Preparations for Building the Temple

¹Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

²He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.

³Solomon sent this message to Hiram king of Tyre:[#2:3 Hebrew Huram, a variant of also in verses 11 and 12]

¹¹Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:

¹²And Hiram added:

¹⁷Solomon took a census of all the foreigners residing in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600.

¹⁸He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.