列王紀上 5
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Traditional)
與希蘭王立約建殿
5 推羅王希蘭平素愛大衛，他聽見以色列人膏所羅門，接續他父親做王，就差遣臣僕來見他。 2 所羅門也差遣人去見希蘭，說： 3 「你知道我父親大衛因四圍的爭戰，不能為耶和華他神的名建殿，直等到耶和華使仇敵都服在他腳下。 4 現在耶和華我的神使我四圍平安，沒有仇敵，沒有災禍。 5 我定意要為耶和華我神的名建殿，是照耶和華應許我父親大衛的話說：『我必使你兒子接續你坐你的位，他必為我的名建殿。』 6 所以求你吩咐你的僕人在黎巴嫩為我砍伐香柏木，我的僕人也必幫助他們，我必照你所定的，給你僕人的工價。因為你知道，在我們中間沒有人像西頓人善於砍伐樹木。」
7 希蘭聽見所羅門的話，就甚喜悅，說：「今日應當稱頌耶和華！因他賜給大衛一個有智慧的兒子，治理這眾多的民。」 8 希蘭打發人去見所羅門，說：「你差遣人向我所提的那事，我都聽見了。論到香柏木和松木，我必照你的心願而行。 9 我的僕人必將這木料從黎巴嫩運到海裡，紮成筏子，浮海運到你所指定我的地方，在那裡拆開，你就可以收取。你也要成全我的心願，將食物給我的家。」 10 於是希蘭照著所羅門所要的，給他香柏木和松木。 11 所羅門給希蘭麥子二萬歌珥，清油二十歌珥，做他家的食物，所羅門每年都是這樣給希蘭。 12 耶和華照著所應許的賜智慧給所羅門。希蘭與所羅門和好，彼此立約。
13 所羅門王從以色列人中挑取服苦的人共有三萬， 14 派他們輪流每月一萬人上黎巴嫩去，一個月在黎巴嫩，兩個月在家裡，亞多尼蘭掌管他們。 15 所羅門用七萬扛抬的，八萬在山上鑿石頭的。 16 此外，所羅門用三千三百督工的，監管工人。 17 王下令，人就鑿出又大又寶貴的石頭來，用以立殿的根基。 18 所羅門的匠人和希蘭的匠人並迦巴勒人，都將石頭鑿好，預備木料和石頭建殿。
1 Kings 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 5
Solomon’s Riches: International Affairs. 1 [a]Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River[b] to the land of the Philistines, down to the border of Egypt; they paid Solomon tribute and served him as long as he lived. 2 [c]Solomon’s provisions for each day were thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, 3 ten fatted oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, and a hundred sheep, not counting harts, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl. 4 He had dominion over all the land west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and all its kings, and he had peace on all his borders round about. 5 (A)Thus Judah and Israel lived in security, everyone under their own vine and fig tree from Dan to Beer-sheba, as long as Solomon lived.
Solomon’s Riches: Chariots and Horses. 6 (B)Solomon had forty thousand stalls for horses for chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. 7 [d]The governors, one for each month, provided food for King Solomon and for all the guests at King Solomon’s table. They left nothing unprovided. 8 For the chariot horses and draft animals also, each brought his quota of barley and straw to the required place.
Solomon’s Renown. 9 (C)Moreover, God gave Solomon wisdom, exceptional understanding, and knowledge, as vast as the sand on the seashore. 10 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed that of all the peoples of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 11 He was wiser than anyone else—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the musicians—and his fame spread throughout the neighboring peoples. 12 Solomon also uttered three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 13 He spoke of plants, from the cedar on Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall, and he spoke about beasts, birds, reptiles, and fishes. 14 (D)People from all nations came to hear Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
Preparations for the Temple.[e] 15 When Hiram, king of Tyre, heard that Solomon had been anointed king in place of his father, he sent an embassy to him; for Hiram had always been David’s friend.[f] 16 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram: 17 (E)“You know that David my father, because of the wars that beset him, could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God until such time as the Lord should put his enemies under the soles of his feet. 18 But now the Lord, my God, has given me rest on all sides, without adversary or misfortune. 19 (F)So I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord, my God, as the Lord said to David my father: Your son whom I will put upon your throne in your place shall build the house for my name. 20 Give orders, then, to have cedars from the Lebanon cut down for me. My servants shall accompany yours, and I will pay you whatever you say for your servants’ wages. For you know that there is no one among us who is skilled in cutting timber like the Sidonians.” 21 When Hiram had heard the words of Solomon, he was overjoyed, and said, “Blessed be the Lord this day, who has given David a wise son over this numerous people.” 22 [g]Hiram then sent word to Solomon, “I have heard the proposal you sent me, and I will provide all the cedars and fir trees you desire. 23 My servants shall bring them down from the Lebanon to the sea, and I will arrange them into rafts in the sea and bring them wherever you say. There I will break up the rafts, and you shall take the lumber. You, for your part, shall furnish the provisions I desire for my household.” 24 So Hiram continued to provide Solomon with all the cedars and fir trees he desired, 25 while Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat to provide for his household, and twenty kors[h] of hand-pressed oil. Solomon gave Hiram all this every year. 26 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he promised him. So there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made[i] a covenant.
27 King Solomon raised thirty thousand forced laborers from all Israel.[j] 28 He sent them to the Lebanon for a month in relays of ten thousand, so that they spent one month in the Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. 29 Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, 30 in addition to three thousand three hundred overseers answerable to Solomon, who were in charge of the work and directed the people engaged in the work. 31 By order of the king, fine, large blocks of stone were quarried to give the house a foundation of hewn stone. 32 Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with others from Gebal,[k] shaped them, and prepared the wood and stones for building the house.
Footnotes
- 5:1–32 This translation follows the numeration of the Hebrew Bible, rather than the Vulgate; in many English translations, 5:1–14 is 4:21–34, and 5:15 is 5:1.
- 5:1 The River: that is, the Euphrates. This claim may be exaggerated, but “from the Euphrates to the border of Egypt” was the traditional description of the extent of the Davidic holdings.
- 5:2 The list of Solomon’s supplies may have originally belonged with the list of governors in 4:7–19, but the author has placed it here to imply that Solomon’s vassal kingdoms, not his own citizenry, supplied his vast daily needs. The daily provisions listed could have supported several thousand people. Kors: see note on Ez 45:14.
- 5:7 This verse suggests that the governors also saw to the provender for Solomon’s animals (v. 8).
- 5:15–32 The fifth major unit of the Solomon story explains the preparations Solomon made for the construction of the Temple. He negotiates with Hiram of Tyre for materiel (5:15–26), and conscripts a labor force for personnel (5:27–32). Compare 9:11–23, which returns to the same two themes after the Temple has been built and dedicated. 2 Chr 2:1–17 presents another version of the same material.
- 5:15 David’s friend: the term “to be a friend,” lit., “to love,” is political, and means that David and Hiram had been allies. The purpose of Hiram’s embassy is to determine whether Solomon is willing to continue the alliance. This unspoken agenda lies behind the negotiations about materials for the Temple, as the concluding v. 26 makes clear.
- 5:22–23 Although his reply is couched in polite, diplomatic language, Hiram renegotiates Solomon’s terms in his own favor. No Israelites are to enter Tyrian territory, and Solomon is not to pay the salary of Hiram’s laborers but rather to furnish “provisions” for his household—the same language used of the tribute Solomon received from his own vassals in v. 2.
- 5:25 Twenty kors: this means about two thousand gallons of the finest olive oil available, hand-pressed rather than produced in large olive presses, so that no debris (such as crushed olive pits, powder from the grinding stones) would contaminate the oil. Also see note on 2 Chr 2:9.
- 5:26 Made: lit., “cut.” The story of Solomon’s arrangements with Hiram is framed by references to political alliance between Israel and Tyre (vv. 15, 26). Since, in Hebrew idiom, Hiram and Solomon “cut” a covenant, this suggests that the agreement they reach for “cutting” wood (which clearly favors Hiram) reflects the terms of the larger treaty.
- 5:27 All Israel: see note on 4:7–19.
- 5:32 Gebal: Byblos.
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