The following account of the building, by Solomon, of the
Temple which King David so long desired to erect, and for
which he collected countless sums in gold and silver, is taken
from Josephus:

“When Hiram, King of Tyre, had heard that Solomon succeeded
to his father's kingdom, he was very glad of it, for he was
a friend of David's. So he sent ambassadors to him, and
saluted him, and congratulated him on the present happy state
of his affairs. Upon which Solomon sent him an epistle, the
contents of which here follow:—

SOLOMON TO KING HIRAM.

“`Know thou that my father would have built a temple to
God, but was hindered by wars, and continual expeditions: for
he did not leave off to overthrow his enemies till he made them
all subject to tribute. But I give thanks to God for the peace
I at present enjoy, and on that account I am at leisure, and
design to build a house to God, for God foretold to my father
that such a house should be built by me; wherefore I desire
thee to send some of thy subjects with mine to Mount Lebanon,
to cut down timber; for the Sidonians are more skillful than
our people in cutting of wood. As for wages to the hewers of
wood, I will pay whatsoever price thou shalt determine.'

“When Hiram had read this epistle, he was pleased with it,
and wrote back this answer to Solomon:—

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HIRAM TO KING SOLOMON.

“`It is fit to bless God, that he hath committed thy father's
government to thee, who art a wise man, and endowed with all
virtues. As for myself, I rejoice at the condition thou art in,
and will be subservient to thee in all that thou sendest to me
about; for when by my subjects I have cut down many and
large trees of cedar and cypress wood, I will send them to sea,
and will order my subjects to make floats of them, and to sail
to what place soever of thy country thou shalt desire, and leave
them there, after which thy subjects may carry them to Jerusalem:
but do thou take care to procure us corn for this timber,
which we stand in need of, because we inhabit in an island.'

“The copies of these epistles remain at this day, and are preserved
not only in our books, but among the Tyrians also; insomuch
that if any one would know the certainty about them, he
may desire the keepers of the public records of Tyre to show
him them, and he will find what is there set down to agree with
what we have said. I have said so much out of a desire that
my readers may know that we speak nothing but the truth, and
do not compose a history out of some plausible relations, which
deceive men and please them at the same time, nor attempt to
avoid examination, nor desire men to believe us immediately;
nor are we at liberty to depart from speaking truth, which
is the proper commendation of a historian, and yet to be blameless.
But we insist upon no admission of what we say, unless
we be able to manifest its truth by demonstration and the
strongest vouchers.

“Now King Solomon, as soon as this epistle of the King of
Tyre was brought him, commended the readiness and good-will
he declared therein, and repaid him in what he desired, and
sent him yearly twenty thousand cori of wheat, and as many
baths of oil: now the bath is able to contain seventy-two sextaries.
He also sent him the same measure of wine. So the
friendship between Hiram and Solomon hereby increased more
and more; and they swore to continue it for ever. And the
king appointed a tribute to be laid on all the people, of thirty
thousand laborers, whose work he rendered easy to them, by

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prudently dividing it among them; for he made ten thousand
cut timber in Mount Lebanon for one month, and then to come
home; and to rest two months, until the time when the other
twenty thousand had finished their task at the appointed time;
and so afterwards it came to pass, that the first ten thousand
returned to their work every fourth month; and it was Adoram
who was over this tribute. There were also of the strangers
who were left by David, who were to carry the stones and
other materials, seventy thousand; and of those that cut the
stones, eighty thousand. Of these three thousand and three
hundred were rulers over the rest. He also enjoined them to
cut out large stones for the foundations of the temple, and that
they should fit them and unite them together in the mountain,
and so bring them to the city. This was done, not only by our
own country workmen, but by those workmen whom Hiram
sent also.”