2 Chronicles 2

1 Now it was Solomon's purpose to put up a house for the name of the Lord and a house for himself as king.

Forsothe Salomon demyde to bilde an hows to the name of the Lord, and a paleis to hym silf.

2 And Solomon had seventy thousand men numbered for transport, and eighty thousand for cutting stone in the mountains, and three thousand, six hundred as overseers.

And he noumbride seuenti thousynde of men berynge in schuldris, and fourescore thousynde that schulden kitte stoonys in hillis; and the souereyns of hem thre thousynde and sixe hundrid.

3 And Solomon sent to Huram, king of Tyre, saying, As you did for my father David, sending him cedar-trees for the building of his house,

And he sente to Iram, kyng of Tire, and seide, As thou didist with my fadir Dauid, and sentist to hym trees of cedre, that he schulde bilde to hym an hows, in which also he dwellide;

4 See! I am building a house for the name of the Lord my God, to be made holy to him, where perfumes of sweet spices will be burned before him, and the holy bread will be placed at all times, and burned offerings will be offered morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and at the new moons, and on the regular feasts of the Lord our God. This is a law for ever to Israel.

so do thou with me, that Y bilde an hows to the name of `my Lord God, and that Y halewe it, to brenne encense bifor hym, and to make odour of swete smellynge spiceries, and to euerlastynge settynge forth of looues, and to brent sacrifices in the morewtid and euentid, and in sabatis, and neomenyes, and solempnytees of `oure Lord God in to with outen ende, that ben comaundid to Israel.

5 And the house which I am building is to be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

For the hows which Y coueyte to bilde is greet; for `oure Lord God is greet ouer alle goddis.

6 But who may have strength enough to make a house for him, seeing that the heaven and the heaven of heavens are not wide enough to be his resting-place? who am I then to make a house for him? But I am building it only for the burning of perfume before him.

Who therfor may haue myyt to bilde a worthi hows to hym? For if heuene and the heuenes of heuenes moun not take hym, hou greet am Y, that Y may bilde `an hows to hym, but to this thing oonli, that encense be brent bifor hym?

7 So now send me an expert worker in gold and silver and brass and iron? in purple and red and blue, and in the cutting of all sorts of ornament, to be with the expert workmen who are here in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom my father David got together.

Therfor sende thou to me a lernd man, that can worche in gold, and siluer, bras, and yrun, purpur, rede silke, and iacynct; and that can graue in grauyng with these crafti men, which Y haue with me in Judee and Jerusalem, whiche Dauid, my fadir, made redi.

8 And send me cedar-trees, cypress-trees and sandal-wood from Lebanon, for, to my knowledge, your servants are expert wood-cutters in Lebanon; and my servants will be with yours,

But also sende thou to me cedre trees, and pyne trees, and thyne trees of the Liban; for Y woot, that thi seruauntis kunnen kitte trees of the Liban; and my seruauntis schulen be with thi seruauntis,

9 To get trees for me in great numbers, for the house which I am building is to be great and a wonder.

that ful many trees be maad redi to me; for the hows which Y coueyte to bilde is ful greet and noble.

10 And I will give as food to your servants, the wood-cutters, twenty thousand measures of grain, and twenty thousand measures of barley and twenty thousand measures of wine and twenty thousand measures of oil.

Ferthermore to thi seruauntis, werk men that schulen kitte trees, Y schal yyue in to meetis twenti thousynde chorus of whete, and so many chorus of barli, and twenti thousynde mesuris of oile, that ben clepid sata.

11 Then Huram, king of Tyre, sent Solomon an answer in writing, saying, Because of his love for his people the Lord has made you king over them.

Forsothe Iram, king of Tire, seide bi lettris whiche he sente to Salomon, For the Lord louyde his puple, therfor he made thee to regne on it.

12 And Huram said, Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, maker of heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, full of wisdom and good sense, to be the builder of a house for the Lord and a house for himself as king.

And he addide, seiynge, Blessid be the Lord God of Israel, that made heuene and erthe, which yaf to `Dauid the kyng a wijs sone, and lernd, and witti, and prudent, that he schulde bilde an hows to the Lord, and a paleis to hym silf.

13 And now I am sending you a wise and expert man, Huram who is as my father,

Therfor Y sente to thee a prudent man and moost kunnynge, Iram,

14 The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, whose father was a man of Tyre, an expert worker in gold and silver and brass and iron, in stone and wood, in purple and blue and fair linen and red, trained in the cutting of every sort of ornament and the invention of every sort of design; let him be given a place among your expert workmen and those of my lord, your father David.

my fadir, the sone of a womman of the lynage of Dan, whos fadir was a man of Tire; whiche Iram can worche in gold, and siluer, bras, and irun, and marble, and trees, also in purpur, and iacynct, and bijs, and rede silke; and which Iram can graue al grauyng, and fynde prudentli, what euer thing is nedeful in werk with thi crafti men, and with the crafti men of my lord Dauid, thi fadir.

15 So now let my lord send to his servants the grain and the oil and the wine as my lord has said;

Therfor, my lord, sende thou to thi seruauntis the whete, and barli, and oyle, and wyn, whiche thou bihiytist.

16 And we will have wood cut from Lebanon, as much as you have need of, and will send it to you on flat boats by sea to Joppa, and from there you may take it up to Jerusalem.

Sotheli we schulen kitte trees of the Liban, how many euere thou hast nedeful; and we schulen brynge tho in schippis bi the see in to Joppe; forsothe it schal be thin to lede tho ouer in to Jerusalem.

17 Then Solomon took the number of all the men from strange lands who were living in Israel, as his father David had done; there were a hundred and fifty-three thousand, six hundred.

Therfor Salomon noumbride alle men conuertid fro hethenesse, that weren in the lond of Israel, aftir the noumbryng which Dauid, his fadir, noumbride; and an hundrid thousynde and thre and fifti thousynde and sixe hundrid weren foundun.

18 Seventy thousand he put to the work of transport, eighty thousand to cutting stone in the mountains, and three thousand, six hundred as overseers to put the people to work.

And he made of hem seuenti thousynde, that schulden bere birthuns in schuldris, and `foure score thousynde, that schulden kitte stonys in hillis; sotheli he made thre thousynde and sixe hundrid souereyns of werkis of the puple.