1 Kings 5
Christian Standard Bible
Hiram’s Building Materials
5 King Hiram of Tyre(A) sent his emissaries to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place,(B) for Hiram had always been friends with David.(C)
2 Solomon sent this message to Hiram: 3 “You know my father David was not able to build a temple for the name of the Lord his God. This was because of the warfare all around him until the Lord put his enemies under his feet.(D) 4 The Lord my God has now given me rest on every side; there is no enemy or misfortune.(E) 5 So I plan to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God,(F) according to what the Lord promised my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the temple for my name.’(G)
6 “Therefore, command that cedars from Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants’ wages according to whatever you say, for you know that not a man among us knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”(H)
7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s words, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lord today!(I) He has given David a wise son to be over this great people!” 8 Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying, “I have heard your message; I will do everything you want regarding the cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place you indicate. I will break them apart there, and you can take them away. You then can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”(J)
10 So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted, 11 and Solomon provided Hiram with one hundred twenty thousand bushels[a] of wheat as food for his household and one hundred twenty thousand gallons[b] of oil from crushed olives.(K) Solomon did this for Hiram year after year.
12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him.(L) There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.(M)
Solomon’s Workforce
13 Then King Solomon drafted forced laborers from all Israel;(N) the labor force numbered thirty thousand men. 14 He sent ten thousand to Lebanon each month in shifts; one month they were in Lebanon, two months they were at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand porters and eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountains,(O) 16 not including his thirty-three hundred[c] deputies(P) in charge of the work. They supervised the people doing the work. 17 The king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.(Q) 18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders,(R) along with the Gebalites,(S) quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the temple’s construction.
1 Kings 5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Preparations and Materials for the Temple
5 [a]Now King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend to David.(A) 2 Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know that my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until he[b] put them under the soles of his feet.[c](B) 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune.(C) 5 So I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.’(D) 6 Therefore command that cedars from the Lebanon be cut for me. My servants will join your servants, and I will give you whatever wages you set for your servants, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”
7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lord today, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people.” 8 Hiram sent word to Solomon, “I have heard the message that you have sent to me; I will fulfill all your needs in the matter of cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants shall bring it down to the sea from the Lebanon; I will make it into rafts to go by sea to the place you indicate. I will have them broken up there for you to take away. And you shall meet my needs by providing food for my household.”(E) 10 So Hiram supplied Solomon’s every need for timber of cedar and cypress. 11 Solomon, in turn, gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household and twenty cors of fine oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year.(F) 12 So 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.(G)
13 King Solomon conscripted forced labor out of all Israel; the levy numbered thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them to the Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts; they would be a month in the Lebanon and two months at home;[d] Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.(H) 15 Solomon also had seventy thousand laborers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hill country,(I) 16 besides Solomon’s three thousand three hundred supervisors who were over the work, having charge of the people who did the work. 17 At the king’s command, they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones.(J) 18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites did the stonecutting and prepared the timber and the stone to build the house.
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.