וַיִּסְפֹּר שְׁלֹמֹה שִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף אִישׁ סַבָּל וּשְׁמוֹנִים אֶלֶף אִישׁ חֹצֵב בָּהָר וּמְנַצְּחִים עֲלֵיהֶם שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת

Solomon mustered and organized seventy thousand porters, whose job was to carry the stones for the Temple, and an additional eighty thousand quarrymen in the mountains, and supervising them were three thousand six hundred. Those appointed to supervisory roles were apparently men who enjoyed prominent social status in Israel, e.g., Yorovam son of Nevat, who would ultimately establish the independent Kingdom of Israel after King Solomon’s death.

וַיִּשְׁלַח שְׁלֹמֹה אֶל־חוּרָם מֶלֶךְ־צֹר לֵאמֹר כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ עִם־דָּוִיד אָבִי וַתִּשְׁלַח־לוֹ אֲרָזִים לִבְנוֹת־לוֹ בַיִת לָשֶׁבֶת בּוֹ

Solomon sent to Huram king of Tyre, saying: As you did with David my father, and you sent him cedars to build himself a house in which to dwell,

הִנֵּה אֲנִי בוֹנֶה־בַּיִת לְשֵׁם ה' אֱלֹהָי לְהַקְדִּישׁ לוֹ לְהַקְטִיר לְפָנָיו קְטֹרֶת־סַמִּים וּמַעֲרֶכֶת תָּמִיד וְעֹלוֹת לַבֹּקֶר וְלָעֶרֶב לַשַּׁבָּתוֹת וְלֶחֳדָשִׁים וּלְמוֹעֲדֵי ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְעוֹלָם זֹאת עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל

behold, I am building a house for the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to Him, to exalt His name, and to burn before Him incense of spices, and a continual arrangement of the showbread, and burnt offerings for the morning and for the evening, for Sabbaths and for the New Moons, and for the appointed times of the Lord our God. This is a worship ritual incumbent upon Israel forever.

וְהַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי בוֹנֶה גָּדוֹל כִּי־גָדוֹל אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִכָּל־הָאֱלֹהִים

The house that I am building is great, as our God is greater than all the gods.

וּמִי יַעֲצָר־כֹּחַ לִבְנוֹת־לוֹ בַיִת כִּי הַשָּׁמַיִם וּשְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם לֹא יְכַלְכְּלֻהוּ וּמִי אֲנִי אֲשֶׁר אֶבְנֶה־לּוֹ בַיִת ! כִּי אִם לְהַקְטִיר לְפָנָיו

Who indeed has the capacity to build Him a house, as the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? I am certainly not trying to build a place in which God will dwell. Who am I that I should build Him a house, except only that I desire to burn offerings there before Him. The Temple does not constrict the place of God, which is impossible; rather, it is to serve as a place to worship Him.

וְעַתָּה שְׁלַח־לִי אִישׁ־חָכָם לַעֲשׂוֹת בַּזָּהָב וּבַכֶּסֶף וּבַנְּחֹשֶׁת וּבַבַּרְזֶל וּבָאַרְגְּוָן וְכַרְמִיל וּתְכֵלֶת וְיֹדֵעַ לְפַתֵּחַ פִּתּוּחִים עִם־הַחֲכָמִים אֲשֶׁר עִמִּי בִּיהוּדָה וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר הֵכִין דָּוִיד אָבִי

Now send me a wise man who is able to craft with the gold, and with the silver, and with the bronze, and with the iron, and with the purple [argevan],wool dyed reddish-purple, the same as the more common term argaman, and the crimsonand sky-blue wool, and knows how to engrave engravings, to be working with the wise men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father prepared. David trained experts who could perform the work for the Temple, and now Solomon requires an executive director for the project.

וּשְׁלַח־לִי עֲצֵי אֲרָזִים בְּרוֹשִׁים וְאַלְגּוּמִּים מֵהַלְּבָנוֹן כִּי אֲנִי יָדַעְתִּי אֲשֶׁר עֲבָדֶיךָ יוֹדְעִים לִכְרוֹת עֲצֵי לְבָנוֹן וְהִנֵּה עֲבָדַי עִם־עֲבָדֶיךָ

Send me cedar, juniper, and sandalwood [algumim] trees from Lebanon. The precise identity of this wood, which grows in Lebanon, is unclear, but it is certainly not coral, which is almogim in modern Hebrew. As I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon properly; behold, my servants are sent with your expert servants

ולְהָכִין לִי עֵצִים לָרֹב כִּי הַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי בוֹנֶה גָּדוֹל וְהַפְלֵא

to prepare me timber in abundance, for the house that I am building will be exceedingly great and wondrous. That is why I need so much material.

וְהִנֵּה לַחֹטְבִים לְכֹרְתֵי הָעֵצִים נָתַתִּי חִטִּים מַכּוֹת לעֲבָדֶיךָ כֹּרִים עֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף וּשְׂעֹרִים כֹּרִים עֶשְׂרִים אָלֶף וְיַיִן בַּתִּים עֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף וְשֶׁמֶן בַּתִּים עֶשְׂרִים אָלֶף

Behold, for the hewers, for the cutters of the trees, I have given to all your servants twenty thousand kor of crushed wheat, and I will give twenty thousand kor of barley; a kor is a measure of volume of more than 210 L, and twenty thousand bat of wine; a bat is a liquid measurement which is one-tenth of a kor, and twenty thousand bat of oil. Solomon speaks respectfully, employing diplomatic formulations. He clarifies to Huram that he is not asking for a gift or collecting a tax. Rather, he intends to pay for the work with agricultural produce. In later periods as well, Judah, like the Land of Israel in general, was an exporter of grain and oils.

וַיֹּאמֶר חוּרָם מֶלֶךְ־צֹר בִּכְתָב וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹה בְּאַהֲבַת ה' אֶת־עַמּוֹ נְתָנְךָ עֲלֵיהֶם מֶלֶךְ

Huram was pleased with Solomon’s friendly tone, and with the fact that so significant a client had approached him. Huram king of Tyre stated in writing, and sent to Solomon: In the love of the Lord of His people, He placed you king over them.

וַיֹּאמֶר חוּרָם בָּרוּךְ ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לְדָוִיד הַמֶּלֶךְ בֵּן חָכָם יוֹדֵעַ שֵׂכֶל וּבִינָה אֲשֶׁר יִבְנֶה־בַּיִת לַה' וּבַיִת לְמַלְכוּתוֹ

Huram said: Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth, who gave King David a wise son, endowed with sagacity and understanding, who will build a house for the Lord, and a house, palace, for his kingdom.

וְעַתָּה שָׁלַחְתִּי אִישׁ־חָכָם יוֹדֵעַ בִּינָה לְחוּרָם אָבִי

Now I have sent a wise man, endowed with understanding, the distinguished Huram. He shared the same name as the king himself, as Huram was apparently not an unusual name.

בֶּן־אִשָּׁה מִן־בְּנוֹת דָּן וְאָבִיו אִישׁ־צֹרִי יוֹדֵעַ לַעֲשׂוֹת בַּזָּהָב־ וּבַכֶּסֶף בַּנְּחֹשֶׁת בַּבַּרְזֶל בָּאֲבָנִים וּבָעֵצִים בָּאַרְגָּמָן בַּתְּכֵלֶת וּבַבּוּץ וּבַכַּרְמִיל וּלְפַתֵּחַ כָּל־פִּתּוּחַ וְלַחְשֹׁב כָּל־מַחֲשָׁבֶת אֲשֶׁר יִנָּתֶן־לוֹ עִם־חֲכָמֶיךָ וְחַכְמֵי אֲדֹנִי דָּוִיד אָבִיךָ

This Huram is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and thus he is basically one of your own, and his father is a man of Tyre. He is one knowledgeable to work with the gold, with the silver, with the bronze, with the iron, with the stones, with the wood, with the purple wool, with the sky-blue wool, with fine linen, with crimson wool, to engrave all engravings, and to devise all designs; to prepare all types of craftsmanship that will be given him. He has the skills to oversee and work with your wise men, and with the wise men of my lord David your father. He is certainly qualified to be appointed as your supervisor.

וְעַתָּה הַחִטִּים וְהַשְּׂעֹרִים הַשֶּׁמֶן וְהַיַּיִן אֲשֶׁר־אָמַר אֲדֹנִי יִשְׁלַח לַעֲבָדָיו

Now, the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants, to the workers in your service. We accept your terms, and you can begin remitting the payments;

וַאֲנַחְנוּ נִכְרֹת עֵצִים מִן־הַלְּבָנוֹן כְּכָל־צָרְכֶּךָ וּנְבִיאֵם לְךָ רַפְסֹדוֹת עַל־יָם יָפוֹ וְאַתָּה תַּעֲלֶה אֹתָם יְרוּשָׁלִָם

and we will cut timber from Lebanon, in accordance with all your needs; and rather than transporting them on dry land, a complicated and expensive procedure, we will bring them to you on rafts, by sea to Yafo, the port city nearest to Jerusalem; and you will merely need to take it up from Yafo to Jerusalem.

וַיִּסְפֹּר שְׁלֹמֹה כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁים הַגֵּירִים אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי הַסְּפָר אֲשֶׁר סְפָרָם דָּוִיד אָבִיו וַיִּמָּצְאוּ מֵאָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת

Solomon counted all the foreign men who were in the Land of Israel, after the count that David his father had counted them, since their number might have changed; and they were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.

וַיַּעַשׂ מֵהֶם שִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף סַבָּל וּשְׁמֹנִים אֶלֶף חֹצֵב בָּהָר וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת מְנַצְּחִים לְהַעֲבִיד אֶת־הָעָם

He tasked from them seventy thousand porters, and eighty thousand quarrymen in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred would supervise, as managers appointed to work the people.