Preparations for Building the Temple
(1 Kings 5.1-18)1 King Solomon decided to build a temple where the Lord would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself. 2 He put 70,000 men to work transporting materials, and 80,000 to work cutting stone in the hill country. There were 3,600 others responsible for supervising the work.
3 Solomon sent a message to King Hiram of Tyre: “Do business with me as you did with my father, King David, when you sold him cedar logs for building his palace. 4 I am building a temple to honor the Lord my God. It will be a holy place where my people and I will worship him by burning incense of fragrant spices, where we will present offerings of sacred bread to him continuously, and where we will offer burnt offerings every morning and evening, as well as on Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and other holy days honoring the Lord our God. He has commanded Israel to do this forever. 5 I intend to build a great temple, because our God is greater than any other god. 6 Yet no one can really build a temple for God, because even all the vastness of heaven cannot contain him. How then can I build a temple that would be anything more than a place to burn incense to God? 7 Now send me a man with skill in engraving, in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in making blue, purple, and red cloth. He will work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem whom my father David selected. 8 I know how skillful your lumbermen are, so send me cedar, cypress, and juniper logs from Lebanon. I am ready to send my men to assist yours 9 in preparing large quantities of timber, because this temple I intend to build will be large and magnificent. 10 As provisions for your lumbermen, I will send you 100,000 bushels of wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”
11 King Hiram sent Solomon a letter in reply. He wrote, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king. 12 Praise the Lord God of Israel, Creator of heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, full of understanding and skill, who now plans to build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself. 13 I am sending you a wise and skillful master metalworker named Huram. 14 His mother was a member of the tribe of Dan and his father was a native of Tyre. He knows how to make things out of gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood. He can work with blue, purple, and red cloth, and with linen. He can do all sorts of engraving and can follow any design suggested to him. Let him work with your skilled workers and with those who worked for your father, King David. 15 So now send us the wheat, barley, wine, and olive oil that you promised. 16 In the mountains of Lebanon we will cut down all the cedars you need, tie them together in rafts, and float them by sea as far as Joppa. From there you can take them to Jerusalem.”
Construction of the Temple Begins
(1 Kings 6.1-38)17 King Solomon took a census of all the foreigners living in the land of Israel, similar to the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 resident foreigners. 18 He assigned 70,000 of them to transport materials and 80,000 to cut stones in the mountains, and appointed 3,600 supervisors to make sure the work was done.
Gatavošanās tempļa celšanai
(1Ķēn 5:15–32)1 Septiņdesmit tūkstošus vīru Sālamans norīkoja par nastu nesējiem un astoņdesmit tūkstošus – par akmeņkaļiem kalnos. Tos pārraudzīja trīs tūkstoši seši simti uzraugu.
2 Sālamans sūtīja pie Tīras ķēniņa Hūrāma un sacīja: “Dari tāpat, kā darīji manam tēvam Dāvidam – tu sūtīji viņam ciedrus, lai viņš var uzcelt sev namu, kur dzīvot. 3 Redzi, es ceļu namu, kas svētīts Kunga, mana Dieva, vārdam, lai tur viņa priekšā kvēpinātu vīraku un vienmēr tur atrastos upurmaize, lai tur pienestu sadedzināmos upurus rītos un vakaros, sabatā un jaunā mēnesī, un visos svētkos, ko Kungs, mūsu Dievs, uz mūžiem noteicis Israēlam. 4 Nams, ko es ceļu, ir liels, jo mūsu Dievs ir lielāks par visiem dieviem! 5 Kurš gan spēj viņam uzcelt namu? Pat visas debesis nespēj viņu aptvert! Kas gan esmu es, ka ceļu viņam namu, lai kvēpinātu viņa priekšā?! 6 Tad nu sūti man gudru vīru, kas prot apstrādāt zeltu, sudrabu, varu un dzelzi, kā arī purpura, karmīna un purpurzilus audumus, un sūti arī tādu, kas prastu gravēt, – lai tas strādā kopā ar maniem strādniekiem no Jūdas un Jeruzālemes, kurus apmācījis mans tēvs Dāvids. 7 Sūti man arī ciedru kokus, cipreses un sarkankoku no Lebanona, jo es zinu, ka tavi kalpi prot cirst Lebanona kokus; redzi, mani kalpi būs kopā ar taviem kalpiem, 8 tie sagatavos daudz koku, jo nams, ko es ceļu, būs liels un brīnišķīgs! 9 Redzi, taviem kalpiem, koku cirtējiem, es došu divdesmit tūkstošus koru vētītu kviešu, divdesmit tūkstošus koru miežu, divdesmit tūkstošus batu vīna un divdesmit tūkstošus batu eļļas.”
10 Tīras ķēniņš Hūrāms sūtīja Sālamanam atbildes vēstuli: “Tādēļ ka Kungs mīl savu tautu, viņš tevi tai iecēlis par ķēniņu!” 11 Hūrāms sacīja: “Slavēts Kungs, Israēla Dievs, kurš darinājis debesis un zemi, kurš ķēniņam Dāvidam devis gudru, zinīgu un apdomīgu dēlu – tas uzcels namu Kungam un sev valdnieka namu! 12 Re, es sūtu gudru, zinīgu un prasmīgu vīru – Hūrām-Abī, 13 viņa māte ir no Dāna meitām, viņa tēvs ir tīrietis, viņš prot apstrādāt zeltu, sudrabu, varu un dzelzi, akmeņus un koku un purpura, purpurzila, smalka lina un karmīna audumu un prot gravēt – viņš pratīs ikvienu sarežģītu darbu, kāds viņam tiks dots, un strādās kopā ar taviem amatniekiem un mana kunga Dāvida, tava tēva, amatniekiem. 14 Tad nu sūti saviem kalpiem to, ko mans kungs teicis, – kviešus, miežus, eļļu un vīnu, 15 un mēs nocirtīsim Lebanonā tik koku, cik vien tev vajag, un aizpludināsim tos pa jūru uz Jafu, un tu tos nogādāsi Jeruzālemē.”
16 Sālamans saskaitīja visus svešiniekus, kas dzīvoja Israēla zemē, salīdzinādams ar skaitu, ko bija saskaitījis viņa tēvs Dāvids, un tagad to bija simts piecdesmit trīs tūkstoši seši simti. 17 No tiem septiņdesmit tūkstošus viņš iedalīja par kravu nesējiem, astoņdesmit tūkstošus akmeņu plēšanai kalnos un trīs tūkstošus seši simti par ļaužu darba uzraugiem.
