Preparing to Build the Temple
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a 1Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself.
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b 2And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and ,600 to oversee them.
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3And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: 4“As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.
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Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of 5incense of sweet spices before him, and for 6the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for 7burnt offerings morning and evening, 8on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel.
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The house that I am to build will be great, 9for our God is greater than all gods.
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10But who is able to build him a house, since 11heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?
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So now 12send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, 13whom David my father provided.
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Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that 14your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants,
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to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful.
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15I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 corsc of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 bathsd of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil. ”
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Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, 16“Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them. ”
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Hiram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, 17who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, 18who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.
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“Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi,
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19the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is 20trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father.
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Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, 21of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants.
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22And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to 23Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem. ”
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Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, 24after the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600.
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25Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)