1 Kings 5

Preparations for Building the Temple

1 1 Now j Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, k for Hiram always loved David. 2 And Solomon sent word to Hiram, 3 l "You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God m because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. 4 n But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune. 5 And so I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, o as the Lord said to David my father, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.' 6 Now therefore command that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. And my servants will join your servants, and I will pay you for your servants such wages as you set, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians."

7 As soon as Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, "Blessed be the Lord this day, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people." 8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, "I have heard the message that you have sent to me. I am ready to do all you desire in the matter of cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants shall bring it down to the sea from Lebanon, and I will make it into rafts to go by sea to the place you direct. And I will have them broken up there, and you shall receive it. And you shall meet my wishes p by providing food for my household." 10 So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired, 11 while Solomon gave Hiram 20,000 cors 2 of wheat as food for his household, and 20,000 3 cors of beaten oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year. 12 And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, q as he promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.

13 King Solomon drafted r forced labor out of all Israel, and the draft numbered 30,000 men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in shifts. They would be a month in Lebanon and two months at home. s Adoniram was in charge of the draft. 15 Solomon also t had 70,000 burden-bearers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hill country, 16 besides Solomon's 3,300 u chief officers who were over the work, v who had charge of the people who carried on the work. 17 At the king's command w they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones. 18 So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and x the men of Gebal did the cutting and prepared the timber and the stone to build the house.

  1. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 2:3
    And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: "As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.
  2. Cross References
    2 Samuel 5:11
    And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house.
    1 Chronicles 14:1
    And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also masons and carpenters to build a house for him.
  3. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:3 - 11
    You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.
    2 Chronicles 2:3 - 16
    And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: "As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.
  4. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 22:8
    But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth.
    1 Chronicles 28:3
    But God said to me, 'You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.
  5. Cross References
    1 Kings 4:24
    For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him.
    1 Chronicles 22:9
    Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.
  6. Cross References
    2 Samuel 7:13
    He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
    1 Chronicles 17:12
    He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.
    1 Chronicles 22:10
    He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.
    1 Chronicles 28:6
    He said to me, 'It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
  7. Cross References
    Ezra 3:7
    So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
    Ezekiel 27:17
    Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged for your merchandise wheat of Minnith, meal, honey, oil, and balm.
    Acts 12:20
    Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food.
  8. Cross References
    1 Kings 3:12
    Behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
  9. Cross References
    1 Kings 4:6
    Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
    1 Kings 9:15
    And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the Lord and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer
  10. Cross References
    1 Kings 4:6
    Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
  11. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 2:18
    Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.
    1 Kings 9:20 - 22
    All the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the people of Israel -
  12. Cross References
    1 Kings 4:5
    Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king's friend.
  13. Cross References
    1 Kings 9:23
    These were the chief officers who were over Solomon's work: 550 who had charge of the people who carried on the work.
  14. Cross References
    1 Kings 6:7
    When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.
    1 Chronicles 22:2
    David commanded to gather together the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God.
  15. Cross References
    Joshua 13:5
    And the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath.
    Ezekiel 27:9
    The elders of Gebal and her skilled men were in you, caulking your seams; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to barter for your wares.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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