10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.

11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.

12 And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.

13 And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.

15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;

16 Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work.

17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.

Read full chapter

10 In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, 11 and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors[a] of wheat as food(A) for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths[b][c] of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. 12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom,(B) just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.(C)

13 King Solomon conscripted laborers(D) from all Israel—thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram(E) was in charge of the forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, 16 as well as thirty-three hundred[d] foremen(F) who supervised the project and directed the workers. 17 At the king’s command they removed from the quarry(G) large blocks of high-grade stone(H) to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. 18 The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram(I) and workers from Byblos(J) cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 5:11 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,250 metric tons
  2. 1 Kings 5:11 Septuagint (see also 2 Chron. 2:10); Hebrew twenty cors
  3. 1 Kings 5:11 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters
  4. 1 Kings 5:16 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 2:2,18) thirty-six hundred