Study Desk

^[a](a)Now Solomon ^[b]decided to build a house for the name of the Lord and a ^[c]royal palace for himself.

^[d]So ^(b)Solomon ^[e]assigned 70,000 men to carry loads and 80,000 men to quarry stone in the mountains and 3,600 to supervise them.

^(c)Then Solomon sent word to ^[f]Huram the king of Tyre, saying, "^(d)As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, so do for me.

Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, dedicating it to Him, ^(e)to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out ^(f)the showbread continually, and to offer ^(g)burnt offerings morning and evening, ^(h)on sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, this being required forever in Israel.

The house which I am about to build will be great, for ⁽ⁱ⁾greater is our God than all the gods.

But ^(j)who 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 ^[g]burn incense before Him?

Now ^(k)send 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 ^[h](l)whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

^(m)Send me also cedar, cypress and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber of Lebanon; and indeed ⁽ⁿ⁾my servants will work with your servants,

to prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful.

Now behold, ^(o)I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, 20,000 ^[i]kors of crushed wheat and 20,000 ^[j]kors of barley, and 20,000 baths of wine and 20,000 baths of oil."