Study Desk

Then Solomon gave word to build a house for the Name of Yahweh, and a house for his kingdom.

And Solomon numbered seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand men to hew in the mountain, - and, to oversee them, three thousand six hundred.

And Solomon sent unto Huram king of Tyre, saying, - As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him a house to dwell in,

lo! I, am about to build a house for the Name of Yahweh my God, to hallow unto him - to burn before him sweet incense, and for a continual setting in array, and to offer ascending-sacrifices morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the appointed feasts of Yahweh our God,-age-abiding, is this law for Israel.

And, the house which I am about to build, must be great, - for great is our God, above all gods.

But who is able to build unto him a house? for, the heavens, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain him, - who then am, I, that I should build unto him a house, though only to burn incense before him?

Now, therefore, send me a wise man, to work in gold and in silver and in bronze and in iron, and in purple and crimson and blue, and skilful to execute gravings, - with the wise men who are with me, in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom my father David did provide.

And send me - timbers of cedar, cypress and sandal-wood, out of the Lebanon, for, I, know that, thy servants, are skilful, to cut the timbers of Lebanon, - and lo! my servants shall be with thy servants:

yea to prepare me timbers in abundance, - for, the house which I am about to build, must be great and most wonderful.

And lo! for the hewers that cut the timbers, have I given wheat as food for thy servants, twenty thousand measures, and barley, twenty thousand measures, and wine, twenty thousand baths, and oil, twenty thousand baths.