Hiram’s Building Materials

[a]Hiram king of Tyre(A) sent his servants 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)

Solomon sent this message to Hiram: “You know my father David was not able to build a temple for the name of Yahweh his God. This was because of the warfare all around him until the Lord put his enemies under his feet.(D) The Lord my God has now given me rest all around; there is no enemy or crisis.(E) So I plan to build a temple for the name of Yahweh 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)

“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)

When Hiram heard Solomon’s words, he greatly rejoiced and said, “May the Lord be praised today!(I) He has given David a wise son to be over this great people!” 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. 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 100,000 bushels[b] of wheat as food for his household and 110,000 gallons[c] 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 Work Force

13 Then King Solomon drafted forced laborers from all Israel;(N) the labor force numbered 30,000 men. 14 He sent 10,000 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 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains,(O) 16 not including his 3,300[d] deputies(P) in charge of the work. They ruled over 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.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 5:1 1Kg 5:15 in Hb
  2. 1 Kings 5:11 Lit 20,000 cors
  3. 1 Kings 5:11 LXX reads 20,000 baths; MT reads 20 cors
  4. 1 Kings 5:16 Some LXX mss read 3,600; 2Ch 2:2,18

Ìmúrasílẹ̀ láti kọ́ ilé fún Olúwa

Nígbà tí Hiramu ọba Tire sì gbọ́ pé, a ti fi òróró yan Solomoni ní ọba ní ipò Dafidi baba rẹ̀, ó sì rán àwọn ikọ̀ rẹ̀ sí Solomoni, nítorí ó ti fẹ́ràn Dafidi ní ọjọ́ rẹ̀ gbogbo. (A)Solomoni sì ránṣẹ́ yìí padà sí Hiramu pé:

“Ìwọ mọ̀ pé Dafidi baba mi kò le kọ́ ilé fún orúkọ Olúwa Ọlọ́run rẹ̀, nítorí ogun tí ó wà yí i káàkiri, títí Olúwa fi fi gbogbo àwọn ọ̀tá rẹ̀ sábẹ́ àtẹ́lẹsẹ̀ rẹ̀. Ṣùgbọ́n nísinsin yìí Olúwa Ọlọ́run mi ti fún mi ní ìsinmi ní ibi gbogbo, bẹ́ẹ̀ ni kò sì sí ọ̀tá tàbí ìjàǹbá kan tí ó ṣe. (B)Nítorí náà mo gbèrò láti kọ́ ilé fún orúkọ Olúwa Ọlọ́run mi, bí Olúwa ti sọ fún Dafidi baba mi, nígbà tí ó wí pé, ‘Ọmọ rẹ tí èmi yóò gbé ka orí ìtẹ́ rẹ ní ipò rẹ ni yóò kọ́ ilé náà fún orúkọ mi.’

“Nítorí náà ni kí o pàṣẹ pé kí wọn kí ó gé igi kedari Lebanoni fún mi wá. Àwọn ènìyàn mi yóò ṣiṣẹ́ pẹ̀lú tìrẹ, Èmi yóò sì san owó ọ̀yà tí ìwọ bá ránṣẹ́ fún àwọn ènìyàn rẹ. Ìwọ mọ̀ pé, a kò ní ẹnìkan nínú wa tí ó mọ bí a ti ń gé igi bí àwọn ará Sidoni.”

Nígbà tí Hiramu sì gbọ́ iṣẹ́ Solomoni, inú rẹ̀ sì dùn gidigidi, ó sì wí pé, “Ògo ni fún Olúwa lónìí, nítorí tí ó ti fún Dafidi ní ọlọ́gbọ́n ọmọ láti ṣàkóso àwọn ìlú ńlá yìí.”

Hiramu sì ránṣẹ́ sí Solomoni pé:

“Èmi ti gbọ́ iṣẹ́ tí ìwọ rán sí mi, èmi yóò sì ṣe gbogbo èyí tí o fẹ́ ní pípèsè igi kedari àti ní ti igi firi. Àwọn ènìyàn mi yóò mú igi náà sọ̀kalẹ̀ láti Lebanoni wá sí Òkun, èmi ó sì fi wọ́n ránṣẹ́ sí ọ ní fífò lójú omi Òkun títí dé ibi tí ìwọ ó na ìka sí fún mi. Níbẹ̀ ni èmi yóò ti yà wọ́n sọ́tọ̀, ìwọ yóò sì kó wọn lọ. Ìwọ yóò sì gba ìfẹ́ mi nípa pípèsè oúnjẹ fún ilé mi.”

10 Báyìí ni Hiramu sì pèsè igi kedari àti igi firi tí Solomoni ń fẹ́ fún un, 11 Solomoni sì fún Hiramu ní ẹgbàáwàá (20,000) òṣùwọ̀n ọkà oúnjẹ fún ilé rẹ̀, àti ogún (20) òṣùwọ̀n òróró dáradára. Solomoni sì ń tẹ̀síwájú láti ṣe èyí fún Hiramu lọ́dọọdún. 12 Olúwa sì fún Solomoni ní ọgbọ́n, gẹ́gẹ́ bí ó ti ṣèlérí fún un. Ìrẹ́pọ̀ àlàáfíà sì wà láàrín Hiramu àti Solomoni, àwọn méjèèjì sì ṣe àdéhùn.

13 Solomoni ọba sì ṣa asìnrú ènìyàn jọ ní gbogbo Israẹli; àwọn tí ń sìnrú náà jẹ́ ẹgbàá-mẹ́ẹ̀ẹ́dógún ènìyàn (30,000). 14 Ó sì rán wọn lọ sí Lebanoni, ẹgbàárùn-ún (10,000) lóṣooṣù, bẹ́ẹ̀ ni wọ́n lo oṣù kan ní Lebanoni, wọn a sì gbé ilé ní oṣù méjì. Adoniramu ni ó ṣe olórí àwọn asìnrú náà. 15 (C)Solomoni sì ní ẹgbàá-márùn-dínlógójì (70,000) ènìyàn tí ń ru ẹrù àti ọ̀kẹ́ mẹ́rin (80,000) gbẹ́nàgbẹ́nà lórí òkè, 16 àti àwọn ìjòyè nínú àwọn tí a fi ṣe olórí iṣẹ́ Solomoni jẹ́ ẹgbẹ̀rìndínlógún ó-lé-ọgọ́rùn-ún (3,300) ènìyàn, tí ó ń ṣe aláṣẹ àwọn ènìyàn tí ń ṣiṣẹ́ náà. 17 Ọba sì pàṣẹ, wọ́n sì mú òkúta wá, òkúta iyebíye, àti òkúta gbígbẹ́ láti fi ìpìlẹ̀ ilé náà lé ilẹ̀. 18 Àwọn oníṣọ̀nà Solomoni àti Hiramu àti àwọn òṣìṣẹ́ láti Gebali sì gbẹ́ wọn, wọ́n sì pèsè igi àti òkúta láti fi kọ́ ilé náà.

Preparations for Building the Temple(A)

[a]When Hiram(B) king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:

“You know that because of the wars(C) waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build(D) a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet.(E) But now the Lord my God has given me rest(F) on every side, and there is no adversary(G) or disaster. I intend, therefore, to build a temple(H) for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’(I)

“So give orders that cedars(J) of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.”

When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the Lord(K) today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.”

So Hiram sent word to Solomon:

“I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and juniper logs. My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea(L), and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food(M) for my royal household.”

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[b] of wheat as food(N) for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths[c][d] of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. 12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom,(O) just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.(P)

13 King Solomon conscripted laborers(Q) 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(R) 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[e] foremen(S) who supervised the project and directed the workers. 17 At the king’s command they removed from the quarry(T) large blocks of high-grade stone(U) to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. 18 The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram(V) and workers from Byblos(W) cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1-18 is numbered 5:15-32.
  2. 1 Kings 5:11 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,250 metric tons
  3. 1 Kings 5:11 Septuagint (see also 2 Chron. 2:10); Hebrew twenty cors
  4. 1 Kings 5:11 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters
  5. 1 Kings 5:16 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 2:2,18) thirty-six hundred