2nd Dabar-Hayamym (2 Chronicles) — 2

Shalumah Prepares to Build the Temple

1 Then Shalumah determined to build a temple for the Name of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, and a royal house for himself. 

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

3 Then Shalumah sent to Hiram king of Tyra, saying: As you have dealt with Daud my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. 

4 Behold, I am building a temple for the Name of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH my 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Shabbats, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH our 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH. This is an ordinance forever to Yashar'AL.

5 And the temple which I build will be great, for our 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH is greater than all. 

6 But who is able to build 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH a temple, since Shamaym and the Shamaym of Shamaym cannot contain 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH? Who am I then, that I should build 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?

7 Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Yahudah and Yahushalam, whom Daud my father provided. 

8 Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Labanun, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Labanun; and indeed my servants will be with your servants, 

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

10 And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen 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.

11 Then Hiram king of Tyra answered in writing, which he sent to King Shalumah: Because 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH loves His people, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has made you king over them.

12 Hiram also said: Baraked be  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL, who made Shamaym and Arath, for He has given King Daud a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH and a royal house for himself!

13 And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, Huram my master craftsman 

14 (the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyra), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my master king Daud your father.

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

16 And we will cut wood from Labanun, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Yuppa, and you will carry it up to Yahushalam.

17 Then Shalumah numbered all the foreigners who were in the land of Yashar'AL, after the census in which Daud his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred. 

18 And he made seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.