5
The Lord promised my father David, "Your son, whom I will make king after you, will build a temple for me.' And I have now decided to build that temple for the worship of the Lord my God.
1
6
So send your men to Lebanon to cut down cedars for me. My men will work with them, and I will pay your men whatever you decide. As you well know, my men don't know how to cut down trees as well as yours do."
7
Hiram was extremely pleased when he received Solomon's message, and he said, "Praise the Lord today for giving David such a wise son to succeed him as king of that great nation!"
8
Then Hiram sent Solomon the following message: "I have received your message, and I am ready to do what you ask. I will provide the cedars and the pine trees.
9
My men will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea and will tie them together in rafts to float them down the coast to the place you choose. There my men will untie them, and your men will take charge of them. On your part, I would like you to supply the food for my men."
10
So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the cedar and pine logs that he wanted,
11
and Solomon provided Hiram with 100,000 bushels of wheat and 110,000 gallons of pure olive oil every year to feed his men.
12
The Lord kept his promise and gave Solomon wisdom. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made a treaty with each other.
13
King Solomon drafted 30,000 men as forced labor from all over Israel,
14
and put Adoniram in charge of them. He divided them into three groups of 10,000 men, and each group spent one month in Lebanon and two months back home.
2
15
Solomon also had 80,000 stone cutters in the hill country, with 70,000 men to carry the stones,