5 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. ² And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, ³ Thou knowest how that David my father could not build a house for the name of Jehovah his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until Jehovah put them under the soles of his feet. ⁴ But now Jehovah my God hath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence. ⁵ And, behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the house for my name. ⁶ Now therefore command thou that they cut me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that knoweth how to cut timber like unto the Sidonians.

⁷ And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be Jehovah this day, who hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. ⁸ And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard the message which thou hast sent unto me: I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of ^[a]fir. ⁹ My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and thou shalt ^[b]receive them; and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. ¹⁰ So ^[c]Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of fir according to all his desire. ¹¹ And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand ^[d]measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of ^[e]pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. ¹² And Jehovah 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 ^[f]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 men subject to taskwork. ¹⁵ And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains; ¹⁶ besides Solomon’s chief officers that were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the work. ¹⁷ And the king commanded, and they ^[g]hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with wrought stone. ¹⁸ And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.