1. And Hiram the king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, for he heard that they had anointed him king instead of his father. For Hiram was a lover of David all his days.
2. And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3. You knew my father David, that he was not able to build a house to the name of Jehovah his God because of the wars that were all around him, until Jehovah had put them under the soles of his feet.
4. And now Jehovah my God has given me rest all around; there is no adversary nor evil happening.
5. And, behold, I am commanding a house to be built to the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spoke to my father David, saying, Your son whom I will appoint in your place on your throne, he shall build the house for My name.
6. And now, command and they shall cut down for me cedars out of Lebanon. And my servants shall be with your servants. And I will give you hire for your servants according to all that you say. For you know that there is not a man among us knowing to cut timber like the Sidonians.
7. And it happened, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced exceedingly, and said, Blessed be Jehovah today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.
8. And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard that for which you have sent to me. I will do all your will as to cedar wood and fir wood.
9. My servants will bring it down from Lebanon to the sea. And I will make floats for them in the sea to go to the place that you tell me. And I will spread them out there; and you shall take them up. And you shall do what I desire, to give food for my house.
10. And Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees, all his desire.
11. And Solomon gave to Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat, food for his house; and twenty measures of beaten oil. This Solomon gave to Hiram year by year.
12. And Jehovah gave wisdom to Solomon, as He had spoken to him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they cut a covenant, the two of them.
13. And King Solomon caused a labor force to go out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men.
14. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses. They were a month in Lebanon, two months in their own house. And Adoniram was over the labor force.
15. And Solomon had seventy thousand bearing burdens, and eighty thousand hewing in the mountain;
16. besides the rulers of Solomon's overseers who were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, those ruling over the people who were working in the work.
17. And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, quarried stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
18. And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders, and the Giblites, cut and prepared the wood and the stones to build the house.