2:1 所羅門定意要為耶和華的名建造殿宇，又為自己的國建造宮室。
2:2 所羅門就挑選七萬扛抬的，八萬在山上鑿石頭的，三千六百督工的。
2:3 所羅門差人去見泰爾王希蘭，說：「你曾運香柏木與我父大衛建宮居住，求你也這樣待我。
2:4 我要為耶和華─我上帝的名建造殿宇，分別為聖獻給他，在他面前焚燒美香，常擺陳設餅，每早晚、安息日、月朔，並耶和華─我們上帝所定的節期獻燔祭。這是以色列人永遠的定例。
2:5 我所要建造的殿宇甚大；因為我們的上帝至大，超乎諸神。
2:6 天和天上的天，尚且不足他居住的，誰能為他建造殿宇呢？我是誰？能為他建造殿宇嗎？不過在他面前燒香而已。
2:7 現在求你差一個巧匠來，就是善用金、銀、銅、鐵，和紫色、朱紅色、藍色線，並精於雕刻之工的巧匠，與我父大衛在猶大和耶路撒冷所預備的巧匠一同做工；
2:8 又求你從黎巴嫩運些香柏木、松木、檀香木到我這裡來，因我知道你的僕人善於砍伐黎巴嫩的樹木。我的僕人也必與你的僕人同工。
2:9 這樣，可以給我預備許多的木料，因我要建造的殿宇高大出奇。
2:10 你的僕人砍伐樹木，我必給他們打好了的小麥二萬歌珥，大麥二萬歌珥，酒二萬罷特，油二萬罷特。」
2:11 泰爾王希蘭寫信回答所羅門說：「耶和華因為愛他的子民，所以立你作他們的王」；
2:12 又說：「創造天地的耶和華─以色列的上帝是應當稱頌的！他賜給大衛王一個有智慧的兒子，使他有謀略聰明，可以為耶和華建造殿宇，又為自己的國建造宮室。
2:13 「現在我打發一個精巧有聰明的人去，他是我父親希蘭所用的，
2:14 是但支派一個婦人的兒子。他父親是泰爾人，他善用金、銀、銅、鐵、石、木，和紫色、藍色、朱紅色線與細麻製造各物，並精於雕刻，又能想出各樣的巧工。請你派定這人，與你的巧匠和你父─我主大衛的巧匠一同做工。
2:15 我主所說的小麥、大麥、酒、油，願我主運來給眾僕人。
2:16 我們必照你所需用的，從黎巴嫩砍伐樹木，紮成筏子，浮海運到約帕；你可以從那裡運到耶路撒冷。」
2:17 所羅門仿照他父大衛數點住在以色列地所有寄居的外邦人，共有十五萬三千六百名；
2:18 使七萬人扛抬材料，八萬人在山上鑿石頭，三千六百人督理工作。
Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself. 2 He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.
3 Solomon sent this message to Hiram[b] king of Tyre:
“Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. 4 Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.
5 “The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?
7 “Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided.
8 “Send me also cedar, juniper and algum[c] logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours 9 to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. 10 I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors[d] of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors[e] of barley, twenty thousand baths[f] of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.”
11 Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:
“Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.”
12 And Hiram added:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.
13 “I am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill, 14 whose mother was from Dan and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father.
15 “Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil and wine he promised, 16 and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”
17 Solomon 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. 18 He 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.
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在所羅門時代以色列開始有國際貿易的進行，是由聖殿的建造所帶動出來的，這是因著信仰而來的附加價值。由此可見信仰也是促進國家社會成長的力量之一，是不容小歔的！
我們不要受唯物主義的影響，以為只有勞力的生產才能促進經濟，經濟的進步是有許多因素的！但是，最重要的是人要敬畏上帝，上帝就會將一切的豐盛賞賜在人的中間。
主耶穌也將這樣的應許賜給祂的子民，主耶穌說：「盜賊來，無非要偷竊，殺害，毀壞；我來了，是要叫羊（或譯：人）得生命，並且得的更豐盛。」(約翰福音10:10)
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