Preparations for the Temple (2 Chronicles 2:1–10)
1 UDB Hiram, the king of the city of Tyre, had always been a close friend of King David. When he heard that Solomon had been appointed to become the king after his father was no longer king, he sent messengers to Solomon. BSB BSB: Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
2 UDB Solomon gave those messengers this message to take back to Hiram: BSB BSB: And Solomon relayed this message to Hiram:
3 UDB "You know that my father David led his soldiers to fight many wars against his enemies in the nearby countries. So he could not try to build a temple in which we could worship Yahweh our God until after Yahweh enabled the Israelite army to defeat all his enemies. BSB BSB: “As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet.
4 UDB But now Yahweh our God has enabled us to have peace with all the surrounding countries. There is no danger that we will be attacked. BSB BSB: But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis.
5 UDB Yahweh promised my father David, 'Your son, whom I will enable to be king after you are no longer king, will build a temple for me, Yahweh your God.' BSB BSB: So behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’
6 UDB So I am requesting that you command your workers to cut cedar trees for me. My men will work with them, and I will pay your workers whatever you decide. But my men cannot do the work alone, because they do not know how to cut down trees like your workers from the city of Sidon do." BSB BSB: Now therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”
Hiram’s Reply to Solomon (2 Chronicles 2:11–18)
7 UDB When Hiram heard the message from Solomon, he was very happy and said, "I praise Yahweh today for giving David a very wise son to rule that great nation!" BSB BSB: When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!”
8 UDB He sent this message back to Solomon, "I have heard the message that you sent to me, and I am ready to do what you ask. I will provide cedar and cypress logs. BSB BSB: Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying: “I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber.
9 UDB My workers will bring the logs down from the Lebanon mountains to the Mediterranean Sea. Then they will tie them together to make rafts to float them in the water along the coast to the place that you indicate. Then my workers will untie the logs, and your workers will take them from there. What I want you to do is to supply food for my men." BSB BSB: My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”
10 UDB So Hiram arranged for his workers to supply all the cedar and cypress logs that Solomon wanted. BSB BSB: So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,
11 UDB Each year Solomon gave Hiram 4,400 cubic meters of wheat and 440 cubic meters of pure olive oil to feed his workers. BSB BSB: and year after year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil.
12 UDB Yahweh enabled Solomon to be wise, just as he had promised. Solomon and Hiram made a treaty. BSB BSB: And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.
Solomon’s Labor Force 13 UDB King Solomon forced thirty thousand men from all over Israel to become his workers. BSB BSB: Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel.
14 UDB Adoniram was their boss. Solomon divided the men into three groups. Each month, ten thousand of them went to Lebanon and worked for a month there, and then they came back home for two months. BSB BSB: He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.
15 UDB Solomon also forced eighty thousand men to cut stones in the hill country and seventy thousand men to haul the stones to Jerusalem. BSB BSB: Solomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains,
16 UDB He also assigned 3,300 men to supervise their work. BSB BSB: not including his 3,300 foremen who supervised the workers.
17 UDB The king also commanded his workers to cut huge blocks of stones from the quarries and to smooth the sides of the stones. These huge stones were for the foundation of the temple. BSB BSB: And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.
18 UDB Solomon's workers and Hiram's workers and men from the city of Byblos shaped the stones and prepared the timber to build the temple. BSB BSB: So Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.
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