2 Chronicles

Then Solomon determined to build a house for the name of the LORD, and a royal palace for himself.

Solomon selected seventy thousand men to carry burdens, eighty thousand men to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.

Then Solomon sent to Huram king of Tyre, saying: "As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.

Behold, I am building a house for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.

And the house which I build is great, for our God is greater than all gods.

But who is able to build Him a house, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a house, except to burn sacrifice before Him?

Therefore send me at once a man skilful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skilful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

Also send me cedar, cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilful in cutting timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants,

to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.

And indeed I will give to your servants, the cutters who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil."

Then Huram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: "Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them."

Huram also said: "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, for He has given David the king a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who may build a house for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

And now I have sent a skilful man, endowed with understanding, Huram-Abi,

(the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and also to make any engraving and to execute any design which may be given to him, with your skilful men and with the skilful men of my lord David your father.

Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants.

And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, and you shall carry it up to Jerusalem."

Then Solomon numbered all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, according to the census which David his father had taken; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.

And he made seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred overseers to keep the people working.