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¹ Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the name of Yahweh, and a house for his kingdom.² And Solomon counted out 70,000 men to bear burdens, and 80,000 men that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.³ And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell therein, [even so deal with me].⁴ Look, I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Yahweh our God. This is [an ordinance] forever to Israel.⁵ And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.⁶ But who is able to build him a house, seeing heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn incense before him?⁷ Now therefore send me a skillful man to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that knows how to engrave [all manner of] engravings, [to be] with the skillful men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.⁸ Send me also cedar-trees, fir-trees, and algum-trees, out of Lebanon; for I know that your slaves know how to cut timber in Lebanon: and, look, my slaves shall be with your slaves,⁹ even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.¹⁰ And, look, I will give to your slaves, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand cors of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand cors of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

¹¹ Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because Yahweh loves his people, he has made you king over them.¹² Huram said moreover, Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, endued with discretion and understanding, that should build a house for Yahweh, and a house for his kingdom.¹³ And now I have sent a skillful man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father's,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, also to engrave any manner of engraving, and to devise any device; that there may be [a place] appointed to him with your skillful men, and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.¹⁵ Now therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his slaves.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 sojourners that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering with which David his father had numbered them; and they were found a hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.¹⁸ And he set 70,000 of them to bear burdens, and 80,000 that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people at work.