2 Chronicles 2:2-9

2:2 (2:1) Solomon had ¹  70,000 common laborers ²  and 80,000 stonecutters ³  in the hills, in addition to 3,600 supervisors. ⁴ 

2:3 Solomon sent a message to King Huram ⁵  of Tyre: ⁶  “Help me ⁷  as you did my father David, when you sent him cedar logs ⁸  for the construction of his palace. ⁹  2:4 Look, I am ready to build a temple to honor ¹⁰  the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him in order to burn fragrant incense before him, to set out the bread that is regularly displayed, ¹¹  and to offer burnt sacrifices each morning and evening, and on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other times appointed by the Lord our God. This is something Israel must do on a permanent basis. ¹²  2:5 I will build a great temple, for our God is greater than all gods. 2:6 Of course, who can really build a temple for him, since the sky ¹³  and the highest heavens cannot contain him? Who am I that I should build him a temple! It will really be only a place to offer sacrifices before him. ¹⁴ 

2:7 “Now send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as purple, crimson, and violet colored fabrics, and who knows how to engrave. He will work with my skilled craftsmen here in Jerusalem ¹⁵  and Judah, whom my father David provided. 2:8 Send me cedars, evergreens, and algum ¹⁶  trees from Lebanon, for I know your servants are adept ¹⁷  at cutting down trees in Lebanon. My servants will work with your servants 2:9 to supply me with large quantities of timber, for I am building a great, magnificent temple.

¹ tn Heb “counted,” perhaps “conscripted” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

² tn Heb “carriers of loads.”

³ tn Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).

⁴ tc The parallel text of MT in 1 Kgs 5:16 has “thirty-six hundred,” but some Greek mss there read “thirty-six hundred” in agreement with 2 Chr 2:2, 18.

⁵ tn Heb “Huram.” Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual.

⁶ map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

⁷ tn The words “help me” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.

⁸ tn Heb “cedars.” The word “logs” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁹ tn Heb “to build for him a house to live in it.”

⁹ tn Heb “for the name of.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “and the regular display.”

¹¹ tn Heb “permanently [is] this upon Israel.”

¹³ tn Or “heavens” (also in v. 12). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

¹⁴ tn Heb “Who retains strength to build for him a house, for the heavens and the heavens of heavens do not contain him? And who am I that I should build for him a house, except to sacrifice before him?”

¹⁷ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

²¹ tn This is probably a variant name for almug trees; see 9:10-11 and the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 10:11-12; cf. NLT. One or the other probably arose through metathesis of letters.

²² tn Heb “know.”