1 Solomon resolved to build a house for the name of the LORD and a palace for his kingdom. 2 He assigned seventy thousand men to carry loads, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the hill country, and thirty-six hundred to oversee them.

3 Solomon sent this message to Huram king of Tyre: “Deal with me as you did with my father David, when you sent him cedar to build a house to live in. 4 I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God and dedicate it to him, to burn fragrant incense before him, to set out the bread continually, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, at the new moons, and at the appointed festivals of the LORD our God. This is Israel's duty forever. 5 The house I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 6 But who is able to build a house for him, since heaven, even the highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build him a house, except as a place to burn incense before him? 7 Now send me a man skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, and purple, crimson, and blue cloth, who knows how to engrave. He will work with the skilled craftsmen here with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided. 8 Also send me cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know your servants are skilled at cutting timber in Lebanon. My servants will work with yours 9 to prepare an abundance of timber for me, for the house I am building will be great and magnificent. 10 I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the timber, about a hundred thousand bushels of crushed wheat, about a hundred thousand bushels of barley, about a hundred and ten thousand gallons of wine, and about a hundred and ten thousand gallons of oil.”

11 Huram king of Tyre replied in a letter he sent to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you king over them.” 12 Huram also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with insight and understanding, who will build a house for the LORD and a palace for his kingdom. 13 Now I am sending Huram-abi, a skilled man endowed with understanding. 14 He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, wood, purple and blue cloth, fine linen, and crimson cloth. He can make every kind of engraving and work out any design assigned to him, working with your skilled craftsmen and those of my lord David your father. 15 Now let my lord send his servants the wheat, barley, oil, and wine he promised. 16 We will cut as much timber from Lebanon as you need and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa. You will take it up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon counted all the foreign men residing in the land of Israel, after the census his father David had taken of them. There were a hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred. 18 Of these he assigned seventy thousand to carry loads, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the hill country, and thirty-six hundred as supervisors to direct the people's work.