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¹ AND Solomon commanded to build a temple for the name of the LORD and a house for his kingdom.² And Solomon appointed seventy thousand men to bear burdens and eighty thousand stone cutters in the mountain and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.³ And Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre, saying, As you showed great kindness to David my father, and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in,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 to light a lamp continually and to offer 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 for ever to Israel.⁵ And the house which I am about to build is very great, for our God is greater than all kings.⁶ But who is able to build him a house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? Who am I then, that I should build him a house or burn sweet incense before him?⁷ Now therefore, send me a man skilled to work in gold and in silver and in brass and in iron and in purple and in fine linen and in crimson and in blue, and who has the skill to engrave with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.⁸ Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum timber out of Lebanon; for I know that your servants know how to cut cedar timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with your servants⁹ And shall bring me timber in abundance; for the house which I am about to build will be very great and wonderful.¹⁰ And I will provide carpenters who are skilled in woodwork, and will give provisions to your servants, twenty thousand measures of wheat and twenty thousand measures of barley and twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of oil.

¹¹ Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in writing which he sent to Solomon, saying, Because the LORD has loved his people, he has made you king over them.¹² Hiram said moreover, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who created heaven and earth, who has given to David a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, who has set his mind to build a house for the LORD and a house for his kingdom.¹³ And now I have sent to you a skilful man, endued with understanding, even Hiram,¹⁴ Who is the son of a widow of the house of Dan, and his father was a skilful man; he knows how to work in gold and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stones, in timber, in purple, in blue, in fine linen, in crimson and other red materials, also how to make any manner of keys for the doors, and to devise every kind of craft which shall be assigned to him from the LORD, with your craftsmen and with the craftsmen of our lord David your father.¹⁵ Now therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine which my lord has promised to his servants, let him send them;¹⁶ And we will cut cedar trees out of Lebanon, as many as you wish; and we will bring them to you in floats by sea to Joppa; and you shall carry them up to Jerusalem.¹⁷ Then Solomon gathered together all the proselytes who were in the land of Israel, after the numbering of them which David his father had done; and there were found a hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred.¹⁸ And King Solomon set seventy thousand of them to be bearers of burdens and eighty thousand to be stonecutters in the mountain and three thousand and six hundred overseers to make the people work.