1 Kings 5
1 Also Hiram, kyng of Tire, sente hise seruauntis to Salomon; for he herde that thei hadden anoyntide hym kyng for his fadir; for Hiram was frend of Dauid in al time.
Now Hiram, king of Tyre, hearing that Solomon had been made king in place of his father, sent his servants to him; for Hiram had ever been a friend to David.
2 Sotheli also Salomon sente to Hiram,
And Solomon sent back word to Hiram, saying,
3 and seide, Thou knowist the wille of Dauid, my fadir, and for he miyte not bilde an hows to the name of his God, for batels neiyynge bi cumpas, til the Lord yaf hem vndur the step of hise feet.
You have knowledge that David my father was not able to make a house for the name of the Lord his God, because of the wars which were round him on every side, till the Lord put all those who were against him under his feet.
4 Now forsothe my Lord God yaf reste to me bi cumpas, and noon aduersarie is, nethir yuel asailyng;
But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; no one is making trouble, and no evil is taking place.
5 wherfor Y thenke to buylde a temple to the name of my Lord God, as God spak to Dauid, my fadir, and seide, Thi sone, whom Y schal yyue to thee for thee on thi trone, he schal bilde an hows to my name.
And so it is my purpose to make a house for the name of the Lord my God, as he said to David my father, Your son, whom I will make king in your place, will be the builder of a house for my name.
6 Therfor comaunde thou, that thi seruauntis hewe doun to me cedris of the Liban; and my seruauntis be with thi seruauntis; sotheli Y schal yyue to thee the meede of thi seruauntis, what euere meede thou schalt axe; for thou woost, that in my puple is not a man that kan hewe trees, as Sidonyes kunnen.
So now, will you have cedar-trees from Lebanon cut down for me, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you payment for your servants at whatever rate you say; for it is common knowledge that we have no such wood-cutters among us as the men of Zidon.
7 Therfor whanne Hiram hadde herde the wordis of Salomon, he was ful glad, and seide, Blessid be the Lord God to dai, that yaf to Dauid a sone moost wijs on this puple ful myche.
And these words of Solomon made Hiram glad, and he said, Now may the Lord be praised who has given to David a wise son to be king over this great people.
8 And Hiram sente to Salomon, and seide, Y haue herde what euer thingis thou sentist to me; Y schal do al thi wille, in trees of cedres, and of beechis.
Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying; The words you sent have been given to me: I will do all your desire in the question of cedar-wood and cypress-wood.
9 My seruauntis schulen putte doun tho trees fro the Liban to the see, and Y schal araye tho trees in schippis in the see, `til to the place which thou schalt signyfie to me; and Y schal dresse tho there, that thou take tho; and thou schalt yyue necessaries to me, that mete be youun to myn hows.
My men will take them down from Lebanon to the sea, where I will have them corded together to go by sea to whatever place you say, and I will have them cut up there so that you may take them away; as for payment, it will be enough if you give me food for my people.
10 Therfor Hiram yaf to Salomon `trees of cedres, and `trees of beechis, bi al his wille;
So Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar-wood and cypress-wood he had need of;
11 forsothe Salomon yaf to Hiram twenti thousynde chorus of wheete, in to meete to his hows, and twenti chorus of pureste oile; Salomon yaf these thingis to Hiram bi alle yeeris.
And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of grain, as food for his people, and twenty measures of clear oil; this he did every year.
12 Also the Lord yaf wisdom to Salomon, as he spak to hym; and pees was bitwixe Hiram and Salomon, and bothe smytiden boond of pees.
Now the Lord had given Solomon wisdom, as he had said to him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made an agreement together.
13 And kyng Salomon chees werk men of al Israel; and the summe was thretti thousynde of men.
Then King Solomon got together men for the forced work through all Israel, thirty thousand men in number;
14 And `Salomon sente hem in to the Liban, ten thousynde bi ech monethe bi whilis, so that in twei monethis bi whilis thei weren in her howsis; and Adonyram was on sich a summe.
And sent them to Lebanon in bands of ten thousand every month: for a month they were working in Lebanon and for two months in their country, and Adoniram was in control of them.
15 Therfor seuenti thousynde of hem, that baren burthuns, weren to Salomon, and foure score thousynde of masouns in the hil, with out the souereyns,
Then he had seventy thousand for the work of transport, and eighty thousand stone-cutters in the mountains;
16 that weren maistris of alle werkis, bi the noumbre of thre thousynde and thre hundrid, comaundynge to the puple, and to hem that maden werk.
In addition to the chiefs of the responsible men put by Solomon to oversee the work, three thousand and three hundred in authority over the workmen.
17 And the kyng comaundide, that thei schulden take greete stonys, `and preciouse stonys, in to the foundement of the temple, and that thei schulden make tho square;
By the king's orders great stones, stones of high price, were cut out, so that the base of the house might be made of squared stone.
18 whiche stoonys the masouns of Salomon, and the masouns of Hyram, hewiden. Forsothe Biblies maden redi trees and stonus, to the hows to be bildid.
Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did the work of cutting them, and put edges on them, and got the wood and the stone ready for the building of the house.
