1 ¶ So Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the LORD, and a palace for his kingdom.

2 And Solomon counted out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand to cut stone in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

3 And Solomon sent to Hiram the king of Tyre, saying, As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build a house to live in, even so deal with me.

4 Behold, I am building a house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD 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 the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?

7 Send me now therefore a man skilled to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, trained also in engraving to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

8 Send me also cedar, fir, and algum timber, from Lebanon: for I know that your servants can skillfully cut timber in Lebanon; and my servants shall work with your servants,

9 To prepare timber for me in abundance: for the house that I am about to build will be great and wonderful.

10 And, behold, I will give to your servants, who quarry stone and cut timber, twenty thousand measures of crushed wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

11 ¶ Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD has loved his people, he has made you king over them.

12 Hiram said moreover, Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, who might build a temple for the LORD, and a palace for his kingdom.

13 Now I have sent a skilled man, endued with understanding, even Huramabi my counselor,

14 The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, trained to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to engrave any type of engraving, and to carry out every design that will be given to him, with your skilled workmen, and with the skilled workmen of my lord David your father.

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

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

17 And Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, like the count that David his father had made; and they were found to total one hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.

18 And he assigned seventy thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and eighty thousand to be stone-cutters in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to put the people to work.