Ruth the Moabite replied, “He even ¹  told me, ‘You may go along beside my servants ²  until they have finished gathering all my harvest!’” ³ 

A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.”

Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers, ¹  along with men from Byblos, ²  did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple. ³ 

They would then hand over ¹  the silver that had been weighed to the construction foremen ²  assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and builders to work on the Lord’s temple,

They gave money to the craftsmen and builders to buy chiseled stone and wood for the braces and rafters of the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into disrepair. ¹ 

Do you see a person skilled ¹  in his work? He will take his position before kings; he will not take his position ²  before obscure people. ³ 

The one who tends a fig tree ¹  will eat its fruit, ²  and whoever takes care of ³  his master will be honored.

For this is what the sovereign master ¹  has told me: “Within exactly one year ²  all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end.

Instead he will say, ‘I am no prophet – indeed, I am a farmer, for a man has made me his indentured servant since my youth.’ ¹ 

Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’ ¹ 

You learned the gospel ¹  from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave ²  – a ³  faithful minister of Christ on our ⁴  behalf –

“Now send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as purple, crimson, and violet colored fabrics, and who knows how to engrave. He will work with my skilled craftsmen here in Jerusalem ¹  and Judah, whom my father David provided.

The Lord showed me two baskets of figs sitting before his temple. This happened after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deported Jehoiakim’s son, King Jeconiah of Judah. He deported him and the leaders of Judah, along with the craftsmen and metal workers, and took them to Babylon. ¹ 

The magicians did the same ¹  with their secret arts and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt too. ² 

Those ¹  of Pharaoh’s servants who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their ²  servants and livestock into the houses,

but those ¹  who did not take ²  the word of the Lord seriously left their servants and their cattle ³  in the field.

Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers ¹  and 80,000 stonecutters ²  in the hills,

The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. ¹ 

including craftsmen, builders, and masons, and should buy wood and chiseled stone for the repair work. ¹ 

in using gold, silver, bronze, and iron. ¹  Get up and begin the work! May the Lord be with you!”