1Hiram, the king of Tyre, sent his servants to Solomon because he had heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father's place, and Hiram had always loved David.
2Then Solomon sent a message to Hiram, saying,
3“You know that my father David could not build a temple for Yahweh his God because of the wars all around him, until Yahweh put his enemies under his control.
4But now Yahweh my God has given me peace on all sides. There are no enemies and no troubles.
5So, I intend to build a temple for Yahweh my God, just as Yahweh told my father David: ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, will build the temple for my name.’
6Therefore, please order your men to cut down cedar trees for me in Lebanon. My servants will work with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever you ask. You know that none of us are as skilled at cutting timber as the Sidonians.”
7When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very happy and said, “Blessed be Yahweh today, who has given David a wise son to rule over this great people!”
8Hiram then sent this reply to Solomon: “I have received the message you sent me. I will fulfill all your wishes regarding cedar and cypress timber.
9My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea. I will have them made into rafts and sent by sea to the location you specify. There, I will have them broken apart, and you can pick them up. In return, you will fulfill my wish by providing food for my household.”
10So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted.
11In return, Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat and twenty cors of pure olive oil each year to feed his household.
12Yahweh gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made a treaty together.
13King Solomon demanded forced labor from all Israel, amounting to thirty thousand men.
14He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month. They would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of this forced labor.
15Solomon also had seventy thousand people who carried burdens and eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountains.
16Apart from these, Solomon had three thousand three hundred chief officers who supervised the work and were in charge of the laborers.
17The king commanded them to quarry large, expensive stones, and to prepare the stones for the foundation of the temple.
18Solomon's builders, Hiram's builders, and the Gebalites cut and prepared both the timber and the stones for building the temple.