1.Könige 5 | King James Version

1 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 an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. 5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. 6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew 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 the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. 8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. 9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them : and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. 10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire. 11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. 12 And the LORD 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 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 levy. 15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; 16 Beside the chief of Solomon' officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. 17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. 18 And Solomon' builders and Hiram' builders did hew them , and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.

New International Reader’s Version

Solomon prepares to build the temple

1 Hiram was the king of Tyre. He heard that Solomon had been anointed as king. He heard that Solomon had become the next king after his father David. Hiram had always been David’s friend. So Hiram sent his messengers to Solomon. 2 Then Solomon sent a message back to Hiram. Solomon said, 3 ‘As you know, my father David had to fight many battles. His enemies attacked him from every side. So he couldn’t build a temple where the LORD his God would put his Name. That wouldn’t be possible until the LORD had put his enemies under his control. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me peace and rest on every side. We don’t have any enemies. And we don’t have any other major problems either. 5 So I’m planning to build a temple. I want to build it for the Name of the LORD my God. That’s what he told my father David he wanted me to do. He said, “I will put your son on the throne in your place. He will build a temple. I will put my Name there.” 6 ‘So give your men orders to cut down cedar trees in Lebanon for me. My men will work with yours. I’ll pay you for your men’s work. I’ll pay any amount you decide on. As you know, we don’t have anyone as skilled in cutting down trees as the men of Sidon are.’ 7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very pleased. He said, ‘May the LORD be praised today. He has given David a wise son to rule over that great nation.’ 8 So Hiram sent a message to Solomon. Hiram said, ‘I have received the message you sent me. I’ll do everything you want me to. I’ll provide the cedar and juniper logs. 9 My men will bring them from Lebanon down to the Mediterranean Sea. I’ll make them into rafts. I’ll float them to the place you want me to. When the rafts arrive, I’ll separate the logs from each other. Then you can take them away. And here’s what I want in return. Provide food for all the people in my palace.’ 10 So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted. 11 Solomon gave Hiram 3,000 tonnes of wheat as food for the people in his palace. He also gave him 480,000 litres of oil made from pressed olives. He did that for Hiram year after year. 12 The LORD made Solomon wise, just as he had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon. The two of them made a peace treaty. 13 King Solomon forced men from all over Israel to work hard for him. There were 30,000 of them. 14 He sent them off to Lebanon in groups of 10,000 each month. They spent one month in Lebanon. Then they spent two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the people who were forced to work. 15 Solomon had 70,000 people who carried things. He had 80,000 who cut stones in the hills. 16 He had 3,300 men in charge of the project. They also instructed the workers. 17 The people did what the king commanded. They removed large blocks of the best quality stone from a rock pit. They used them to provide a foundation for the temple. 18 The skilled workers of Solomon and Hiram cut and prepared the logs and stones. They would later be used in building the temple. Workers from Byblos also helped.

1.Könige 5 | King James Version New International Reader’s Version

Solomon prepares to build the temple