1And Chiram king of Tyre sent his servants to anoint Solomon in the room of David his father, because Chiram always loved David.

2And Solomon sent to Chiram, saying,

3You knew ⁵⁷my father David, that he could not build a house to the name of the Lord my God ⁵⁸because of the wars that compassed him about, until the Lord put them under the ⁵⁹soles of his feet.

4And now the Lord my God has given me rest round about; there is no one plotting against me, and there is no ⁶⁰evil trespass against me.

5And, behold, I intend to build a house to the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord God spoke to my father David, saying, Your son whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build a house to my name.

6And now command, and let men cut wood for me out of Libanus: and, behold, my servants shall be with your servants, and I will give you the wages of your service, according to all that you shall say, because you know that we have no one skilled in cutting timber like the Sidonians.

7And it came to pass, as soon as Chiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be God today, who has given to David a wise son over this numerous people.

8And he sent to Solomon, saying, I have listened concerning all that you have sent to me for: I will do all your will: as for timber of cedar and fir,

9my servants shall bring them down from Libanus to the sea: I will form them into rafts, and bring them to the place which you shall send to me about; and I will ⁶¹land them there, and you shall take them up: and you shall do my will, in giving bread to my household.

10So Chiram gave to Solomon cedars, and fir trees, and all his desire.

11And Solomon gave to Chiram twenty thousand measures of wheat ⁶²as food for his house, and twenty thousand baths of beaten oil thus Solomon gave to Chiram yearly.

12And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon as he ⁶³promised him; and there was peace between Chiram and Solomon, and they made a covenant between them.

13And the king raised ⁶⁴a levy out of all Israel, and the levy was thirty thousand men.

14And he sent them to Libanus, ten thousand taking turn every month: they were a month in Libanus and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.

15And Solomon had seventy thousand bearers of burdens, and eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountain;

16besides the rulers that were appointed over the works of Solomon, there were three thousand ⁶⁵six hundred ⁶⁶masters who wrought in the works.

17⁶⁷And the king commanded and they ⁶⁸brought great stones, precious stones for the foundation of the house, and unhewn stones.

18And they prepared the stones and the timber during three years.