1 aNow Solomon decided to build a house for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself. 2 So aSolomon assigned 70,000 men to carry loads and 80,000 men to quarry stone in the mountains and 3,600 to supervise them. 3 aThen Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, "bAs you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, so do for me. 4 "Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, dedicating it to Him, ato burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out bthe showbread continually, and to offer cburnt offerings morning and evening, don sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, this being required forever in Israel. 5 "The house which I am about to build will be great, for agreater is our God than all the gods. 6 "But awho is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him? 7 "Now asend me a skilled man to work in gold, silver, brass and iron, and in purple, crimson and violet fabrics, and who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled men bwhom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. 8 "aSend me also cedar, cypress and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber of Lebanon; and indeed bmy servants will work with your servants, 9 to prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful. 10 "Now behold, aI will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, 20,000 kors of crushed wheat and 20,000 kors of barley, and 20,000 baths of wine and 20,000 baths of oil." 11 Then Huram, king of Tyre, answered in a letter sent to Solomon: "aBecause the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them." 12 Then Huram continued, "Blessed be athe Lord, the God of Israel, who has made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, bwho will build a house for the Lord and a royal palace for himself. 13 "Now I am sending Huram-abi, a skilled man, endowed with understanding, 14 athe son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, and in purple, violet, linen and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any design which may be assigned to him, to work with your skilled men and with those of my lord David your father. 15 "Now then, let my lord send to his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of awhich he has spoken. 16 "aWe will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem." 17 Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, afollowing the census which his father David had taken; and 153,600 were found. 18 aHe appointed 70,000 of them to carry loads and 80,000 to quarry stones in the mountains and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.