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。」
3 Solomon sent this message
to Hiram 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 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 of ground wheat, twenty thousand
cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand
baths of olive oil.”
****************
所羅門透過使者向泰爾王希蘭說明建造聖殿的目的和需要的資源,因為在從前大衛建造宮殿時,也受到他們的幫助。
在過去的歷史,關於泰爾有如此的說明:古代腓尼基人的主要海港之一,位於耶路撒冷北方約150公里 ,的一個小島之上。它除了在當時的航海商業中扮演極重要的角色之外,紡織和染色工業,以及香柏木出口,都是此處著名的產業。泰爾非常仰賴以色列的農產品供應,以色列也控制內陸到推羅的商業大道。因此泰爾王是最早承認大衛王的君王。
也因為這樣,所羅門王就需要運用到泰爾王希蘭來幫忙,所以所羅門藉由建聖殿來做宣教。這也告訴我們,宣教不一定是我們提供物品給人,也可以向提供物品給我們的人呢!