Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close NET

1 Kings 5
New English Translation

Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple

5 (5:15)[a] King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers[b] to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.) 2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram: 3 “You know that my father David was unable to build a temple to honor the Lord[c] his God, for he was busy fighting battles on all fronts while the Lord subdued his enemies.[d] 4 But now the Lord my God has made me secure on all fronts; there is no adversary or dangerous threat. 5 So I have decided[e] to build a temple to honor the Lord[f] my God, as the Lord instructed my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, is the one who will build a temple to honor me.’[g] 6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate, for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like the Sidonians.”

7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very happy. He said, “The Lord is worthy of praise today because he[h] has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.” 8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon: “I received[i] the message you sent to me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need.[j] 9 My servants will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea. I will send it by sea in raft-like bundles to the place you designate.[k] There I will separate the logs[l] and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court.”[m]

10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed,[n] 11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors [o] of wheat as provision for his royal court,[p] as well as 120,000 gallons[q] of pure[r] olive oil.[s] 12 So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. And Hiram and Solomon were at peace and made a treaty.[t]

13 King Solomon conscripted[u] work crews[v] from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in all. 14 He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 men per month. They worked in Lebanon for one month, and then spent two months at home. Adoniram was supervisor of[w] the work crews. 15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers[x] and 80,000 stonecutters[y] in the hills, 16 besides 3,300 officials[z] who supervised the workers.[aa] 17 By royal order[ab] they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple’s foundation with chiseled stone. 18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers,[ac] along with men from Byblos,[ad] did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple.[ae]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 5:1 sn The verse numbers in the English Bible differ from those in the Hebrew text (BHS) here; 5:1-18 in the English Bible corresponds to 5:15-32 in the Hebrew text. See the note at 4:21.
  2. 1 Kings 5:1 tn Heb “his servants.”
  3. 1 Kings 5:3 tn Heb “a house for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
  4. 1 Kings 5:3 tn Heb “because of the battles which surrounded him until the Lord placed them under the soles of his feet.”
  5. 1 Kings 5:5 tn Heb “Look, I am saying.”
  6. 1 Kings 5:5 tn Heb “a house for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
  7. 1 Kings 5:5 tn Heb “a house for my name.”
  8. 1 Kings 5:7 tn Or “Blessed be the Lord today, who….”
  9. 1 Kings 5:8 tn Heb “heard.”
  10. 1 Kings 5:8 tn Heb “I will satisfy all your desire with respect to cedar wood and with respect to the wood of evergreens.”
  11. 1 Kings 5:9 tn Heb “I will place them [on? as?] rafts in the sea to the place where you designate to me.” This may mean he would send them by raft, or that he would tie them in raft-like bundles, and have ships tow them down to an Israelite port.
  12. 1 Kings 5:9 tn Heb “smash them,” i.e., untie the bundles.
  13. 1 Kings 5:9 tn Heb “as for you, you will satisfy my desire by giving food for my house.”
  14. 1 Kings 5:10 tn Heb “and Hiram gave to Solomon cedar wood and the wood of evergreens, all his desire.”
  15. 1 Kings 5:11 sn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels.
  16. 1 Kings 5:11 tn Heb “his house.”
  17. 1 Kings 5:11 tc The Hebrew text has “twenty cors,” but the ancient Greek version and the parallel text in 2 Chr 2:10 read “20,000 baths.” sn A bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons (about 22 liters), so this was a quantity of about 120,000 gallons (440,000 liters).
  18. 1 Kings 5:11 tn Or “pressed.”
  19. 1 Kings 5:11 tn Heb “and Solomon supplied Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat…pure olive oil. So Solomon would give to Hiram year by year.”
  20. 1 Kings 5:12 tn Heb “a covenant,” referring to a formal peace treaty or alliance.
  21. 1 Kings 5:13 tn Heb “raised up.”
  22. 1 Kings 5:13 sn Work crews. This Hebrew word (מַס, mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service.
  23. 1 Kings 5:14 tn Heb “was over.”
  24. 1 Kings 5:15 tn Heb “carriers of loads.”
  25. 1 Kings 5:15 tn Heb “cutters” (probably of stones).
  26. 1 Kings 5:16 tc Some Greek mss of the OT read “3,600”; cf. 2 Chr 2:2, 18 and NLT.
  27. 1 Kings 5:16 tn Heb “besides thirty-three hundred from the officials of Solomon’s governors who were over the work, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.”
  28. 1 Kings 5:17 tn Heb “and the king commanded.”
  29. 1 Kings 5:18 tn Heb “builders.”
  30. 1 Kings 5:18 tn Heb “the Gebalites.” The reading is problematic and some emend to a verb form meaning, “set the borders.”
  31. 1 Kings 5:18 tc The LXX includes the words “for three years.”
Listen to 列王紀上 5
Close CCBT

列王紀上 5
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

預備建造聖殿

5 泰爾王希蘭素來與大衛修好，他聽說以色列人膏立了所羅門繼承大衛的王位，就遣使者來見所羅門。 2 所羅門也派人去見希蘭，說： 3 「你知道，我父大衛因周圍戰事連連，未能為他的上帝耶和華建殿，要等到耶和華使仇敵伏在他腳下後再建。 4 現在我的上帝耶和華使我四境太平，內外無憂， 5 我想為我的上帝耶和華建殿，因為耶和華曾對我父大衛說，『我必使你的兒子繼承你的王位，他必為我的名建殿。』 6 請你命人為我砍伐黎巴嫩的香柏木。我會派人幫助你的人，並按你的要求付你的人工錢。因為你知道，我們沒有人像西頓人那樣善於砍伐樹木。」

7 希蘭聽了所羅門的話後，非常高興，說：「今天當讚美耶和華！祂賜給大衛一個有智慧的兒子治理這偉大的民族。」 8 他派人回覆所羅門說：「我已收到你派人帶來的口信。我一定會照你的心願提供香柏木和松木。 9 我的工人會將這些木料從黎巴嫩紮成木筏，經海道運到你指定的地點。木筏拆散以後，你就可以點收了。你也要成全我的心願，供應我家食糧。」 10 於是，希蘭供應所羅門需用的香柏木和松木， 11 所羅門每年供應希蘭四百四十萬升麥子和四千四百升橄欖油。 12 耶和華照著應許賜給所羅門智慧。他跟希蘭修好，締結盟約。

13 所羅門王從以色列徵集了三萬勞工， 14 派他們每月輪班到黎巴嫩工作，每班一萬人，在黎巴嫩一個月，在家兩個月。亞多尼蘭做他們的總管。 15 所羅門又徵用了七萬名搬運工，八萬名在山上鑿石的匠人。 16 此外，他還派了三千三百名監工，監督工人做工。 17 他們按照王的命令在山上鑿出珍貴的巨石，用來作殿的根基。 18 於是，所羅門和希蘭的工匠及迦巴勒人鑿好石頭，備好木料，準備建殿。

Listen to 1 Kings 5
Close NIV

1 Kings 5
New International Version

Preparations for Building the Temple(A)

5 [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. 2 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:

3 “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) 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest(F) on every side, and there is no adversary(G) or disaster. 5 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)

6 “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.”

7 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.”

8 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. 9 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
Next
1 Kings 4
1 Kings 6
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional) (CCBT)

By Biblica

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV