all gods.

⁶Who then can be able to build him a worthy house? If heaven, and the heavens of heavens cannot contain him: how great am I, that I may build him a house? But to this end only, that incense may be burnt before him.

⁷Send me therefore a cunning man, that hath skill to work in gold, and silver, brass, & iron, purple, scarlet, and hyacinth, and that knoweth to make engraved works with these artificers, which I have with me in Jewry, and Jerusalem, whom David my father prepared.

⁸But send me also cedar-trees, fir-trees, and pine trees from Libanus: for I know that thy servants have skill to hew the timber of Libanus, and my servants shall be with thy servants,

⁹that many trees may be prepared for me. For the house which I desire to build, is exceeding great, and glorious.

¹⁰Moreover to the workmen, that shall hew the trees, thy servants, I will give for victuals of wheat twenty thousand cores, and of barley as many cores, & of wine twenty thousand, metretes, of oil also twenty thousand sates.

¹¹And Hiram the king of Tyre by letters, which he sent to Salomon, said: Because the Lord loved his people, therefore hath he made thee to reign over it,

¹²And he added, saying: Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, that made heaven & earth, who hath given to David the king a son wise and learned, and of understanding, and prudent, to build a house to the Lord, and a palace for himself.

¹³I therefore have sent thee a man wise and most skillful, Hiram my father,

¹⁴the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, whose father was a Tyrian, who knoweth to work in gold, and silver, brass, and iron, and marble, and in timber, in purple also, and in hyacinth, and silk, and scarlet: and that knoweth to grave all engraving, and to devise wisely whatsoever in the work is necessary with thy artificers, & with the artificers of my lord David thy father.

¹⁵The wheat therefore, & barley, & oil, and wine, which thou my lord hast promised, send to thy servants.

¹⁶And we will cut down the trees out of Libanus, as many as shall be necessary for thee, and will convey them in boats by the sea unto Joppe: and it shall be thy part to transport them into Jerusalem.

¹⁷Salomon therefore numbered all the men, that were proselytes in the land of Israel, after the numbering which David his father numbered, and they were found an hundred fifty three thousand & six hundred.

¹⁸And he made of them seventy thousand, that should carry burdens on their shoulders, and eighty thousand, that should cut stones out of the mountains: & three thousand and six hundred overseers of the work of the people.