1    ^noteWhen Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father's place, he sent envoys to him, because he had always been a friend of David. ^note 2   Solomon sent this answer to Hiram: 3   ‘You know that my father David could not build a house in honour of the name of the Lord his God, because he was surrounded by armed nations until the Lord made them subject to him. 4   But now on every side the Lord my God has given me peace; there is no one to oppose me, I fear no attack. 5   So I propose to build a house in honour of the name of the Lord my God, following the promise given by the Lord to my father David: “Your son whom I shall set on the throne in your place will build the house in honour of my name.” 6   If therefore you will now give orders that cedars be felled and brought from Lebanon, my men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your

The reign of Solomon men whatever sum you fix; for, as you know, we have none so skilled at felling timber as your Sidonians.’

7   When Hiram received Solomon's message, he was greatly pleased and said, ‘Blessed be the Lord today who has given David a wise son to rule over this great people.’ 8   And he sent this reply to Solomon: ‘I have received your message. In this matter of timber, both cedar and pine, I will do all you wish. 9   My men shall bring down the logs from Lebanon to the sea and I will make them up into rafts to be floated to the place you appoint; I will have them broken up there and you can remove them. You, on your part, will meet my wishes if you provide the food for my household.’ 10   So Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and pine that he wanted, 11   and Solomon supplied Hiram with twenty thousand kor of wheat as food for his household and twenty kor of oil of pounded olives; Solomon gave this yearly to Hiram. 12   (The Lord had given Solomon wisdom as he had promised him; there was peace between Hiram and Solomon and they concluded an alliance.) 13   King Solomon raised a forced levy from the whole of Israel amounting to thirty thousand men. 14   He sent them to Lebanon in monthly relays of ten thousand, so that the men spent one month in Lebanon and two at home; Adoniram was superintendent of the whole levy. 15   Solomon had also seventy thousand hauliers and eighty thousand quarrymen, 16   apart from the three thousand three hundred foremen in charge of the work who superintended the labourers. 17   By the king's orders they quarried huge, massive blocks for laying the foundation of the Lord's house ^note in hewn stone. 18   Solomon's and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites shaped the blocks and prepared both timber and stone for the building of the house.

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