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] house, [a.k.a. temple,] for the Name of the Lord, & [a] house, [a.k.a. royal palace,] for his kingdom. Solomon [selected] 70,000 men to [carry] burdens & 80,000 to [cut] [rocks] [on] the [mountains,] & 3,600 to [supervise] them. |
And Solomon sent to Huram, [a.k.a. Hiram, Tyre’s] king, saying, Deal [this way] with me, [like] you dealt with David, my father, & [like you] [sent] him cedars to build [himself a] house to [live] in. |
[Look,] I build a [temple] to the Name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn sweet incense before Him, & for the continual [showbread,] for the morning & evening burnt offerings, & on Sabbaths, & on the New Moons, & on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God. |
This is [a rule for] Israel forever. And the house [that] I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. [1 Chronicles 16:25-26 For the Lord is great, & greatly to be praised. He is also to be feared, [a.k.a. respected,] above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.] |
But who is able to build [the Lord God a] house, seeing [that] the heaven & the heaven of heavens can’t contain Him? Who am I, that I should build [the Lord God a] house, [much less] to burn [a] sacrifice before Him? Therefore, send me now a [skillful] man to work in: gold, silver, brass, iron, & [with:] purple, crimson, & blue [cloth.] |
And [those] [who] can [skillfully engrave,] [along] with the [skillful] men [who] are with me in Judah & Jerusalem, whom my father, David, [provided.] Also, send me: cedar trees, fir trees, & algum trees, out of Lebanon. For I know that your servants can [skillfully] cut timber, [a.k.a woodcutters, or lumbermen,] in Lebanon. |
[Look,] my servants shall be with your servants to even prepare timber in abundance [for] me. For the house that I’m about to build shall be wonderful & [large.] |
And, [look,] I will give to 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, Huram, [Tyre’s] king answered in writing, [that] he sent to Solomon, Because the Lord [has] loved His people, He [has] made you king over them. |
[Also,] Huram said, Blessed [Is] the Lord God of Israel, [Who] made heaven & earth, & [has] given king David a wise son, [endowed] with: prudence, [a.k.a. able to manage very carefully,] & understanding, that might build [a temple] for the Lord, & a [royal] house for his kingdom. |
And 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, skillful to work in: gold, silver, brass, iron, stone, & timber, in purple, blue, crimson, & in fine linen. |
Also, [he is able] to [engrave] any [types of engraving,] & to [figure] out every [tool given] to him, with your [skillful] men, & the [skillful] men of my lord, David, your father. Therefore, now let him send to his servants the wheat, barley, o,il & wine, which my lord [has] spoken of. |
And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you [shall] need. And we will bring it to you [on rafts] by sea to Joppa, [a.k.a. Jopho,] & you [shall] carry it up to Jerusalem. |
And Solomon [counted] all the strangers, [a.k.a. foreigners,] that were in the land of Israel, [like when] his father, David, had [counted] them. And there were 153,600 found. And [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. |