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

1 Kings 5
New Living Translation

Preparations for Building the Temple

5 [a]King Hiram of Tyre had always been a loyal friend of David. When Hiram learned that David’s son Solomon was the new king of Israel, he sent ambassadors to congratulate him.

2 Then Solomon sent this message back to Hiram:

3 “You know that my father, David, was not able to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord his God because of the many wars waged against him by surrounding nations. He could not build until the Lord gave him victory over all his enemies. 4 But now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well. 5 So I am planning to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God, just as he had instructed my father, David. For the Lord told him, ‘Your son, whom I will place on your throne, will build the Temple to honor my name.’

6 “Therefore, please command that cedars from Lebanon be cut for me. Let my men work alongside yours, and I will pay your men whatever wages you ask. As you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like you Sidonians!”

7 When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he was very pleased and said, “Praise the Lord today for giving David a wise son to be king of the great nation of Israel.” 8 Then he sent this reply to Solomon:

“I have received your message, and I will supply all the cedar and cypress timber you need. 9 My servants will bring the logs from the Lebanon mountains to the Mediterranean Sea[b] and make them into rafts and float them along the coast to whatever place you choose. Then we will break the rafts apart so you can carry the logs away. You can pay me by supplying me with food for my household.”

10 So Hiram supplied as much cedar and cypress timber as Solomon desired. 11 In return, Solomon sent him an annual payment of 100,000 bushels[c] of wheat for his household and 110,000 gallons[d] of pure olive oil. 12 So the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as he had promised. And Hiram and Solomon made a formal alliance of peace.

13 Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. 14 He sent them to Lebanon in shifts, 10,000 every month, so that each man would be one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of this labor force. 15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers, 80,000 quarry workers in the hill country, 16 and 3,600[e] foremen to supervise the work. 17 At the king’s command, they quarried large blocks of high-quality stone and shaped them to make the foundation of the Temple. 18 Men from the city of Gebal helped Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders prepare the timber and stone for the Temple.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 5:1 Verses 5:1-18 are numbered 5:15-32 in Hebrew text.
  2. 5:9 Hebrew the sea.
  3. 5:11a Hebrew 20,000 cors [4,400 kiloliters].
  4. 5:11b As in Greek version, which reads 20,000 baths [420 kiloliters] (see also 2 Chr 2:10); Hebrew reads 20 cors, about 1,000 gallons or 4.4 kiloliters in volume.
  5. 5:16 As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 2 Chr 2:2, 18); Hebrew reads 3,300.
Close LSB

1 Kings 5
Legacy Standard Bible

Covenant with Hiram King of Tyre

5 [a](A)Then Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for (B)Hiram had [b]always been one who loved David. 2 And (C)Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know that (D)David my father was unable to build a house for the name of Yahweh his God because of the wars which surrounded him, until Yahweh put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now (E)Yahweh my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor [c]calamity. 5 So behold, (F)I [d]intend to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.’ 6 So now, command that they cut for me (G)cedars from Lebanon, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you say, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”

7 Now it happened, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he was very glad and said, “Blessed be Yahweh today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.” 8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message which you have sent me; I will do [e]what you desire concerning the cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea (H)to the place where you [f]direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you shall carry them away. Then (I)you shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household.” 10 So [g]Hiram [h]gave Solomon [i]as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber. 11 (J)Solomon then gave Hiram [j]20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household, and [k]20 kors of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year. 12 (K)Now Yahweh gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He [l]promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them cut a covenant.

13 And (L)King Solomon raised up forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers [m]numbered 30,000 men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in [n]shifts; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And (M)Adoniram was over the forced laborers. 15 And (N)Solomon had 70,000 [o]who carried loads, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, 16 (O)besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were over the [p]project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17 Then (P)the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, precious stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders and [q]Hiram’s builders and (Q)the Gebalites [r]carved them out, and prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 5:1 Ch 5:15 in Heb
  2. 1 Kings 5:1 Lit all the day
  3. 1 Kings 5:4 Lit evil occurrence
  4. 1 Kings 5:5 Lit say
  5. 1 Kings 5:8 Lit all your pleasure
  6. 1 Kings 5:9 Lit send
  7. 1 Kings 5:10 Heb Hirom
  8. 1 Kings 5:10 Lit was giving
  9. 1 Kings 5:10 Lit all his desire
  10. 1 Kings 5:11 Approx. 130,000 bu. or 4,600 metric tons
  11. 1 Kings 5:11 Approx. 130 bu. or 4,600 l
  12. 1 Kings 5:12 Lit spoke to
  13. 1 Kings 5:13 Lit was
  14. 1 Kings 5:14 Lit changes
  15. 1 Kings 5:15 Or burden bearers
  16. 1 Kings 5:16 Lit work
  17. 1 Kings 5:18 Heb Hirom’s
  18. 1 Kings 5:18 Or chiseled
Next
1 Kings 4
1 Kings 6
Next
dropdown
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.