2 Chronicles 2

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 And Solomon allocated seventy thousand men to be porters and eighty thousand to quarry in the hillsand three thousand six hundred overseers for them.	1 He conscripted seventy thousand men to carry stone and eighty thousand to cut the stone in the mountains, and over these he placed three thousand six hundred overseers.
2 And Solomon sent this message to Huram king of Tyre, 'Do as you did for my father David when yousent him cedars for him to build himself a palace to live in.	2 Moreover, Solomon sent this message to Huram, king of Tyre: "As you dealt with my father David, sending him cedars to build a house for his dwelling, so deal with me.
3 You see, I am building a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to acknowledge his holiness so thatperfumed incense may be burnt before him, the loaves of permanent offering be perpetual y laid out and theburnt offerings be made morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, New Moons and solemn festivals of Yahwehour God, as prescribed to Israel for ever;	3 I intend to build a house for the honor of the LORD, my God, and to consecrate it to him, for the burning of fragrant incense in his presence, for the perpetual display of the showbread, for holocausts morning and evening, and for the sabbaths, new moons, and festivals of the LORD, our God: such is Israel's perpetual obligation.
4 and the house which I am building must be large, for our God is greater than al gods;	4 And the house I intend to build must be large, for our God is greater than all other gods.
5 even so, who would not find it an impossible task to build a house for him, when the heavens and theheavens of the heavens cannot contain him? And who am I to build a house for him except to burn incensebefore him?	5 Yet who is really able to build him a house, since the heavens and even the highest heavens cannot contain him? And who am I that I should build him a house, unless it be to offer incense in his presence?
6 So now send me a man skil ed at working in gold, silver, bronze, iron, scarlet, crimson and violetmaterials, and who knows the art of engraving too; he is to work with my skil ed men in Judah and Jerusalem,whom my father David has provided.	6 Now, send me men skilled at work in gold, silver, bronze and iron, in purple, crimson, and violet fabrics, and who know how to do engraved work, to join the craftsmen who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David appointed.
7 Also send me cedar, juniper and algum trunks from the Lebanon, for I know that your servants knowthe art of fel ing timber in the Lebanon. And, my servants will work with your servants	7 Also send me boards of cedar, cypress and cabinet wood from Lebanon, for I realize that your servants know how to cut the wood of the Lebanon. My servants will labor with yours
8 in preparing a vast quantity of timber for me, since the house which I intend to build is to be of a size tomarvel at.	8 in order to prepare for me a great quantity of wood, since the house I intend to build must be lofty and wonderful.
9 Furthermore, for the upkeep of the woodcutters whom you employ to cut the timber, I shal providetwenty thousand kor of wheat, twenty thousand kor of barley, twenty thousand bat of wine and twenty thousandbat of oil.'	9 I will furnish as food for your servants, the hewers who cut the wood, twenty thousand kors of wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand measures of wine, and twenty thousand measures of oil."
10 In a letter sent to King Solomon, Huram king of Tyre replied, 'Because Yahweh loves his people hehas made you their king!'	10 Huram, king of Tyre, wrote an answer which he sent to Solomon: "Because the LORD loves his people, he has placed you over them as king."
11 Huram went on to say, 'Praised be Yahweh, God of Israel, who made heaven and earth and has givenKing David a wise son, endowed with discretion and discernment, to build a house for Yahweh and a palace inwhich to reign!-	11 He added: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, for having given King David a wise son of intelligence and understanding, who will build a house for the LORD and also a house for his royal estate.
12 I am now sending you a skil ed and intelligent man, Huram-Abi	12 I am now sending you a craftsman of great skill, Huram-abi,
13 the son of a Danite woman by a Tyrian father. He knows the arts of working in gold, silver, bronze,iron, stone, wood, scarlet, violet, fine linen and crimson materials, and is competent to carry out any kind ofengraving and to execute any design which may be entrusted to him, in col aboration with your skilled men andthose of my lord David, your father.	13 son of a Danite woman and of a father from Tyre; he knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze and iron, with stone and wood, with purple, violet, fine linen and crimson, and also how to do all kinds of engraved work and to devise every type of artistic work that may be given him and your craftsmen and the craftsmen of my lord David your father.
14 'So now let my lord send his servants the wheat, barley, oil and wine as promised	14 And now, let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, oil and wine which he has promised.
15 and we wil fel all the wood you need from Lebanon, and bring it you in rafts by sea to Jaffa; and it wilbe your responsibility to transport it to Jerusalem.'	15 For our part, we will cut trees on Lebanon, as many as you need, and float them down to you at the port of Joppa, whence you may take them up to Jerusalem."
16 Solomon then took a census of al the aliens resident in Israel similar to the census which his fatherDavid had taken; it was found that there were a hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.	16 Thereupon Solomon took a census of all the alien men who were in the land of Israel (following the census David his father had taken of them), who were found to number one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred.
17 He impressed seventy thousand of them as porters, eighty thousand as quarrymen in the hil s andthree thousand six hundred as overseers to make sure the people worked.	17 Of these he made seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand cutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred overseers to keep the people working.