Old Testament · History

1 Kings chapter 5

king of Tyre sent his officials to Solomon because he had heard that Solomon had been king to succeed his father. Hiram had always been an of David.Solomon sent word back to Hiram:“You know that my father David wasn’t able to build a for the name of his God because of all the wars surrounding him on every side, until Yahweh put his enemies .But now Yahweh my God has given me on every side — no , no .So I intend to build a house of Yahweh my God, just as Yahweh told my father David: ‘Your son, the one I’ll put on your throne after you — he’s the one who will build the house for my name.’Now give orders to cut down from Lebanon for me. My workers will work alongside yours, and I’ll pay your workers whatever wages you set. You know we don’t have anyone who knows how to cut timber like the do.”When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was . He said, “Today I Yahweh, who has given David a son to rule over this great people!”Hiram sent word to Solomon: “I received your message. I’ll do everything you want with the cedar and timber.My workers will haul them down from Lebanon to the sea. I’ll float them as by sea to whatever location you specify. I’ll have them broken apart there, and you can take them away. In return, you’ll provide food for my household.”So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand of wheat as food for his household, plus twenty cors of . Solomon provided this to Hiram year after year.Yahweh gave Solomon , just as he had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a formal .King Solomon drafted from all of Israel — thirty thousand men.He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand per month — one month in Lebanon, two months at home. was in charge of the forced labor.Solomon also had seventy thousand and eighty thousand in the hill country,plus thirty-three hundred who supervised the workers and directed the project.The king ordered them to quarry large, to lay a foundation of cut stone for the .Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders, along with the , cut and prepared the timber and stone for building the Temple.