Solomon selects Workers to Build the Temple of the Lord God |
2 Chronicles 2:1-18 2 Chronicles in [Smaller Chunks] |
Solomon [was] determined to build a [temple] for the Name of the Lord & a [royal palace] for his kingdom. Solomon [selected] 70,000 men to [carry] burdens & 80,000 to [cut stones] on the [mountains] & 3,600 to [supervise] them. |
Solomon sent to Hiram [a.k.a. Huram, Tyre’s] king, saying, [Continue to] deal with me, [like] you dealt with David, my father & did send him cedars to build a house to [live] in. |
[Look,] I build a house [temple] to the Name of the Lord, my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn sweet incense before Him & for continual [showbread] & for New Moons & solemn feasts of the Lord our God. |
This is [a rule for] Israel forever. The house [that] I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. But who is able to build [the Lord God] a house, seeing that heaven & the heaven of heavens [can’t] contain Him? |
Who am I, that I should build [God] a house, [when I’m barely worthy to] burn incense before Him? Therefore, send me now a [skillful] man to work in gold, silver, brass, iron & [with] purple, crimson & blue [cloth.] |
[Also send those] with skill to [engrave] with the [skillful] men [who] are with me in Judah & Jerusalem, whom my father, David, [provided.] Also, send me cedar trees, fir trees & album trees out of Lebanon. For I know your servants are [skillful woodcutters] in Lebanon. |
[Look,] my servants shall be with your servants to prepare timber in abundance [for me.] For the house [I’m] about to build shall be wonderful & [large.] |
[Look,] I will give your servants, the [woodcutters] 20,000 measures [a.k.a. kor, cor, or ephah] of [ground] wheat, 20,000 measures of barley, 20,000 baths of wine & 20,000 baths of oil. |
Then, [Hiram, Tyre’s] king answered in writing & sent [it] to Solomon, Because the Lord [has] loved His people, He has made you king over them. |
[Also,] Huram said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, [Who] made heaven & earth & [has] given king David a wise son [endowed] with [discernment] & understanding, that might build a [temple] for the Lord & a [royal] house for his kingdom. |
Now, I have sent a [skillful] man, [endowed] with understanding of Huram, my father’s [foreman.] [Huram Abi is] the son of a woman [from Dan’s] daughters & his father was a man of Tyre. [He’s] skillful to work in gold, silver, brass, iron, stone & timber, in purple, blue, crimson & fine linen. |
Also, to [engrave all types of engraving] & to [figure] out every [tool] given to him, with your [skillful] men & the [skillful] men of your father, David. Therefore, let him send to his servants the wheat, barley, oil & wine he has spoken of. |
And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you shall need. We will bring it to you in [rafts] by sea to Joppa [a.k.a. Jopho] & you shall carry it to Jerusalem. |
Solomon [counted] all the strangers in the land of Israel, [like when] his father, David, had [counted] them & there were 153,600. [Solomon appointed] 70,000 [of them] to [carry] burdens, 80,000 to be [stone cutters] in the [mountains] & 3,600 to [supervise] the people [at] work. |