1 Kings 5:1–11

Preparations for Building the Temple

5:1–16pp—2Ch 2:1–18

5^aWhen Hiram^z 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. ²Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:

³“You know that because of the wars^a waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build^b a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet.^{c 4}But now the Lord my God has given me rest^d on every side, and there is no adversary^e or disaster. ⁵I intend, therefore, to build a temple^f 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.’^g

⁶“So give orders that cedars^h 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.”

⁷When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the Lordⁱ today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.”

⁸So 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. ⁹My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea^j, 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^k for my royal household.”

¹⁰In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, ¹¹and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors^b of wheat as food^l for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths^cd of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year.