Solomon plans to build Israel’s Temple
1 Kings 5:1-15 1Solomon decided it was time to start building the Jerusalem Temple for the LORD and a palace for himself. 2He needed a lot of workers for a job like that. So, he drafted an army of builders: 70,000 general laborers, 80,000 stonecutters scattered throughout quarries in the hill country, and 3,600 foremen. Solomon requests cedar from Lebanon
3Solomon wrote to King Hiram of Tyre in Lebanon, “Years ago, you made a deal with my father, David, to send him cedar so he could build himself a house. 4I’m about to build a house for God, a temple in Jerusalem devoted to him. This is where my people will come to worship. We’ll burn fragrant incense, serve the LORD fresh bread, [1] and we’ll offer him burnt sacrifices every morning and evening, every Saturday Sabbath, and during each of our annual religious festivals and holidays throughout the year. [2] God told us to do that from now on.
5This is going to be a majestic Temple because our God is the greatest god of all. [3] 6What human could build a Temple that would hold our God? Even the sky isn’t big enough to hold him. I’m not able to build something fit for him. The best I can do is build a place for us to worship him by bringing our offerings.
7Please send me an artisan who has mastered working with metal and fabric. I need someone who knows how to engrave and how to work in gold, silver, and bronze. They need also to be able to work with fabrics dyed in purple, [4] crimson, and blue. This master of these crafts will work alongside my skilled people here in Judah and Jerusalem. These are people my father, David, reserved for me.
8I need timber, too. Send me cedars from Lebanon, with cypress and juniper. [5] I know your lumberjacks know what they’re doing. I’ll send workers to help them. 9I’ll need a lot of timber. This is going to be a huge, wonderful Temple. Solomon offers to pay in food
10I’ll pay your lumberjacks and other workers in food. [6] I’ll send:
• 120,000 bushels [7] of wheat
• 120,000 bushels of barley
• 110,000 gallons of wine
• 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”
Lebanon’s king agrees to the deal
11King Hiram wrote Solomon, “You are the King of Israel because the LORD loves his people. 12The LORD God deserves our thanks and gratitude. He made heaven and earth. He gave David a son who’s not only smart, but wise and discerning. He is the right one to build the Temple for the LORD along with a palace for himself.
13I’m sending you a master craftsman named Huram-abi. He knows his stuff. 14His mother is an Israelite from Dan’s tribe. His father is a local, from here in Tyre. Huram-abi has been well-educated in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, wood, along with dying fabrics in purple, blue, and crimson. He’s an excellent engraver, too. He’ll do whatever your artisans ask him to do.
15Go ahead and send up the wheat, barley, oil and wine, as you said. 16We’ll cut all the timber you need. We’ll tie the logs into rafts. Then we’ll float them down the seacoast to Joppa. [8] From there, you can transport them to Jerusalem.” Forced labor: Solomon drafts immigrants
17Solomon took a census of non-Israelites living in the land. There were about 153,600 of them. He drafted [9] every one of them. 18He assigned 70,000 to work as common laborers. He sent 80,000 to the quarries to cut stone blocks. He put 3,600 of them in charge of the work, as foremen.
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1Solomon decided it was time to start building the Jerusalem Temple for the LORD and a palace for himself. 2He needed a lot of workers for a job like that. So, he drafted an army of builders: 70,000 general laborers, 80,000 stonecutters scattered throughout quarries in the hill country, and 3,600 foremen.
5This is going to be a majestic Temple because our God is the greatest god of all. [3] 6What human could build a Temple that would hold our God? Even the sky isn’t big enough to hold him. I’m not able to build something fit for him. The best I can do is build a place for us to worship him by bringing our offerings.
7Please send me an artisan who has mastered working with metal and fabric. I need someone who knows how to engrave and how to work in gold, silver, and bronze. They need also to be able to work with fabrics dyed in purple, [4] crimson, and blue. This master of these crafts will work alongside my skilled people here in Judah and Jerusalem. These are people my father, David, reserved for me.
8I need timber, too. Send me cedars from Lebanon, with cypress and juniper. [5] I know your lumberjacks know what they’re doing. I’ll send workers to help them. 9I’ll need a lot of timber. This is going to be a huge, wonderful Temple.
• 120,000 bushels [7] of wheat
• 120,000 bushels of barley
• 110,000 gallons of wine
• 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”
13I’m sending you a master craftsman named Huram-abi. He knows his stuff. 14His mother is an Israelite from Dan’s tribe. His father is a local, from here in Tyre. Huram-abi has been well-educated in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, wood, along with dying fabrics in purple, blue, and crimson. He’s an excellent engraver, too. He’ll do whatever your artisans ask him to do.
15Go ahead and send up the wheat, barley, oil and wine, as you said. 16We’ll cut all the timber you need. We’ll tie the logs into rafts. Then we’ll float them down the seacoast to Joppa. [8] From there, you can transport them to Jerusalem.”
Solomon requests cedar from Lebanon
3Solomon wrote to King Hiram of Tyre in Lebanon, “Years ago, you made a deal with my father, David, to send him cedar so he could build himself a house. 4I’m about to build a house for God, a temple in Jerusalem devoted to him. This is where my people will come to worship. We’ll burn fragrant incense, serve the LORD fresh bread, [1] and we’ll offer him burnt sacrifices every morning and evening, every Saturday Sabbath, and during each of our annual religious festivals and holidays throughout the year. [2] God told us to do that from now on.5This is going to be a majestic Temple because our God is the greatest god of all. [3] 6What human could build a Temple that would hold our God? Even the sky isn’t big enough to hold him. I’m not able to build something fit for him. The best I can do is build a place for us to worship him by bringing our offerings.
7Please send me an artisan who has mastered working with metal and fabric. I need someone who knows how to engrave and how to work in gold, silver, and bronze. They need also to be able to work with fabrics dyed in purple, [4] crimson, and blue. This master of these crafts will work alongside my skilled people here in Judah and Jerusalem. These are people my father, David, reserved for me.
8I need timber, too. Send me cedars from Lebanon, with cypress and juniper. [5] I know your lumberjacks know what they’re doing. I’ll send workers to help them. 9I’ll need a lot of timber. This is going to be a huge, wonderful Temple.
Solomon offers to pay in food
10I’ll pay your lumberjacks and other workers in food. [6] I’ll send:• 120,000 bushels [7] of wheat
• 120,000 bushels of barley
• 110,000 gallons of wine
• 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”
Lebanon’s king agrees to the deal
11King Hiram wrote Solomon, “You are the King of Israel because the LORD loves his people. 12The LORD God deserves our thanks and gratitude. He made heaven and earth. He gave David a son who’s not only smart, but wise and discerning. He is the right one to build the Temple for the LORD along with a palace for himself.13I’m sending you a master craftsman named Huram-abi. He knows his stuff. 14His mother is an Israelite from Dan’s tribe. His father is a local, from here in Tyre. Huram-abi has been well-educated in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, wood, along with dying fabrics in purple, blue, and crimson. He’s an excellent engraver, too. He’ll do whatever your artisans ask him to do.
15Go ahead and send up the wheat, barley, oil and wine, as you said. 16We’ll cut all the timber you need. We’ll tie the logs into rafts. Then we’ll float them down the seacoast to Joppa. [8] From there, you can transport them to Jerusalem.”
