2 Chronicles 1–2

And ^aSolomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and ^bthe Lord his God was with him, and ^cmagnified him exceedingly. ²Then Solomon spake unto all Israel, to ^dthe captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel, the chief of the fathers. ³So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to ^ethe high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, ^fwhich Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. ^4gBut the ark of God had David brought up from ^hKirjath-jearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. ⁵Moreover ⁱthe brasen altar, that ^jBezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the Lord: and Solomon and the congregation ^ksought unto it. ⁶And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and ^loffered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.

^7mIn that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. ⁸And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. ⁹Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father ⁿbe established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. ¹⁰Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? ¹¹And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, ^owealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: ¹²wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and ^owealth, and honour, such as ^pnone of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

¹³Then Solomon came from his journey to ^qthe high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel. ^14rAnd Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and ^she had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in ^tthe chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. ¹⁵And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the vale for abundance. ¹⁶And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price. ¹⁷And they fetcht up, and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for an hundred and fifty: and so brought they out horses for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by their means.

II.And Solomon ^adetermined to build a house for the name of the Lord, and a house for his kingdom. ²And ^bSolomon told out threescore and ten thousand men ^cto bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred ^cto oversee them.

^3dAnd Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, ^eAs thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him a house to dwell therein, ^feven so deal with me. ⁴Behold, I build a house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for ^gthe continual shewbread, and for ^hthe burnt offerings morning and evening, ^hon the sabbaths, and ^hon the new moons, and on ^hthe solemn feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel. ⁵And the house which I build is great: for ⁱgreat is our God above all gods. ⁶But who is able to build him a house, seeing ^jthe 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? ⁷Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in ^kpurple, and ^lcrimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, ^mwhom David my father did provide. ⁸Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and behold, my servants shall be with thy servants, ⁹even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great. ¹⁰And behold, ⁿI will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, ^otwenty thousand ^pmeasures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand ^qbaths of wine, and ^otwenty thousand ^qbaths of oil.

¹¹Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, ^rBecause the Lord hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them. ¹²Huram said moreover, ^sBlessed be the Lord God of Israel, ^tthat made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that ^umight build a house for the Lord, and a house for his kingdom. ¹³And now I have sent a cunning man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father’s, ^14xthe son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful ^yto work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in ^zfine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father. ¹⁵Now therefore the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which ^amy lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants: ¹⁶and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in flotes by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.

^17bAnd Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith ^cDavid his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred. ¹⁸And he set ^dthreescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work.

III.