1Forsooth Solomon deemed, or purposed, to build an house to the name of the Lord, and a palace to himself.

2And he numbered seventy thousand of men bearing burdens in shoulders, and fourscore thousand that should cut, or hew, stones in hills; and the sovereigns of them were three thousand and six hundred.

3And Solomon sent to Hiram ⁰, the king of Tyre, and said, As thou didest with my father David, and sentest him trees of cedar, that he should build to him an house, in which also he dwelled; so do thou with me,

4that I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, and that I hallow it, to burn incense before him, and to make odour of sweet smelling spiceries, and to [the] everlasting setting forth of loaves, and to [the] burnt sacrifices in the morrowtide and eventide, and in [the] sabbaths, and new moons, that is, feasts in the beginnings of months, and in solemnities of the Lord our God into without end, which observ-ances and hallowings be commanded to Israel.

5For the house which I covet to build is great; forsooth the Lord our God is great over all gods.

6Who therefore may have might to build a worthy house to him? For if heaven and heavens of heavens may not take, or hold, him, how great am I, that I may build an house to him, but to this thing only, that incense be burnt there before him?

7Therefore send thou to me a learned man, that can work in gold, and in silver, in brass, and iron, in purple, and in red silk, and in jacinth; and that can engrave engraving with these craftsmen, which I have with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, the which men David, my father, before made ready.

8But also send thou to me cedar trees, and pine trees, and thyine trees of the Lebanon; for I know, that thy servants can cut trees of the Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants,

9that full many trees be made ready to me; for the house which I covet to build is full great and noble.

10Furthermore to thy servants, work-men that shall cut trees, I shall give into meats twenty thousand cors of wheat, and so many cors of barley, and twenty thousand measures of oil, that be called baths.

11And Hiram, king of Tyre, said by letters which he sent to Solomon, For the Lord [hath] loved his people, there-fore he hath made thee to reign upon it.

12And Hiram added to, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, which hath given to king David a wise son, and learned, and witting, and prudent, that he should build an house to the Lord, and a palace to himself.

13Therefore I have sent to thee a prudent man and most knowing, Hiram ¹, my father,

14the son of a woman of the lineage of Dan, whose father was a man of Tyre; the which Hiram can work in gold, and silver, in brass, and in iron, and in marble, and in trees, also in purple, and jacinth, and bis, and in red silk; and the which Hiram can engrave in all engraving, and can find prudently, whatever thing is needful in work with thy craftsmen, and with the craftsmen of my lord David, thy father.

15Therefore, my lord, send thou to thy servants the wheat, and barley, and oil, and wine, which thou hast promised.

16And we shall cut down trees of the Lebanon, how many ever thou hast need of; and we shall bring those trees in ships by the sea into Joppa; and it shall be thine doing to lead those [or them] over into Jerusalem.

17Then Solomon numbered all men converted from heathenness, that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering that David, his father, had numbered; and an hundred thousand and three and fifty thousand and six hundred were found of them.

18And he made of them seventy thousand, that should bear burdens on their shoulders, and fourscore thousand, that should cut, or hew, stones in hills; and he made three thousand and six hundred sovereigns of [the] works of the people.