1 Kings 5
1 Hiram, the king of Tyre [city], had always been a close friend of King David. When he heard that Solomon had been appointed to become the king after his father was no longer king, he sent some messengers to Solomon [to congratulate him].
And Hiram King of Tyrus sent his seruants vnto Salomon, (for he had heard, that they had anoynted him King in the roume of his father) because Hiram had euer loued Dauid.
2 Solomon [gave those messengers] this message to take back to Hiram:
Also Salomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3 “You know that my father David [led his soldiers to] fight many wars against his enemies in the nearby countries. So he could not [arrange to] build a temple in which we [MTY] could worship Yahweh our God, until after Yahweh enabled [the Israeli army] to defeat [IDM] all his enemies.
Thou knowest that Dauid my father could not build an house vnto the Name of the Lord his God, for the warres which were about him on euery side, vntill the Lord had put them vnder the soles of his feete.
4 But now Yahweh our God has enabled us to have peace with all the surrounding countries. [(There is no danger that/We do not need to worry that)] we will be attacked.
But now the Lord my God hath giuen me rest on euery side, so that there is neither aduersarie, nor euill to resist.
5 Yahweh promised my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will enable to be king after you are no longer king, will build a temple for me [MTY].’ Because of that, I have decided to build a temple in which we can worship [MTY] Yahweh our God.
And beholde, I purpose to build an house vnto ye Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake vnto Dauid my father, saying, Thy sonne, whom I wil set vpon thy throne for thee, he shall build an house vnto my Name.
6 “So [I am requesting that] you command your workers to cut cedar trees for me. My men will work with them, and I will pay your workers whatever you decide. [But] my men [cannot do the work alone, ] because they do not know how to cut down trees like your workers from Sidon [city] do.”
Now therefore commaund, that they hewe me cedar trees out of Lebanon, and my seruants shall be with thy seruants, and vnto thee will I giue the hire for thy seruants, according to all that thou shalt appoynt: for thou knowest that there are none among vs, that can hewe timber like vnto the Sidonians.
7 When Hiram heard the message from Solomon, he was very happy and said, “I praise Yahweh today for giving David a very wise son to rule that great nation!”
And when Hiram heard the wordes of Salomon, he reioyced greatly, and sayde, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath giuen vnto Dauid a wise sonne ouer this mightie people.
8 He sent this message back to Solomon: “I have heard the message that you sent to me, and I am ready to do what you ask. I will provide cedar and cypress logs.
And Hiram sent to Salomon, saying, I haue considered the things, for the which thou sentest vnto me, and will accomplish all thy desire, concerning the cedar trees and firre trees.
9 My workers will bring the logs down from [the] Lebanon [mountains] to the [Mediterranean] sea. Then they will [tie them together to] make rafts to float them [in the water] along the coast to the place that you indicate. Then my workers will untie the logs, and your workers will take them from there. What I want you to do is to supply food for the people who work in my palace.”
My seruants shall bring them downe from Lebanon to the sea: and I will conuey them by sea in raftes vnto the place that thou shalt shew me, and wil cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receiue them: nowe thou shalt doe mee a pleasure to minister foode for my familie.
10 So Hiram [arranged for his workers to] supply all the cedar and cypress logs that Solomon wanted.
So Hiram gaue Salomon cedar trees and firre trees, euen his full desire.
11 Each year Solomon gave Hiram 100,000 bushels of wheat and 110,000 gallons of pure [olive] oil to feed the people who worked in his palace.
And Salomon gaue Hiram twentie thousand measures of wheate for foode to his householde, and twentie measures of beaten oyle. Thus much gaue Salomon to Hiram yere by yere.
12 Yahweh enabled Solomon to be wise, just like he had promised. Solomon and Hiram made a treaty/agreement that there would be peace between their [two governments/countries].
And the Lord gaue Salomon wisedome as he promised him. And there was peace betweene Hiram and Salomon, and they two made a couenant.
13 King Solomon forced 30,000 men from all over Israel to become his workers.
And King Salomon raised a summe out of all Israel, and the summe was thirtie thousand men:
14 Adoniram was their boss. Solomon divided the men into three groups. Each month 10,000 of them went to Lebanon and worked for a month there, and then they came back home for two months.
Whome he sent to Lebanon, ten thousand a moneth by course: they were a moneth in Lebanon, and two moneths at home. And Adoniram was ouer the summe.
15 Solomon also forced 80,000 men to cut stones in the hilly area and 70,000 men to haul the stones [to Jerusalem].
And Salomon had seuentie thousand that bare burdens, and fourescore thousand masons in the mountaine,
16 And he also assigned 3,600 men to supervise their work.
Besides the princes, whome Salomon appoynted ouer the worke, euen three thousande and three hundreth, which ruled the people that wrought in the worke.
17 The king also commanded his workers to cut huge blocks of stones from the quarries and to smooth the sides of the stones. Those huge stones were for the foundation of the temple.
And the King commanded them, and they brought great stones and costly stones to make the foundation of the house, euen hewed stones.
18 Solomon’s workers and Hiram’s workers and men from Gebal/Byblos [city] shaped the stones and prepared the timber to build the temple.
And Salomons workemen, and the workemen of Hiram, and the masons hewed and prepared timber and stones for the buylding of the house.
