1 Kings 5
1 Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
Hiram, the king of Tyre, also sent his servants to Solomon. For he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father. Now Hiram had been a friend to David the entire time.
2 And Solomon relayed this message to Hiram:
Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:
3 “As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet.
“You know the will of my father David, and that he was not able to build a house to the name of the Lord his God, because of the wars that were imminent all around him, until the Lord set them under the steps of his feet.
4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis.
But now the Lord my God has given rest to me on all sides. And there is no adversary, nor occurrence of evil.
5 So behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’
For this reason, I intend to build a temple to the name of the Lord my God, just as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying: ‘Your son, whom I will set in your place, upon your throne, he himself shall build a house to my name.’
6 Now therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”
Therefore, order that your servants may cut down for me cedars from Lebanon. And let my servants be with your servants. Then I will give to you, for the wages of your servants, whatever you will ask. For you know that there is not a man among my people who knows how to cut wood as well as the Sidonians.”
7 When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!”
Therefore, when Hiram had heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and he said, “Blessed be the Lord God this day, who gave to David a very wise son over this numerous people!”
8 Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying: “I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber.
And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: “I have heard the things that you would entrust to me. And I will do your whole will concerning the cedar trees and spruce trees.
9 My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”
My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. And I will arrange them together as rafts on the sea, as far as the place that you will indicate to me. And I will land them there, and you will take them. And you shall offer to me what is necessary to give food to my house.”
10 So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,
And so, Hiram gave to Solomon cedar trees and spruce trees, in accord with his whole will.
11 and year after year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil.
Then Solomon offered to Hiram twenty thousand cor of wheat, as food for his house, and twenty cor of the purest oil. These things Solomon gave as a tribute to Hiram every year.
12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.
And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as he said to him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two struck a pact.
13 Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel.
And king Solomon chose workers from all of Israel, and the conscription was of thirty thousand men.
14 He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.
And he sent them into Lebanon, ten thousand each month, in turns, so that for two months they were in their own houses. And Adoniram was over this type of conscription.
15 Solomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains,
And Solomon had seventy thousand of those who were carrying burdens, and eighty thousand of those who cut stones from the mountain,
16 not including his 3,300 foremen who supervised the workers.
aside from the commanders who were over each work, in number three thousand and three hundred, who gave orders to the people and to those who were doing the work.
17 And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.
And the king ordered them to bring great stones, precious stones, for the foundation of the temple, and to square them.
18 So Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.
And these were shaped by the stoneworkers of Solomon and the stoneworkers of Hiram. And the men of Gebal also prepared the wood and the stones in order to build the house.
